|
May 28, 2005
 After
four days of intense conversations, meetings and forums,
today, we ventured out on a tour of Soweto (an acronym
for Southwestern Township), and the Hector Pieterson
Museum.
While
standing on a street corner in Soweto, I witnessed
the stark contrasts of this city. Luxurious mansions
across the road from tin shanties; a multimillion-rand
private hospital a few blocks away from an overcrowded
government funded hospital, and a power station in
the midst of a township where many homes are without
electricity and running water describe the contrasting
images of Soweto.
Usually,
perception is reality, but not necessarily the truth.
However, my perception of Soweto was the true reality
of the past, present and, seemingly, the future in
Soweto.
Preoccupied
with contemplating the situation that brought about
this true reality in Soweto, I was last to file out
of the van at the Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum.
The memorial and museum were constructed to preserve
the history of all the individuals who were involved
in the tragic events of the Soweto uprising.
On June
16, 1976, in apartheid South Africa, what was planned
as a peaceful protest by student organizers over the
introduction of Afrikaans as the language of learning
and teaching in township schools, quickly turned into
a devastating massacre. Hector Pieterson, a 13-year-old
student, was among the first victims to be killed
by police that fateful day, hence, the naming of the
museum in his honor.
Young
people organized this march to preserve black consciousness,
which emphasized psychological liberation from the
degrading attitude implicit in apartheid. These young
people organized to avoid being subjected to the language
of the oppressor, realizing, as South African journalist
and activist Steve Biko taught, "the most potent
weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of
the oppressed."
The
engraving on the memorial near the sight where Hector
was shot reads: "To honor the youth who gave
their lives in the struggle for freedom and democracy:
in memory of Hector Pieterson and all other heroes
and heroines of our struggle who laid their lives
for freedom, peace, and democracy."
While walking
through the museum, I gained a greater sense of self-consciousness,
self-determination, self-pride and self-dignity knowing
that a determined group of young people “stood”
and sacrificed all in the name of freedom, peace,
and democracy. Coming from a land overflowing with
milk and honey, I realized that I, too, must therefore
stand for something to avoid falling
for anything in my quest to embody ethical leadership.
Jamison
Collier '06 is a business administration major, with
a concentration in accounting, from Decatur, Ga.
|
