We spent the day today in Johannesburg and Pretoria--Pretoria is South Africa's administrative capital and is about an hour from Joburg. Mostly we've been visiting the various news operations that we've are going to be working at (we're scattered among The Star, the Cape Times, the Cape Argus, e-News in Joburg and e-News in Cape Town, Business Day, and the Times). Unfortunately, the Cape Town people are getting SHAFTED on this. The Cape Times people and the e-News people will not get to go to their newsrooms before starting work, which sucks because we've had no contact with our supervisors and so far, the staff we've been introduced to at other sites seemed unaware that they were getting interns in the first place. (This program is almost 10 years old and has been using many of the same sites during that time). I'm worried I'll show up to work on Monday and they'll be like, "Who are you?"
In the afternoon today, though, we visited Freedom Park in Pretoria, which was beautiful and really interesting. There are stone walls stacked at least 20 feet high that are being covered with the names of those who have died in various South African conflicts--the recent struggle for liberation from apartheid, ethnic conflicts, and colonial wars. We went to a shrine in the middle of the park that is for the ancestors. South Africans used to believe (and some still believe) in the power of their ancestors. Not their biological ancestors, but their elders in general. It is believed that when a person dies, their spirit goes into a boulder, and they are available for advice to those who perform the proper rites.
The shrine was basically a circle of these boulders that hold the spirits of the ancestors. We took off our shoes before entering and had a moment of silence at the shrine for the ancestors and everyone who has died in centuries of South African conflict. Then we washed our hands in a stone bowl before leaving, to symbolize cleansing. I think it was important for us to do while we are here.
Tomorrow we fly to Cape Town! Then I can settle in where I'm staying, a place called Daddy Long Legs. I'm really excited.
"Where was Mother Nature? ... Maybe, on a coffeeng break?"
ReplyDeleteWow that sounds really pretty and cool. I hope you have a safe flight to Cape Town!
ReplyDeleteI looked it up on the computer. Looks WAY better than Uganda. :) It looks great actually.
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