Living in a Way that Respects and Enhances the Freedom of Others: Visiting the Apartheid Museum and Soweto

I'm two days into my Corporate Service Corps assignment, based near Johannesburg, South Africa - and what an experience it has already been.

Zulu lunch - chicken and maize - it was interesting!

In just two days I: managed to catch and suffer through a severe stomach bug/case of food poisoning (really not fun, in case you were wondering); learned how to play African drums (video proof below); rode in a tuk-tuk around Soweto; waved to a couple of zebras (or Zeh-Bras as my best friend Christine correctly pointed out is the appropriate pronunciation); visited the Apartheid Museum; and tasted authentic/traditional Zulu food and drink (Umqombothi to be exact).

From the minute we stepped off the plane, IBM has kept us on our toes, fully immersing us in the South African culture - and it's been fantastic. Tomorrow we meet our client in person for the first time. My team, which represents four countries, including the US, Japan, Poland and India, is eager to get started. Our goal: find quick wins and be as impactful and as helpful as we possibly can - in just four weeks - I have faith in us to do just that.

Outside of our drum lesson yesterday - my favorite activity was the Apartheid Museum, which also featured an exhibit on Nelson Mandela, his life and impact on the South African country. It was a truly moving experience.

The museum walks visitors through the creation of Apartheid - what led to it's enactment, the uprising against it, it's ultimate downfall, and the aftermath. While we had our own Civil Rights Movement in the United States, which saw it's own viciousness, the amount of violence and death that occurred in South Africa is startling. What was most powerful to me, was visiting Soweto, the birthplace of the Apartheid uprisings, following our museum tour.

Tuk-Tuks in Soweto - Taken with my new Panasonic Lumix.

We took a tour of Soweto - which means South West Township - and had a chance to interact with the residents living there today (interestingly, many of the original leaders of the movement, including Desmond Tutu, still maintain residences in the township). The people we met, the faces we saw, were so welcoming and kind and happy. These are people who are walking down the same streets where children were murdered for protesting inequality in their schools, where stones were thrown and shots were fired. The difference is, that today they walk those streets having gained the freedoms they and their neighbors fought so hard for. It was truly inspiring.

As little children ran along side our tuk-tuks, laughing and cheering and saying hello to us, it hit me. I'm actually here, in South Africa. And what a beautiful place it is.

Our entire CSCZA17 Team - Below is a short drum video