Living on the Edge Johannesburg

In my research on Johannesburg, I have learned that it takes more than watching an episode on the discovery channel to understand any underlying problems. The history of Johannesburg is more disturbing than I could have ever imagined. In Johannesburg blacks faced similar issues to blacks in the United States during the Jim Crow law extremely enforced in the southern states. I found research of Johannesburg to be difficult because of how the media sugar coats the truth. In blogs, social websites and advertisement you see green fields, smiling faces and families holding hands, odd enough they are all white in these advertisements.

The deeper I researched found that Johannesburg is not the utopia as seen on tv. Johannesburg has slums, poverty, and exclusion of race from services. In Anthony D. King’s journal article “Global? Postcolonial? Post imperial Or just the result of some happening stance? Some cultural comments” asserts that postcolonial areas neo-liberal way of thinking, “indigenousness elites” have turned their city into a dreamworld. I wished to one day go to Johannesburg but I feel that it would be impossible to actually enjoy myself knowing the dark history. Being black in Johannesburg carries negative connotations such as blacks are thieves, criminals or animals.

There are two aspects that I am impressed about such as how Johannesburg’s planners worked feverishly to abide by the apartheid law. The plan and law’s sole purpose was to keep white and blacks separated and white supremacy strong. The second aspect is the township people’s perseverance and determination to succeed, township refused to succumb to the hardships of being in townships, and instead our starting local businesses in their townships. Programs for the township community are starting to form and confidence in Soweto, Alexandria and Diesploot are boosted. I wish for you, the reader to dig deep for knowledge and truth because in Johannesburg’s case you can’t read a book by it’s cover.