Jo'Burg, South Africa - Wander the Planet .net

JOHANNESBURG (CONT.), SOUTH AFRICA

Downtown Joburg was bustling with street vendors parked everywhere outside the stores selling everything from clothes (again alot of 50 Cent shirts - he's big in southern Africa - we saw his shirts in Zimbabwe too!) to cameras. At one point we passed through a very crowded corner and immediately our eyes and throats started burning REALLY bad. We were coughing and our eyes were watering - the cops had just tear-gassed the corner because it was too crowded. OOOOkay!

After going to Soweto, Wonderboy dropped us off at the Apartheid Museum - a MUST SEE for anyone going to South Africa. The Museum is next to the Gold Reef City Casino (five kilometres south of the city center) and came about as part of a casino bid seven years ago. Bidders were obliged to indicate what social responsibility commitment they were prepared to get involved in, and the casino proposed to build a museum committing R80 million.

Tickets for the Museum are plastic cards indicating either "Non-White" or "White" and you are directed to enter corresponding entrance. You must be given the cards randomly because Lisa and I got a white and a non-white card. I took the non-white card and we went our separate ways through the entrances. You first see a movie - the history of South Africa up until 1948. The movie abruptly ends and you then continue through the museum.

All I kept saying was "f*cking hell!" oh and a couple of "f*cking bastards!" sprinkled with "for f*cks sake!" There was little information that was new to me - I've read tons of books on Apartheid and even took a class at college - Sociology of Opression - that focused on Apartheid for half a semester. Apartheid Museum

But the exhibits - photos, props, video clips, etc. - obviously hit you the way books can't. There was a room with 100+ nooses dangling from the roof representing each political prisoner hanged during apartheid; a June 16, 1976 room with a wall of TVs projecting horrific images from that day; a cage full of weapons used by the security forces to enforce apartheid; great footage of the 1961 BBC interview with Nelson Mandela when he was in hiding from the authorities; footage of prime minister Hendrik Verwoerd addressing a crowd in English explaining how the country can be happily ruled only when the races are separated (argh!); and footage of right-wing Afrikaaner extremist rallies (double icky argh!).

After about an hour of being pissed off watching the disgusting news clips of racists, you come to the area of the museum focused on the 80s. There are cool exhibits about the anti-apartheid protests all over the world. A bit of hope replaces some anger. Then you get to the 90s and see the pics of Mandela leaving Robben Island and you get a tear in your eye. Then you see the Inauguration pics and you smile. Whew! Alot of emotions! The Truth and Reconcilliation section is not complete yet - but that will no doubt invoke more emotions to those who see it.

On our last day - on our way to the airport, we still had 2 stops to make. We wanted to see the Mandela statue and we needed a flea market. Our hostel arranged a ride for us - we walked out and guess who the hell was in the van? Wonderboy! So he dropped us in Sandton (Joburg suburb with LA-style malls and cafes) to see the HUMONGOUS Nelson Mandela statue in Nelson Mandela Square. I mean as you can see from the pic to the left - it really is big! Then we met him about an hour later and he had picked up a friend of his. So they took us to the Bruma Lake Flea Market for last minute shopping. I still wanted to buy a drum and some tapestries for myself and jewelry for friends. Oh and I still needed to buy a dashiki for Lloyd.

Oh yeah but before they dropped us off Wonderboy said, "Wonderboy needs a big favor. Can you do a favor for Wonderboy?" I said, "What is it?" "Can you pay Wonderboy with a credit card instead of cash? Wonderboy can't have cash because Wonderboy will spend it and I already owe the company money because my roommate moved out without paying...." He went on for another 5 minutes. I was thinking 'Hell no! I ain't letting Wonderboy have my credit card number - after he just told us he was having serious cash flow issues.' So we made a bunch of credit card limit excuses and said that we had to pay in cash. He sighed and said, "Hostel people never pay with a credit card. Wonderboy doesn't like picking people up from hostels. Hotel people always pay with a credit card." Ha ha ha hysterical!

Just now - If a South African tells you they will do something "just now", they mean they will do it in the near future but not immediately. For example, the appropriate reply to "Why don't we go shopping now?" if you wish to go a little later is: "No, let's rather go just now."

Now now - This is not intended to comfort but means shortly, as in: "I will be there now now."

Robot - South Africans refer to traffic lights as robots. Sometimes they pronounce the word "row-bow". "Turn left at the second robot."

Scale - To scale something means to steal it. If someone is scaly then he or she is not a person that you would trust.

Slip slops, slops - Sandals or rubber thongs worn to the beach.

No Future Without Forgiveness

The Apartheid Museum is open Tuesdays to Sundays 10am to 5pm. Entrance is R25 for adults, R12 for pensioners and students. The Museum is on the corner of Gold Reef and Northern Parkway Roads.

Bruma Lake Flea Market is located at Ernest Oppenheimer and Marcia Ave. It's open Tuesday-Sunday from 9.30am to 5pm.

Bruma Lake is a permanent flea market that sells everything from electronics to African crafts/curios to tshirts to luggage. The market serves tourists and locals. You could/should haggle but you couldn't barter.

I did get a cool drum, a bunch of jewelry including more of the cool safety pin bracelets, some tapestries, tshirts, and some Mandela trinkets.

Emerging Johannesburg: Perspectives on the Postapartheid City