A Brief Break From Interviews as the PBPL 85 Students Visit the Apartheid Museum and Soweto

At 7:05AM, our resident track stars, Drew Thompson, Jason Norris, and Samantha Ford start their day with an early morning run. For others, jet lag remains an inescapable reality. Meanwhile, the more fortunate of the PBPL85 students cherish their precious second sleep since landing in South Africa.
 
Eventually, after a hearty breakfast at the hotel's Maximillien Restaurant, our local friend and tour guide Alister praised our good spirits but warned us that this day would be especially emotional. Thinking we knew what we were getting into, the PBPL85 students shrugged it off and cheerfully boarded the Springbok Charter Bus at 9AM for our first excursion of the day: the Apartheid Museum.
 
Upon arriving at the museum, the students were immediately humbled, as we were required to enter through a turn style based on our assigned skin color (black or white). From there, we embarked on an emotional journey walking chronologically through exhibit after exhibit displaying the events of the brutally honest (and often shocking) history of apartheid up to the modern day South African struggles. To me, a room with 121 nooses hanging from the ceiling—one noose for each political prisoner executed in the apartheid era—was especially chilling. However, it was real video excerpts from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that really opened the floodgates. After exiting the museum, Professor Wheelan turned to me and said, "Henry, do you have the prose to do this museum justice?" To which I honestly replied, "Professor, I don't think many people do." 

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Kyle Mullins '23 and Josh Freitag '23 embark on their designated journeys in the first exhibit.

From the Apartheid Museum, the students ventured into the Southwest Townships (Soweto) to visit the Hector Pieterson Memorial. Hector Pieterson was one of the first children shot and killed during the anti-Apartheid Soweto Uprising, where children bravely took it upon themselves to peacefully protest for a better education against an extraordinarily oppressive regime. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, more than 170 school children were brutally murdered by the police as a result of these uprisings.

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Henry Nolan '23, Adelia Rattray '23, and Josh Freitag '23 listen intently to the wonderful volunteer who taught us the history and significance of the Hector Pieterson memorial.

After another emotionally taxing stop, the students caught their breath while visiting the house of Nelson Mandela in Soweto. Here, a volunteer tour guide showed us around the close-quartered property that remains riddled with bullet holes and scorch marks from numerous assassination attempts and police scare tactics during apartheid. Not only did we learn about Mandela, but also his kids, wives, and other family members who fought for the struggle of freedom.

Also, for those who don't know, Nelson Mandela's birthname was Rolihlahla Mandela, an isiXhosa name that means "pulling the branch of a tree", but also means "troublemaker." Ironically, when tasked by the tour guide to correctly pronounce "Rolihlahla Mandela", the one kid from Arkansas spoke up from the back, perfectly executing a very difficult Xhosa name that Mandela himself struggled to pronounce. I'll leave it up to y'all (hint hint) to guess who that kid was…

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Nelson Mandela's house with scorch marks above the door.

Finally, the PBPL85 students ended their trip to Soweto with a meal at the 1974 Restaurant on Vilakazi Street. For most, this was a time to relax and destress after a heavy day. A time where people could eat traditional South African meals such as Oxtail and "Tough Chicken" or even something as simple – yet divine – as a loaded cheeseburger. However, for our lone, high-spirited, yet somehow still bagless traveler Josh Freitag, this meal presented a challenge of its own…

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Josh Freitag '23 prepares for battle with his only shirt against the double stacked burger.

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The PBPL85 class sitting for lunch (and talking about the memo?)

After a delicious meal and smooth ride back to the hotel in Johannesburg, the PBPL85 group got back to business interviewing Dr. Sithembile Mbete, her husband, and their son – Wezi Mbete. Dr. Sithembile Mbete holds many hats, including working as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pretoria, serving on the Council of the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority, and a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on the Electoral System. As you can probably tell, she was an incredible resource for our class, and Professor Wheelan is already looking forward to interviewing her son (shown below) in the distant future.

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Wezi Mbete: Future Dartmouth Student and President of South Africa

Finally, at around 7PM, the PBPL85 students were finally done for the day. Thanks for following our journey along the way, and stay tuned this weekend for our stay at one of South Africa's very own game lodges!

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