Week 3:A New Look into South Africa
Since I was in elementary school, I have always
wanted to visit South Africa. However, I was not aware of the vast history of
the country. I see several similarities between South Africa and the United
States. I was not surprised to learn that South Africa was colonized by the
Dutch since most of Africa was once colonized by a European nation. I was
surprised to learn the similarity between Native Americans living on
reservations in the United States and Xhosa tribes living in designated areas
in South Africa. Numerous reservations in the U.S. are low income and do not
always have access to quality schooling, and the conditions are similar in
South Africa. There is a major parallel between the civil rights movement of
the 1960s and apartheid in South Africa. The United States has come a long way,
but also has a long journey ahead to achieve equality for all races. After
speaking to peers and UT faculty members who have traveled to South Africa
before, I have been told that there continues to be a more obvious separation
between black people and white people. During
my journey in South Africa, I hope to meet leaders from diverse backgrounds so they can
give me their perspective on South Africa of the past and South Africa of the
present.
I would like to ask David Gilmour, after living all over the world working for the foreign service, do you have a favorite place that you lived?
I would like to ask David Gilmour, after living all over the world working for the foreign service, do you have a favorite place that you lived?
After reading about South Africa's history I too saw the parallels between their history and the United States history. What intrigued me the most though, was how recent their breakthroughs for equality happened. It was just in 1990, that the apartheid regime started ending. I wonder what caused this delayed reaction.
ReplyDeleteHi Lorena, I completely agree with your post. I too learned and discovered similar parallels to the United States during Civil Rights movement and even the reconstruction era post the Civil War. I'm also on the same page as you about meeting powerful and influential leaders while in South Africa. I would like to learn and reciprocate a thing or two once returning to the U.S.
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