Article 41
You have the right to any rights in laws in your country or internationally that give you better rights than these
On Sunday the 27th April, South Africa celebrated 20 years since the end of apartheid when Nelson Mandela became the first black president following his 27 years spent in prison for fighting against this segregation. Apartheid happened for many years in South Africa and was when people with different colours of skin were not allowed to be together. The country had separate schools, banks, buses and even laws for white people and non white people. People who were not white were treated very unfairly.
To gain a better understanding of apartheid and how unfair and unjust it was, last week primary 5 actually experienced it first hand!
We had a long discussion about equal rights and how unfair it is when people are discriminated against, we agreed that everyone no matter who you are should be treated equally and everyone is entitled to their rights. To gain a better understanding of what it would have been like to live in South Africa during apartheid we were separated into 2 groups. People that were born in January to June were in group one and people born in July to December were in group two. We talked about how we didn’t get to choose what month we were born in, just like babies do not get to choose the colour of their skin, eyes or hair, or the country they are born in, who their parents are or if they have a disability.
Then we were told the ‘Apartheid Laws’ for the day. People that were born in the first half of the year were treated fairly but the laws for the people born in the second half of the year were very different…
A person born between July to December…
- could not sit with or play with people born between January and June
- could only play in one small area of the playground
- had to work until the bell
- could not take part in class discussions
- went last for break and lunch
- had to ask permission to use classroom resources
- could not receive stickers, rewards and points
- had to wear an identity badge at all times
Children who were born in the first half of the year wore bibs so both groups could be easily identified.
Children born in the second half of the year were not treated fairly at all, during P.E. even though they won the curling game 7-2, the teachers insisted that the other team won. It made the people in group 2 very frustrated! The unfairness also had an effect on children in group 1 who felt guilty and were angry that people were being treated so differently. We stopped throughout the day and we shared how we were feeling, it gave us a real insight into what life would have been like during apartheid.
On day two the groups swapped over so everyone had a chance to experience both sides of apartheid.
At half past two on Thursday we stopped our segregated P.E lesson and celebrated the end of apartheid and a very challenging couple of days. We scrunched up our idneitity badges and threw our bibs in the air and danced around the hall with our friends who we had been separated from for two days. This was a very valuable lesson, we vowed to always treat each other equally, never to discriminate and to stand up to injustice and unfairness.
When I was a bib I was feeling sorry for the number 2.I was ever more sad when I was a number 2 because we had to do all the tidy work
I didn`t like being separated from my friends we could not talk to each other but i had half my friends to play with From Danish
It was a very educational experience but also it was annoying and ranging.Group (1) had everything they wanted but group (2) Had a small playground and nothing to use. Group (2) were
not having fun but hand group (1) were having the time of there life.
Some of us found this exciting and enjoying, but only if you were on the bibbed side. We learned that it was really tough and unfair for some people in South Africa because they couldn’t speak to other people or go where they wanted.
We thought that this was very unfair as the number two we were getting treated like we were not there.We learned during the aparthied that life isn`t always fair and that you were not allowed to mingle with anyone on the other side, just because you were different.When we were a number ones some of us felt sorry for the number twos when they were doing things for us, cleaning up for us and going last for lunch and so. Sophie and I really enjoyed this experience and thought it was very educational.
Ellie Curnyn & Sophie Monks
It was unfair because some people had to play in a small area in the playground and they weren’t allowed to answer any questions or have any treats or fun things to play with their friends. We had to sit on the floor, excluding the bibbed people.
We thought it was unfair and stressing. We didn’t think it was fair because half of the class were all spoilt and the other half was treated badly. But it all worked out in the end because we switched over the next day. We learned that life in South Africa was not what we thought it was.
when i was a bib, i felt sorry for the number 2s, now i know how it felt in south africa. cameron and i learnt that nelson mandela changed the world between black people and white people.
from oliver and cameron
We thought it was not fair and people were leaving us out. We thought it was a bit lonely, We felt sorry for all the people who were number two. We also feel sorry for the people who were in this state, this happened in South Africa a long time ago it was not that fair at all,half of the class were playing with their best friends that were a number two the number ones were not alowed to play with us that were a number two.
I felt miserable by the apartheid because I couldnt really communicate with all of my freinds because of the apartheid,I also felt quite lonely aswell because all you could do was to just sit in a tiny square space!
It was very educational because I learned alot about a partide.
I learned that black people weren’t aloud to talk to white people. I learned that the first black president was Neslon Mandela.
I also found out that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robin Island for 25 years and had to bash rocks for no good reason and he wrote a poem called ‘Invictus’.
Felt miserable because rights were abused [kind of breaking the law] the bibbed people looked like they would be the number 2s because they had ‘slave clothing’ on. This activity, in my Opinion, was a racial activity. Why? because people whose birthday was in the second half of the year were treated unfairly on the first day. I learned that being racist is not acceptable.
I felt angry because it wasent fair.
now i know how it felt during apartheid in South Africa
I learned that a apartide was not fair at all.I coulden’t talk to my freinds. The only person I could talk to was Louay and Aaron.When we swaped over I felt sorry for Jack .
the apartheid was horrible and I hated being segregated from my friends. It was unfair and I now know, kind of what a real apartheid would feel like. I learned that you should respect everyone whatever there skin colour or date of birthday. when I was a number one I felt lonely without my friends and as a number two I felt I was being treated unfairly, very unfairly.
I was raging being a number 2 because I was only aloud in a tiny space in the playground and I didnt get to play with my friends that were in the 1st group.I learnt that being in apartheid was not fair.
I felt sad because i couldn’t play with any of my frends
Apartheid was awful, the worst part was being split up from most of my friends!
I felt bad for Thalia when she said she felt guilty when she was a number one and I was a number two.
I learned that apartheid really wasn’t fair for the people because they didn’t get to choose whether the had colored skin, just like we didn’t get to choose what month we were born in.
I felt upset and frustrated when I was a number two because I was stuck in one square of the playground and never got to talk some of our friends who were number ones
I didnt like the apartheid but i leant that it was not fair in South Africa
When i was a number 2 i felt that i could not play with Terri when i realy wonted to
The apartied made me feel like I was nobody when I was a no. 2 .But when I was a no.1 .I was happy with some things and uppset with others .
I learnt that apartied was very unfare.But you don’t think it is that bad untill you actully try it.
We knew about what aparthied was,but when miss.King made us do a pathied in our class we learned a lot more about it.Because when we were doing it we figuired it’s really not fair.Thanks miss.King for teaching us more about how aparthied wasn’t fair 🙂
I hated the aparthiedit was so unfair and when i was a number 1 i felt guilty and mad but i learnd that you should always respect anyone no matter what colour they are and what religon they are.
I was angry and fyooryated at it all
I really enjoyed apartheid but at the same time I missed talking to and playing with my friends at break time and lunch time. When I was a number 1 I felt guilty that I was getting all the good stuff. I learnt about what it was really like in South Africa.
I felt unhappy because i couldn’t play with my frends but i learnd that it was very unfair for the colourd pepole.
It was really unfair and we coudind do anaything the 1 were the best and the 2 were the worst.
I hated experiecing apartied but it gave me a better idea of what it was like in the past. I was fustrated, guilty and angry but it was much worse in South Africa before Nelson Mandela was freed. Now when i see someone getting treated very badly, i know what it feels like.
When you were a number 2 you were treated badly and it made me feel angry.When you were number 1 you you got suplies.it made me feel guilty.I learnt when you were number 2 you learn to live or be in small spaces.You lean when you are a 1 you get more things but less expeerince.
I hated the apartheid we were split up from lots of friends.
I felt angry that we had to pay points for classroom resources
i learned that apartheid was not fair in South Africa
I felt like i was not there when i was a number 2.
I learnd that apartid was not the same because number 2s got treated badly and number 1s got traeted good.
I realy felt the emotions in apartheids it must have been horrible in real life.
I learnt a lot during this expeireance espeacily that it must have been realy hard for most of the south africans.
Paige Sinclair
I felt very angry because I could’t talk to my freinds
I thought it was absolutly great when I was a number 1 because we won everything even if the 2 won the teacher would let the 1s win any way.
but when I was a number 2 I felt really mad because I when it was play time I had to stay in a really small space to play.
I learnt that apartheid was not fun and that the black people were treated really badly.
It was a great expreinace to try and very difucilt we couldn’t see any of our our freinds in the diffrent group we all hated the partied. It all made sence in the end when we all had a go at both sides of a partied it was to very difucilt to be a number 2 but that was like africa during the partied.
I felt really angry. I wasn’t aloud to talk to lots of my friends. I learned that apartheid was not a nice thing.
This was an incredibly effective experiment. Jack absolutely hated the whole idea of segregation and I think it’s had a powerful effect. Great idea.