English 9 (002) Jamieson, Fall 2003
Resources for understanding the historical, cultural, & political,
context of "Sophiatown"
Recent South African History
South African history (New South Africa style--you might find the "students" link most helpful; select "search" and then "sophiatown" for a list of important peole who lived there):
http://www.sahistory.org.za/
Chronology--select "The 1950s" (skim and/or search for multiple references to "Sophiatown"):
http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/mainframe_other.htm
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission website:
http://www.doj.gov.za/trc/index.html
A BBC report of the findings of the TRC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/10/98/truth_and_reconciliation/203134.stm
Apartheid
Brief history by E. Fred Carlisle (William E. Lavery Professor of English at Virginia Tech):
http://athena.english.vt.edu/~carlisle/Postcolonial/South_Africa_Apartheid.html
History of Apartheid and images from the United Nations:
http://www.un.org/av/photo/subjects/apartheid.htm
Images of South Africa under apartheid:
http://www.polisci.berkeley.edu/Courses/CoursePages/ps146/apartheidthumb.htm
Anti-apartheid movement
History of the Anti-Apartheid Movement symposium:
http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/aam/symposium.html
Interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu:
http://news.mpr.org/features/2003/02/26_helmsm_tutu/
Sophiatown/Triomf, Johannesburg, Gauteng Province
Introduction & some pictures (from the Johannesburg city website):
http://www.joburg.org.za/july_2002/sophiatown.stm
and
http://www.joburg.org.za/july_2002/sophiatown2.stm
(see the links to related stories at the end)
Sophiatown History (Grade 9 education-history):
http://www.sahistory.org.za/pages/classroom/pages/projects/grade9/lesson1/sophiatown.htm
And another perspective on Sophiatown by Zakes Mda (author of
The Heart of Redness
, Oxford Univ.,, 2000):
http://www.suntimes.co.za/2000/01/02/millennium/mil56.htm
A second less romantic look at Sophiatown by
Bloke Modisane
(from
Blame Me on History
, NY: Dutton,
1963)
:
http://www.legacy-project.org/lit/display.html?ID=86
South Africa today
Picture of Soweto (the Black township where many people from Sophiatown were relocated):
http://www.users.drew.edu/~sjamieso/safrica/L-Soweto2.JPG
Pictures from the Thaba Jabula Secondary School in Soweto (2000)--scroll up the page to see other schools in more affluent (white) neighborhoods, such as the Aurora Private School.
http://www.users.drew.edu/sjamieso/safrica/Pictures-schools.html#thaba
Mamelodi Township, near Johnannesberg
http://www.users.drew.edu/~sjamieso/safrica/Mameloditownship-longshot.JPG
Sandra Jamieson
Drew University
2003
