Apartheid refers to the policy of forced segregation of people of different races that the white South African government instituted a few years after WW2. The effects of South Africa's history on its people are still as clear as day. Just by casually touring the city, I can see first-hand how poverty, housing and public perceptions are all skewed to an unspoken racial standard. A fair number of white people are affluent, drive nice cars and live in suburbs that are minimally black. On the other hand, most service and labor workers I have seen were non-white. Most beggars I have seen have are non-white, too.
While I was walking in an affluent suburb filled with nice cars, electric fences and green gardens, I came upon a man named Liam. I asked Liam how he felt about race relations within the community. He noted that his suburb was 98% white but was taken aback when he realized that race rarely crosses his mind. My encounter with Liam told me so much about the way that race informs life in South Africa and is an issue never far from my mind as I integrate into this fascinating community!
