April 29, Pilanesberg National Park
“This photo is so significant because it allows us to see the beauty of this creature in its natural habitat. The elephant itself was allowing us to get so close to them so we could admire its beauty.
I was in awe during this moment. It’s crazy to think a beautiful creature like this is living in a beautiful land and there are so many people in the world who have yet to experience it.”
~Caitlyn Caffee, OTS
April 28, Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge
The OT Abroad group based themselves here for two days of exploration in Pilanesberg National Park.
“Our home for our time at Pilanesberg National Park. Kwa Maritane, or ‘Place of the Rock,’ is located on the slopes of a 2-billion-year-old volcano.
The safari was undoubtedly a portion of the trip that the whole party was excited about. To see wild animals, free, in the environment where they are supposed to be, engaged in their ‘daily occupations,’ was to be special for everyone, and having a ‘home’ at the end of dusty game drives to rest and relax was perfect.”
~Gavin Jenkins, chair, Department of Occupational Therapy
Did you know? Table Mountain has its own cloud cover – people call it the Tablecloth.
The OT Abroad team stopped to “enjoy a few moments of togetherness” after their game drive at Pilanesberg National Park.
“When I think of the years of preparation and the tireless work of my colleague, Dr. Jewell Dickson, to allow us to get to this moment, it was just a special experience and moment of reflection.”
~Gavin Jenkins, chair, UAB Department of Occupational Therapy
During our trip, we will visit Pilanesberg National Park – the fourth largest park in South Africa. It is located between the dryness of the Kalahari and the wet Lowveld vegetation so we should see a wide variety of animals, flora and fauna. We are told many of those are not often found living side by side.
Continue reading “Itinerary: Pilanesberg National Park”Constitution Hill is a living museum with tours given daily that tells the story of South Africa’s journey to democracy. It is also a place of contrasts – the home of such injustice in the past is also home to the Constitutional Court. This space is dedicated to “preserving sites of atrocity for posterity, and also to recreating them so that they can serve the purposes of the present and serve to mould the future.” Click here to learn more. Click below to see our photos.
Continue reading “Constitution Hill (Photo Gallery)”South Africa’s Constitutional Court, the nation’s highest, is deeply symbolic. President Nelson Mandela first opened the court on February 14, 1995. It later moved to Constitution Hill “as an act of reclaiming a place previously affiliated with the violation of human rights.” Click here to learn more. Click below to see our photos.
Continue reading “Constitutional Court (Photo Gallery)”The GE Africa Innovation Centre is an award-winning glass-encased building that opened in June 2016. It is a place for collaboration with work and learning spaces for 2 to 120 people within. The GE-AIC team also provides “training, workshops, innovation programmes, and immersions for local partners.”
“This is at Belinda and Norman Lebowitz’s home – they welcomed us for lunch with them and their family. I met Bea – an occupational therapist specializing in low vision – after attending the World Fed of OT congress in 2018 after she took a photo of my poster and then we started emailing after.
In 2019, we met in person and since that day we have been working together. I introduced her to Beth Barstow, director of our Graduate Certificate in Low Vision Rehabilitation program, and our collaboration has gone from strength to strength. Beth met Bea in person for first time today.
It was just wonderful to meet in person again and continue our planning to create low vision education and resources for occupational therapists in the United States and South Africa.
Bea is also involved in mentoring Nikki Fernandez one of our students in the OTD and her capstone, so Nikki got to meet her in person as well.
Belinda and Norman welcomed this whole group – two dozen of us – into their home. It was a huge honor.”
~Gavin Jenkins, chair, UAB Department of Occupational Therapy
Today is Freedom Day in South Africa, which celebrates the country’s first democratic elections, which took place on April 27, 1994. The national holiday is an especially meaningful day for the group to visit Constitution Hill. This national historic site, which is now home to South Africa’s highest court on constitutional matters, began as the Old Fort, a military prison built in 1893 by the British colonial government. The prison was notorious for its harsh treatment of inmates, who were often subjected to brutal forms of punishment and forced labor.
During the apartheid era (1948–1996), the prison became a symbol of the oppressive regime, and held many anti-apartheid activists and political prisoners, including Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Albertina Sisulu, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, and Ahmed Kathrada.
The Constitutional Court of South Africa was inaugurated in 2004 on the site of the Old Fort, becoming a beacon of hope and justice for the country.
Today, Constitutional Hill is home to museums and exhibitions that tell the story of South Africa’s struggle for freedom and democracy. Prison cells have been preserved and are now open to visitors as a powerful reminder of the country’s turbulent history.
“This photo shows part of the Freedom Day celebration on Constitution Hill. These are traditional African performers, as seen through the windows of the South African High Court. The blinds reminded me of the cell bars where Black people were disproportionally imprisoned.”
~Jason Vice, assistant professor, UAB OT
