When I walked off of the plane at the Cape Town airport in late May, I wondered why, of all places, I decided to return to South Africa. I experienced the country last summer and was able to spend eight weeks immersing myself in its culture and engaging on a service project. It was an enjoyable summer, and I certainly learned a lot about the country and myself. Yet, when given the opportunity to plan a civic engagement project anywhere in the world for my SOL grant proposal, I chose to go back. At the time, I thought that my familiarity with the District Six Museum would allow me to be more effective, given the time constraints of the summer. But could I have made more of a difference elsewhere? Am I using my time and talents most effectively in working with the museum on this project? Should I have chosen to spend my summer in a totally different culture? Would I have been better off working with an educational organization? Would I have been better off working with the youth or in other service opportunities that make a more direct contribution to society and the common good?

I guess I will never know.

Wednesday at the District Six Museum, several of the youth organizations affiliated with the museum held a day of film screening centered around the power of youth. This week was the beginning of winter break for high schools (it’s weird to think about how everything is reversed here!), so lots of young people were able to attend.

After a few short film screenings and workshops in the morning, the afternoon schedule had the students watching a documentary about the life of Rosa Parks and the larger civil rights movement her activism inspired. Although it was a bit long, I found the film to be incredibly powerful, as it demonstrated the courage and persistence of Ms. Parks and the participants of the Montgomery Bus Boycotts. It was a very interesting moment to be in the middle of South Africa watching a film about the history of my own country. Talking about, researching, and thinking about apartheid while in South Africa, it is easy to forget about the fact that similar racial and economic discrimination existed (and, perhaps, continues to exist) in the US.

The discussion that followed the film, led by one of my Duke professors (Bob Korstad), was especially powerful, and it illustrated both the challenges and opportunities existing in South Africa today. This past weekend, Bob, Jabulani (the professor from Pietermaritzburg’s University of KwaZulu-Natal), and I had a conversation about how much progress South Africa still has to go. In many ways, the achievement of political freedom in 1994 was only the beginning of the end of apartheid since so many economic, educational, and health inequalities stand in the way of total and complete realization of freedom. And unfortunately, due to corruption and the spoils of patronage, it appears as if the self-serving nature of political parties, including the ANC, will not be able to deliver equality. Instead, it can only be achieved by an extra-political organization composed of everyday South Africans actively participating in their democracy and demanding their rights.

Much to my surprise, many of the students after watching the documentary, made incisive observations similar to what Bob, Jabulani, and I discussed. They incisively recognized that so much progress remains ahead of them and that it will be up to their generation to continue the march to freedom.

While the conversation demonstrated the opportunities and hope for the future, it also featured a phenomenon far-too present in society. The success of the anti-apartheid movement was a testament to the bravery and selflessness of so many South Africans who sacrificed their livelihoods and personal well being for the sake of something larger than themselves. The struggle was long, difficult, and thankless, and they deserve endless gratitude and appreciation from the “freedom generation,” the young people today born into a democratic South Africa.

During the dialogue the other day, many of the youth program leaders, who are mostly middle aged, began speaking about their involvement with the movement, elaborating on the sacrifices they made and emphasizing the difficulties they encountered. But what were supposed to be (I think, at least) inspirational anecdotes and speeches turned more into preaching. The adults, it seemed to me, were talking down to the young people about how hard they had it and how lazy the youth today are—a prime example of the whole “back in my day, we walked to school uphill…both ways.”

It is often said that South Africa suffers from a syndrome known as “struggle fatigue,” basically that the country can’t get past its past. I never fully understood what that term meant. The past is important. It’s integral to moving forward and achieving true freedom in the coming generations. However, as I witnessed the other afternoon, it can get to be too much.

Does endless fixation on the past only generate malaise and fatigue? Do former activists need to take the backseat and allow the next generation of leaders to emerge? But is this next generation ready to lead and ready to sacrifice?

For South Africa today, the challenges and uncertainties are seemingly endless.

This weekend, I travelled with the DukeEngage students to Pietermaritzburg (the city where I spent my first four weeks last summer) to enjoy the region’s sights and speak with Professor Jabulani Sithole of the University of KwaZulu Natal and several anti-apartheid activists.

Early Friday morning at 5am, I met up with Bill Chafe, my professor and the leader of the DukeEngage South Africa trip, to head to the Cape Town Airport for our 6:30am flight to Durban. (We were flying separately from the other students). When we got to the airport, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The entire domestic departures terminal, which is a small temporary structure while the real terminal is under construction for the 2010 World Cup, was completely mobbed. The British and Irish Lions, the two countries’ national rugby team, is in the middle of its tour against South Africa (the reigning world champion Springboks), so the airport was full of British and Irish rugby fans traveling from Cape Town to Johannesburg, the site of the next match. The airport was so full that we literally had to push our way to the desk to check in.

After we made it through security, it was a quite relaxing morning, since Bill is an American Airlines platinum member and he was able to secure entry for me into the British Airways Lounge. Free internet and free breakfast are quite an enjoyable combination, and if it wasn’t 6am, I might have helped myself to the complimentary open bar. (I have to admit that I did take a few muffins, snacks, and canned sodas along for the road!) Upon arrival in Durban, we made a brief visit to the Indian Ocean and headed off to Pietermaritzburg where we cooked a collective dinner and played charades for evening entertainment.

Saturday morning started off with a delicious breakfast at the Aberfeldy B&B (the cleaning/cooking staff remembered me as the boy who loved their scrambled eggs) and a tour of the Edendale township, the site of the Seven Days War conflict between the ANC and the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) in 1990. Recognizing that its position was weakening, the apartheid government sough to create instability within the ANC and the freedom movement by financing and arming rival organizations like the IFP. Although I had learned a little bit about the conflict during my time last year, the tour helped to fill in the gaps and give me a better understanding of what really happened. It was also cool that, during our tour, a local man began listening in and adding his own personal experiences from the conflict.

Later in the day, we went over to Professor Jabulani Sithole’s house to eat dinner with him, his wife Zanelle, and his four children (ages 16, 11, 4, and 1). It was an interesting evening to say the least. We walked in to find all of the children gathered around the television watching the Michael Jackson tribute running on MTV, which consisted of back-to-back MJ music videos. The TV was turned off for dinner, but afterwards, the tribute returned. Over the next few hours, everyone—Jabulani, his wife and children, Duke professors, and students alike—danced in the living room and sang along to all of the MJ hits. It was quite an experience, and it is truly amazing to see how music can bridge cultural divides and foster cross-cultural sharing. In addition, I do have to say that it was a bit strange to be sitting in a living room in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa watching a TV broadcast from Times Square. It shows just how small our world is and just how widely American culture has penetrated all aspects of the globe.

Sunday morning began with a trip to the Metro Methodist Church in downtown Pietermaritzburg, which we attended on the recommendation of the owner of the B&B. The church service was an interesting experience. The congregation was remarkably multiracial, and the sermon preached about Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Jesus was very though provoking. During the musical portions of the service, it got to be a bit much though. Many of the congregants began waving their hands in the air, and one even fetched a maroon flag from the back of the church and began waving it down the center of the aisle. Not your average church service.

The rest of the day was spent interacting with various anti-apartheid leaders, all of whom I had the opportunity to meet with during my trip last year. This time, however, I was able to get a lot more out of the experience because I have a much stronger understanding of South African history and could engage with them on a much deeper level. In the afternoon, Cassius Lubisi, the Superintendent General of Education for the province of KwaZulu Natal spoke to us about how he became politically conscious and how he began his career as a freedom fighter. In the evening, we went to the house of Rod and Fiona Bulman, local leaders in the non-profit community who were also anti-apartheid activists. The talk was especially fascinating because they were joined by their now thirty year-old daughter Rosie who spoke about growing up under the later stages of apartheid and how she dealt with her parents position as outspoken activists. I had never really heard what it was like for someone who grew up during the 1980s, and the exchanges and interaction between Rosie and her parents brought out very powerful stories and memories.

Yesterday, I took advantage of the downtime in the morning and early afternoon to reacquaint myself with the city of Pietermaritzburg. After a brief walk in the downtown area, I headed to the Voortrekker Museum which is located within the Church of the Vow. During the Great Trek of 1938 when they traversed the interior of the country seeking their own farmland and to escape British bans on slavery, the first group of Afrikaner settlers battled with the Zulu nation for control of areas of what is now KwaZulu Natal. The Afrikaners believed that their victory over the Zulu at the Battle of Blood River (in which the Afrikaners were vastly outnumbered) was a sign that God was on their side, and they constructed the Church of the Vow in Pietermaritzburg to honor this “covenant” with God that established the Afrikaner race as a chosen people. During the early twentieth century when Afrikaner nationalism began to be created and the National Party began its rise to power, the Church was transformed into a museum to reinforce the importance of God’s special relationship with the Afrikaner people and to commemorate Afrikaner culture.

Needless to say, the museum and the culture that it honors (one that oppressed millions of non-white South Africans) seems a bit out of place in a democratic South Africa. While inside the church and looking at the original pulpit inside, I couldn’t help but think about the hateful words spoken within to justify racism and human rights violations, all in the name of supposed Christianity. An interaction with one of the museum staff members really helped to put things into perspective for me. After she gave a brief talk about the history of the Great Trek, I asked how she, as a coloured woman, could work in a museum that remembers a people that oppressed her and her ancestors. Her reply was simple yet incisive: Afrikaner history is a part of South African history, and it must be remembered. She wholly correct; as painful as the past is, it must be understood in order for the country to move forward.

Monday night, we hosted a barbeque for all of the friends of Duke in the area. It was a fun opportunity to interact with several of the people I got to know well last summer in Pietermaritzburg, including my very boisterous former PACSA co-worker Jacqui Mseleku-Khumalo.

Today, we headed back to Cape Town, and we were greeted with sunny blue skies!

That’s enough writing for now. Sorry for the length of the post!

On my way from the museum to the National Library this afternoon, I took a different route than usual. Instead of walking through the central business district, I decided to cut down a different street that passes by the South African Parliament Building. As I casually glanced around, I noticed the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Cape Town perched across the street. It was the first time that I had seen the church before, and I was immediately impressed by its grandeur.

While continuing on my walk to the library, I couldn’t help but notice the irony of what I just saw. On one side of the street was a building where an unjust system that oppressed millions of people was formulated and enforced; on the other side is a building that stands for equality and the basic dignity of every human. Moreover, the Catholic Church was one of the few institutions that, due to its international standing and influence, was able to speak out against apartheid.

Just another example of the interesting, complex dichotomies rife within this country.

I have been extremely lucky lately. Instead of the constant rain that usually pummels Cape Town this time of year, we have enjoyed blue skies and sun, and I have had to make little use of my rain jacket so far.

Thursday was another hectic day at work. I had planned to spend the morning at the National Library working on some historical research and return to the museum in the afternoon. On my way to the library, I stopped by the museum just to drop off a disc of images. (The past week or so, I had been compiling pictures to be used in designing a display case for the museum at the Cape Town International Conventional Center, a beautiful building that plays host to a plethora of events and conferences. A good display there could help to drive significant traffic to the museum). Unfortunately, a quick stop turned into a whole day. One errand turned into many more, and before I knew it, it was late afternoon. The good news is that, by the end of the day, we were able to meet with a graphic designer and hammer out a design for the display case.

Friday, the museum staff was away for the day on a midyear retreat. Luckily, I did not have to attend, so I was able to make up for lost time at the library. After hours of pouring through hundreds of pages of Parliamentary transcripts, at about 3pm I called it quits, met up with some of my housemates that work downtown, and took the train to the beach at Muizenburg. It was a nice day, and I had never been to a beach in Cape Town, so I couldn’t let the opportunity pass. It didn’t disappoint. The rocky coastline was beautiful with the mountains in the distance, and it was cool to watch the many surfers hang out in the frigid water.

Saturday was an awesome day. In the morning, I headed to the Old Biscuit Mill in the suburb next to mine. Several of my co-workers had been raving about its Saturday morning food market, and I decided that it was time to pay it a visit and see what all of the fuss was about. When I got there, my jaw dropped. In a beautifully remodeled mill were tables and tables of gourmet food venders—all very reasonably priced. I was in heaven. After making a lap of the venue and seeing all the different types of food available, I settled on a Belgian waffle and a falafel. Both were delicious. The market was very classy, full pretty much of white, well-dressed South Africans. It felt more like New York than Cape Town.

The rest of our day took on a slightly different tone. One of my housemates arranged for his co-worker, Easy (pronounced “Izzy”), to take us on a tour of Guglethu, the township he lives in. The experience was both fun and powerful, and it provided a stark reminder of inequality that exists right here in Cape Town, so close to where I live my daily life. First, Easy took us to the site where Amy Biehl, an American Fulbright Scholar working in South Africa, was killed in 1993 by a group of Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) members implementing their “One Settler, One Bullet Campaign.” (As a liberation organization, the PAC asserted that Africa belonged only to black Africans and advocated an armed struggle to end apartheid.)

What was incredibly powerful about Easy’s story is that he was one the PAC activists that participated in the stoning of Amy Biehl. He was arrested and served time in jail, but he was later granted amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which forgave acts of political violence committed during apartheid in the interest of national unity. In the years following Amy’s death, her mother met with Easy and forgave him for what he had done. Now, he works for the South African education foundation that bears Amy’s name. It is an amazing story that illustrates not only the power of forgiveness, but also how the evil system of apartheid could bend and distort moral norms and drive fundamentally good people, like Easy, to commit such a heinous act.

Next, we headed to Easy’s parent’s neighborhood to meet his parents and walk around. The houses were pretty substantially built, but they were extremely small, and the roads were made of sand and littered with trash. While we were walking around, about fifteen young children, barefoot and with dirty clothes, ran up to our group. They didn’t speak English and we couldn’t communicate verbally with them. But they stuck out their hands and began to hold our hands. To be honest, I found the situation to be incredibly awkward. I had my reservations about going on the tour to begin with, since I think that so called “township tours” are rather exploitive and designed more to give foreign visitors a “feel good” moment and an “authentic African experience.” I could only imagine what the members of the community thought about a group of wealthy white kids coming into their space and playing with their children.

After that, we headed a “shebeen,” an informal bar in the townships usually based out of somebody’s home. The one we visited, which was named “China,” was located in a family’s garage. Let me say that it was quite an experience. In the hour that I spent there, I was yelled at by a drunk deaf woman who demanded I buy her a drink and hugged incessantly by another drunk woman who was probably sixty years old. From the shebeen, we went to Mzoli’s Meats, the butcher/barbeque restaurant I visited two weekends ago. Being a Saturday evening, it was an extremely lively and quite a good time.

Going from the white, yuppie confines of the Old Biscuit Mill to the poverty of the township, my experience Saturday really demonstrated just how racially and physically separated South Africa continues to be fifteen years after democracy. This country is rife with the scars of apartheid, and unfortunately, I can’t forsee them beginning to heal anytime soon. How do you build adequate homes for the countless families without one, and how do you change the residential segregation that pervades (and in many ways) defines the country? There is no easy answer.

Today the weather turned, and we had out first cloudy day in a while. I pretty much just hung around, watched television, and prepared for the week ahead. And of course, I called my family to wish my dad a happy Father’s Day.

To all the fathers out there, Happy Father’s Day! Have a good week.

It’s hard to believe that it is already Wednesday night, that I have been gone for over four weeks, and that I only have about five weeks left. Despite the fact that my time is speeding by, I am making the most of the summer and trying to get a lot accomplished work-wise. This past weekend, I went with 9 of my housemates along the scenic Garden Route, a section of highway that runs along the southwest coast of the country. After a beautiful drive with rolling green hills and an impromptu stop at a delicious and free-flowing winery along the way, we made it to the Garden Route Game Lodge for a game drive. Although I went on a real safari last summer, it was still cool to visit a game preserve and see elephants, lions, cheetahs, and giraffes in their natural habitat….plus the dinner buffet was pretty delicious!!

Sunday, we continued along the Garden Route passing by rocky coastlines and bays on our way to the Bloukrans Bridge, the site of the world’s highest bungee jump. Some of my friends decided to make the 200+ meter plunge, but I decided to reduce the damage to my wallet and ensure my continued existence by opting to zipline across the bridge instead of jumping. It still provided me with some incredible views of the canyon that the bridge traverses. After jumping, we piled into the small car (5 of us) and made the long 6 hour drive back to Cape Town.

The work week has been going pretty well so far. Most of the day Monday was spent preparing for the museum’s Youth Day program for the following day, Tuesday June 16. (Youth Day in South Africa commemorates the 1976 Soweto uprisings when high school students protested against the use of Afrikaans as the official language of instruction in public schools. Their peaceful protests were greeted with violence by the apartheid government, and at the end of the day several students lay dead. The students’ protest ignited a wave of resistance in the following weeks and months, making the country ungovernable and ultimately leading to the end of apartheid nearly two decades later).

The program planned for Tuesday’s celebrations was designed to be an intergenerational dialogue between high school students and former residents of District Six (most of whom are in their 60s and 70s) about Youth Day and, building off of the museum’s soccer exhibit, the ways in which soccer and soccer culture have changed over the past decades. On paper, it looked like a promising afternoon. In reality, things didn’t quite work out so well. Not only we were poorly organized and frantically setting up last minute, half of the young students who RSVP’ed cancelled, leaving an highly uneven ratio of youth and former residents. Despite the uneven numbers, the dialogues went fairly well. From my perspective, I was fascinated to listen to all of the adults’ stories from 1976 and see their reactions to a video about the Soweto uprisings. Almost all of them gasped in unison when Henrik Verwoerd, the architect of apartheid, was interviewed on screen.

The end of the program was when things really went awry. A group of high school students were scheduled to perform a small skit to conclude the day. Their extremely corny skit, which ended with a singing of “I Believe the Children are the Future,” was good compared to what happened next. All of the sudden, some old man went to the front of the room, seized the microphone, and crooned an awful rendition of “Lady in Red” followed by the Stevie Wonder hit “I Just Called to Say I Love You.” While this was happening, I just sat and looked around the room at my co-workers to see find out what was going on, but I was only greeted with blank faces—they were equally confused. Let’s just say that this musical tribute didn’t exactly fit in well with the theme for the day. If nothing else, it gave us all something to laugh at after a long day of work.

Today, I spent some time at both the museum and the National Library. At the museum, I finalized a visitor survey that will be administered next week, and I succeeded in making contact with both several German museums and some Cape Town tourism officials. I do have to say that it is a bit awkward calling people out of the blue and asking them for help, but it is getting me valuable information and giving me a brief glimpse of what life was life before email! At the National Library, I made progress reading through transcripts of Parliament from 1994.

So far, I am really enjoying my research. This afternoon, as I walked out of the library, past the South African Parliament buildings, and towards the train station, all I could think about was how lucky I am that Duke is giving me the opportunity to be on the ground in Cape Town learning more about South Africa and its history. Today was a good day…let’s hope tomorrow follows suit.

It has been an interesting past few days full of both excitement and unpleasantness. Knowing that the sunny, clear days are numbered, I joined my housemates in skipping out of work early of Tuesday to climb Table Mountain. Ascending Table Mountain is probably the number one item on every Cape Town visitor’s list, but somehow, work schedules and bad weather prevented me from making it to the top last summer. When I returned in May, I was determined to climb…even if it meant playing a bit of hookie.

We climbed to the top via the Platteklip Canyon Trail on the side of the mountain facing the main city bowl. It was a beautiful hike, and the higher we climbed, the better the view of the city we got. On this particular route, there are steps carved into the mountain to make it a bit easier. Still, imagine 2 hours of climbing steps…not exactly a walk in the park. Thankfully, most of the trail was in the shade so it wasn’t too hot.

The view from the summit of Table Mountain was simply spectacular—and worth the nearly one year wait it took for me to finally make it to the top. To the south, you can see all of the Cape Peninsula through Cape Point. To the west are the many suburbs of Cape Town and the winelands in the distance. To the north is the downtown city of Cape Town, Robben Island, and Table Bay. Stunning panoramic views like that one prove just how beautiful and scenic a country South Africa is. And since we didn’t start climbing until late afternoon, we were able to enjoy the beginning of the sunset over the Atlantic Ocean before taking the Table Mountain Cable Car down from the top.

Since Tuesday’s triumphant mountain climb, things have gone a bit downhill. I fell ill with a sore throat, fever, and headache, and after a visit to the doctor’s, was diagnosed with Strep throat. Fortunately, I am on antibiotics and am starting to feel better.

My sickness forced me to miss 2 days of work, which put me a little bit behind schedule. Luckily I was able to make it in today for the whole day and start to get back on track. In addition to my own research, I was also tasked to help design a permanent display case for the museum at the Cape Town Convention Center. If done well, it could help to attract the convention center’s many visitors to the museum. With little guidance, I was told to create a 3-D model of what the display should look like. Lacking it arts-and-craft skills, the “model” I constructed looked like a diorama from an elementary school science project or book report. Thankfully the responsibility for the final design does not rest with me!

This weekend should be fun, as I am driving along the southern coast of the Western Cape to a game lodge. Hopefully, I will get to see some cool animals and enjoy a new part of South Africa.

And lastly, happy one year to the World Cup!! (Thursday marked the one year mark until the kickoff of South Africa’s World Cup on June 11, 2009, and the city was abuzz with excitement. It’s hard to imagine what it will be like for the real thing.)

Here’s a link to the research template I completed last week:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dcnznx25_135gm3ppsfg&hl=en

It outlines my research questions and methods, so you should read it if you want a better idea of the work I am doing with the District Six Museum.

This article was on the front page of the NY Times online. It does a nice job explaining the economic situation here in South Africa and the tensions between the business community, President Zuma, and the powerful Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU).

Here is the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/11/world/africa/11jobless.html?_r=1&hp

After a week of rain and clouds, the sun and blue skies have finally returned to Cape Town. It’s amazing how beautiful this city can be—when the weather is actually nice. This past weekend was very relaxing, and the break in the weather allowed us to enjoy the sights of the Cape. Saturday afternoon, I went on a wine tour with several of the other students living in my lodge. Although I have already traveled to the renowned winelands of the Western Cape, I got to visit some new wineries and see some different scenery. The highlights from the day include a winery that had unlimited wine and cheese for only 12 rand ($1.50) and another winery that uncorked a bottle with a saber! (I got a really cool action shot of it.) I have to admit that I still can’t tell what is “good” wine, but I enjoyed all of it nonetheless, especially the prices.

Sunday morning, the two other Duke students and I headed to the J.L. Zwane Church and Community Center (www.jlzwane.sun.ac.za) in the Gugulethu township to see Mel (the Duke Divinity Alum) preach. When I first walked into the Church, I was impressed by the building. Since it is located in the townships, I expected it to be a bit run down, but it instead was a large well-equipped and well-decorated brick building (we later learned from Mel that it was built in 2003 by the University of Stellenbosch, ironically the university where the concept of apartheid was first developed).

The church service itself was a bit interesting. Most of it was spoken in Xhosa, so I had absolutely no clue what was going on. It was especially frustrating when, at the end of the service, the head of the church gave a thirty minute speech about self-empowerment. Thankfully, he threw in a few words in English so at least I had some idea of what he was talking about. It was interesting, though, to see how the Church service became an opportunity not just for religious celebration but also for community gathering and improvement. For me, however, the most memorable part of the 2 hour long service was the music. Everyone in the Church was actively singing along, and it was by far the best Church music I have ever heard.

After Church, we went with Mel to visit one of the families that she has become close with over the past year. The mother has taken seven foster children, including one with disabilities. She has to care for them herself, since her husband left her. It was truly an eye-opening experience to meet these kids who have gone through so much yet still maintain a positive attitude and are excelling in school.

When we left their house, we headed to Mzoli’s Meats for lunch. Located in the township, Mzoli’s has quickly become a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. It is truly an experience. You go into the butcher’s room, and select how much meat you would like. They then weigh it and place it in a bowl, which you take outside to be grilled. When the food is cooked, it is placed in another bowl and ready to eat—without plates or silverware. The meats—steak, chicken and sausage—were incredible, and I really enjoyed getting my hands dirty and bringing out my inner carnivore.

Visiting the townships again was such a sobering reminder of the stark gap between rich and poor, black and white and just how deeply these inequalities are embedded in everyday life. It’s ironic how one day you can enjoy the beautiful, nicely manicured wine estates of Stellenbosch, and the next day drive through dirt roads past one room concrete houses and shacks. South Africa is truly a land of contrast.

Monday, I finally hammered down the details of my research plan for District Six. I have set a timeline for my work and have started the data collection phase. I will try to post my research template to give a better sense of what I will be up to.