Opening Activities

Activity 1:

No More Strangers Now

There is a reading from Facing history that takes excerpts from No More Strangers Now by Tim McKee which is a compilation of first person stories of 12 teenagers from a range backgrounds in South Africa after the end of Apartheid. I often have the whole class complete that reading and then at random, individually assign the entire story of either Lavendhri, Ricardo or Leandra to each student (see attached). I ask students to become intimately familiar with the stories, in part by answering the questions. Then students get into pairs with someone who read a different story than themselves and they write a dialogue imaging what a meeting between two of these three teens would be like. Students then present these dialogues, which are often very powerful and potent. 

Questions for No More Strangers Now Narratives

Towards a Rainbow Nation, by Lavendhri Pillay

1. Why do you think Lavendhri Pillay considers herself lucky for being exposed to different races and different kinds of people? Use evidence from the reading to support your answer.

2. How does Pillay identify herself? Explain.

3. Why does Pillay say that she doesn’t think “we can call ourselves the rainbow people yet”? Explain.

4. In talking about the people who grew up with apartheid, Pillay states that she thinks that “They should just look beyond what they’ve been taught, they should have an open mind about things.” Do you agree with her? Why or why not?

Out of the Shacks, by Ricardo Thando Tollie

1. How does Tollie describe the relationship between students in his school?

2. Why does Tollie get angry at apartheid? What does he realize? Explain your answer.

3. Why do you think Tollie wants whites to know what is happening in places like Cape Town?

4. How does Tollie view “Coloureds” and “Whites” in his story?

Learning to See, by Leandra Jansen van Vuuren

1. According to van Vuuren, what were relationships like between the different identities in South Africa during apartheid? Explain.

2. Describe the evolution of van Vuuren’s feelings at the end of apartheid. How did his feelings change and why?

3. How does van Vuuren want to change things after apartheid? Explain your answer.

Perspectives on Apartheid: 

Writing the Conversation 

Imagine a meeting between two of the three South Africans we read about, Lavendhri Pillay, Ricardo Thando Tollie, or Leandra Jansen van Vuuren. Where might they meet? What do you think the two would have to say to each other? In pairs, write a dialogue for this interaction. Make sure to think specifically about these two authors and their particular experiences and feelings about Apartheid. You may be asked to act out your dialogue in front of the class so be prepared to present. In order to begin the dialogue, first establish the place and the year in which the dialogue takes place. Your dialogue should be at least 2 pages in length (about 3-5 minutes long). Only one copy of the dialogue needs to be handed in.

Sample

Thelma and Louise 

November 15, 2014

Coming Together after Apartheid 

Setting: Lavendhri Pillay and Ricardo Thando Tollie meet at NYU Law School. They meet at a social gathering of first year law students on the first day of school. Ricardo looks at Lavendhri’s name-tag and notices that she too is from South Africa. He approaches her as she is eating some cheese and crackers. 

RICARDO: Hi, my name is Ricardo. I noticed from your name tag that you are also from South Africa. (Ricardo points to his own name tag) What are you? 

LAVENDHRI: Nice to meet you Ricardo. I’m South African; I don’t identify myself with any one group in particular because I was exposed to a lot of different races and different kinds of people when I was growing up. I probably grew up very differently from the way you grew up. 

RICARDO: Well, I grew up in a shack my whole life and in a community that had nothing. Because there was no school in my neighborhood, my parents sent me to a Coloured school. I was treated as an outsider and was made fun of because of my living situation. 

LAVENDHRI: Wow, that’s crazy. I grew up in such a different environment. To people in Yeoville, we lived amongst people of different races. Some of our parents call my friends and me the rainbow nation because we are made up of all different colors.