Bed-Stuy is known for its African-American heritage, and the trip is a chance to expose the children to African cultures and South Africa’s journey from racial tension to reconciliation. The children also visited the constitutional Court building, constructed in part from bricks that were originally part of a prison during white minority rule known as apartheid. Mthiyane told the dozens of children, many in their early teens, about his eclectic influences — artists Mark Rothko and Jean-Michel Basquiat, poet Langston Hughes — and encouraged them to find inspiration within themselves. A student asked: “Did you live through apartheid and if so, what was that like?”Yes, Mthiyane replied. He said the system that ended in 1994 with all-race elections made him ask “taboo” questions about why it existed.

Source: National Post October 03, 2018 09:11 UTC