Soweto

Soweto is a historically significant town in South Africa located south of the city of Johannesburg. Originally developed as a township for black people during apartheid it has now flourished into a cultural hotspot with various degrees of living standards, from enormous mansions to run down shacks. The name Soweto is an acronym stemming from the phrase “South Western Township”.

As mentioned before, Soweto is filled with cultural significance, having both memorable places and memorials dedicated to those who fought against apartheid. People are encouraged to tour the townships and learn about South Africa’s conflicted past. A particularly famous area of Soweto is Kliptown, the place where the freedom charter was drawn up. Another great attraction is the former home of Nelson Mandela, a great anti apartheid activist and president of South Africa.

To rise up out of the slum that was apartheid Soweto, people needed to take the initiative to help themselves because at that time in history no one was going to do it for them. The current state of Soweto is a great testament to the efforts of the local entrepreneurs. The people of modern day Soweto consider themselves to be savvy and street wise, totally urbanized from their traditional past.

There are many references to Soweto in South African pop culture. Hip hop and kwaito singers refer to the township, as does the new movie “District 9”. The slum that the aliens are kept in is a reference to apartheid Soweto. The movie itself is a commentary on the whole apartheid system and the unnecessary violence that stems from it.

Soweto Uprising (1976)

The Soweto Uprising on June 16, 1976 is what put this little piece of South Africa forefront in the minds of people all over the world. On this day in history South African students protested the government’s decision to teach in Afrikaans and not English. During the protests police opened fire on the 10 000 students and 556 were killed. This event lead to sanctions being placed on South Africa from foreign countries, as well as many anti apartheid activists leaving the country to train themselves to better fight the oppression.