South Africa: The Rainbow Nation

Saturday, February 11, 2012

AFTER the Delphic Games, our hosts arranged a tour of Johannesburg and its suburbs.

South Africa (SA) is a big country, occupying over a million sq km of the southern subcontinent. It is a country of remarkable diversity. Its population – ‘the rainbow nation’ - embraces a bewildering mix of colors, creeds, cultures, customs and languages. Variety and contrast are as visible in the land itself. There are pastures, semi-desert, grasslands, spectacular mountains, and forests of magical beauty.

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JOHANNESBURG, JOBURG, JOZI, City of Gold... whatever you call it, is a world in one city – 1st world hi-tech, 3rd world mystique. It has first rate infrastructures, museums, galleries, shops, restaurants, leisure sports, casinos, and malls. Founded in 1886, JOBURG grew from tents and shanties into the metropolis it is today. The reason? - GOLD. South of the city is the largest subterranean gold reef in the world!

Some interesting facts about JOBURG: the city’s altitude is 2,000 m or 6,560 ft above sea level (Baguio is 5,000 ft); the population is 3.2M; JOBURG is the largest urban forest in the world (6M trees across the city); It has 9,000 km of water mains, 9,000 km of sewers, 6 wastewater treatment works and over 100 reservoirs and water towers (SA is one of 3 countries in the world where you can drink the tap water).

At the time of our visit, lavender-colored Jacaranda trees were in full bloom which gave me the sniffles (allergy) for one week. This condition did not deter me from joining the tours. We travelled about an hour to ‘The Cradle of Humankind’ (world heritage site) where the first hominid fossil, called ‘Mrs. Ples’, was discovered. It is a world-class exhibit built in a replica of an ancient burial mound. A short boat ride on an underground lake illustrating the elements of earth, water, fire, and air was exciting. Afterwards, we tackled the interactive displays and learned more about the early history of humankind. From there we proceeded to the LION PARK where all of us had fun taking snap shots of lions.

SOWETO is a suburb of JOBURG, vibrant and colorful, and an area rich in political history. We were made aware of its great significance in the struggle against apartheid. SOWETO has spawned many political and social luminaries, including NELSON MANDELA and DESMOND TUTU – both Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Another interesting visit was to the NELSON MANDELA FAMILY MUSEUM, where President Mandela and former wife, Winnie, lived with their two daughters in the 1960s before Mandela went to prison. The HECTOR PETERSON MEMORIAL narrates the history of the 1976 Soweto Uprising.

The SOWETO experience left me with a heavy heart. It helped that I spent the next hour browsing for souvenirs on the sidewalk outside the memorial and went home with some amazing purchases.