A Few Things That Surprised Us: South African Edition
Before we close the South African chapter of our trip, there are a few things we would be remiss not to mention.
The optimism:
Considering the relatively recent history of apartheid, we both expected racial tension to be pervasive. Instead, all the South Africans we encountered were cheerful, proud and eager to work together to build a better country. Many people pointed to the troubles experienced by their neighbors to the north as very potent examples of the perils of divisiveness -- "We don't want to become like Zimbabwe." Among the South Africans we met (by no means a scientific sample), there seemed to be a general lack of bitterness, a sense of humor about the past and a very palpable optimism about the future across racial and class lines. Everyone we spoke to credited Nelson Mandela and his practice of forgiveness for establishing the positive mood.
Teetering African National Congress support:
By no means should the love of Mandela be construed as unequivocal support for the ANC. Only one person we spoke with wholeheartedly backed the overwhelmingly dominate party. (As a former political prisoner, he now acts as a very affecting, patient and knowledgeable guide on Robben Island, where he was once an inmate. When asked of his political affiliations, he responded "I am a member of the ANC, I have always been and will always be a member of the ANC and when I die, wherever I end up, I am going to look for the closest branch.") Recent scandals have hurt ANC support and many people told us they planned to back rival parties in the upcoming local elections. This does not mean that the ANC is in danger of losing power any time soon, just that people seem to want a viable opposition to act as a check. Mandela has recently criticized the ANC, adding to his popularity and reaffirming the belief that his allegiance lies with all of South Africa and not primarily with his friends or the party he helped create.
The exchange rate:
While touring around Italy last April, we found ourselves on the losing end of the Dollar-Euro exchange rate. This made traveling to a country where the monetary tables were turned in our favor quite a welcome surprise. The South African Rand, trading at 6-to-1 against the U.S. Dollar, is actually much stronger than it used to be (12 Rand to US$1 within the last decade), but we still found the price conversion to be quite nice (typical cocktail:10 Rand). Unfortunately, what may seem like a bargain to tourists like us is looked upon as obscene price gouging by some South Africans. A few lamented that parts of the country -- from vacation to housing prices -- are now beyond the reach of locals because foreign money goes so much farther.
Dioramas of the damned:
Though we didn't visit too many museums in South Africa, we noticed a
recurring theme in the natural history exhibits we came across: violence. While we certainly understand that it is exciting to see a lion or leopard baring its teeth or a dinosaur posing menacingly, entrails, blood splatter and penguin corpses (in particular) seem excessive. Have these exhibits been sponsored by Wes Craven (see photos)?
By Meredith Bragg |
February 17, 2006; 7:29 AM ET
| Category:
South Africa
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Posted by: Ridwan Laher | May 10, 2006 07:17 AM
The comments to this entry are closed.
As a South African and someone who lived in the US for 23 three years I find the comments about the ANC and "teetering" quite amusing. Anyone who even remotely understands SA politics knows that the ANC has 60plus percent support. So, the comments of these travellers are likely skewed by the "safari" and selective "township" tour of SA they experienced.
Also, Safricans are far from not being bitter about the past. Polite conversation with travellers do not indicate the anger that boils over white arrogance and their refusal to apologize for the past.
That fairytale of Mandela and race harmony is a severely limited and stereotypical analysis of post-apartheid SA.
Finally, the violence depicted in the museums do reflect the overall violence that still chatacterizes what Safrica is about ... no ignoring the past and how it holds the country even in the legacy of Mandela's greatness.
That said, Safrica is a wonderful place to visit and enjoy. Please come and learn and accept that it is not a fairytale but a country struggling to shake its history.