Are you kidding me?: Visit to the Apartheid Museum

I am back in South Africa for a few weeks and am trying to get in a few adventures before my time here is up. Last weekend I took a field trip to the Apartheid Museum. Apartheid is translated from the Afrikaans meaning 'apartness'. Apartheid called for the separate development of the different racial groups in South Africa. On paper, Apartheid was all "equal development" and "freedom of cultural expression" but in practice it was neither of these. Apartheid was formally introduced in 1948 when the Afrikaner Nationalist Party came into power. Between 1948 and 1983 over 40 pieces of legislation related to Apartheid were in-acted including the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act (1949), Immorality Amendment (1950) and another Immorality Act (1957). People often wonder why such a policy was introduced and why it had so much support. Various reasons can be given for apartheid, although they are all closely linked. The main reasons lie in ideas of racial superiority and fear. Across the world, racism is influenced by the idea that one race must be superior to another. The other main reason for apartheid was fear, as in South Africa the white people are in the minority, and many were worried they would lose their jobs, culture and language. This is obviously not a justification for apartheid, but explains how people were thinking.

There was an awesome special exhibit on the life of Nelson Mandela

Your ticket designates you as white or non-white and determines which entrance you are allowed to enter through

Apartheid made South Africa a country of signs designating who could go where

You couldn't take photos in the musuem, but I did snap this photo at the exit to remind myself of the importance of the struggle to end apartheid

After the very somber but well organized and presented Apartheid museum, my Polish coworker and I needed some lunch and a couple of cocktails. Lukasz and I headed to Arts on Main, the downtown artist market and food stall area.

Lukasz enjoyed Indian food from this stall while I enjoyed BBQ pulled pork. I also found a bakery that had flourless Nutella brownies - I got a few of those to go!