Constitutional Court, Johannesburg We had the opportunity to meet South Africa’s first African female justice, Yvonne Mokgoro. Since the court was built in the location of a former political prison, Justice Mokgoro explained the importance of the building’s architecture. We were able to sit in the chairs of the justices in the court, symbolizing our potential to become great leaders.
—Charmaine Lester ’07
> Taft students talk with Constitutional Court Justice Yvonne Mokgoro (South Africa’s equivalent of Sandra Day O’Connor).
Zulu Village A muscular warrior introduced himself to us while dressed in his traditional Zulu outfit—strips of animal fur wrapped around
the bottom of his knees and hanging down to his ankles, shreds of leather hanging all around his waist, a leather
vest, and a hat made out of feathers. On the other side of the gate lay the practice field for combat. We saw spears, shields, maces and blades hanging from the fences. The chief of combat snatched the weapons from the fence and hopped into his ready position for battle. The chief and our leader vigorously demonstrated the art of fighting for us, and taught us the names of each weapon. Each weapon’s name was derived from the sound that it made once the blade is twisted into the enemy’s flesh. For a moment, I wondered what it would have been like to use those weapons, to go into a real battle, to be born a Zulu—a warrior.
—Oat Naviroj ’07 < While at the Ithuteng Trust, an afterschool program in Soweto launched by Nelson Mandela, students are greeted by kids in traditional dress. 48 Taft Bulletin Summer 2007