An interview with a teacher from South Africa

Ellen
St Mary's Primary School
Australia

Mrs Jilly Van Deventer, a part-time teacher at St Mary's Primary School, in North Sydney, came to live in Australia with her family the early 1990s. In this interview, she talks about how apartheid led to conflict between black and white South Africans and how equal rights brought a new peace to her homeland.

Ellen: Tell us where and when you were born?

Mrs Van Deventer: I was born in 1956 in South Africa and I lived under the apartheid system; this system lasted for 40 years.

Alicia: Can you explain what the apartheid system meant?

Mrs Van Deventer: Apartheid was based on a system of segregation which meant that black and white people were forced to live separately. Black people had to live in designated areas, they could not travel on trains or buses nor sit on park benches that had signs on them. They couldn't go to the same schools as whites; the education wasn't the same. Black people were also not allowed to vote and they didn't have equal opportunities.

Ellen: How was it like living in such an environment and what are some personal experiences?

Mrs Van Deventer: When I was young, I didn't know what was really happening until I became a teenager. When I went to university, I campaigned for change and once I was able to vote, I would vote for the opposition government. At our home we had servants who did all our washing, ironing, cleaning and cooking. Their children didn't go to school; I felt very privileged but I knew it wasn't fair. When I was a teenager, I became aware of how isolated South Africa had become from the rest of the world because it was banned from international sport. Travel overseas also became difficult because South Africans were not welcome. Change was needed in South Africa.

Alicia: When did the change happen and how did you feel about it?

Mrs Van Deventer: In 1994 Nelson Mandela was set free from prison by the Prime Minister at the time F.W. de Klerk. He went on to become the first fully democratically elected Prime Minister of SA and an important thing that Mandela did was to have a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, where all people were invited to tell their stories of suffering and the perpetrators of violence encouraged to ask for forgiveness. I can remember listening to these stories and feeling their pain.

Ellen: You live in Australia now, what would you say the contrasts between the two countries are?

Mrs Van Deventer: South Africa is still very unstable, there is a lot of wealth discrimination but no longer colour discrimination. There is still a lot of suffering, violence has escalated and HIV AIDS is a great problem. Australians are law abiding people, kind and welcoming, and I do feel safe here. People here are very concerned about people's rights and, in contrast to South Africa, Australia is a very peaceful country.

Alicia: When you think of Australia, does peace come to mind?

Mrs Van Deventer: Yes, Australia is such a multicultural society and generally, we all manage to live in a peaceful and harmonious manner.

Top     Junior Presentations     Discuss this presentation     Previous     Next