Today our group went to the Nelson Mandela National Museum in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. It was a very interesting and intriguing trip that was definitely a lot more fun then we thought it would be. When Catherine said, “Oh, we’re going to a museum,” I am sure you can imagine the groans.
We learned all about Mandela and his lifelong dedication to fighting against racial oppression in South Africa. He was head of the anti-apartheid movement and was a big force in moving the country to a multiracial government and majority rule. He was released from prison in 1990 and later went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize and become the president of the nation. An interesting quote from Nelson we found while walking through the museum was this one, said in June 1964:
“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this
struggle of the African people, I have fought against
white domination, and I have fought against black
domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic
and free society in which all persons live together in
harmony and with equal opportunities.”
Our two favorite things in the Museum were seeing the exhibits in the Bhunga Building (Picture At Top) and seeing Mvezo, Nelson Mandela’s birthplace. In the Bhunga Building we saw the Long Walk to Freedom exhibit, which was a story of Mandela’s life in his own words. It was very interesting to see an autobiography set up in an exhibit like this. It was cool learning about him from his own perspective.
The other thing that we really enjoyed was seeing Mvezo, his birthplace, because of the amount of natural beauty there. Here we got to see the remains of Mandela’s hut where he was born, which was in a very rural and generally poor area. (See Below Picture.) This left us feeling that no person’s life is predetermined because of what he is given.
Overall, this visit to the Nelson Mandela National Museum was a very good experience for our group and it helped us learn and appreciate a lot about the history of South Africa.
Posted by: Forrest
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