MPR News host Angela Davis spent a week and a half touring South Africa with a group of public radio listeners from around the United States.  

Their group visited historic sites in Johannesburg, Soweto and Cape Town, and went on safari. They met people who had lived through apartheid, a long period of South Africa’s history during which white people and people of color were separated.

The group also toured Robben Island, the prison where Nelson Mandela served 18 years of his 27 years of imprisonment. 

Angela Davis reflects on what she saw during her trip to South Africa, and shares some of the conversations she had with South Africans she met. Davis debriefs her trip with her guest, Elise Brunelle, who lived in South Africa for 16 years and was also struck by the legacy of Nelson Mandela, the resilience of the people and the country’s economic disparities.

Guest:  

• Elise Brunelle is a native of Minnesota who lived in South Africa for 16 years. She worked for the Cape Town Opera for most of that time, serving as the managing director and fundraiser. She is currently the executive director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. 

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS. 

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.