Mohandas -- before he became Mahatma (Museum Africa)

Mohandas before he became Mahatma
Museum Africa in Johannesburg, SA.

Had the opportunity to be in Johannesburg a few weeks back. Even though the cautionary tone of our guidebooks was very clear, there was one museum we didn't want to miss -- the one in Newtown called Museum Africa. (I was hoping to get a better understanding of South Africa, the run up to apartheid, and the creation of Soweto, the treason trials, and the making of Mandela.) But the exhibit that I most enjoyed turned out to be a very different one.

For some unknown reason, the museum has waived the seven Rand entrance fee these days, and still we pretty much had the museum to ourselves. I won't go into details about the exhibits about gold, Mandela, and the photo-essays, which you can read elsewhere on the Web. But I would definitely ask that anyone who visits Jo'burg not miss this museum.

What most resonated with me in the museum was the coverage that the museum has given to Gandhi. For over twenty years in Johannesburg, MKG was a practicing barrister representing Indian laborers who were indentured to work in the mines. The museum has a large area set up with photos, newspaper articles and artifacts from Mohandas' time in the city. It is claimed (by the museum and by others) that the foundations for many of the ideas that Gandhi became known for (ex. satyagraha) were laid in Johannesburg.

Everywhere in India, whether in Raj Ghat or elsewhere, I've only seen him as Gandhiji, as the Mahatma, one to be revered. Museum Africa provided a retro-glimpse into the life of Mohandas, before he became the "Mahatma" that the world came to know. His home and office in Rissik street, the two vegetarian places he often ate in, some of his scribbled letters and postcards are all documented for the interested visitor.

It becomes clear from the displays in the museum that Mohandas was only one of numerous Indians at the time in South Africa, resisting and fighting against the poor treatment of Indians at the hands of the British. They were mostly the leading members of the South Africa Indian Congress (SAIC). Gazing at the artifacts in the exhibit, while also knowing that through the sheer force of his character it was Mohandas who emerged as the giant who took on the mighty British made for a fascinating experience.

It later occurred to me that I was pondering the bigger question of why some people succeed, while their colleagues are quickly forgotten.

Anyway, if you are ever in Johannesburg, don't miss visiting Museum Africa.

Cateory: Travel