The Rainbow Nation

South Africa is a beautiful place because of its diversity; of topography, geography, climate, weather, plant and animal life, and mostly its people. There are problems for sure; people and parties governing who really have no history of governing nor mentors to follow, and too many with apparently pretty bad judgment and too much self-interest; crime and poverty and disease that are completely related and all too high for any society to maintain long-term. Etc. But I don't think there is another place with such promise and opportunity.

Today, our last day, we went to Robben Island. From there one can see some of the most dramatic images possible of the brutal past of oppression, images of the Cape city booming and yet also young and open and natural, images of hope and strength and the ability to be oppressed and overcome and also forgive. It was much more powerful than I can communicate. The pile of multi-colored rocks at the entry to the lime quary, which started on a post-aparthied reunion when Mandela walked there and placed a rock at the entrance representing all of the people who perished there and without word everyone else followed. The holding pens for the guard dogs, which were bigger than the cells for the prisoners. The diversity of prisoners, Indian, Coloured, and Black African, including those who were professors and did nothing more than speak eloquently against racism and were branded enemies of the state, to regular people who trained in urban warfare and were caught with weapons. The eerie familiar story of fear leading to the government edicts approving torture, and the recention of habeus corpus and the right of trial for those deemed "terrorists" in order to protect citizens from those who would take away their way of life. The impact of Mandela's and Tutu's (and other's) wishes that those responsible for Aparthied not be punished, but be encouraged to tell the truth as a part of a process of forgiveness and reconciliation - how the love and forgiveness of the oppressed overcame the fear and distrust of the oppressor, and gave this country the great chance it has today.

Mostly, though, I was impacted by one statement that I saw and heard several times in this stark, sad prison. So, along with one image of a lilly that has randomly began growing on the floor of the lime quary, I'm going to share the following quote:

"WHILE WE WILL NOT FORGET THE BRUTALITY OF APARTHIED, WE WILL NOT WANT ROBBEN ISLAND TO BE A MONUMENT TO OUR HARDSHIP AND SUFFERING. WE WOULD WANT IT TO BE A TRIUMPH OF WISDOM AND LARGNESS OF SPRIRIT AGAINST SMAL MINDS AND PETTINESS; A TRIUMPH OF COURAGE AND DETERMINATION OVER HUMAN FRAILTY AND WEAKNESS; A TRIUMPH OF NEW SOUTH AFRICA OVER THE OLD."
Ahmed Kathrada, prisoner 468/64