DukeEngage | Duke Center for Civic Engagement

    On Thursday, we had the opportunity to meet with famed photographer and filmmaker Paul Weinberg. With sheer dynamism, Paul delivered enthralling stories of his experience documenting the horrors of apartheid. He also shared with us his views on South Africa, calling it a “factory of humanity.” Here, he declared, exists a microcosm of the world and its issues; those who study this complex nation are that much closer to understanding imminent global challenges. This is a powerful statement that truly resonates with me, as I attempt to come to terms with my South African experience.

    Writing this blog entry, I am situated at quaint café nestled into a gorgeous Mediterranean-style neighborhood. Yet I am also sitting in the midst of an area ravaged by HIV/AIDS. Among a people suffering the consequences of extensive political corruption and faltering leadership. Just miles from “informal settlements,” a euphemistic term for some of the most intense poverty imaginable. How am I to reconcile this dichotomy? How am I to feel about this stark juxtaposition?

    It seems to me that this poignant, sickening contrast is supposed to make me feel irrevocably unsettled. For it is this discomfort which inspires real personal understanding of the need for change. Ultimately, gross global inequalities cannot forever persist without consequence. I am not sure that guilt is necessarily the appropriate emotion here; rather I prefer to leave South Africa with a newfound consciousness of the world’s realities that will inspire my actions in the future. Hopefully, by sharing my stories with others, I can spread this awareness, as Paul seeks to do with his work.
 

     My name is Ryan, and I am a rising junior majoring in Public Policy. Specifically, I am interested in women’s issues as they relate to international development and globalization studies. I hope that the thoughts and stories that I share here in the next few weeks offer you a meaningful glance into my South African experience…

     Early this morning, I finally arrived in Johannesburg, the economic capital of South Africa. As you might expect of an industrial center, Joburg certainly has its share of skyscrapers and intricate highway systems. However, I immediately noticed that the surrounding landscape provides a remarkable contrast to these developments. Off in one direction lie green mountaintops, while a look to the opposite side brings desert-like land with low-lying plant life into view.

     This idea of stark juxtaposition seemed to define my day. One such dichotomy was the difference between the Voortrekker Monument, symbolic of the great pride that many Afrikaans take in historical Dutch conquests, and the Freedom Park, a sprawling architectural feat commemorating those who died in conflicts central to South African history. While the first monument seems to represent only one historical perspective, the Freedom Park incorporates a wider variety of figures, thereby signaling Mandela’s inclusive, far-sighted spirit of reconciliation. While the first monument invoked within me a sense of fear that only one tale of the Dutch rise to power will historically prevail and of disgust that monument seems to treat the Dutch slaughter of the Zulu in such a cavalier manner, the Freedom Park instilled within me a sense of hope. In the coming weeks, I will surely find myself in even more situations that draw attention to this difference between sheer disbelief at human behavior and pure belief in the decency of the human spirit.