Today we visited the Constitutional Court and Old Fort Prison in Johannesburg. The Constitutional Court isn't really comparable to a court in the U.S., but the best way to describe it is that it's a federal court that deals with issues of social and human rights only. For example, some of the cases they cover deal with discrimination, freedom of the press and racial issues. The Court was created in the late 1990s at the end of the Apartheid era and embodies all of the things Nelson Mandela envisioned for the future. Everything from the architecture to the decor to the art exhibit has deep meaning and is representative of South Africa in some way. We were given a tour of this majestic building by 3 young interns and it was probably the best tour I've ever been on. They were so detailed not only in their descriptions of the operations of the Court and the building itself, but also in their discussions of the symbolism behind everything we saw and the representation of hope for post-Apartheid South Africa. It was a truly incredible and emotional experience and I even shed my first tear of the trip.
After the tour of the court, we had lunch at a little outdoor cafe on the grounds. We sat outside and enjoyed the warmth of the sun along with our food and Cokes. Later in the day, we found out that the exact place where we were sitting during lunch used to be home to the "Lashing Area" when the prison was operational. In other words, we were sitting where they used to lash prisoners for misbehavior or interrogation purposes. Many even died under the lashes, right where our feet we resting. I'm glad we found that out AFTER eating...
We finished up there with a short tour of part of the Old Fort Prison, which surrounds the Constitutional Court and acts as a reminder of everything South Africa never wants to experience again. We unfortunately didn't get to see Nelson Mandela's cell because they were closing, but we did get to see bunkers, food areas, bath areas and other small places that were used for torture and abuse. More emotions were stirred and tears were shed. The abuse and humiliation suffered by non-whites during Apartheid was so cruel and unforgivable, and to think that this was occurring less than 20 years ago is sickening. From what I can tell so far, South Africa has come a long way in the post-Apartheid era, however there is still much work to be done to combat racial inequality and the economic disparities between whites and non-whites. Expect to hear much more about this throughout my trip, as this will be a large part of my research and writing.
Here are just a few of the photos I took today. Some will help you better understand why I experienced so many emotions today. Others will just make you jealous ;-) Enjoy!
Beautiful beaded South African flag created by Zulu tribal women and donated to the Constitutional Court.
Our first meal as a group...even though there were only half of us present at the time because the rest had yet to make it to South Africa.
Followed by a discovery of what that area used to be.
A wooden sculpture in the Constitutional art exhibit that depicts an occurrence of torture during apartheid.
Images of the Old Fort Prison and Building Number 4. This prison was designed to hold 975 people. It actually held nearly 3,000, most of whom were subject to torture and inhumane treatment.
These 2 structures are 2 of the original staircases in the prison. When Mandela named this area as the home of the new Constitutional Court at the end of Apartheid, architects decided to maintain these staircases in the center of the square and add towers of glass-encased lights that can be seen from all of Johannesburg. This is what is now seen as Mandela's beacon of light, which represents hope for a new South Africa.
Drinking our first South African beer. This was immediately followed by our first South African burger. Those who say S. African beef is the best are SO right.
My first snack stash....sweet, salty and alcoholic :)
Location:Johannesburg, South Africa
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