August 8, 2016 - The Making of Modern South Africa

August 8, 2016 – We were assigned three books to read for this project:  Kafir Boy, Cry of the Beloved Country, and The Making of Modern South Africa.  We held group discussions on all three books.  The Making of Modern South Africa was by far, the most difficult book to read and comprehend due to the complexity of South African History, the unfamiliar names of places and people and the numerous acronyms used in the writing.   At times, I felt I was reading a list of historical dates and events and had to reread some paragraphs multiple times to get the jest of what the author was trying to convey.  Chapter questions were assigned to pairs of teachers, and while we were to read the entire book, we were to focus on our assigned chapters and questions.  This helped our discussion of the book maintain steady flow allowing us to reflect, comment and make connections between the historical events contained in the 7 chapters of the book.   The common thread throughout the three books is the oppression of the indigenous and non-white (Indian and colored) racial groups and the how this has affected their employment, living conditions, and education. I look forward to Nigel Worden lecture we will be attending at Cape Town.