Thursday, 27 March 2014

March 27th,


Last night was just such a wonderful evening and Will, Holly, Les and I went down to Soweto and met Tibeso, the Campus Pastor at University of Joburg, Murendeni, the music minister there and two of their friends for a Chisa Nyama dinner in Soweto ( Diepkloof area) . Actually Soweto, we learned, is made up of many areas which includes Diepkloof but also, Orlando West which is where Mandelas house is (8115 Ngakane Street); Orlando East, Moroka, Pimville, Jabavu,Dube, Meadowlands. Soweto stands for SOuth nWEstern TOwnship and it was developed in 1963. As far as I can tell, Kliptown , also known once as Klipspruit is part of Soweto and is where the Freedom Charter is housed and the Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication is located.  Anyway, the traditional African dinner was so interesting and delicious. Everyone eats with their fingers, using a big bowl of very hot water to wash in to begin with. Then we were introduced to POP -  a white substance like mashed potatoes but thicker which is very nutritious and is used to pick up the minced carrot dish and bean dish (chaka laka)












that goes with the highly seasoned grilled chicken , steak and sausages.  Conversation went until close to midnight as the 8 of us sat around a big table and began to understand each other, appreciate each other and learn from each other . The atmosphere was filled with lots of laughter and admiration and love. I was suprised to learn that one of the friends of Tibeso really had never spent time with a white person and was very nervous and not sure what to say or do. But before long, Les and I had become good friends and were asked to please come back and spend time with them.  It would be truly an honor to do so.  It breaks my heart to think these beautiful loving people could be so beat down by whites and yet so willing to be a friend when we show them we don't see a difference between them and us. I told them when I look at a person I do not see color - I see a person - a person that God created just like he created me. I told them that no other man in my lifetime has affected me more than Nelson Mandela because he forgave all and longed for peace among his people.

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