Blog

By Adrienne Lieberman, Class of 2010
Photos by Adrienne

My recent trip to South Africa and Botswana was a treat. I’m delighted to report that I survived a variety of adventures including a speedy ride through a narrow channel over a submerged hippo. My only pratfall was falling out of bed trying to locate the phone in an unfamiliar room on the first morning to hush the insistent 5:00 AM wake-up call. Yoga squatting practice helped me survive “bathroom” breaks on long bush rides. And, happily for me, the other single woman (with whom I did not share a room) ended up being the absentee host to a hungry baboon troop, lured by some granola bars they’d sniffed in her suitcase.

Three architectural highlights stand out. The first was Johannesburg’s Constitution Court, where I’m “presiding” in one of the judges’ chairs. Draped behind me is a hand-beaded South African flag. Note that the room opens to the light, embodying the traditional African custom of dispensing “justice underneath the trees.” That theme is further expressed in the anteroom with its openness and metal trees, drawing eyes to the light.

Constitution Court is located on an enormous hill where a Boer military fort once stood. Later, under apartheid, a notorious prison on the grounds housed political prisoners, including Gandhi and later, Nelson Mandela, under brutal conditions. An architectural competition to design the court complex attracted 580 applications. The winner, a joint entry by the South African firms Urban Solutions and OMM Design Workshop, brought this new space “into conversation” with the former prison on a site that inspires remembrance. Bricks from the carefully deconstructed “Awaiting Trial” block now make up a wall in the Constitution Court Foyer, a wall in the chambers, and a walkway of “Great African steps” leading up to the court. My guided tour included both the prison complex and the Court.

The weaver birds and termites who built my other two architectural highlights aren’t on any the checklist of Big Five animals you “Must See” on safari. But if you travel to Southern Africa, you certainly should see their homes, which are true natural “Treasures.” The social weaver, a busy little insect eater, joins with its fellows to build huge permanent community nests. In fact, they’re the largest nests built by any birds. Some of these structures house over 100 pairs. Squatters from other species—finches, lovebirds, and falcons—sometimes come to live, breed, or roost in these avian condos, while bigger birds, such as owls and vultures, may use them as platforms for their own nests.

Finally, consider the termite mound, one of the most impressive structures in the entire animal world. Working without a plan and with only the humble materials of soil, termite saliva, and dung, termites construct a temperature-controlled homes that include ventilation and cooling systems to maintain a comfy temperature; and specialized chambers to hold food, fungal gardens, and the egg-producing queen. Queens can live as long as 45 years. But that’s nothing. Remember the bomb shelters marketed to guarantee human survival after World War III? Scientists think that along with the cockroach, termites may be the only creatures actually capable of surviving a nuclear holocaust.

Editor’s note: Globetrotting is a new Features section on The Bridge. If you have an interesting travel experience or adventure and would like to share it with your fellow docents and VEVs, please contact Emily Clott (em********@ya***.com) or Chris Wilson (cw****@ya***.com).