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My interest in South Africa began when I entered college in 1986. At that time shantytowns were cropping up on college campuses across the country and Brandeis University was no exception. It was a concrete symbol of the unfair apartheid government that found the majority black population oppressed by a white minority. I listened to protest songs and read about the the struggles of anti-apartheid leaders like Steven Biko and Nelson Mandela. By the time I left college in 1990 F.W. de Klerk had been elected prime minister and had made the courageous decision to free Nelson Mandela from prison.
After college I served in the Peace Corps in Lesotho (1991-1994), which allowed me to spend a great deal of time traveling in and through South Africa. I was fortunate to be there at an exciting time -- not only did Lesotho shake of decades of authoritarian rule with elections in 1993, but South Africa held its first all-race elections in April 1994. Nelson Mandela was elected as the first majority president of the country and the apartheid era was over.
South Africa would not change overnight and many challenges continue to face the nation including economic disparity, de facto segregation, an under-educated population, and HIV/AIDs. But it also has tremendous potential with its natural resources, a diverse landscape, the second-largest economy on the continent and enormous human potential in its diverse population. South Africa will be a leader on the continent for decades to come.
After college I served in the Peace Corps in Lesotho (1991-1994), which allowed me to spend a great deal of time traveling in and through South Africa. I was fortunate to be there at an exciting time -- not only did Lesotho shake of decades of authoritarian rule with elections in 1993, but South Africa held its first all-race elections in April 1994. Nelson Mandela was elected as the first majority president of the country and the apartheid era was over.
South Africa would not change overnight and many challenges continue to face the nation including economic disparity, de facto segregation, an under-educated population, and HIV/AIDs. But it also has tremendous potential with its natural resources, a diverse landscape, the second-largest economy on the continent and enormous human potential in its diverse population. South Africa will be a leader on the continent for decades to come.
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