Soweto.

Soweto door de ogen van een Amerikaanse toerist......



"Soweto is the largest township in South Africa. It was started by the blacks who migrated from rural areas to Johannesburg in search of work in the gold mines. Since apartheid laws forbade them from living in Johannesburg, they lived in single-sex hostels and squatter camps just outside the city. This community became known as Soweto (South Western Township).

We were fortunate to have an outstanding tour guide who has lived in Soweto all his life. Our ride through this township was quite an eye-opening experience for me. Before this trip, the images I had seen of Soweto on TV were those of shanty towns, crime, and protests. While we definitely saw our share of shanty towns and were told crime is still a major concern, we also saw some of the nice neighborhoods of Soweto. These neighborhoods had neatly landscaped yards, quaint houses, driveways, etc. This place is just full of contrasts and has become quite popular on the tourist trail. Some Soweto residents have even begun turning their homes into bed and breakfasts.

After riding through the various neighborhoods and shanty towns, we eventually arrived at the former home of Nelson Mandela. He lived in this house up until he was arrested in 1963. He returned after his 27-year imprisonment but only lived there for 11 days before he realized he had to move due to the constant stream of visitors.

Today, the house serves as a museum. Inside the house, there are pictures of the Mandela family, gifts from celebrities, and a display of some of Nelson Mandela's honorary degrees. (He has received over 100 honorary doctorates.) One of the gifts I found interesting was a championship belt from boxer Sugar Ray Leonard. Nelson Mandela was a boxer back in the day.

After our stop at Nelson Mandela's house, we were driven down the street to the home of another prominent South African, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Unlike the Mandela house, Archbishop Tutu's House is not a museum. It is still occupied by some of his family members. There are high walls, fences, and security cameras at this home. The significance of pointing out Archbishop Tutu's house is that this small street (Vilakazi Street) in Soweto is the only street in the world to contain the homes of two Nobel Peace Prize winners."

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Soweto in foto's van Sonja Dekker, met muziek van Stef Bos.....

Soccer City Stadium

foto: Frank Ross

Frank Ross is een kunstenaar uit Zuid-Afrika. Hij heeft veel van zijn werk in de kleurrijke townships gemaakt.

foto: www.divasinc.co.za

Soweto Fashion Week - Sinds enkele jaren is de derde week van mei de week van de Soweto Fashion Week. Onwerpers op het gebied van mode en kleding tonen hun mooiste en nieuwste creaties.

SowetoTV is de tv-zender van Soweto

Twee Gripen straaljagers van de Zuid-Afrikaanse luchtmacht vliegen boven het hypermoderne sportstadion: Soccer City Stadium.