Chandler Richards- Invictus

Chandler Richards

2A

My topic was the film “Invictus,” directed by Clint Eastwood. Invictus is a movie set in 1995; a year after Mandela became president. The gist of the story is that Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) knew that the blacks and the whites South Africa were not going to be at peace with one another without something to bring them together. Mandela later realizes that the thing that would bring the two groups together is rugby, if the South African Rugby team wins, but their team sucks and hasn't won anything for a long time. Another problem is that the team, in the eyes of the blacks, represents apartheid because there are not blacks. And so, in the beginning of the movie we see them voting on whether or not to change the logo, name, and colors of their team. Mandela tells them that if he and the team can’t change then he can’t expect his country to change. He talks to Francois Pienaar (played by Matt Damon) who is the captain of the rugby team and tells him that he needs to motivate his team to win the world cup. Throughout the movie, we see how he and his team change and slowly realize what their role is in their country and what they are doing for their country as well as Nelson Mandela. At the end of the film, the only black man on the team leads the prayer that they say after they have won and Nelson Mandela meets Francois on the stage and give him the trophy. When he hands him the trophy, though, he says “Thank you for what you have done for your country.” Francois replies “No, thank YOU for what you have done for our country.”[1]

This was influential to South Africa and apartheid because the movie is a true story. The team was able to get everyone to put aside their differences, if even for one day, and come together in a time of extreme happiness and that is all Nelson Mandela wanted (for South Africa to be a country as a whole and not just Black South Africa and White South Africa.

I personally loved this movie. I think it gives you a glimpse at the dream of WHEN there will no longer be apartheid. I think it is very educational too, because it explains, in a way, what apartheid is and what it has done to South Africa, but also how it can be fixed. Roger Ebert (the Chicago Sun-Times) gave it three and a half stars out of four and said “It is a very good film. It has moments evoking great emotion.”[2] Jake Tomlinson, who is from Shave Magazine, said, “The strong themes of forgiveness, unity, and compassion make this much more than just a sports movie or a historical account. The movie can easily be regarded as inspirational at times.”[3]

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[1] Citation: Invictus 2009. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Perf. Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. Warner Bros., 2009. DVD.

[2]Citation: Ebert, Roger. "Invictus." All Content. Chicago Sun-Times, 09 Dec. 2009. Web. 20 Dec. 2013. <http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/invictus-2009>.

[3] Citation: Tomlinson, Jake. "Online Men's Lifestyle Magazine." Shave Magazine, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2013. <http://www.shavemagazine.com/entertainment/reviews/091201>.

JustineJ

                For my project, I watched a movie called ‘Skin’. It is loosely based on a true story but much of the film focuses on apartheid. A young girl, Sandra, has a rare condition called atavism which is a genetic trait that causes you to “go back” down your family line. She had African ancestors, yet both of her parents are white. As she grows up, she attends a boarding school with her brother who does not have the same condition. She is discriminated against there because she is ‘different’. There is more to the story, a ‘love, side which is irrelevant to apartheid. I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it to Romeo and Juliet lovers or anyone interested in the segregation times we had in America for this film is quite similar to. 

Vuyisile Mini was a protest songwriter during apartheid, and a member of the African National Congress. Due to his joining of the activist group in 1951, he was in and out of jail until his execution in 1964. He only lived to the age of 44.

                                                           

Music is a very powerful thing and can band people together or give them strength. A good song can make you want to kick some butt. Or peacefully deal with things, however things need to be done. A lot of wars and movements and basically everything is built upon music. Music can move a person personally and you can relate to it on a level. Many different people can relate to one song and all have a different reason for liking it and that’s pretty amazing. I looked around for some music by Mini, but sadly couldn’t find anything on YouTube.

However, I did find a woman by the name of Miriam Makeba, who was also a Grammy award-winning singer, and a civil rights activist against apartheid. She was the first African to popularize African music around the world. She’s most well known for her song, “Pata Pata” which was originally recorded in 1957, and released in the U.S. in 1967. It’s the name of a dance that is done in Johannesburg is pretty much all I can gather from this song and I’m cool with that. The song is really catchy and upbeat, and while only parts of it are in English, I find it to be very relaxing to listen to and would suggest others to listen to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zq5S5sH1Ikk

Miriam Makeba is nicknamed Mama Africa and she is a lovely woman and I wish I could understand the words she is speaking because wow she can sing. Makeba lived till she was about 76, she had a heart attack after one of her concerts in Italy.

I know this is supposed to be about Vuyisile Mini, but the internet gave me a sign that I should look at Miriam Mikeba instead. She is a strong woman and she has a super cool story! The government took away her passport in 1960 and her citizenship and right to return in 1963. She wasn’t able to return till 1990. This is a woman that was able to make a difference and bring some attention to things. And you know, woman are really important to things in history but are often overlooked or their accomplishments are covered up or simply just don’t get as much attention.

"The Sounds of Resistance: The Role of Music in South Africa's Anti-Apartheid Movement." RSS. Student Pulse, n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

"Vuyisile Mini Biography." Vuyisile Mini Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

"Official Miriam Makeba Website." Official Miriam Makeba Website. ZM Mikeba Trust, 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

Julia V. A1

Sharpeville Massacre

It was a bloodbath that day on March 21st,1960, in Sharpeville, South Africa.


What had started as a peaceful, non-violent protest, became a Massacre. The law of black


africans required to carry passbooks had been extended,  so that now women had too as


well. Passbooks were basically identification papers that said all the info about the Native,


and if you didnt carry one you could be fined or punished. The natives however hadn't been


to fond of this new rule so they decided to lead a protest, which ranged in 5000-7000


people, both men & women. The protest was held at a police station, and everyone


gathered outside it without their passbooks, as a way to prove they wouldn't follow such


unjust laws anymore. Shortly after the protest had started police tried to disperse the crowd


and break up the large group. When that hadn't worked police began to open fire onto the


people, anybody in the way was shot at and some killed. It is said that as many as 300


people were injured, and 69 killed. This event was influential because it started the armed


resistance in South Africa. Also when this event became internationally known, it helped


focus world wide critism on apartheid policies. In my personal opinion this was a really sad


event, but in a way it was nessecary for something like this to happen in their situation in


order for the wrong doings of apartheid to be noticed by other places. But then again this


whole thing could've been avoided if people weren't so crue, but instead fair. I think if you'd


like to further research this topic search for articles on the Web, watch video below, or


check a book out about  apartheid times from the library to learn more.


http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rVMPlVBm29Y&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DrVMPlVBm29Y



Sources: britannica.com  africanhistory.about.com   bbc.co.uk

-Cristina G. 1A

Boer Wars- Brok Oakley

        The Boer Wars were two long hard-fought wars between the English and Boers, or Afrikaans, who were Dutch descendants living in South Africa. It took place in the Orange Free State and Transvaal, South Africa. The first was between 1880-1881 and the second occurred in 1899-1902.
        Between 1835 and 1845 Afrikaans moved from the British cape colony to the inner tribal lands where they established two independent but peaceful republics, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. However, the English discovered their lands to be rich with diamonds and gold which the English wanted control of as well as their greed for expansion all led to the war. There were four main battles in the first Boer War, the battles of Laingsnek, Bronkhorstspruit, and Schuinshoogte where the British took heavy losses and Majuba which was one of the British few wins but became the English rally cry during this two year war. The Boers won because their guerilla style warfare and knowledge of the terrain. The British who were not used to the mountainous land and used to a European style of war were made easy kills by the Akrikaans. The South African Republic regained it's independence and a peace agreement was made between the English and Afrikaans.
       The second Boer War between 1899-1902 was a very different story, dominated by British victories; however they had a lot of help from the Australians who had a similar style of war as the Boers and soon the British gained control of South Africa. This conflict led to the unequal discrimination between the different ethnicities and technically creating the apartheid. I think that these wars were kind of ridiculous and really just displays Britain's greed and lust for power and imperialism and resulted in the years of discrimination to come and are still continuing today.

Sources:
http://www.sahistory.org.za/south-africa-1806-1899/first-anglo-boer-war-1880-1881
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/boer_wars_01.shtml
http://www.sahistory.org.za/south-africa-1652-1806/south-african-war-1899-1902-second-anglo-boer-war
http://www.historynet.com/second-boer-war.htm
   

Alf Kumalo- Illustrator of the Apartheid (Risper O.)

Though his name is not well known, Alfred Kumalo played a significant role in our understanding of the institution of Apartheid. The system of Apartheid started in 1948 and lasted 43 years, ending in 1991. During this time everyone in the country knew that this way of life wouldn't last. Through the lens of a camera, Kumalo was able to transport the viewer to Apartheid-South Africa, and bring awareness to this pressing issue.

Alfred Kumalo was born on September 5, 1930, in South Africa. He died last year in October at the age of 82. All throughout Alf's life, he worked with media and photography. Apartheid officially started when Alfred was in his early twenties. This occurrence gave him the opportunity to watch and document important events as they unfolded. Alfred Kumalo is a significant figure in the struggle to end Apartheid not only because he was able to see the effects of it take hold, but also because he felt a great need to do something about it. His photography generated a large response because of the way he took his pictures. 

He believed that cameras had the ability to "freeze moments in time" and chose said moments carefully. 

Unlike other photographers of his time, he took pictures of events as they happened. This style greatly increased the amount of stories that the pictures could tell and added a sense of trueness to his work. Researching Alfred's work has helped me take the issue of Apartheid and think of it as a real life event and not something that just happened in a dusty book. The pictures he took were compelling and gave a me a better view of South Africa as i am sure it did for many people. Though Alfred Kumalo is now gone, his works will last throughout the ages and continue to inspire us.

Sources: http://www.sahistory.org.za/people/alfred-khumalo

http://www.studentvillage.co.za/in-the-news/16-june-we-remember

David Goldblatt: Yassah Reed

David Goldblatt is a famous photographer in the South Africa and around the world. He is famous for taking photos of natives in everyday life. Goldblatt takes photos that tell a story of the natives' lives. He would catch everyday moments, but they were extraordinary in other ways. A picture is worth a thousand words and his photographs would tell more. Instead on simply hearing or reading about Apartheid, you could see it. The tense faces of the natives and affrikaners, their body language, and the intensity of the photo helps you to understand what is happening in that moment and what life is like for them every moment of everyday. Goldblatt has photographed through most of Apartheid starting relatively young; he did not know the he would be the narrator of a story yet to unravel and struggles yet to be realized.
" All photographers are witness... I was trying to find ways of understanding, of what you like, of who we are. Apartheid was apart of that." David Goldblatt
His portrayal of images such as the style in which he took them along with the way he developed them were all purposefully done to convey a message. He did not what the photos to be appealing, in the sense of bright color the evoke happier, lighter emotions of delight, he wanted the observers to feel what was felt when the picture was taken. The contrast of black and white was symbolic of the darkness of South Africa, the photos were never meant to be looked over superficially but they were made to make people think. Goldblatt wanted to make the pictures come alive so that the emotions felt were genuine and corresponded with the serious natural of his photos.
David Goldblatt allowed people to see Apartheid in a whole mother perspective. He showed people the life of a native to try to make them understand the consequences of the system of Apartheid.  I feel like a large factor the contributed to Apartheid becoming as oppressive as it was, was the ignorance of people. People don't pay attention to  the world around them and they didn't care. Goldblatt forced people of not only South Africa but everywhere to see it as it was. It is easy to turn a blind eye when the issue isn't shoved in you face. David put it is South Africa's view so that it could no longer be ignored. He put an emphasis on what had been played down for so long.
The reality of each ohoto plays a part in their significance in Aparthied. Some photographers try to find the beauty in the world but Goldblatt focuses on all of the pain. He has captured the pain of 100s of people through their lives and the repressive system of Aparthied that engulfed their entire civilization, so much so it was recognized as normal or even acceptable. He has captured what Aparthied  really is a cruel system of discrimination that suppressed million(and still plagues the society today) by the implementation of various racist and unfair laws. When words can't put life in perspective, the photos do.

I reccomment everyone look up his photos they are inspiring and show more that what mets the eye. I feel as if all South African photography would be an exceptional thing to look up if one would like to learn more about Aparthied because this is history behind pictures and that is what Goldblatt's photographs continue to display. 

By Yassah Reed :)

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/08/world/africa/david-goldblatt-photographer-apartheid/

Duriel Covington

12/17/13

1A

Small Event Spreads Worldwide

           

            Something as small as Zulu mine and factory workers, has lead to the development of one of the most popular world wide types of music. They formed vocal ensembles, for a simple type of competitive entertainment. This  local coral style came in the late 1930'a and became common in South Africa, during the years following World War 1. This type of music would later be named isicathamiya.

            Isicathamiya is a type of secular a capella choral singing that was developed in South Africa, by Zulu communities. It became popular outside of Africa, when it was promoted by the world-music industry in the late 20th century. Isicathamiya is made up of diverse traditions, that include local music's, Christian choral singing, and black minstrelsy. This music is performed in a call-and-response fashion by a group that ranges from four to more than twenty male singers. The group sings in four part harmony and contains a great number of bass vocalists. Typically, a tenor soloist leads this group. Zulu is the original language of the performance but, many songs have a mixture of English in them. While singing, the group performs swift coordinated gestures and footwork to match with the style of the song. The Zulu root -cathama justifies theses actions as walking lightly and stealthily, in a catlike fashion. One particular group stands out when people have conversation dealing with this type of entertainment.

            The group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, is well known for exceeding expectations when it comes to this type of fashion of music performance. Even though they campaigned against apartheid, they also became popular for sticking to and incorporating the ways of African tradition. Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a male choral group from South Africa that sings in the vocal styles of mbube and isicathamiya. The group was assembled in the early 1960's in South Africa by a man named Joseph Shabalala. Ladysmith is the name of Joseph's hometown, which is about three hours east of Johannesburg. Black, in the name represents the oxen, which is the strongest of all farm animals. Mambazo in Zulu means, the chopping axe, which is a symbol for the groups ability to chop down singing rivals that challenged them. By the end of the 1960's, they were banned from competitions for being too good, but could still perform for the main purpose of entertainment. In 1970, they received their first opening for a contract from a radio broadcast. Ladysmith Black Mambazo established themselves as the most successful singing group in South Africa, during the 1970's and early 1980's. One year after a land mark recording, Paul Simon also produced Ladysmith Black Mambazo's first world wide release, "Shaka Zulu", which went on to win a Grammy Award in 1988, for best folk tale recording. Later, the groups also were awarded for "Raise Your Spirit Higher", and, "Ilembe". The group also recorded with many artists such as, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton and Sarah McLachlan. They have also taken part in shows such as Family Guy and Mean Girls. In 2013, the group released "Live: Singing For Peace Around The World" and in 2014 they will release, "Always With Us".

            This was an interesting topic to research and I recommend anyone that has an interest in music to do it. I also recommend this to people that have an interest in the fight against the apartheid. I enjoyed researching this topic and learning about the development of one of the most famous musical groups around the world. They are not only talented, but they truly entertain with a purpose. It's a great topic to see how something that started out so small and simple, turned into something that is now enjoyed world wide. It also shows that not all the fighting against apartheid dealt with marches and protests. There was also a side that did simple things like put their feelings into different kinds of music.          

                

Gorlinski, Virginia. "Isicathamiya (music)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013. Web. 19 Dec. 2013. <http://www,brjtannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1565404/isicathamiva>

“Ladysmith Black Mambazo.” African Music Encyclopedia. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://africanmusic.org/artists/ladysmith.html>.

Duriel C.

1A 

Parody Art

Nicholas Mapplebeck

Brett Murray was an artist who studied at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Brett was born in Pretoria in 1961, he began attending University of Cape Town in 1985, and he left in 1989 with a Master’s of Fine Arts degree. He was both an artist and a sculptor, although he was mainly interested in sculpture as he opened up his own sculpting department in 1992 at Stellenbosch University. From this time to 98’, Brett had entered many exhibitions including Venice Bienalle in 1995 and 40 Sculptures of the Western Cape, which he curated. He had begun to develop his name as an artist in South Africa.

            Brett mostly took his place in apartheid by making fun of it, and looking at things from a humorous standpoint. His art comes in form of parody, mocking the idea of it with obscene gestures and exaggerations. He does more than one thing that most others have not, first of all, he tackles apartheid with his art, and second of all, he does it from a white viewpoint. He developed a personal style by using popular characters such as the Simpsons, and the Pink Panther, and he implements these into his art. One of Brett’s artworks shows an African sculpture with Bart Simpsons head rupturing out many sides of the statue. You can see two cultures colliding, and especially shows how much he sticks out as a white artist. His work is widely regarded as inappropriate and an outrage, especially his painting, “Spear”. He got a lot of public and media hate for this portrayal of a president, some even calling him racist. Although, this did give him publicity.

            I think Brett had a very interesting style to approaching apartheid, it was different. The art he creates is well made and look great, but also carries a lot of meaning. He attacks apartheid with a very subtle tactic, in order to see what he portrays and envisions, you have to look closely and for other meanings. What is on paper isn’t always what it seems like. He was also very persistent; he has been creating art since the 80’s to modern days. All of the work he has created is all so different as well, you don’t see many repeats and old ideas; when you look at Brett’s art it feels fresh and new.  I think that Brett Murray was one of the most influencial artists in South America and his art is widely recognized, even if it’s not recognized for the best reason.

            There’s a lot more you can peer into with this artist, Brett has 100’s of pieces of works, all available to view. He is worth searching and looking into, some of his art is very interesting and it will have you questioning what it means. One of the best things about researching Brett is that he has his own website; you can find it easily by searching his name. If you take a look at some of his work, I would recommend his African Simpson statue, and his other piece of art, “Warrior”.

Brett Murray's Statue, in Cape Town

http://www.brettmurray.co.za/

Small Event Spreads Worldwide

           

            Something as small as Zulu mine and factory workers, has lead to the development of one of the most popular world wide types of music. They formed vocal ensembles, for a simple type of competitive entertainment. This  local coral style came in the late 1930'a and became common in South Africa, during the years following World War 1. This type of music would later be named isicathamiya.

            Isicathamiya is a type of secular a capella choral singing that was developed in South Africa, by Zulu communities. It became popular outside of Africa, when it was promoted by the world-music industry in the late 20th century. Isicathamiya is made up of diverse traditions, that include local music's, Christian choral singing, and black minstrelsy. This music is performed in a call-and-response fashion by a group that ranges from four to more than twenty male singers. The group sings in four part harmony and contains a great number of bass vocalists. Typically, a tenor soloist leads this group. Zulu is the original language of the performance but, many songs have a mixture of English in them. While singing, the group performs swift coordinated gestures and footwork to match with the style of the song. The Zulu root -cathama justifies theses actions as walking lightly and stealthily, in a catlike fashion. One particular group stands out when people have conversation dealing with this type of entertainment.

            The group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, is well known for exceeding expectations when it comes to this type of fashion of music performance. Even though they campaigned against apartheid, they also became popular for sticking to and incorporating the ways of African tradition. Ladysmith Black Mambazo is a male choral group from South Africa that sings in the vocal styles of mbube and isicathamiya. The group was assembled in the early 1960's in South Africa by a man named Joseph Shabalala. Ladysmith is the name of Joseph's hometown, which is about three hours east of Johannesburg. Black, in the name represents the oxen, which is the strongest of all farm animals. Mambazo in Zulu means, the chopping axe, which is a symbol for the groups ability to chop down singing rivals that challenged them. By the end of the 1960's, they were banned from competitions for being too good, but could still perform for the main purpose of entertainment. In 1970, they received their first opening for a contract from a radio broadcast. Ladysmith Black Mambazo established themselves as the most successful singing group in South Africa, during the 1970's and early 1980's. One year after a land mark recording, Paul Simon also produced Ladysmith Black Mambazo's first world wide release, "Shaka Zulu", which went on to win a Grammy Award in 1988, for best folk tale recording. Later, the groups also were awarded for "Raise Your Spirit Higher", and, "Ilembe". The group also recorded with many artists such as, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton and Sarah McLachlan. They have also taken part in shows such as Family Guy and Mean Girls. In 2013, the group released "Live: Singing For Peace Around The World" and in 2014 they will release, "Always With Us".

            This was an interesting topic to research and I recommend anyone that has an interest in music to do it. I also recommend this to people that have an interest in the fight against the apartheid. I enjoyed researching this topic and learning about the development of one of the most famous musical groups around the world. They are not only talented, but they truly entertain with a purpose. It's a great topic to see how something that started out so small and simple, turned into something that is now enjoyed world wide. It also shows that not all the fighting against apartheid dealt with marches and protests. There was also a side that did simple things like put their feelings into different kinds of music.       

Duriel C. 

1A    

                  

Extraterrestrial Segregation

    District 9 is a thought-provoking film about how humankind handles extraterrestrial life visiting earth. It is exiting and fast-paced, but still touches on deeper topics like segregation, xenophobia, and human nature. The scene is set in Johannesburg, 1982. A large spaceship hovers over the city for weeks, showing no activity. Eventually, the South African government takes it upon themselves to physically cut their way in to learn what was on board. Much to their horror, they find millions of sick and dying aliens living in inhumane conditions. They are quickly moved to District 9, a wired-off area just south of Johannesburg, to live. After 20 years of living there, the population of these aliens, commonly referred to as the derogatory title prawns, has dramatically increased and District 9 has become a shanty town for them. The prawns are manipulated sell valuable possession for cat food, brutally killed for science experiments and much more.

    The plot of the movie tells the story of Wikus van de Merwe slowly turning into a prawn after being exposed to chemicals from their ship. Because of this, he is able to operate the prawn's advanced machinery/weaponry and became the most valuable man in the world. This leads the South African government to send people after him to capture and experiment on him. Partway through his transformation, he meets a prawn named Christopher who is searching for a way to get back to his ship and return home. Christopher tells Wikus that there are machines on his ship that can heal him, so they begin working together. After finally finding a way to get back up to his ship, Christopher tells Wikus that he needs to use all of the fuel to return back to his home planet as fast as possible and make them aware of the injustices that are being imposed on the prawns. He promises to be pack in 3 years, and the movie ends with Wikus as a prawn living in District 9.

    This movie gives some profound insight to segregation, and draws many parallels with Apartheid. In the very beginning, the prawns are portrayed as unintelligent and inferior to humans. This is very similar to the mindset of a majority of the white population towards blacks during Apartheid. The prawn Christopher is a sobering counter to this idea of them being an inertly unintelligent species. His  knowledge of technology, and ability to do work without being noticed by the government is a testimony to this. Also, the movie does a very good job of having the audience follow along with Wikus's journey. In the beginning he treated the prawns very poorly, but the further he changed into one of them the more he sympathized and respected them. Because of this, the further the story progressed, the further the audiences sympathy for the prawns progressed.

    District 9 holds a place in my heart as one of my all-time favorite movies. It does a very good job of mixing entertaining, albeit vulgar, dialogue with serious themes, and an engaging plot. This great blend allows for deeper thinking about segregation and unethical treatment alongside laughing whenever you hear Wikus drop the F-bomb with his thick South African accent. The director, Neill Blomkamp, is a native of Johannesburg South Africa. Despite this, none of his other popular films take place there. There is a potential sequel called District 10 that tells the story of what happens when Christopher comes back 3 years later. I would recommend watching this movie, because it is entertaining and engaging, and if District 10 comes to fruition, it will assuredly be worthy of recommendation.

Scott, A.O.. "A Harsh Hello for Visitors From Space." The New York Times. N.p., 13 Aug. 2009. Web. 19 Dec. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/movies/14district.html>.

Scott, A.O.. "A Harsh Hello for Visitors From Space." The New York Times. N.p., 13 Aug. 2009. Web. 19 Dec. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/14/movies/14district.html>.


Evan King- A1

The Black Christ - Nashiya Russell

Ronald Harrison was a South African painter. Harrison began painting at the age of 16. In the year 1962 during the Apartheid era his most famous work was the Black Christ. The Black Christ was unveiled at St Luke's Church. It depicted African National Congress leader Chief Albert Luthuli. As a result of this famous work he was arrested and tortured by the security police. The painting was forced into the United Kingdom and later banned from South Africa and was returned in 1997.

The Black Christ was the journey to freedom. Harrison was nearly 15 years old when apartheid's enforces arrived at Sophiatown, near Johannesburg, and dismantled the entire black township within just a few hours. In 1995 the ANC adopted Freedom Charter. The preamble stated that “South Africa belongs to all who live in it, black and white, and that no government can justly claim authority unless it is based on upon the will of the people.” This is important to me because I feel like this is the truth, if people live in South Africa they should be treated fairly and with the same respect that one deserves. People in South Africa shouldn't feel as though they aren't welcomed or that they don't belong, they should be able to feel as though they are love and being treated equally. It shows how things have changed from then to now, because during this time period race was a huge issue and certain people of certain color got more privalages than others did.

Harrison was gravitating more towards art. He pondered upon whether or not he could somehow contribute to the liberation movement. As a Christian, Harrison felt that the apartheid regime claimed the mantle of Christianity; however, Luthuli, himself represented the other more emancipatory face of their faith. The Dutch reformed church, which apartheid, proponents belonged asked Luthuli to repudiate publicly this representation as a crucified “Black Saviour.” Harrison viewed Luthuli as a man of piece.

The Black Christ is super important to me and it allows me to reflect. It explains the troubles faced during Apartheid and how so many people struggled and if they spoke out about anything they would be punished. It's good to know that Ronald Harrison viewed Albert Luthuli as someone of peace and that he didn't view him in a negative way. I compare this to today's world, because so many things over time has changed, before no one was really able to speak out about how they felt but now there is a such thing called freedom of speech. Things are totally different than what they used to be, although, we still face daily issues they are issues that we can speak out on because of the freedom we now have today.

I would recommend you all to view or look deeper into the Black Christ because I feel as though it is very inspirational and inspiring and it helps you to reflect and look at how we as a whole have come so far. So many things in life that we have, we should truly appreciate because back in that era most people didn't have the ability to speak out on what they believed in.

Resources:

• http://www.vinaylal.com/ESSAYS(LCP)/art3.pdf
• http://books.google.com/books?id=e9jtkrIB4VwC&pg=PA182&lpg=PA182&dq=ronald+harrison+black+christ&source=bl&ots=bN68WYBnnk&sig=p0UdJfspmjeY8ZMs7115LKmQfZk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sayzUvrYH4jJsQTYo4LYDA&ved=0CFgQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=ronald%20harrison%20black%20christ&f=false
• "The Black Christ." Web log post. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

Sharpeville Massacre- Jade d.

     On March 21^st, 1960, South African police forces invaded a town called Sharpeville. These police forces fired on a crowd of protestors that had resulted in approximately 160 injuries and 69 deaths, among which were women and children. This massacre is known to be the first and most violent protest in South Africa against apartheid.

     This massacre isn’t just considered violent because of the numerous amount of deaths and injuries that occurred on that day. The participating protestors evidently had also been involved with vicious actions that included throwing rocks at police cars.

     The demonstrators present at the protest were from a group called the “Pan- Africanist Congress” which developed their ideas and beliefs based off of the African National Congress and are now considered a minor political party in South Africa. The Pan Africanists Congress planned this protest in result of the requirement of their reference books. All men, women, and children were required to carry reference books with them wherever they went. Reference books contained a person’s name, tax code, employment details, and just their general personal information. If stopped by a police officer and lacked your reference book, it could result in being arrested or detained for up to 30 days.

      In protesting against reference books, all the demonstrators were to leave their reference books at home and intentionally bestow themselves in front of the police station and police officers to be arrested. The leader of this demonstration was the leader of the Pan- Africanist Congress, Robert Subukwe. His theory was that the prisons wouldn’t be capable of tending to all of the protestors therefore the economy would struggle.

     With the amount of demonstrators that were present at the march, Subkwe felt like his protest was going to be successful. Unfortunately, the police, unhesitant to express their dominance over the South Africans, fired into the crowds. The first shots were fired in front of the Sharpeville Police Station where roughly 5,000 to 7,000 people gathered to abolish the requirement of reference books. About 300 police officers had assembled together in response to the protest and shot randomly in the crowd.

     In result of the violent massacre, the government declared a state of emergency. Alas thousands of South Africans were arrested and the Pan Africanist Congress was outlawed, along with the African National Congress. The goal of the protestors was to banish reference books and sadly, this event had led to a loss in hope of a better society. Many South Africans were then convinced that peaceful protests were not successful, consequently favoring more violent demonstrations.
      Today, people in South Africa acknowledges March 21^st as “Human Rights Day” in honor of the protest at Sharpeville. It pains me to imagine the good intentions of South Africans going out to demonstrate a non-violate protest in attempt to gain the rights they deserve and instead in murder and arrests. My recommendations for the future studiers of the Sharpeville Massacre is to look further in depth into the work that the that the African National Congress performed along with the Pan Africanist Congress. Personally, I would find it interesting to become knowledgeable of their actions in fighting for African’s rights and learning about their organization’s history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVMPlVBm29Y

Jade d. 

"Sharpeville Massacre (South African History)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2013.

"1960: Scores Die in Sharpeville Shoot-out." BBC News. BBC, 21 Mar. 1960. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

Website

Artist Brett Murray

            Brett Murray, well-known for his sculptures, is a white south-african who began working in art during the later half of the twentieth century. While he predominantly works with steel sculptures, he also does some painting and other artwork. No matter what he is doing, however, he always tries to incorporate a sense of neutrality in his work; He wants people to see and understand others' perspectives and opinions, and to see life as a whole from an outside point of view. He attempts to accomplish this by adding satirical, eye-opening affects to whatever he is doing. Even with good intentions, this still can be misinterpreted for ignorance, or could be disliked by people who are intolerant to new ideas. An example of this can be seen in one of Brett's recent pieces called "The Spear". 

            The painting is of Jacob Zuma, the president of South Africa, and exposes him in an indecent manner. While it was only meant to symbolically represent the corruption in government, it caused an uproar around the country. Throughout the turmoil, Brett continued to persist that he express his opinions. The way that Brett Murray communicated these thoughts and opinions was especially useful during apartheid because he could help people to see from a different point of view what it really was. Without his contribution, it might have taken longer to abolish apartheid, and I believe that the world would be lacking his artwork.

            People like Brett Murray can teach us about how peoples' opinions may differ, but that we should try to understand and fix everything as a whole. Apartheid, being a time of segregation and racism, was filled with assumptions, corruption, and misinterpretations that could easily have been spotted if there were more people like him. I believe that learning more about Brett and people like him will enable us to help others to be more open minded and tolerant to new points of view, which is essential to fixing problems that we may or may not even know are there. This leads me to recommend his artwork to almost everyone, because it is not only educational and historical, but can also be interesting to look at.

1A, 12/19/13

Evan P.

Religion in South Africa During Apartheid

                There were many different religions going around during Apartheid in South Africa. A big influence was Christianity. “Critics of apartheid often blame Christians for its existence claiming that racial oppression in South Africa is the fruit of Christianity.” Even though Christianity was a large influence on them they had other religions come over also. Like Catholicism or the Angelican church. In some Christian churches though, they began to support racial segregation and apartheid. Racial segregation was widely accepted in church in the early 20^th century. The belief in racial segregation was increasing in acceptance with white south Africans.

                The largest domination was the Dutch Reform Church. It arrived South Africa in the 17^th century. The church gained attention as the state religion. Most of the Dutch Reformed churches share similar  beliefs as the Calvinist. They believed that God was wise, eternal, infinite, & the creator of the universe. “He has planned the life and the fate of each individual on earth; the "chosen" are saved, as long as they adhere to the church's teachings. The Bible--both the Old Testament and the New Testament--is the final authority on religious matters.”

                As the blacks began to transition to the religion, the church members discuss the question of racial segregation. Back in 1881 the Dutch Reformed Mission church made a colored church. Then in 1910, when the blacks basically made up 10% of the population of the community, “the synods established the NGK…”

                When apartheid was being questioned, the church leaders were just more committed to apartheid than the members of the church. Some Dutch Reformers were against apartheid though. An example is Reverend Beyers Naude, who actually left his whites only church (1970s) then to join a black parish. The other attempts of the other church leaders who worked to try to reduce the church’s image of being racist were often “constrained”.

                Back in the 1990s, the black South Africans made a large portion of the Christian church. Many became involved in the efforts to reverse to reverse apartheid.

                “Leaders of the Church of the Province of South Africa, the Anglican Church, spoke out in opposition to apartheid, but church members disagreed about tactics for expressing their views.” Many of the African Angelicans became leaders in the antiapartheid movement. The Methodist church (mostly black) quickly accepted the antiapartheid development. Religious alliances also came to be. The most active antiapartheid umbrella organization was The South African Council of Churches (SACC). They also offered encouragement. “Under the leadership of Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu in the 1980s, the SACC also attempted to withhold cooperation with the state, as much as possible, in protest against apartheid.” Most of the leaders of SACC were outspoken with their political views. They made a lot of complaints to government officials and also got together a lot of peaceful protests.

                The Christian League of Southern Africa got together in support of the governments apartheid policies. They had members of the Dutch Reformed and other churches. 

• "South Africa-Religion and Apartheid." South Africa-Religion and Apartheid. N.p., n.d. Web. 
  Reverend Beyers Naude 

Alfred Kumalo- Photographer of apartheid

Alfred Kumalo’s photographs, many of which are famous around the world, capture intense and captivating moments in South African history.  Alf Kumalo was born in Johannesburg on September 5^th, 1930, and attended college at Wilberforce Institute at Evaton. Kumalo began working as a journalist for Bantu World where he took pictures to go along with his stories. He didn't have any training with photography, but they seemed to love his work! A few years later he found a permanent job at Golden City Post. Throughout the years, Kumalo had documented the history of South Africa. Along with photographing actions of the Apartheid, he photographed the Student Uprising of 1976, the 1980s State Emergency, and the unbanning of the liberation movements, the Codesa talks, the first democratic elections, and the beginning of South Africa’s first democratic government. Kumalo was very privileged to attend these historical scenes, given the fact that there was the possibility of arrest and harassment. Kumalo was influential to South Africa and apartheid because his photographs showed the intensity and brutality of the effects of what happened during that period of time. He also took many pictures of Nelson Mandela, before and after he was imprisoned. In the 1990s, as apartheid fell, Kumalo photographed the country’s first democratic elections and the inauguration of Mandela as its first black president. “Alf Kumalo was more than a documentary photojournalist; he was, above all, one of South Africa’s eminent historians,” a former president of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, said in a statement. “No one could contradict the truth of what he captured so competently through the lens. Aware that the power of his narrative was unimpeachable, the apartheid regime subjected him to constant harassment in the hope that Kumalo, a humble and tenacious man of integrity, would abandon his work or sell his soul altogether. He did not.” Alf Kumalo died on October 21^st, 2012, in Johannesburg. I personally really enjoyed looking at Kumalo’s photos. They are very intense and the fact that the pictures are in black and white make the pictures really dark and heavy, which is how people felt during these times. There is something about Kumalo’s pictures that show a lot more emotion and intensity than a regular 1970s picture. His keenness to actually experience the hardship of apartheid just so that he could get a photo is very admirable. I think that him doing that and me, knowing that he did that, is what makes me see the picture differently than I had the first time I saw his work. I really liked doing research on Alfred Kumalo. He is unlike any other photographer I've come across and, yes I actually do look at professional photographers from time to time. I absolutely love taking pictures and I think it would be very fun to be professional! One thing, that I can say that I got from looking at Kumalo’s pictures is I think I'll be using the black and white effect on some of my pictures. It really does tell a completely different story from the original colors. -Bea M

·         

Weber, Bruce. "Alf Kumalo, Whose Photography Indicated Apartheid, Dies At 82." The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 Nov. 20012. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

·       

  "Alf Kumalo." Http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/politics-obituaries/9634223/Alf-Kumalo.html. Telegraph, 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 19 Dec. 2013.

Unification of South Africa

Invictus is a film that presents one of many the steps Nelson Mandela took to unite his country, South Africa. Elected into office in 1994, it was a necessity to bring everyone together; however there were some who hindered this process due to the distaste of the Afrikaner’s presence. These individuals were in favor of omitting all oppression and the Rugby team, The Springboks, is apart of this oppression with the view of being the team of White South Africa. Since Mandela has a love for the sport he chooses to stand up for the team and pushes to make it the team of South Africa. In the process of doing so he creates a relationship with the team captain, Francoise Pieenar. He talks to the team and lays out his goal of the team winning; after this the team trains hard, plays with the native children, and spins time in the prison where Nelson Mandela spent twenty-seven years in. By advocating for the team and verbally telling them that he wants them to win, Mandela adds extreme importance on the victory for the whole country not just for one group. With the teams participation in the native side of the South African community it shows that they can be trusted and that there is kindness. The movie ended with the victory of the South African team, which was very significant for the country. The significance and importance of the victory was that it unified the country. With the support from Nelson Mandela the team was able to come on top representing all of South Africa not just one side, and with his positivity and approval he provided the native side of the country with legitimacy of the team’s existence. With the image of one who fought for the rights of his people, Nelson Mandela added importance to unity and therefor a lot of people looked up to him.

         Although Apartheid ended before Mandela was elected, there was still a mindset of the policy that still existed; in fact it still exists mentally, socially, and economically today. This is a great example of how the confinement from living a normal and fair lifestyle can affect people. Even though Apartheid ended, it’s a decade later and there is still no equality. It serves as a mental precedent, sticking to the subconscious and reminding individuals that they are nothing and it also builds hatred and resentment to the opposing group. With the knowledge that I had on apartheid, I was able to understand the reason why Nelson Mandela made it a necessity to have a unified country. If he didn’t take the necessary steps he did South Africa would have been how it was before, even though there isn’t a significant change there is a sense of unity.

         If one chooses to watch the movie, I recommend that before watching it they should have knowledge of Apartheid. This knowledge should include the affects of it, who was involved, and those who made a difference. Most importantly they should have knowledge of Nelson Mandela. It is important to know these things because the topic happens after the abolishment of the laws of Apartheid, but everything comes together when understanding Nelson Mandela’s actions.   

Makaela Johnson 2A

Resources: 

First Picture:  Whitty, Stephen. "'Invictus' Movie Review: Powerful Acting Outweighs Flaws in Post-Apartheid Tale." NJ.com. New Jersey On-Line LLC, n.d. Web. 

Second Picture: "Some Healthy Food Fun: Dinner and a Movie Invictus My Tribute to One of My Inspirations, Nelson Mandela, 1918-2013." The Gaia Health Blog. The Gaia Health Blog, n.d. Web.

Topic( "Invictus"): Invictus 2009. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Perf. Nelson Mandela. Warner Bros., 2009.