Day 7: The Day of Sobbing T.T
Day 7: The Hector Pieterson
Museum
If you do not know the story of Hector Pieterson, I would strongly suggest that you take the time to understand how important this 13 year old boy was to the struggle against oppression in South Africa. Over the duration of this trip, many people had tremendous breakthroughs when it came to the issue of race. From recieving further understanding and attaining peace with past atrocities to understanding race in a whole new way. For me, the trip to the Hector Pieterson was just that. It was the hardest day of all. When we arrived I felt very somber. I remember the same feeling when I went into the slave dungeon at Cape Coast Castle in Ghana. There is something about stepping on ground where you know your brothers, sisters, and ancestors fought for you that is surreal. As we walked around the grounds I remember watching people laughing and chatting as though they were waiting for the commercials to end between their favorite prime-time show. I couldn't understand what was so funny. After all, we are standing at a memorial dedicated to a 13-year old boy who got shot by police who was protesting for a better education. Again, what is so amusing? We proceeded to take a group shot at the memorial and I remember saying aloud... "It feels weird to smile right now. I don't think I should be smiling."
As others continued to walk around I sat and waited for the rest of the group. When we went in, I could hardly look at the walls. I knew what I was getting ready to see and I knew how it was going to end and I didn't want to get to that end. I walked straight in, looked at about three displays and right when I got to the video of Steve Biko speaking about the necessity of a quality education, I broke. I ran as fast as I could to the bathroom and began to weep.
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| My view of the museum...the bathroom stall |
I wasn't weeping out of sadness as many may have thought. I was weeping out of sheer ANGER. Anger for my people, anger over the past and anger over our present condition. I sat in the bathroom for about 45 minutes before I was collected enough to rejoin the group.
After coming out, the group reconvened and we were able to hear first hand testimony from Hector Pieterson's older sister about that day. It was amazing watching her now as a grown woman speaking about that fateful day and hearing first had about why the students were actually fighting. I began to wonder to myself, with the present condition of the education system, what would it take for students in America to stand up. This is a thought that has permeated my mind since the "Arab Spring". It seems as though the attitudes of young people in America seems to be so apathetic...
...that a political movement seems to be the furthest of things to come. Does this mean that I do no t think that it is possible? No, not at all but what would be a catalist for young people to be willing to sacrifice their lives for? That remains to be seen.
Movie: A Million Colours
Later that night a few of us were walking around the mall in Jo'berg and came across a movie theatre. So, to do a little exploring, we decided to watch a movie. One observation that was made was that there was absolutely NO American cinema available for viewing. There were many foreign films available from France, Germany, England, etc. But, we decided on watching a local film called A Million Colours
Overall, after the day I had at the museum, I was a little worried that the movie would stir something up within me. But, I decided I would take a leap and just go see it. After viewing the film, I will say, it was not at all what I was expecting. It was a personal story about two people set against the anti-apartheid movement. The acting was very good and as a foreigner, I think it was a pretty good portrayal of the mood of the country during the time period. However, I think that I would be interested in purchasing the film once it comes out so that I may watch it again. Honestly, after leaving the theatre, I was less than enthusiastic about the movie there were many gaps in the plot for me and it became confusing and drawn out at times. But, I think after watching it again with a clearer mind it might actually be better than my first impression. I would definitely recommend it to watch just to get a general flavor of South African cinema (the acting was exceptional) and a window in which to view life in the townships of the 70's. I would equate it to Boys n The Hood as a depiction of life in the early 90's for young black men in urban American ghettos. The most memorable part of the movie was when one of the characters gets "Necklaced". This part stuck out to me because I had never heard of this practice before I came to South Africa. But, to be able to actually get a visual on what it would have looked like first hand was an image I will never be able to remove from my mind.
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