Tuesday March 13, 2007
Liza Wagner & Matthew Shumate: Rhode Island
Well we began the day knowing that we had a pretty large responsibility since we were trusted in delivering a presentation based on our experiences in the TEAM conference. Especially, after the prejudices in the beginning of the conference we faced due to our perceived immaturity. We felt the need to represent the young people of the Anglican community well. To do so we needed to show respect for the other delegates, as well as demonstrate our thoughtfulness, and understanding of the MDG’s. At the end of the presentation we were very satisfied with it, and we received excellent compliments from the adult delegates from the conference. These compliments were especially meaningful to us because we hadn’t expected a transformation in the adult representatives. Some had expressed little interest in our presence at the conference; a few representatives had reservations towards our theology during a Bible study session. Although unexpected, a predominant number of the adult delegates became extremely excited about our presence. We no longer were a “raucous” group of teenagers but rather the present and future for Anglican mission according to many. We demonstrated our importance by sharing our hands-on experiences in the Johannesburg and nearby areas.
Following the presentation we headed off to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. The Apartheid Museum was an excellent expression of the horrors of racism, and segregation in South Africa throughout the 20th century. One memory which sticks out in my mind is when you simply walk into the threshold of the museum you are greeted by two signs on to separate sides. One side read WHITES ONLY, and the opposite side read NON-WHITES. It was pretty noticeable that members of the group felt uncomfortable to choose which sides to enter. Another memory that stood out was a room filled with “nooses” hanging from the ceiling representing the number of political executions carried out against members of the anti-apartheid movement. This museum has portrayed the apartheid resistance which fought for Africans in South Africa to be equal to their white counterparts. This History will forever be planted in our minds as we leave this complex country this Wednesday.
