Thursday, July 23, 2009

Zulu nation

..

Wait, that doesn't look like Lagos! In fact, I left Nigeria and am now in Johannesburg on my way back to New York.

I'm here just a few days, but I've done a virtual Apartheid Tour.
Yesterday I went to Soweto -- the poor, black township that was the heart of the freedom struggle. Today I took in the excellent Apartheid Museum (and casino!). But the highlight was Tuesday, when I went on a tour of the Constitutional Court with Justice Albie Sachs, who my friend Ting is clerking for. Sachs is a giant in the field of human rights law, and he gave a warm and eloquent explanation of how they designed the building, how they chose the artwork, etc.

That said, I'm ready to go home. South Africa is a hundred times more developed than Nigeria, but there is also a strong climate of fear (due to the high crime rates) and racial tension that I never felt in Lagos. Plus, its damn cold here! I had forgotten it was their winter.

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