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May
19, 2005
“To be free is not merely to cast off ones chains,
but to live in a way that respects and enhances the
freedom of others.”
--Nelson Mandela
 Today,
we headed to the Apartheid Museum. I couldn’t
help but notice at the museum how Native Africans
struggles are very similar to the struggles of Native
Americans of the United States. White farmers named
Boers, as they were called, drove the Bushmen out
of their country and took their land. From then on,
there has been racial tension between blacks and whites
in South Africa.
One
can really tell the noticeable difference between
these two groups. One of the major things that stood
out at the museum was the display of the guns that
were used during the South African revolts—these
included the war between the Afrikaans (white settlers
of South Africa) and the Zulu natives, and the revolt
in Soweto against the police.
In
front of the display were three screens that depicted
the violence that occurred between Afrikaans and the
Zulu natives. Another influential part of the museum
was the noose display that hung from a ceiling. This
part represented the hangings or “necklings”—as
they were called by South Africans—that occurred
in prisons. Usually, the guards hung the prisoners
without a trial. In most cases, the prisoners were
anti-apartheid activists.
This
exhibit made me realize that the South Africans are
only a decade removed from apartheid. There is still
heavy racial tension between black and white South
Africans.
Going
through this museum made me I realize that I must
do my part to end this tension by becoming an advocate
of human rights for everyone.
William
A. Moore ’06 is a psychology major from Oak
Cliff, Texas.
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