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My Visit To The Hector Pieterson Museum And Memorial In Soweto South Africa

By | December 17th, 2016 | Modified - February 3rd, 2021
My Visit To The Hector Pieterson Museum And Memorial
My Visit To The Hector Pieterson Museum And Memorial

My Visit To The Hector Pieterson Museum And Memorial

Unfortunately I arrived on a day when the Hector Pieterson Museum was closed. Fortunately all wasn’t lost because the memorial was outside the museum and I was able to see it and learn about what happened.

On June 16, 1976 Hector Pieterson was gunned down by police as he and other students marched to to gather at Orlando Stadium, where they would then march to the regional offices of the Department of Bantu Education.

Honor Youth of Soweto Student Uprising

Around 15,000 students had gathered to protest the mandatory use of Afrikaans as a language of instruction in black secondary schools.

They students carried signs that read, “Away with Afrikaans”, “Amandla awethu” (“Power to the people”) and “Free Azania” (“Free South Africa”). They also strengthened their resolve by singing the hymn Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika (God Bless Africa). The song is now part of the national anthem of democratic South Africa.

The students were met by police on the way to the stadium and they were ordered to end the march and to go home. The students refused to comply and a confrontation developed.

Depiction of Soweto Student Uprising

As the confrontation escalated, police fired upon the crowd and one of the first students to be shot was 12-year-old Hector Pieterson. Photographer Sam Nzima was there when Pieterson was shot and he took to the picture of Mbuyisa Makhubo carrying Pieterson’s body, with his sister, Antoinette Sithole at his side. This is the picture that stands at the Hector Pieterson’s memorial outside the Hector Peterson Museum.

Around 600 students were killed, thousands were injured, thousands were detained and tortured, and around 12,000 students fled the country.

In Memory of Hector Pieterson

The Hector Pieterson Memorial and Museum was built near to the site where Hector Pieterson was shot. The memorial was erected and unveiled by President Nelson Mandela in 1992 and the museum was established in 2002.

Hector Pieterson

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About Author:

Aqiyl is the author of the books Alkaline Herbal Medicine, Alkaline Plant Based Diet and the children's book, Faith and Justice eat an Alkaline Plant Based Diet." He received a certificate in plant-based nutrition from Cornell University, a BA in Organizational Behavior and Communications from NYU, worked as an elementary school teacher, and studied social work. He enjoys boxing, kick boxing, cycling, power walking, and basically anything challenging, and his alkaline plant-based diet supports all that he does. Learn more about transitioning to an alkaline vegan diet using the Dr. Sebi nutritional guide.