Today was a day spent in Soweto, learning about the history of apartheid in South Africa. We first stopped by the Apartheid Museum, which was an immersive experience that made you feel what it was like to live through this movement (photos were not allowed unfortunately). We then headed to Soweto, which is the largest township outside of Johannesburg where the black Africans were made to live under Apartheid. Visiting Soweto gave us the opportunity to give back to the local community, where many people live with a low economic status. So we visited a local school to donate shoes we bought for some of the students.
Then it was on to Jozi FM, a community radio station in Soweto. Afterwards we went to Soweto’s local market street, which is catered for tourists to come and buy souvenirs. Here we got to interview some of Jozi’s listeners and get a perspective of what the general population of Soweto is like. On this street was Nelson Mandela’s house, where he lived before his imprisonment. Before leaving Soweto we had to visit the Regina Mundi Church, an important part of apartheid history. During the Soweto uprising of 1976, children fled to this church to seek refuge from the police, who then proceeded to come inside and shoot up the church. This day served as a reflection of South Africa’s past and present, showing how this nation’s history played such an important part in shaping what it is today.