I visited South Africa during Apartheid AMA

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I am fully aware that most will probably condemn me for having done that (it was over 40 years ago). Nevertheless quite a few things surprised me. Earlier in the 70s I visited a couple of Warsaw Pact countries, which might be viewed in a similar light, but most people then and now seem to be OK with a young Westerner doing that, whereas going to South Africa wasn't something most people did.

I might mention I stopped over in Argentina on the way, which at the time was under a military dictatorship, but TBH just being there I saw almost nothing to remind me of that — could have been a thriving democracy and I don't think my experience there would have been much different.

I am posting this because it's so popular to describe Israel as an "Apartheid state" so maybe the experiences of someone who witnessed actual Apartheid (at least as a white tourist) might interest some, especially as I've also been to Israel. Even comparing to Soviet-dominated East Europe might be interesting.

Why would people condemn you for traveling to a specific locale? That would be really weird.

The simple and non-controversial answer is that in those days, decent folk were expected to boycott South Africa, by refusing to buy their products, let alone traveling there. It would have been OK to go there, I suppose, if you were there as part of some sort of delegation trying to connect with people suffering under that regime. But just going as a private citizen? Not seen in a good light.

I can’t imagine being against people traveling to any country unless, due to current conditions, I had serious safety concerns.

MaxE, I would be very interested to hear about your experiences.

As I see it, there are both similarities and differences between the Israel/Palestine situation and Apartheid. The key similarities are between South African bantustans and the West Bank's Areas A and B. The key difference is that the distinction between Israeli and Palestinian isn't based on race, given the extreme genetic similarity between most Jews and most Palestinians.

There was an economic embargo against South Africa.

It extended to celebs performing there.

I dont recall what the attitude was then toward a private person just traveling there and spending few tourist dollars. But no one is going to beat up on the OP today about it. Apartheid fell about the same time as world communism fell in circa 1990- a while ago.

Singer Paul Simon got in trouble for collaborating with SA Black musicians in the late pre Nineties before Apartheid fell and the embargo was on. The said musicians rushed to his defense and praised him for giving them a platform on his Graceland Album. So all was forgiven. And its a great album IMHO.

My uncle worked as an expat engineer in South Africa in the 1960s.

The embargo wasn't quite in full swing yet. I remember telling someone I was going to go while it was still possible. Later that person told me they had thought I was exaggerating but came to realize I was right.

I've been to Argentina too. I'm currently sitting with my exbf who was born in the back of a military truck in 1950s Nazi Argentina when Hitler was rumoured to be there in hiding following the war. His nephew is a political reporter who has been threatened, imprisoned, and even gang raped for their outspoken work.

There are some amazing stories of Nazis in Argentina and Chile. Worthy of a separate thread.

He would be an excellent contributor.
He grew up there until he was 10.

He just said "Tell them when I was born, there were lots of Nazis there."

His father collected counterfeit US money for years to escape with the boys.
His mother stayed behind by necessity with his sister, and was raped.
It's all very traumatic for him.

I wrote about it when his mother died two years ago.

I expect I'll write something tomorrow.

Sorry to hear about his rape, he's correct, and not just south America, Operation paperclip saw Nazis and their families being recruited by the US government to work on the rocket program.

He says Hitler wasn't really there but Josef Mengele was.

Anyway, sorry for the derail.

His dad was a British missionary.
His mother was from Uruguay.
They lived near Buenos Aires.

Oh gosh! missionaries in the good old days certainly lived up to their reputation