Part 1: Parliament
Thanks to a great list that I found online of Top 100 things to do in Cape Town under R100, I organized a free guided tour of parliament for a group of seven friends this past Friday. I felt like a bit of a nerd, but I was very excited before going and am so happy I found out about this opportunity.
One funny thing happened with one of the police officers on guard as soon as we arrived at the gates: as he was escorting us into the right building where we could wait for our tour guide, I engaged in the typical small talk about studying here for six months and nearing the end of my stay. He then offered to marry me so I could stay in the country longer. He said I could go home and come back whenever, because I'll then have duel-citizenship and can stay in South Africa forever. He thought it was the perfect plan! He told me to come find him after the tour so we could make further arrangements. I of course laughed it off and said I'd consider him, but didn't happen to run into him again before leaving (so no worries, Mom and Dad...I am coming home).
As far as the tour goes, it was better than expected. I learned so much in just an hour tour -- information I wished I had learned toward the beginning of my stay so I would have been more aware of South African politics.
There are 400 seats in parliament, which meets several times a week to discuss different issues. Currently, they are in the process of discussing and presenting budgets. Of the 400 seats, the ANC (African National Congress) holds 60% of the seats, the DA (Democratic Alliance) holds about 20%, and other minority parties like the IFP (Inkatha Freedom Party) hold the remaining 20% of the seats.
Most parliament meetings are open to the public for viewing, which unfortunately, we weren't able to do, but we saw and sat in the meeting room, which used to be the place where parliament met, but is now too small. We also sat in the huge National Assembly room, which is where parliament meets now take place.
During a parliament meeting there is specific language that is to be used by those who speak. If language is deemed "unparliamentary" or someone is not using the appropriate manners, the speaker, who leads parliament sessions, can tell that person to leave. Then that person must leave not only the National Assembly, but the premises and not return for at least 24 hours.
The day we visited parliament was hosting the "Official opening of the National House of Traditional Leaders." We saw many men and women walking around wearing traditional garb who were there for the event. President Jacob Zuma gave the opening address, but unfortunately we never bumped into him so I didn't get the meet the president.
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| One of my friend's, Taylor, is going around Cape Town with this guy, Flat Stanley. Her little cousin sent her Stanley so he could be photographed in all different places, and once Taylor sends him back, he will then go to another new location and travel all around. So, of course, Stanley came to parliament with us! |
Part 2: The District 6 Museum
Just a couple blocks from parliament is the District 6 Museum, which is where we spent the second half of the day.
While reading about the stories of people who were forced out of their homes into District 6 to live in small, crowded homes as demanded by the apartheid government, I could only think about how the experiences of black and colored South Africans during apartheid are likely similar to those of black Americans before and during the Civil Rights Movement. Of course forced removal did not occur in the States, but in a way it unofficially did occur. If a black or white family found that they were the minority in a neighborhood, families would sometimes choose to leave or stay and be terrorized by the minority. Also, signs posted in public places designating a toilet or bench for a certain race were seen in America it seems just as much as they would have been present in South Africa during apartheid. The major difference between the struggle of minority races in America versus South Africa is the time element. In South Africa, race is still a hot topic that people openly discuss in any environment at any time. Less than 20 years blacks and coloreds in South Africa were experiencing what blacks did in America more than 60 years ago. I'm not sure why I never realized the parallel discrimination in both countries before now.
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