If you know your South African history you’ll know that Kliptown, Soweto, is a particularly significant landmark in the fight against apartheid. It was in Kliptown, in 1955, that the Congress of the People gathered to write the Freedom Charter; a document of the hopes for a free and democratic South Africa where no one is oppressed and discrimination is unheard of. Forty-one years later, the Freedom Charter was used a basis for South Africa’s new constitution.

Kliptown is now a National Heritage Site and one of the most popular stops on just about all tours of Soweto.

In an effort to assign Kliptown the importance it deserves, in the early 2000s it was given a R375 million revamp, which included a four-star hotel, an open air museum and the dedication of the Walter Sisulu Square.

Walter Sisulu was an ANC stalwart and one of the most prominent figures of the struggle. He was denied that public adoration that continues to follow Nelson Mandela, but his role in securing freedom for the majority of the country’s population is by no means unrecognised.

On the edge of the square is the Kliptown Open Air Museum, which is also dedicated to Walter Sisulu. The museum consists of a multi-media blend that uses song, photos, newspaper clippings, narrations from some of the 3000 people who were at the meeting and songs to relate events leading up to and including the drafting of the Freedom Charter. The journey has been described as visual, but it’s also visceral in its depiction.

The museum is open seven days a week and entrance is free.

Around the square you’ll also find a mini-mall with shops and business premises, but the spirit of Soweto is felt most in the surrounding stalls for independent traders, which include some of the best local cuisine in the country.

In addition to all the touristy attractions, Kliptown has also been rejuvenated thanks to the Kliptown Youth Programme (KYP), which was started in 2007. The local founding group identified some basic needs to be addressed, primarily related to education, and went about righting these wrongs without waiting for someone else to fix the problems for them. Programmes run by the group include school fee support; tutoring for primary, secondary and high school students, as well as a tertiary education programme; assistance entering the job market; growing a library; food programme; and performing arts and athletics programmes.

Only 40 minutes from the CBD, you can take your rental car from Johannesburg and drive to Kliptown for one of the most unforgettable experiences of your life. Or, you can sign up for a guided tour of Soweto and experience the whole thing from a local perspective.

(Image by ign11, CC by 2.0, via Flickr)