The Apartheid Museum and Cool Runnings

After lunch we were taken to the Apartheid museum. The museum is nestled into what looks to me like a suburban area. Next to the museum is an amusement park. I thought this was kind of odd. I guess it could be used as a kind of an offset to what you would see and learn inside. 

 Upon our entry into the museum we were given cards to

 designate our color. The cards indicated whether or not you were "White" or "Non-White". They were printed in English and Afrikaans. The card that was given to me was a "Non-White" card and with 

this card you were allowed to enter based on the the color you had on the card. As you walk through the designated areas you were shown what a person would have to go

 through based on the color of their skin. The different passbooks were shown of people who were considered, coloured, black, and Indian. Once we were out of this area we regrouped and watched a brief introductory film about the museum. After the film we began to tour the rest of the museum. 

 The museum takes you through the early years of South African history up through it's birth of democracy. For me grasping and understanding the implications of Apartheid in South African history was very humbling. I never could imagine the atrocities that occurred during this time. To think that this ended only 15 years ago is unbelievable to me. The laws, the

 acts that were place upon people reeked of the Jim Crow era in our own American history. It was just down right ignorance by the people who were in power. There was one room in particular that made me shutter and recall many images of people being lynched during the times of segregation in the United States. The room contained 121 nooses hanging from the ceiling. These nooses represent the 121 political prisoners hung during the Apartheid years.  

 

 

 

After the museum we went home and rested a bit. I felt like I could have rested in that bed for ever. The coming and going was catching up to me. I just wanted to curl up in my pjs and not move until the next day. This of course did not happen. We went out to eat at a little joint called Cool Runnings. Yes it was a Jamaican themed place if anyone was thinking that. lol There I had some more food, which for some reason I could not get enough. Starving was not the word for me. I think ravenous would fit the bill. I had a chicken shawarma and chips. It was delicious. Then we all had a round of a shot called Bob Marley. All I can say is that it was delicious even though it had Yager in it. Absolutely hate that stuff. Speaking of Mr. Marley they had this rather interesting pic of him inside the bar.  

Once we were fed it was back off to the Africa Centre and to bed. We were going to need our rest for our busy day the next day. We were going to the township of Soweto.