Mauritius

Mauritius is a small island in the Indian Ocean where the MV Explorer docked for a day. I spent the day snorkeling on an island called Ille des Deux Cocos. I saw hundreds of types of fish and there were amazing igneous rock formations on the beaches from the volcanoes on the island. Mauritius was only a brief stop for us so it was difficult to get to know the country but it was a beautiful island that is a favorite tourist destination for South Africans and many Europeans. The biodiversity was astounding and the island had several volcanoes covered in thick forest.

My Safari in South Africa

Kariega Game Reserve

While I was in South Africa, I went to the Kariega Game Reserve on a safari for several days. The ranger who was with me on my safari drives was named Matt and he told us all about the animals and how safaris are an important way of educating people about the species in Africa and of preserving the endangered species that are native to South Africa. We saw rhinos, hippos, elephants, lions and several other types of animals. Unfortunately there is also a problem with poaching. Poachers sometimes come into game reserves to slay animals for their horns or tusks which can be very valuable on the black market. This is a tragedy and the rangers in the park have watches and patrols to try to block poaching. Elephants and rhinos  are most at risk. There are so many beautiful species in South Africa, it's a shame that they are in danger from poachers.

As requested, pictures of Festus from Winneba, Ghana.

 You guys asked to see what Festus looked like so here are some pictures. He taught me the popular Ghanaian dance, High Life.

Cape Town, South Africa

There were lots of Sea Lions in the harbor of Cape Town

 Table Mountain overlooks the city of Cape Town and is often covered in low clouds.

 Haley, Amelia, and Me after we hiked to the top of Lion's Head Mountain at sunset.

 The bay opposite Cape Town. The thick cloud that comes off of Table Mountain is called The Tablecloth by South Africans.

 A beautiful sunset over the harbor.

Cape Town at night, from the top of Lion's Head.

Robben Island

A Cell in a block of the prison on Robben Island. Over 50 people lived in this cell for years at a time while imprisoned for opposing the Apartheid.

 The inside of Nelson Mandela's cell. He was given only a mat, a blanket, a bowl, a cup and a bucket for a toilet. Nelson Mandela wasn't released until 1990.

The limestone quarry on Robben Island in which the political prisoners were forced to labor for hours in hot sun. The pile of stones in the foreground is a memorial to the prisoners there created by former inmates.

South Africa- Townships, The Apartheid, and Robben Island

After we arrived in South Africa I had the opportunity to visit a township. Townships are poor, under-developed neighborhoods surrounding the city of Cape Town. When Blacks were forced out of their homes during the white supremacy government they formed shanty towns on the edge of the city and these were the beginnings of townships. We had lunch there at a local restaurant, the food was delicious! I also got to take a ferry out to Robben Island and visit the prison there. In South Africa's recent history, there was still a very harsh form of segregation. The South African government until recently was white and worked to give white citizens privileges and opportunities while other races were repressed. Of course the issue was not entirely clean-cut. Many white South Africans helped in the struggle to free the black citizens. However, many of the leaders and members of the resistance groups were arrested and imprisoned. Many of these people who were arrested were imprisoned on Robben Island. Our guide who showed us around the prison had been imprisoned there for seven years for being involved in the ANC, the African National Congress. The ANC is now the ruling party in South Africa and the current president of the country was in prison on Robben Island. Probably the most famous inmate of the island was Nelson Mandela who was the first president after Apartheid ended in 1991. Nelson Mandela remains to this day one of the most important figures in the struggle against segregation and racism as well as a powerful advocate for a sustainable Africa.  Although South Africa is no longer officially segregated and is the self-proclaimed Rainbow Nation it still faces many issues of racism and colonial legacy to this day.

Slave Castles

One of the punishment cells in Elmina Castle, where misbehaving slaves were left for days without food, water, or light. 

The Door of No Return in Elmina Castle where slaves were sent on Slave Ships across the Atlantic.

Ghana - Slave Castles

While in Ghana I visited two of the slave castles along the coast. I visited the Cape Coast Castle and the Elmina Castle. Ghana was under the power of several European nations before they achieved their independence in 1957. The Portuguese were the first, followed by the Dutch and then the British. These countries used the coast of Ghana as a holding place for slaves before they were shipped across the Atlantic Ocean on the Middle Passage. The Portuguese started this trend and the Dutch followed, however by the time the British controlled Ghana the slave trade was abolished. The castles that I visited had dark holding cells that were crowded and disease ridden. Hundreds of slaves were kept in these slave dungeons for months at a time before being packed into ships that were just as crowded and unsanitary. Each of these castles had a low dark passage out from the dungeons into a door called the Door of No Return. This door was where the slaves would be transferred into slave ships, never to return to their homeland again. In Cape Coast Castle this door was enormous and wooden and led out to the docks that are still used by local fishermen. Elmina Castle's Door of No Return was made from stone and tiny - I don't think I would have fit through it- and it led straight to the water. The door was so narrow because no matter how big a slave was when they entered the dungeons, they could all fit through the door by the time they were sold. These castles are important historical landmarks and have been declared World Heritage Sites. President Obama even visited Cape Coast Castle last year with First Lady Michelle Obama. Slavery was a huge part of the world economy at one time and many African nations, including Ghana are still trying to recover from and come to terms with its effects.