DukeEngage | Duke Center for Civic Engagement

On Friday, we arrived in Durban, a coastal city located to the northeast of Cape Town in the province of Kwazulu Natal. Immediately, I sensed that our experience here would be both refreshing and challenging at the same time. Stepping off the plane into the brilliant sunshine and 75 degree heat felt like something more appropriate for a family vacation than for an educational foray to this near-tropical area. Yet, as I glanced around me to get a sense of the city, particularly its racial composition (it is important to note that this constant preoccupation with racial dynamics is a truly foreign perception of South Africa), I remembered the true purpose of our trip- to gain more valuable insight into a variety of perspectives on the anti-apartheid struggle.

Still, Friday was about taking the time to actually appreciate the exotic beauty of this breathtaking country. As we ventured down to the expansive beach, I took in the sight of massive waves pounding the shoreline. In minutes, I dove into the ocean to swim in what felt like incredibly turbulent bathwater with a frightening undertow. At that moment, I felt alive, refreshed, and renewed. Now, I am once again ready to learn and to absorb as many shocking and inspiring accounts of the anti-apartheid struggle as I can.  
 

On Saturday night, our group joined a local family for dinner in Pietermaritzburg, the capital of the Kwazulu Natal province. Our generous host was Jabulani, a professor of history and a former ANC political activist who offered to share with us the story of his experiences during the anti-apartheid struggle. Thus, I expected a rather academic evening with lots of talk about racial politics and other such complicated issues.

However, I was taken completely by surprise when I walked through Jabulani’s front door only to hear the familiar sound of Michael Jackson blaring from the living room. Surely enough, Jabulani’s children stood poised before the television, totally engrossed by an MTV tribute to the late pop culture icon. And much to my surprise, they knew his lyrics and his captivating dance steps better than I do!

Before long, rather than having yet another intense, serious discussion, the entire lot of us began to dance like one large family together in front of the television. Singing along to songs that I hadn’t heard in years, I realized that this experience right here encapsulated the most important lesson of all: we are all people united by a single human spirit. Ultimately, our celebration was not just a stunning tribute to Michael Jackson; it was indisputable proof that people from various places and backgrounds can truly come together as human beings regardless of these differences.