by Bella A. Bowman

Created on: October 27, 2008

To my dismay, the racism in Africa was far worse than I had imagined. I spent four months living in South Africa and two in Mozambique. South Africa may be more civilized than any of the other countries but racism was an appalling experience and a sad sight to see on a daily basis. There was a huge difference in comparison between South Africa and Mozambique, though.

Some of the European descends of the South African population were Dutch; and much more prospered in wealth than those who were dark skinned. In South Africa, a dark skinned person was rarely seen driving unless it was someone working in the law enforcement or traffic control. They were seen walking alongside the roads and often shared transportation with others by hitchhiking. The general occupation for many was farm workers for large properties owned by the Dutch, also known as "Afrikaans". Because of their career and lack of transportation, they often developed small colonies of their own kin on the properties and basically worked from the minute they woke up in the mornings until they went to sleep. They lived in small rectangular houses made from dirt, cow feces, and clay. Either that they lived in poor villages, like Nonnashoek for instance, where homes were made from strips of metal and newspaper. The clothes they wore on their backs were hand-me-downs from donations and charities. Electricity was not provided, nor an indoor bathroom/shower. Whilst the Afrikaans and those of a lighter skin color were the fortunate ones living in luxury. They were blessed with cars, houses, normal careers, and the ability to afford necessities without a problem. I am writing all of this from a first hand experience and I'm thankful to have had a taste of all this. I stayed at a base in Bethlehem consisted of people from all over the world that have come together to study the word of God. I lived with people whom were from Europe, South America, Canada, the US, and many countries from Africa. We would often go into town which required us to walk a minimum of four kilometers, one way. People refused to give us a ride to town because we were seen walking as a group of diverse colors. People sneered and formed funny looks on their faces. I recall being declined service at a store because I was with a dark skinned woman from Cameroon.

Mozambique was an entirely different experience and perspective. I spent two months living in the jungles of Xai Xai and Maputo with its villagers. We were expected to live their lifestyle,

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