May 22, 2015 -- They took us to Soweto to see Nelson Mandela's house. The house is a tourist attraction and museum. It is a single-story red-brick matchbox that was built in 1945. It has bullet holes in the walls and the façade has scorch marks from attacks with Molotov cocktails. The inside hosts some original furnishings and memorabilia. Mandela lived there from 1946 to 1962. He spent 27 years in prison for opposing South Africa's apartheid system, before being elected president in 1994.
Mandela House, c. 1945
Nelson Mandela quote
8115 Vilakazi Street
Mandela is not buried in Soweto.
The street that raised two Nobel Peace Prize Winners
Soweto is known for its historical role in the anti-apartheid movement, particularly the 1976 Soweto Uprising, and for being the home of Nelson Mandela and other prominent figures. Soweto came to the world's attention with the 1976 Soweto uprising, when mass protests erupted over the government's policy to enforce education in Afrikaans rather than their native language. Police opened fire on 10,000 marching students. Twelve year old Zolile Hector Pieterson (Peterson) was one of the first students killed. A museum was erected in his honor and covers the events of the uprising.
Hector Peterson Square
No comments:
Post a Comment