Heart In A Cage

Times when people wants to take a leap in this world, make challenges for selves, talks about being a leader and creating a team; are they really talking their heart and deserve to be part of us? Heard a lot about discrimination? Ever faced it? Ever lived it? You can’t feel it.

Can’t believe my luck when friend of mine from Strasbourg offered a trip to south-west Johannesburg one fine sunday morning. Soweto, short for SOuth WEstern TOwnship is the biggest township in Africa with over 1 million countrymen residing. The eviction of Africans by city and state authorities in late 80’s was to earn the gold by mining. The early 90’s witnessed the forceful law from authorities which made sure that the Africans and Indians stay out of city, excused with the outbreak of plague. Building of new houses saw creation of new small towns; which was being ready to be written in the African history books. The ‘Urban Area Act’ in 1923 declared it as a ghetto for the black population of Johannesburg. 1948 was the start of implementation of Apartheid, or legal racial segregation, by an Afrikaner dominated party. Out of many laws some of those were- no marriage between black and white, non-employment of whites by black, segregated hospitals/ community places/ offices; issuing of pass for blacks to work and non-availability of pass meant arrest at anytime, separate schools, colleges et universities, no hard liquor, no public beaches or swimming pools, no acquisition of land in a white area and were stripped from south African citizenship. The construction of red brick houses or shackles continued for the next three decades for the so-called black community. 1976: not even brought introduction of Afrikan language in education but also death of 550+ lives including many kids from school. The impact brought Soweto in the world headlines with many changes to date.

Soweto: Not counted as a high-tech city where engineering has shown wonders or mega-structures has taken place, but the statistics tells the history and future of Soweto. Single township with as many as 87 sub-towns (inc. zones & extensions), place where all eleven official South African languages are spoken, its own English Newspaper The Sowetan carrying a readership of 1.6 million with 124,000 circulations per day (2003), worlds biggest hospital, soccer stadium for 2010 FIFA are some of them.

Visible are the green fields, tin shanties, streams, mal hostels from the piles of garbage, as the world’s highest HIV infection rate area welcomes everyone cheerfully and friendliness. A place which lost a son, Hector Pieterson, at the age 13 still acknowledges and forgives everyone celebrating this day as SA Youth day where people drink and braai. Widely used synonyms are dark, dangerous and dodgy, a place cannot be visited alone without a gun, is the same place where Nelson Mandela comes from. Last but not least, Soweto feeds half of the national soccer and rugby players.

Black- what is black? Color of your hair, eye or skin? Or Soweto? No, it is the color of hatred, detestation, abhorrence, disgust and rejection in our hearts. This feeling is much more detrimental than AIDS, corruption or terrorism.
An alive black life in Soweto is a symbol of new South Africa, caught between aged misery and upcoming prosperity, unpleasantness yet upbeat lifestyle, restraining the wound of apartheid and presenting the capabilities to turn tables for New South Africa. . . . . . . . . . . .

First Victim…

A bullet burnt
Into soft dark flesh

A child fell

Liquid life
Rushed hot
To stain the earth

He was the first victim

And now
Let grieving the willows
Mark the spot
Let nature raise a monument
Of flowers and trees
Lest we forget the foul and the wicked
Deed…


Don Mattera, 1976
From Azanian Love Song

P.S.: the one fine Sunday couldn’t be possible without Juan-David my new Columbian friend and Modado, who took us to Soweto in his Bucky. Modado is a plumber by profession supporting his wife and three sons staying in Diepkloof, SOWETO.

aj

Note: By no means the author wishes to hurt the feelings of any person dead or alive, and it is his own personal thoughts and remarks. Thanks for giving the time to read.