South Africa Today: 30 Years after the end of Apartheid

Vernon Damani Johnson, Retired Professor of Political Science (WWU)

The world had great hopes for South Africa after global pressure assisted in toppling the white supremacist regime in 1994. In the three decades since the transition to democracy the country has faced many challenges (economic inequality, crime, political corruption). This talk will assess how successful the Rainbow Nation has been in meeting those challenges.

Vernon Damani Johnson is Professor (Retired) of Political Science at Western Washington University.

Dr. Johnson taught in the political science department at Western for 35 years. His research focuses on settler colonial states in the global system. On several occasions he led community learning classes to South Africa to study the role of nongovernmental organizations in community development.