What perceptions did you have about South Africa prior to studying abroad? What perceptions did you have about South Africa after your study abroad experience?
Photo provided by Nia
Prior to studying abroad I thought that I would have a transformative experience being the first of my bloodline in over 300 years to return to the continent of which we came. I thought that by studying in South Africa just 20 years after the end of apartheid, I would be amidst a revolutionary energy and learn lessons in racial struggle, political resistance and black power. Quickly after arriving in Cape Town my dreams were shattered. Though I did learn a lot about the African diaspora and how black South Africans resisted apartheid, I also witnessed how devastating the impacts of colonialism and apartheid have been in the racial-economic landscape of the region. I saw few black/African people in the airport. The Cape Town airport was majority white and most of the other black people were service workers checking their bags. This scene of black people in subservient/laborious jobs and working for white people was apparent throughout my entire study abroad. My study abroad experience in Cape Town was plagued by the racialized history of the country. What I saw was painfully familiar to what I have experienced in the U.S. (seeing black people living in ghettos while white children go to prep schools or being followed around stores while shopping etc.). I had hopeful expectations prior to studying abroad and my impression of South Africa (or Cape Town in particular) completely changed by the end of my trip.