Soweto itself is not a unitary place but an abbreviation for South Western Townships, a collection of over 25 townships bordering Johannesburg’s mining belt to the south, which range from middle-class enclaves to informal settlements (sometimes known as shantytowns). “Soweto” became the symbol of the profound social, cultural, economic and physical divisions of apartheid.īut such a “black and white” reading belies the complex spatial history of townships in South Africa. The image of the dying boy spread around the world, and today the uprising is widely seen as a turning point in the struggle against the nationalist government. In that iconic photograph, 18-year-old Mbuyisa Mahkubo carries Hector Pieterson, a 13-year-old boy who was fatally wounded when police fired on students protesting the official lowering of academic standards in South Africa’s black schools. įor many, particularly outside of South Africa, the name Soweto evokes an image by Sam Nzima made during the 1976 Soweto Uprising. Sam Nzima’s photograph of the Soweto uprising, Hector Pieterson Memorial.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |