6. Parilament and Dennis

Today was another long day and I have to go to bed and be up again in three and a half hours so I will keep this one short. I will however update it when I have more time to. I have some lovely piccies but the camera is flat, so await edits when I next have internet access.....

Today we went to the South African Parliament, to the University of Cape Town and had an evening with Dennis Goldberg. The morning was quite lovely, the buildings of the South African Parliament once again fabulous and the guide accommodating. Due to the specialist interests in Parliamentary structures held by most of the group, I was somewhat left behind in the discussions which  allowed me to appreciate my surroundings. Such a magnificent building, with the customary dark woods and marbles, aged artifacts and leather doors, it would have been a shame not to have had the time to become immersed in the colours and textures. As we wandered through the buildings, I saw amazing works of art; tapestries made from seed beads, so intricate that I had to take a second look to ensure that it was not a trick of the eye and actually was beads. Downstairs was a gathering for women in Parliament; the South African Parliament has approximately 200 female members. It was amazing to see the different styles of dress, from the modern to the more traditional; there was even a woman in a yellow crochet style skirt and matching headdress; beautiful. One thing I noticed about this gathering was the smell in the room; a gathering of hot people, perfumes mingling in the air......the colours in the room too - just a happy assault on the eyes. It made me think of Parliament at home....and just how different the atmosphere would be.

The afternoon was spent at the University of Cape town, where we met with the students union.  I found it interesting to understand how South African students are facing the same kind of issues we faced when I was first at uni; things like fees and barriers to learning... higher education can be expensive and elitist anywhere.

The evening was spent at the home of Dennis Goldberg, a white man who spent 22 years in prison for his involvement in the fighting against apartheid. Anyone who knows me will know that I was somewhat apprehensive about this meeting, as I was unsure how I would feel about meeting someone who was part of a violent protest group. I had no preconceived ideas about him, but wondered what kind of man he would be. We spent the evening in his home, chatting with young, deprived black Africans.  I helped in the kitchen. Dennis sent me out to talk to some of the young people. I love meeting new people, but I felt awkward; a bit like being at a house party full of sober strangers. After a mix and mingle, we sat in Dennis' front room, and listened to him talk about his part in the struggles, the injustices - and his time in prison. He noted how his treatment as a while man had been marginally better than Mandela's.  I won't go in to great detail about what he spoke about as it will take a long while for me to process the depth of his words. For now, know that social justice means a lot, big business needs keeping in check and most of all, keep fighting for right. If you would like to know more about him, have a look here. He also happens to have fabulous taste in art and a magnificent view from the kitchen. I washed up.

Swaziland next; we're flying there. If you are following this, google it and see what you can find out. I probably will not able to write for a few days as the net connection is apparently a bit dodgy, but in Arnie style; I'll be back..........