Table Mountain

 April 4, 2025
Cape Town, SA

"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. They must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” ~ Nelson Mandela

I believe that's true. 

When #1 Daughter was a very little girl, we worked with the youth group in our church, so our kids got to know all the teenagers there. Andre was a great favorite with them because he was always so sweet to our kids. One day on the way home from church, #1 Daughter piped up from the backseat.

"Momma. Andre is different than us."

"Oh?" I asked, wondering what was coming.

"Yep," she said. "He's got really curly hair." 

After 27 years in prison on Robben Island, Nelson Mandela became the first Black African president of South Africa. It was a seismic shift, aided by the courage of F. W de Klerk, the last head of state during the time of white-minority rule, who worked with Mandela to begin dismantling the hateful policy of apartheid. Making the society fully equal takes time, unfortunately. It requires hearts to be changed and that doesn't happen by governmental decree.

Education is one key. Schools are nominally desegregated but a survey in 2022 showed that 70% of white students are in a white only school. 96% of blacks are in an all black school. Language is another divider. Some schools are taught in English. Some in Africaans. And some are still taught in tribal languages. 

Which do you think will yield the most opportunities to its graduates?  

Today we took the tram up to the top of Table Mountain, the iconic land formation that looms at 3500 ft above sea level over the cape. It's more accurately a mountain range that shoots up dramatically and then ranges over miles and miles around the shoreline. 

 Our time on top allowed us to enjoy some great views. One of the things I encourage you to look for in the harbor below is a flat round island. That's Robben Island, where Mandela was held prisoner for 27 years. 

On the way back to our ship, one of our fellow cruisers asked our guide, who was white, why there hasn't been more progress in race relations in SA. Her answer was that they've only had 30 years since apartheid was dismantled. They've made strides in changing how the government works. 

It will take longer to make the changes that must come from within human hearts.

Please join me in praying for Africa.