This weekend was one where I managed to check out couple of the key tourist attractions in Johannesburg. Firstly the Apartheid Museum and then the Lions Park.
The Apartheid Museum
The Apartheid Museum deals with 20th century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story. It depicts the story of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Beginning in 1948, the white elected National Party government implemented the policy of apartheid which turned 20 million people into second class citizens, damning them to a life of servitude, humiliation and abuse.
Was quite an experience that I would never have got in India … :)
The Apartheid Museum
The Apartheid Museum deals with 20th century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story. It depicts the story of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity. Beginning in 1948, the white elected National Party government implemented the policy of apartheid which turned 20 million people into second class citizens, damning them to a life of servitude, humiliation and abuse.
Their liberation in 1994 with the election of Nelson Mandela, the prisoner who became president, is a climax in the saga of a nation's resistance, courage and fortitude.
The Apartheid Museum, the first of its kind, illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid.
The museum is a superb example of design, space and landscape offering the tourists a unique South African experience. They include provocative film footage, photographs, text panels and artefacts illustrating the events and human stories that are part of the epic saga, known as apartheid. A series of 22 individual exhibition areas takes the visitor through a dramatic emotional journey that tells a story of a state-sanctioned system based on racial discrimination and the struggle of the majority to overthrow this tyranny.
For anyone wanting to understand and experience what apartheid South Africa was really like, a visit to the Apartheid Museum is fundamental.
The Lions Park
The Lion Park offers terrific up close views and other exciting interactions with a large variety of predators and large herbivores indigenous to Africa.
The Lion Park is home to over 80 lions including the rare white lions and many other carnivores such as cheetah, wild dog, brown hyena, striped hyena, spotted hyena, black-backed jackal, side-striped jackal, and a wide variety of antelope which roam freely in the antelope area.
I got an opportunity to interact with some of the animals in the Cub World area which has a giraffe feeding platform that puts you at eye level with our tame resident giraffe creating a fun experience for all ages. Then there is the popular cub interaction which allows guests to touch the cubs and take photographs.
The Apartheid Museum, the first of its kind, illustrates the rise and fall of apartheid.
The museum is a superb example of design, space and landscape offering the tourists a unique South African experience. They include provocative film footage, photographs, text panels and artefacts illustrating the events and human stories that are part of the epic saga, known as apartheid. A series of 22 individual exhibition areas takes the visitor through a dramatic emotional journey that tells a story of a state-sanctioned system based on racial discrimination and the struggle of the majority to overthrow this tyranny.
For anyone wanting to understand and experience what apartheid South Africa was really like, a visit to the Apartheid Museum is fundamental.
The Lions Park
The Lion Park offers terrific up close views and other exciting interactions with a large variety of predators and large herbivores indigenous to Africa.
The Lion Park is home to over 80 lions including the rare white lions and many other carnivores such as cheetah, wild dog, brown hyena, striped hyena, spotted hyena, black-backed jackal, side-striped jackal, and a wide variety of antelope which roam freely in the antelope area.
I got an opportunity to interact with some of the animals in the Cub World area which has a giraffe feeding platform that puts you at eye level with our tame resident giraffe creating a fun experience for all ages. Then there is the popular cub interaction which allows guests to touch the cubs and take photographs.
Was quite an experience that I would never have got in India … :)
We had a team dinner planned by Accenture at the Lekgotla @ Nelson Mandela Square. When I heard Nelson Mandela Square I thought it was one of the squares (chouk) named after him … But it was not that … This was inside the Sandton City Center. This is a very huge and beautiful mall and inside this there is this area called the Nelson Mandela Square. I reached there to see a really huge and beautiful statue of Nelson Mandela. I managed to get some shots with him. 
The dinner @ Lekgotla was also a pleasurable experience. I found the people very warm and friendly. The day culminated with the people at Lekgotla performing some South African Music which was very enjoyable with nice beats and lively songs.
A closer look, probably ???
And a right side … ;)
After a week to get settled in terms of getting a laptop, getting assigned to my team and getting to know the work and the team better things are getting busier day by day. A training on the ARIS tool (Business Process Modelling Tool) kept things a little more interesting. So after all that, now it’s now down to ground work and it looks interesting and also going to be very hectic.
