After a day of relaxing and just spending time with family on Sunday, Monday we kicked things off. And what better way to start your tour or visit than a trip to Soweto, where most of the legendary icons originate. In case you have been living under a rock for the past 3 decades here's what some of these biggest influencers, originating from Soweto, are:
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
He was a revolutionary, anti-apartheid and President of the Republic of South Africa. One of the well known icons of our time. He played a big role in shaping our country to what it is today. Read More
Known for his theologian teachings and his role in the anti-aparthied and human rights movement. Noble Prize winner and has numerous charity organisations in his name. Read More
During the 1976 Soweto uprising against apartheid he became the iconic image when one of the local Newspapers published a photography of him dying and being carried by a fellow student. It was later published around the world and received numerous sensations, and exposing the horrors that were happening in the country during that period. Read More
She was wife to Nelson Mandela and African National Congress (ANC) stalwart. She also played a big role in the fight against apartheid, a true revolutionary and mother of the nation. Sadly, she passed away on the same day we were in Soweto. She had been in and out of hospital. May Her Soul Rest In Peace. Read More
Look I can go on and on and on. We are very privileged to live in a country with such a rich history. Most importantly the fact that the biggest struggles of our time have been won is a big victory to us as a country. Yes, just like any other country there are still lots of internal issues that must still be dealt with and all the internal politics and issues of integration, but that is to be expected I guess. Anyway back to the tour.
So I took my in laws as well as they didn't know Joburg and showed them the place and all the fun activities there. There's much more to learn about the history of Soweto, but that day we were having fun. I took them to a very well known place/street called Vilakazi Street. The reason for this illustriousness is because this street is the very street that the great Nelson Mandela lived, and further down the street Desmond Tutu, a few blocks away Winnie Mandela and of course Hector Pieterson not so far from this street as well. But the main attraction is the Nelson Mandela house located in Vilakazi Street.
This is the Pic I took in front of the Nelson Mandela House.
Unfortunately we did not get to go in. The house was closed on that day, as it was a holiday. It was the Easter Monday. I must say though that this was a huge disappointment to us. As a national, in fact, as an international interest, people come from all corners of the world to see Nelson Mandela's place and yet it was closed that day. And this is the day when most people are not at work, since it's a holiday. However, that didn't stop us from exploring and doing the rest of the activities.
With Nelson Mandela being such a great influence local vendors and those from far saw this as an opportunity to establish businesses in the street to entertain tourists as they flood in to visit the place. These are some of the pictures taken on the day and the types of things they sell there. Pretty fascinating stuff.
Various types of attires, pick your size.
As you can see you can pick up a Nelson Mandela shirt or any other traditional attire that tickles your fancy. This is fantastic because it gives you a glimpse of what the country is made of and the different cultures that are embraced in the country.
Vuka, Ugeze, Ubangene. #startstrong
As a tourist you will love the diversity in the country. These animal handcrafts represent the big 5. You will also see small black pots on the far right which are unique to South Africa. These are traditionally used to cook big meals, usually prepared outside on the fire.
The writing you see there is an advertising of Vaseline, an lubricant or ointment. The words directly translated mean: Wake up, wash (clean up) and enter them. lol. "Enter them" basically is used as a phrase "crush it". Therefore the figurative translation would be: Wake up, Wash, and Crush it. Thus the hashtag #Startstrong.
If you fancy yourself a branded hat from the biggest township in the world, there you go. There also handmade bracelets, necklaces etc. The fridge magnets and the likes are also either engraved with the words South Africa/Soweto. You choose which one you want.
The pictures shared here are obviously different stands by different vendors. They sell more or less the same things, or there will be a common thing or two amongst most of them. So the prices are pretty competitive.
Mandela Restaurant or Batswana Singers?
Which one drew your attention first? As in, where did your eyes land first? Mandela Restaurant (next to the Mandela House) or The Batswana guys dancing in "amabeshu"? Ibheshu is a traditional attire for males that was commonly worn a long time ago, Shaka's time. But this is still very prevalent in some cultures today, especially in traditional places like Kwazulu Natal, etc. These particular guys are not Zulu though, they come from a SeTswana culture. So they are called Batswana.
Watch The Dance Below and Get a Taste of the Batswana Culture
To learn more about the demographics of my country and the different cultures we have here, including the 11 official languages spoken click here.
"Sakhumuzi" means "Building a Home".
Below is one of the restaurants on the street that is very well known for delicious and palatable food.
More of the merchandise on display, sold on the street. Most of these are traditional and hand made. Traditional dishes and uKhamba. UKhamba is basically like a wooden goblet used for drinking the traditional beer.
And some more for you to see.
I can't end the post without showing the Vilakazi Street T-Shirt.
For now that's it, my friends. Our journey continued from here but I will share that part of the story in my next post. I hope you found this educational and/or entertaining. I let you in in a bit of South African history, and of course one of the most famous places in Soweto, including all the traditional gadgets you'll find there lol.
Stay tuned for the second part of the Soweto tour. I hope you are enjoying these. If you missed one or more of this series, My Trip to Joburg, check out the links below. Enjoy!
My Trip To Joburg - Part 1
Trip to Johannesburg - Day 2
Image Sources
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela
Hector Pieterson
Archbishop Desmond Tut
Winnie Madikizela Mandela