For a city founded only in the late 1800’s Johannesburg has as an incredible amount of noble (and not-so-noble) history.

It’s the beacon of modern industry, capitalism, and modernism on the African continent, the birthplace of apartheid and ground zero for repression of a nation, the home of the relatively peaceful birth of a democracy, a fountain for optimism about the ability of racial integration, the scene of a current riots and barbaric violence, and the home base for a massive amount of corrupt politicians stooges, and enablers of genocide and misery (looking at you, Mbeki.)

I stayed with the best friend from college of a former employer and mentor of mine from my very first “real job” as an intern for an internet startup. As the deputy director for the IFC in Africa, she gave me some very valuable insight into and contacts on the continent. (Not to mention a great place to stay in the suburbs north of the now-decrepit Joburg downtown.)

In addition to an accidental circumnavigation of all of Joburg by freeway - YOU try driving a stickshift rental car without power steering on the wrong side of the road while talking on the phone the whole time in traffic while trying to find a halfway-decent radio station and eating biltong (beef jerky for yanks) - I managed to spend a day in Soweto, Joburg’s (and the world’s) most famous township, visit the Apartheid Museum (absolutely stunning - a world class museum), the Hector Pieterson memorial, the Regina Mundi, and see Joe Jackson and his band play his first-ever concert in South Africa (at the theatre within Montecasino, which puts both Vegas and Reno to shame in casino cheesiness, a truly mighty feat.)

Soweto reminds me of any other third-world city -with plenty of shacks, garbage, and poverty, but also as a bustling community full of people shopping and working, kids playing and going to school, and people generally living their lives without fear or intimidation.

Just like Langa (a much smaller township outside of Cape Town), Soweto has plenty of kids playing in the street - a sight that continues to be unseen anywhere else - whether it be Cape Town’s Southern Suburbs or the Sandton suburbs of Joburg.

Soweto from the bridge:

Hector Pietersen Memorial - outside the museum:

More photos here.