On Friday 10 August 2012 I had the privilege of joining a group of international students on a Langa/Gugulethu tour.
The tour had a twofold purpose for me 1) Meeting some international students (We can’t be talking about going to thenations and then we cannot even reach the nations when they are on our doorstep) and 2) learning about the history of our country and experiencing the beauty of South Africa outside of my own culture and surroundings.
I have met the coolest people and can’t wait to further build some relationship with them and I have seen the issues that the people in this country are facing. Many people are still without running water and sanitation facilities, overcrowded homes, unemployment, crime and so much more. However, the highlight of the trip was the story shared about Amy Biehl.
It’s a story of the sad history of the country but also one of Hope and the Power of forgiveness.
I am honoured to remind you about this amazing person:
Amy Elizabeth Biehl (April 26, 1967 – August 25, 1993) was a white American graduate of Stanford University and an Anti-Apartheid activist in South Africa. She studied at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town as a scholar in the Fulbright Program.
When 26-year-old Biehl drove a friend home to the township of Guguletu, outside Cape Town, on August 25, 1993, four men coming from a political march attacked her car with stones and smashed its windows while shouting racial insults. Biehl was struck in the head with a brick, then dragged from her car and stabbed to death. Four of Biehl's murderers were convicted for her killing; however, in 1998, all were pardoned by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Biehl's family supported release of the killers, and her father shook the murderers' hands, stating that
“The most important vehicle of reconciliation is open and honest
dialogue...we are here to reconcile a human life which was taken without an
opportunity for dialogue. When we are finished with this process we must move
forward with linked arms. ”
In 1994, Biehl's parents, Linda and Peter, founded the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust to develop and empower youth in the townships, in order to discourage further violence. In 1999, Biehl's parents were honoured with the Aline and Norman Felton Humanitarian Award.
In his speech accepting the Congressional Gold Medal on 23 September 1998, Nelson Mandela said:
“ Among those we remember today is young Amy Biehl. She made our
aspirations her own and lost her life in the turmoil of our transition, as the
new South Africa struggled to be born in the dying moments of apartheid.
Through her, our peoples have also shared the pain of confronting a terrible
past, as we take the path towards the reconciliation and healing of our nation."
On August 25, 2010, on the 17th anniversary of Biehl's death, a bronze plaque mounted on a stone was unveiled by the U.S. Ambassador, Donald Gips, and Biehl's mother, Linda Biehl, at the Cape Town site where she was killed.
It was at this site that my heart was filled with emotions. The bitter pasts where so many suffered both black and white and the grace of reconciliation on our nation. The Amy Biehl Foundation was started with two of the men convicted of Amy’s murder and today one of them is second in charge of the Foundation.
The Amy Biehl Foundation (ABF) is a non-profit organization based in Cape Town, South Africa. The foundation reaches out to thousands of children in the Townships through After School programs. The aim is not just to keep the children off the streets and away from all the negative influences (drugs, crime, violence etc), but they are especially focused on giving them that extra
necessary education in crucial areas such as HIV/AIDS prevention, reading, computers, greening and environment, music, arts, sports and more. With these programs the children are given the opportunity to show and improve their skills and creative development, which is crucial for their future.
Amy Biehl lived a significant life and left a legacy of Hope in the midst of turmoil. Where the enemy wanted to stop the work done through her and tried to raise fear among the people of this nation, God came, stepped in, turned things around. Her death now is not known as a catalysed of fear but rather one of forgiveness, love and hope.
Rom 8: 28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
The good work that God has started through Amy’s life He is busy continuing… (Philippians 1:6)
Let’s live significant lives, trusting God for more than just our own families. Let us respond in difficult times with the love of God and continue to build the Kingdom irrespective of the circumstances.
On Friday, 3 May I was blessed to do this trip once again. This time I did not walk as a tourist in my own country. The people
of Langa are my family. I walked around Langa – Proudly South African, as we showcased the history and challenges of our country as well as our achievements and growth. I had some of my best friends with me of whom two are Afrikaners. I felt blessed to be able to call them my friends, my family. We ended up at Mzoli’s and dinned in real South African style. It was a celebrating feast in my heart!
This is my country. These are my people. I am thankful for what God has done and is still busy doing in South Africa.
#Proudly South African
The tour had a twofold purpose for me 1) Meeting some international students (We can’t be talking about going to thenations and then we cannot even reach the nations when they are on our doorstep) and 2) learning about the history of our country and experiencing the beauty of South Africa outside of my own culture and surroundings.
I have met the coolest people and can’t wait to further build some relationship with them and I have seen the issues that the people in this country are facing. Many people are still without running water and sanitation facilities, overcrowded homes, unemployment, crime and so much more. However, the highlight of the trip was the story shared about Amy Biehl.
It’s a story of the sad history of the country but also one of Hope and the Power of forgiveness.
I am honoured to remind you about this amazing person:
Amy Elizabeth Biehl (April 26, 1967 – August 25, 1993) was a white American graduate of Stanford University and an Anti-Apartheid activist in South Africa. She studied at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town as a scholar in the Fulbright Program.
When 26-year-old Biehl drove a friend home to the township of Guguletu, outside Cape Town, on August 25, 1993, four men coming from a political march attacked her car with stones and smashed its windows while shouting racial insults. Biehl was struck in the head with a brick, then dragged from her car and stabbed to death. Four of Biehl's murderers were convicted for her killing; however, in 1998, all were pardoned by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Biehl's family supported release of the killers, and her father shook the murderers' hands, stating that
“The most important vehicle of reconciliation is open and honest
dialogue...we are here to reconcile a human life which was taken without an
opportunity for dialogue. When we are finished with this process we must move
forward with linked arms. ”
In 1994, Biehl's parents, Linda and Peter, founded the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust to develop and empower youth in the townships, in order to discourage further violence. In 1999, Biehl's parents were honoured with the Aline and Norman Felton Humanitarian Award.
In his speech accepting the Congressional Gold Medal on 23 September 1998, Nelson Mandela said:
“ Among those we remember today is young Amy Biehl. She made our
aspirations her own and lost her life in the turmoil of our transition, as the
new South Africa struggled to be born in the dying moments of apartheid.
Through her, our peoples have also shared the pain of confronting a terrible
past, as we take the path towards the reconciliation and healing of our nation."
On August 25, 2010, on the 17th anniversary of Biehl's death, a bronze plaque mounted on a stone was unveiled by the U.S. Ambassador, Donald Gips, and Biehl's mother, Linda Biehl, at the Cape Town site where she was killed.
It was at this site that my heart was filled with emotions. The bitter pasts where so many suffered both black and white and the grace of reconciliation on our nation. The Amy Biehl Foundation was started with two of the men convicted of Amy’s murder and today one of them is second in charge of the Foundation.
The Amy Biehl Foundation (ABF) is a non-profit organization based in Cape Town, South Africa. The foundation reaches out to thousands of children in the Townships through After School programs. The aim is not just to keep the children off the streets and away from all the negative influences (drugs, crime, violence etc), but they are especially focused on giving them that extra
necessary education in crucial areas such as HIV/AIDS prevention, reading, computers, greening and environment, music, arts, sports and more. With these programs the children are given the opportunity to show and improve their skills and creative development, which is crucial for their future.
Amy Biehl lived a significant life and left a legacy of Hope in the midst of turmoil. Where the enemy wanted to stop the work done through her and tried to raise fear among the people of this nation, God came, stepped in, turned things around. Her death now is not known as a catalysed of fear but rather one of forgiveness, love and hope.
Rom 8: 28 - And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
The good work that God has started through Amy’s life He is busy continuing… (Philippians 1:6)
Let’s live significant lives, trusting God for more than just our own families. Let us respond in difficult times with the love of God and continue to build the Kingdom irrespective of the circumstances.
On Friday, 3 May I was blessed to do this trip once again. This time I did not walk as a tourist in my own country. The people
of Langa are my family. I walked around Langa – Proudly South African, as we showcased the history and challenges of our country as well as our achievements and growth. I had some of my best friends with me of whom two are Afrikaners. I felt blessed to be able to call them my friends, my family. We ended up at Mzoli’s and dinned in real South African style. It was a celebrating feast in my heart!
This is my country. These are my people. I am thankful for what God has done and is still busy doing in South Africa.
#Proudly South African