The Apartheid Museum: Fear From the Start

On January 20th we visited the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. Upon arriving, we were each given a ticket and on the back of that ticket was a specific classification: we were classified as either “white” or “non-white”. The museum had two entrances, one for “whites” and one for “non-whites”, and we were instructed to enter the museum according to the classification on our ticket. Following my classification, I entered on the “white” side while some of my peers entered on the “non-white” side. I assumed that once through the doors our class would be back together again, but that was not the case. The two sides remained separate as we walked through the exhibit, giving us a feel for what it might have been like to live with segregation. For example, we learned that although black men were allowed to become police officers they were not allowed to carry guns, only sticks, and that only white women were allowed to become police officers. In the exhibit that showed segregation, there was also a plaque explaining how during apartheid there were many instances where people changed their classification. White people might become colored, colored might become white, black might become colored, or colored might become black. These people were called “chameleons”. The only change of classifications that did not occur was from white to black or from black to white. The plaque detailing these interesting facts related to apartheid was on a wall next to the “white” walkway. I noticed that those who had entered through the “non-white” door were farther away from the plaque and would therefore have a difficult time reading the information on it. Only those who entered through the “whites only” door could get close enough to read the writing. I believe that this staged example of segregation provided us with a better understanding of how segregation impacted the daily lives of those living during Apartheid. By being separated ourselves we were able to see how some people had access to more privileges than others.
After walking through the exhibit that exemplified the concept of segregation, we entered a courtyard that contained many mirrors with life-size photographs of people’s backs on them. We learned that these mirrors were meant to symbolize the people of South Africa walking away from Apartheid and into a brighter future. Because this courtyard of mirrors was in between the exhibit on segregation and the rest of the museum, I also saw it as a symbol for moving segregation from something that is practiced to something that is remembered.
Once inside the main section of the museum, we were first confronted by a large wall with only one thing written on it: the definition of Apartheid, which read, “the system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race in force in South Africa”. What struck me about this definition were the words “the system” and “in South Africa”. I believe that these words not only show how the situation was specific to South Africa but also that it was strategically organized by a group of people. That group of people was the Nationalist Party. The first part of the museum detailed the emergence of the Nationalist Party and their implementation of the system of Apartheid.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, people from all over the world came to South Africa in search of gold and diamonds, many of those people settling in Johannesburg. However, it wasn’t this influx of people that spurred the idea of white supremacy and Apartheid, it was fear. Slums, which popped up all around Johannesburg due to the increasing number of people in the city, were often examples of racial mixing and were believed to pose a threat to white supremacy. Two political advocates for white supremacy were Jan Smuts and J.B.M. Hertzog. They were fearful that the total number of blacks would overwhelm the white and, therefore, they developed plans for segregation. White citizens in the city did not protest the early instituted policies of segregation because they too were afraid of being overrun by the black population. It was in 1948 that the Nationalist Party, and their system of apartheid won the election. Something that I found very interesting was that most of the white votes in the election came from rural whites, not those in the city, who were afraid of losing their farmland to blacks. However, it was not only the white people that needed to stop being fearful but the black and colored people as well. Referring to the police stationed outside black townships, a resident said, “We have a strong feeling that they are here to kill us—not protect us.” Nelson Mandela believed that the fight against Apartheid had to be about “liberating white people from fear” and I believe he was right. Fear is what brought Apartheid into existence and it was only a lessening of fear that enabled the system of Apartheid to be brought down. While exploring South Africa, I have noticed that segregation subsists in some ways in the country. This makes me wonder if fear, the fear that was eminent during Apartheid, still exists today. How can people live together in harmony if fear still exists between them? Will we ever truly see each other as equals if we remain fearful of one another? The only way to do so is to take fear out of the equation…but is that even possible?
Tweet: Fear brought Apartheid to life but a desire to reconcile killed it.