Museum visit..

Holy moly.

Went to the Apartheid Museum today. It would take me forever to explain exactly what the Apartheid was, but I will give you the nutshell version..

Apartheid means separateness in Afrikaans and was a system of legal racial segregation enforced by the National Party government in South Africa between 1948 and early 1994. During this time, the government of SA segregated education, medical care, and other public services and provided black people with services that were inferior to those of the whites. There was serious resistance and many lives were lost. Please do yourself a favor and visit the museums website at http://www.apartheidmuseum.org/ . It was powerful. There is a room with 131 nooses hanging from the ceiling to represent the 131 government officials that were executed. Looking up and seeing all of those ropes hanging down was intense. G and I spend over four hours looking through each of the exhibits with solemn expressions. He is so full of information, as he lived through the Apartheid here in Africa. He says that many of the injustices that were faced during those years are still around today, they just aren't acknowledged. He also said that just last year, a prisoner was tortured and thrown into a lions cage for the entertainment of the government/police.

Spending the day with G, learning from both he and the exhibits in the museum, leads me to understand why Africa is commonly referred to as 'God forsaken.' While I know that He is here, it comes as no surprise why so many people reject Him and feel like He has left them all to starve, be raped, murdered, imprisoned and tortured. It is frightening. It was humbling to see the photos in the museum of starving children and beaten young men and women. And to think that these things are happening during my lifetime! People can be cruel. The heinous acts during (and after, apparently) the Apartheid, are proof of free agency and falling away from faith. I can only pray that one day, these people will ALL know love, peace and eternal life.

I am exhausted! After such minimal sleep and an intense day, it is nice to be back at the house with G, Princess, Kaska, and the FIFTY MILLION BIRDS! They have four African Grey parrots plus the many visitors. I took Bert! the Brontosaurus outside to meet them all. None of the wild birds were impressed with my visit, but the parrots were very curious. I was brave and sat with them for awhile before having a nice lunch with G. It's a wonderful life.

(I don't know that everyone knows about Bert! the Brontosaurus.. He's a four inch tall, brown and pink dinosaur that I purchased in the Las Vegas airport as a little travel companion. So far he has been in Vegas, Atlanta, Johannesburg with my new friends Andre, Sandra, Bruce, Minette, and Richard, and in the backyard with the birds.. Bert! will be photographed in as many places as possible so I can write a little travel book for the kids when I get home. Great travels are headed his way!)