Back in Jo-burg

Back in Jo-burg

Well, I am back in Jo-burg now and doing my fair share of running around. I challenged one of the locals here, a great girl named Samm, to show me that Jo-burg is better than Cape town, and she has done a wonderful job so far. We visited the Africa museum a few days ago before grabbing a bite to eat for lunch. The first exhibit displayed portrait photographs of the some hundreds of men and women who were put on trial for treason. This is because they acted in opposition of apartheid. There was also an exhibit on women miners, which was real interesting.

The following day Samm and I went to constitution hill. This is the location of the constitutional court. South Africans are quite proud of their constitution and it seems everywhere you can find little pamphlets with the constitution on them. Constitution hill is located right next to number 4, which was an old jo-burg prison where they held murders, thieves, rapist and political prisoners. As you walked through you got to see the difference between the prison for the whites and the prison for any other race. Most disturbing was probably seeing the isolation cells, where one person was held for over a year. There also was an ancient rack where upon which they would strap certain men and whip them in front of the other prisoners. I saw the cell where a young nelson Mandela was held. It was quite striking to see the new foundation of the government and the safeguard of human rights placed right next to the older institution of oppression.
I have volunteered in prisons for over 2 years now and have definitely gained a heart for the plight of the prisoner. I have never really seen the conditions beyond the chapel however for prisoners in the states. While the state of prisons is certainly not what it was during apartheid, it is still a death sentence for anyone going there. South Africa has (to my surprise and joy) gotten rid of the death penalty, but with the spread of aids, being sent to prison can almost guarantee infection.

Yesterday I took a trip through the college campus to the origins museum. What I thought would just be a way to wile away the Saturday afternoon, turned out to be a wonderful opportunity to learn more about one of the traditional groups indigenous to south Africa. This was the san tribe, often refered to as bushmen. People related to this tribe were highlighted in the film, the god’s must be crazy. I had a few hours and a guide all to myself, so I learned all about the religious practices of the San and their sacred animal, the elund. It was a fascinating exhibit.

On another note:
It is interesting to notice the difference between the student masses at Cape Town and the parish mass here. The student mass at Cape Town was sung in at least 5 different languages. Our last service there was filled with the sounds of shakers and now and again students would start a song that indeed was not in the handbook. This impromptu singing, while leaving me in the dust, told you that it was indeed the students in charge of this worship service. Sitting here writing this bog, I can here the organ playing from across the churchyard. The mass is sung and many parts are in Latin. Now this is just one of many services, each with their own flavor, but there is a world of difference between the masses in these two different communities. I was talking to a student yesterday who used to be in charge of the national association of catholic tertiary students, and he has told me how inculturation is indeed happening in student services across the country. Man, what I wouldn’t give to just have a car. Today there is a cultural service at the university church in Bloemfontein (4hrs away) where they incorporate parts of traditional practices into the mass. With students you have a more homogenous group to please and that probably makes it easier to conduct such changes.