It’s not every day that one has the amazing fortune of conversing with a history maker, but today I had the honor of speaking with Dr. John Kani. Renowned South African playwright, actor, activist, and co-founder of The Apartheid Museum, Dr. Kani is known and respected throughout the world and widely considered an expert on his country’s history.

In school I learned the U.S. Civil Rights Movement was similar to the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa. Dr. Kani clearly defined the vast differences between these two systems of segregation. During the Civil Rights Movement, African-Americans fought for the same rights that America afforded the rest of its citizens.

While the system denied non-white South Africans these things as well, Apartheid was founded on the idea of completely segregating racial groups, leaving blacks to suffer the worst of the National Party’s policies.

South Africa started similarly to America with Dutch and British powers colonizing and claiming lands that belonged to native populations. Since the arrival of the Europeans in the 17th century, informal laws restricted the movement of native people throughout southern Africa. Those indigenous people still had rights of citizenship and land ownership, but this drastically changed in 1948. With the rise of the National Party government, blacks, coloured, and Indians saw their rights quickly stripped away. And most upsetting of all, the Apartheid government didn’t consider blacks to be human beings.

The Apartheid Museum is all about personal experience. As I entered the museum, I passed by mirrors with images of people’s backs. This symbolizes their retreat from a sad past towards a hopeful future. At the exit of the museum, I moved a stone from one pile to the other, signifying the journey from oppression to justice. Above the stones is the new South African flag, and the last words I saw were powerful ones: equality, democracy, reconciliation, responsibility, and respect.

Extra Credit: Enhance your knowledge of South African history by learning about the pass laws.

You ready? Get up and dance!

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