I’ve Been Thinking…

Normal
0

I’ve been thinking: I do not want to arrive in Jeffrey’s Bay
under the pretense that I, a privileged, 22 year old American, have something,
anything, to offer these people other than the knowledge of the love and grace
found in Jesus Christ. I don’t know their language, their history, their values
or beliefs, problems, or hopes, and I would never pretend to believe that my
life, with all its blessings and “advantages”, in anyway qualifies me to
counsel them on how they should live, think, or solve problems. Or even what
kind of music they should sing or books they should read. Again, I agree with
Paul when he says “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our
Lord Jesus Christ”. Gal. 6:14. I want to be a student during these next 9
months. I want to listen to the children and the women as they live their lives
and learn about who they are and how they think. And while I walk alongside
these people for the few months that I am there I pray that we will be blessed
together by the presence of the Lord dwelling amidst people who love Him and
desire to see Him exalted among every nation.

With that said, in an attempt to educate myself a little on
the people I will encounter and the culture I will be immersed in beginning in
September, I’ve been doing some research on South Africa. This is likely more
for my benefit than anyone else’s (I can’t believe I am doing voluntary
research after graduation from college!), but I hope that it provides some
insight for others as well!

South Africa: The Good, Bad, and Ugly (from the CIA World
Factbook and BBC news). 

A History of Apartheid in South Africa (from
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.html)

Apartheid began in the 1940’s, but its roots date back to
power struggles during the colonization of South Africa in the 1700s by the
English and Dutch. In the 1940’s the Afrikaner National Party gained control of
the country and began the apartheid system to cement their control of the
economic and social systems. (The Afrikaners are people of European descent who
came to Africa during the Dutch colonization). Apartheid laws consisted of
“only-white jobs”, prohibition of marriage between white and non-whites,
oppression, de-nationalization of African citizens. For example:

In 1951, the Bantu Authorities Act
established something called“homelands.” These homelands were independent
states (within South Africa) to which each African was assigned by the
government according to the record of origin (which was frequently inaccurate).
All political rights, including voting, held by an African were restricted to
the designated homeland. The idea was that they would be citizens of the
homeland, losing their citizenship in South Africa and any right of involvement
with the South African Parliament, which held complete power over the
homelands. From 1976 to 1981, four of these homelands were created,
denationalizing nine million South Africans. Citizens of these “homelands”
were not even able to cross into South African without a passport. They were
foreigners in their own country.

In 1953, the Public Safety Act and
the Criminal Law Amendment Act were passed, which empowered the government to
declare states of emergency to override existing laws, therefore enabling the
government to punish protestors of apartheid whom they considered to be causing
civil unrest. The punishments included fines, imprisonment and whippings. In
1960, a large group of blacks in Sharpeville refused to carry their passes; the
government declared a state of emergency. The emergency lasted for 156 days,
leaving 69 people dead and 187 people wounded. This has become known as the
Sharpeville Massacre.

The penalties imposed on political protest, even non-violent
protest, were severe. During the states of emergency, which continued
intermittently until 1989, anyone could be detained without a hearing for up to
six months. Thousands of individuals died in custody, frequently after gruesome
acts of torture. Those who were tried were sentenced to death, banished, or
imprisoned for life.

Nelson Mandela joined the African National Congress in 1944
and was engaged in resistance against apartheid policies after 1948. He went on
trial for treason in 1956-1961 and was acquitted in 1961. After the treason
trial and the banning of the ANC, Mandela went underground in the newly formed military wing of
the ANC, named Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation), as chair of the high
command. This office planned sabotage, guerrilla warfare, and open revolution.
Mandela was arrested again in 1962, and sentenced to life in prison in 1964.
During his time in prison his reputation grew as the leader of the
anti-apartheid movement.

In the 1970’s resistance to apartheid grew. The liberation
movement among the blacks grew stronger. The anti-apartheid movements in the
United States and Europe were gaining support for boycotts against South
Africa, for the withdrawal of U.S. firms from South Africa and for the release
of Mandela. South Africa was becoming an outlaw in the world community of
nations. Investing in South Africa by Americans and others was coming to an
end. 

To win the hearts and minds of blacks and also to ward off
movements in the United States and Europe against apartheid, a new constitution
was created. Black “homelands” were declared nation-states and passport laws
were abolished. Interest was expressed in removing the law against interracial
marriage. The government committed itself to “separate but equal”
education, and the spending for black schools increased. At the same time,
attention was given to strengthening the effectiveness of police apparatus.

The efforts to win hearts and minds of blacks failed. Violence
increased, and rage was vented on black policemen and township officials. In
light of this, the government, once again, declared a state of emergency. The
police were ordered to move against “troublemakers,” and special
attention was given to student leaders.  People were rounded up, and, out
of sight of the public, prisoners were tortured and beaten, and some were
killed slowly with rat poison in their food – events later documented.  In
1989, 4,000 deaths were reported, mostly blacks. (side note: I CAN NOT
BELIEVE THIS WAS JUST 19 YEARS AGO. I was 3 years old and this was still going
on).

By 1987 the growth of South Africa’s economy had dropped to
among the lowest rate in the world, and the ban on South African participation
in international sporting events was frustrating many whites in South Africa.
Examples of African states with black leaders and white minorities existed in
Kenya and Zimbabwe. There were hopes of South Africa one day having a black
President.

In August 1989 Botha (prime minister since 1978) retired and
was replaced by a member of the National Party: Frederik W. de Klerk. For the
sake of making South Africa a functioning nation again, De Klerk moved toward
giving blacks a voice in the politics of the nation. In 1991, the government
repealed apartheid laws.

The way was open now for South Africa’s first non-racial
democratic election, which was held on April 27, 1994.The African National
Congress won 63 percent of the nearly 20 million votes cast. On May 10, 1994,
Mandela was sworn in as South Africa’s president.

I’d like to do more research on the effects of apartheid on
black South Africans currently. With 24 being the median age in South Africa
now, many South Africans were children and teenagers during some of the worst
parts of apartheid, saw the effects it had on their parents, and experienced
the joyous end with the election of Mandela in the early 90’s. How does this
affect them today? I can’t imagine…

I’d also like to do more research on the spiritual climate
of South Africa. I’m afraid that will have to wait for another day. For those
of you who made it to the end of this little research paper, I appreciate your
dedication!