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goes to South Africa & Namibia The 2004 Rutgers-Camden criminal justice delegation to South Africa and Namibia, posing with Constitutional Court Justice Sachs back row (left to right): U.S. Federal Magistrate Joel Rosen,
Kari Rosen, Margaret Rogers-Darian, Justice Albie Sachs, Samantha Peary,
Dr. Jon'a Meyer, Rutgers-Camden Associate Provost Felix James |
For the third year in a row, Rutgers-Camden criminal justice students
trekked half-way around the world during spring break to study criminal justice
and sociology in South Africa and Namibia. As in prior years, the trip was
a phenomenal experience that left all of the participants touched in a positive
way by the vibrant people and culture of Africa. Our delegation consisted
of myself, Margaret Rogers-Darian, Samantha Peary, Denise Gilboy, and Margarita
Rolon. We also had three honorary members of our delegation who attended
our events and meetings with us: Federal Magistrate Joel Rosen (an alumnus
of our law school) and his wife (Kari, who is also an alumnus of our graduate
program in education), and Tiffani Cottingham, the lone law student on this
year's trip. Together, we formed part of a 35-member group from Rutgers-Camden
that included several alumni (including Judge Rosen), two university administrators
and sizable group of business students accompanied by two of their professors.
Each day was packed with activities such as visiting museums and important
cultural areas. We visited Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa and
Windhoek, Namibia. We also travelled to Etosha game park in Namibia. Below
are a few highlights of our 12-day trip.
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Among the true high points were a visit and tour of the South African
Constitutional Court (the equivalent of our U.S. Supreme Court) led by Justice
Albie Sachs. Justice Sachs provided a context for every nook and cranny of
the Johannesburg building, pointing out that even the brass toe points on
the stairs reflected traditional tribal patterns. The courtroom itself was
overwhelming, with eleven hide-covered bench fronts for each of the eleven justices. The
design is intentional; each hide is unique and they also show that the justices
are all equal, that no one's voice may overshadow another's. As a former
freedom fighter (who fought to end apartheid), Justice Sachs captivated our
group as he spoke about the value of democracy in South African constitutional
law. Later, we met with Constitutional Court justices Tholakele Madala and
Yvonne Mokgoro, who had written three of the readings we read for the course.
That evening, we dined with Justice Mokgoro and five of the Constitutional
Court law clerks. We sat every other seat so that we were literally surrounded
by the knowledge and experience of our guests. The law clerks were fascinating
discussion partners who shed light on the finer points of South African law
and also on living as youths under apartheid. Two of the clerks were from
the U.S., but were fountains of knowledge about South Africa and its legal
system. Justice Mokgoro is a charming woman whose intelligence and power
are significant, yet one feels immediately welcome in her presence. Her compassion
and commitment to human rights are obvious in conversations with her. She
and I spent most of the evening talking about customary law, which fascinates
both of us. |
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In Cape Town, we travelled to Robbeneiland (Robben Island) Maximum Security
Prison. While we waited to embark on the boat to the island, we met two of
the famous prison's warders (guards). The first was Christo Brand, who was
personal guard to Mandela during many of his 18 years on the island prison
and also when Mandela was transferred to another prison in an attempt to
break up the ANC. Mr. Brand is considered by Mandela to be a friend and at
one time smuggled Mandela's grandchild into the prison for a brief forbidden
hug and kiss (it was the first time Mandela had seen his grandchild). The
other warder, J.A. Mockman, began working at the prison in 1963. Both were
hospitable towards us and tolerated a deluge of questions and photo requests.
The ride to the prison was lovely, with seals frolicking in the water around
us, tempting us to photograph them before they dived under the opaque blue
cover of the water. The tour of the prison itself was made all the more valuable
by our guide, Thulani Mabaso, who showed us the facility and presented his
own stories of imprisonment there and the negative repercussions of his involvement
with the freedom fighters on his family, who were continuously harassed by
the infamously brutal Security Police. During the tour, we were shown Nelson
Mandela's cell, #5, in B-section. One by one, we filed in, to glimpse out
the window that Mandela has made famous in his drawings, to perhaps see what
he saw before he nearly went blind from the bright reflections off the lime
quarry were the prisoners were forced to work at meaningless tasks. The tiny
cell immediately engulfed us with oppression, which made several of our group
emotional. By the end of the tour, several of our group were near tears.
Thulani's humble gentleness was such a contrast to the label of terrorist
that the Security Police had bestowed upon him years ago. It was hard to
imagine him as one of the nation's most feared criminals. Despite his stories
of torture and oppression, he continued to preach reconciliation. No man
or group must be considered better than others. If blacks were to rise up
in power and retake their land from the whites, then whites would be the
new victims of oppression. Instead, reconciliation must take place and all
must be made equal. I have read the message a thousand times, but to hear
it from Thulani's lips gave it additional value and meaning.
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Of course, our trip to Parliament (in Cape Town) must
also be mentioned. After a guided tour of the beautiful facility, our host
answered question after question that we posed about how laws are created
in the new South Africa. We visited both currently used chambers and a third
chamber that is used only for meetings because it is where apartheid laws
were created and many ANC members feel the room is unsuitable for modern
lawmaking. To the left, is a photo of the third, unused chamber. For more
on the other two houses, please see my 2003 writeup available here. |
Our visit to beautiful Namibia was
far too short, many of us complained, but we had to return to school and
work. While there, however, we worked in a visit with a Namibian (advocate)
attorney and the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Attorney-General
in Namibia. The advocate spoke about Namibian justice and some of his cases,
including a perplexing one involving the Caprivi 13, thirteen defendants
accused of high treason. When we arrived, he was attempting to fashion a
suitable defense argument in this rather thorny case that was gaining a lot
of international attention. You can imagine our surprise when one of the
topics of our afternoon meeting with the Permanent Secretary was very the
same case. In fact, she had a meeting after ours to go over some procedures
as they had an upcoming court appearance. Both of them were very informative,
especially as the students began to pepper them with assorted questions.
For many of us, the trip to Etosha will be one to remember for a lifetime.
Herds of zebra, some a thousand or more in size, were to be found. We also
encountered giraffe, loungily lunching on Umbrella Thorn Acacia trees and
elegant oryx gently flicking their long horns at us. The zebra were rather
entertaining, frolicking for our cameras and constantly exciting ooohs and
aaaahs from us. The wildlife of the Etosha Pan and its environs captivated
us for two days, as we drove from location to location in search of eye candy.
Those in the van with me will always remember my experience with the Osholongu.
When it was handed to me, it was a lovely spiral about the size of a beverage
coaster that simply cried out for a photo. I set it on my knee and reached
for my camera. Before I could focus the camera, the critter unfurled into
its glory. Little did I know that it was a Giant Millipede, which can grow
to up to two feet long! It was hustling up my thigh when I shrieked and flicked
it off in a brief moment of panic (it was a small one, only some nine inches
long and the diameter of my thumb). The poor critter bounced off my leg and
onto the floor, where it was rescued by a brave soul in the back of the van.
From a distance, I appreciated the beauty of the beast and decided that I
liked him quite well. What got us all in a tizzy, however, was the pride
of lions we lucked onto. We affectionately named the adult male Big Daddy
and adored him and his companions, mostly females (there may have been some
juvenile males among them). The "girls" put on a show, strutting back and
forth to the nearby watering hole and pausing to wrestle with one another
from time to time. One even used a tree stump as an oversized, impromptu
scratching post. Now that was one big kitty! We adored them for half an hour
or so before leaving to find other game. What a visit!
--- NOTE: Click
on any of the images to see full size photos.
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By the time we made it back to the U.S., we were all exhausted (it took 33 hours from the time we left the hotel in Namibia until we arrived back at Rutgers-Camden), but amazed and touched by our experience. I know that I speak for the group when I say it was a life-altering experience. Many thanks to Cal Maradonna and Felix James, who organized the trip and the dual tracks (business and criminal justice/sociology) within it. A special thanks to Muhammed Khan of Tribal Meetings (http://www.tribalco.co.za/), who expertly arranged our accommodations and meetings! This very brief writeup cannot do the trip justice, but is presented to share a small part of our class with you.
Jon'a Meyer
Spring, 2004