South Africa – Day 7, Apartheid Museum and Hector Pieterson Museum

Today we visited two museums that focused on South Africa’s racist history. First colonialism, then Apartheid, and the continued marginalization of black Africans today, particularly its most vulnerable citizens, even with a government now run by blacks. One of the most distressing facts of life for many black South Africans today is that the end of Apartheid and the election of a black democratic government have not meant a mass change of fortunes for most black South Africans.

The Apartheid Museum is located in Johannesburg. It is one of the best museums I have ever been to. I may have a bias as a burgeoning race scholar, as this museum was all about the politics, sociology, anthropology, and history of race in a country founded on white supremacist values. The museum starts off by having whites given passes indicating that they were black, and being forced to walk through doors marked “non Whites;” and blacks given passes indicating that they were white, and being forced to walk through doors marked “Whites.”





Notice that just as in America, "white" is the norm against which all other races are measured. Everything else is "non white." This is one of the problems with the way we talk about race in America. We talk about race as a black-white binary, ignoring both the vast diversity of people who would not consider themselves to be either black or white, and the intersectionality of race:

"Intersectionality – means the examination of race, sex, class, national origin, sexual orientation, and how the combination plays out in various settings."

Race is a lot more than black and white.

Since our group is made up of blacks and whites who all get along extremely well, it was interesting for us to be separated along racial lines and cattled through the appropriate doors. Upon entering the doors, we were bombarded by 3’ x 4’ replications of ID cards belonging to South African citizens during Apartheid.




These ID’s were used to move in and out of places in South Africa during a time when certain races were not allowed in certain areas, and these cards clearly indicated race. South Africa’s history is tragic and awesome at the same time. From the time whites set foot on the area known as South Africa, they were menacing. They used guns to slaughter a people who believed that they could overcome the threat of the white invaders by spiritual forces. The price they paid was blood. Africans were seen as sub humans by their white invaders, and whites sought to subordinate them and claim the land as their own. The history of South Africa is too vast to cover in a single post, so I will stick the highlights of the museum. Early South African art depicts white settlers murdering the natives and taking them as prisoners, and the settlers are always pictured with guns.






The Mandela exhibit was fabulous. One of the best single exhibits I have ever seen. I’m sure it’s partly because he is just a phenomenal man. Its amazing to see how his life took shape… the choices he made… the way he thought… the great people he met and called friends… the way that those friends shaped his character… the fact that he wrote (a lot)… the way he was constantly critically reflecting on the world… the way that he was willing to live in the tension… He was so special that people gave him various names to describe how special he was. One that we saw over and over again was “Madiba Magic.” Here are some others:

Mr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is sometimes called by other names.

Each name has its own special meaning and story. When you use them you should know what you are saying and why. So here is a brief explanation of each name.

Rolihlahla – This is Mr. Mandela’s birth name: it is an isiXhosa name which means “pulling the branch of a tree”, but colloquially it means “troublemaker”. His father gave him this name.

Nelson – This name was given to him on his first day at school by his teacher, Miss Mdingane. Giving African children English names was a custom among Africans in those days and was influenced by British colonials who could not easily, and often would not, pronounce African names. It is unclear why Miss Mdingane chose the name “Nelson” for Mr Mandela.

Madiba – This is the name of the clan of which Mr Mandela is a member. A clan name is much more important than a surname as it refers to the ancestor from which a person is descended. Madiba was the name of a Thembu chief who ruled in the Transkei in the 18th century. It is considered very polite to use someone’s clan name.

Tata – This isiXhosa word means “father” and is a term of endearment that many South Africans use for Mr. Mandela. Since he is a father figure to many, they call him Tata regardless of their own age.

Khulu – Mr Mandela is often called “Khulu”, which means great, paramount, grand. The speaker means “Great One” when referring to Mr Mandela in this way. It is also a shortened form of the isiXhosa word “uBawomkhulu” for “grandfather”.

Dalibhunga – This is the name Mr. Mandela was given at the age of 16 once he had undergone initiation, the traditional Xhosa rite of passage into manhood. It means “creator or founder of the council” or “convenor of the dialogue”. The correct use of this name when greeting Mr Mandela is “Aaah! Dalibhunga”.



I was comforted to even know that I had some things in common with this great man… I wondered how his great passion for equality in South Africa impacted his personal relationships. He had such passion. Was there even room for either of the 2 wives who divorced him?

The remainder of the Apartheid museum was about “Apartheid!” What else!?!? Great exhibits all the way through that left me with many questions, and kept me drawing comparisons to the experiences of blacks in America. The 3 ½ hours we spent there wasn’t nearly enough time.

Next we visited the Hector Pieterson. This museum was much smaller, but equally moving, especially since it is situated in the same place as the events that killed its namesake took place. Check the link for the story: http://www.southafrica.info/about/history/hector-pieterson.htm


We capped off the day with another trip to an African market and then to Mandela square for a great African style buffet dinner at Lekgotla. Dinner included a traditional African hand washing, great food, face painting, and great fellowship. It was a great end to a great day.



Signing off!



Written by Frederick A Hanna