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Hugeaux aka Hugo R. Miller is an artist/photographer living in the USA

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Hugeaux

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8:00 Johannesburg, South Africa
I am back at the hotel. Boy, what another exhausting but invigorating day. South Africa is truly a black diamond. On my ride back to Johannesburg, the train was very crowded because it was rush hour. I sat in a car which was mostly women on my end. These women kept the jokes coming in their Zulu dialect.. It was so funny to hear that I had to catch myself from laughing. The vendors poured it on and they made a good bit of money passing and selling through the cars. I made it back to get my dinner from the grocery store. Dinner tonight consisted of in IsiZulu language: ikhabe -watermelon, igliebhisi - grapes, uzhisi - cheese, isinkwa - bread, yogurt, ubhanana - bananas and upluamu - plums and a bit of beef jerky. I leave Johannesburg tomorrow at midnight for the 24 plus hours trip. I talked to the information at Park Ststion about traveling to Sharpville tomorrow and she said it is quite easy. I shall see. I paid the G- Lodge hotel manager Papy Katende, extra so I can check out at 8:00pm. I have several alternatives to get to the airport tomorrow, so depending on the outcome from Sharpville, I shall see. The ancestors are here, because in my room tonight, crickets are serenading me to sleep. Good Night. This is truly AFRICA.

DAY #7

Tuesday
March 20, 2012.
7:00am Johannesburg, South Africa
I am writing this entry on the train to Vereeniging, South Africa and shall take a taxi to Sharpville. Vereeniging is a city inside the Gauteng province. The township of Sharpville is located in Vereeniging. Vereeniging is a Dutch word which mean “Togetherness”. It should take about 15 to 30 minutes. I slept well last night in my anticipation to visit Sharpville.

12:45pm Sharpville- Vereeniging, South Africa.
Well the day could not have turned out any better. I caught the wrong train and what I thought would be 30 minutes turned out to be 2 hours. What I thought was going to be a peaceful day of photographing and sightseeing turn out to be a history making world event. I do not consider myself a photo- journalist but rather a documentarian, but today in Sharpville, history was being made. As I entered the taxi from…..STOP!!!!, As I am writing this entry I could hear the chanting of 100’s of young warriors headed my way, carrying sticks and clubs. I am somehow brought back to the 1960’s and the Sharpville Massacre, however the police are our own kind. The youth are carrying sticks, clubs and marked in tribal war face. It is very explosive here, but not violent. Who knows what the night may bring. Her is the reason: The reason for the protest is that Sharpville has always had the annual event in paying homage to the ancestors of the Sharpville Massacre on March 21, 1960. It was told that the town prepares highly and annually for this event. There is a pilgrimage to the Phelindaba Cemetry, from all over South Africa, where the murdered were buried and an all day (s) long celebration of music, art and etc. well unrenowned to Sharpville they ( the city officials) changed this annual event at the last minute over to SOWETO, about one hour away. The people of Sharpville became ..HOT!!!! There are tires burning in the roads. The main road to enter Sharpville is blocked with boulders, rocks and debris. Smoke can be seen from miles around (north, east, south and west). Businesses have shut their doors. Children were let out of school and workers are stranded because taxis do not want to enter Sharpville. I walked through it all. I let the young protestors run right by me while I was photographing them. At one point I was in the heart of the protestors. They were chanting a Zulu chant. I really felt proud of my ancestry. Their blood is young, strong anf hot. They stand up for their beliefs. This is what Egoli (God) wanted me to see, today. On almost every street corner and in the streets are boulders, tree stomps, burning tires, rocks debris and people gathered in groups speaking and waiting for the out come. A large semi-water truck was turned away from the entrance. I am sitting across from the cemetery writing this entry. Words can not explain this event, today. I really do not know what tonight will bring.

2:45 pm. Vereeniging Train Station
I am writing this entry on the train on the way back to Johannesburg. After the protesting I took a seat on the ground in the shade in front of a store across from Sharpville Phelindaba Cemetery. I am very hot and tired. But it is well worth it.