Xenophobia

I have been meaning to write about this for a while. Well figured it would be appropriate as one of the posts about SA. This is not something I experienced, since being back here, but more while I was in London. I personally think South African’s are the most xenophobic bunch of people, it is disguising. It could be partly blamed to the segregation era, we were divided according to different tribes and classes. Even looking at the geography, Zulus are on their own, and so are Xhosas, Tswanas, etc.

The worst thing is that, this still exists today. i once went to a South African party, in the summer (well British summer), it was in South East London. I have never ever felt like such an outcast, amongst my own people. i get there, and everyone automatically assumes I am not one of them, someone was shocked when the host, who’s the only person I knew, spoke to me in Zulu… they thought I am from the Caribbean. I get there, you find, the Pedi clan at one corner, the Zulu clan at another, etc. I dunno if it’s a matter of feeling comfortable and being able to speak your own language, but nah…I manage to speak about 9 of the eleven official languages,, cause I made a conscious decision to. And worse the girls would be at one end, and the boys another, with the girls giving me nasty looks and all. The only 2 people who spoke to me, were a Zimbabwean and a Nigerian dude. Eventually when I got introduces to one SA dude, he claims, well he wasn’t sure if I’d talk to them or be mean. I vowed that was the last time you see me at some so called SA party, never, and I never attempted to.

I guess, it’s a matter of choice. While at Uni, my school was very international, 60% of the students were non South African, and I never did cliques at all, I’d have friends from all walks of life, a bit of Pedi, Swati, Xhosa, Zimbo, German, ect. Whereas there were the tribal cliques. Even going out, I got to a point in third year, where I didn’t go to Kwaito clubs that much, my friends were from all over, and we had to find a common ground, and we found that with hip-hop. I’d always been open minded, you take me to a rave joint, I’d get down like I’d been doing it forever ( though that stuff gave me headaches), and we move to a hip-hop joint and I’d get down, and I’d still get down at a Kwaito joint, attempted dombolo and kwasa at some Congolese joints. Though amongst all these my heart rested with South African House and hip-hop.

But it is not even about the music or anything like that. I made a conscious decision to go out there and meet people, mix with them. Some of my friends wouldn’t be in the same room, when I had a leaving do in 2004 before moving to England, it was an interesting event, I have all sorts of friends, for all sorts of reasons. Before I left England, a friend was shocked how I had over 40 people coming to my leaving do, since most of hers had left for SA, and the truth is, there were only 2/3 South African’s at my do, my friends were from all over the world and that is how it has always been for me.

But the point is, South Africans are Xenophobic, and tend to keep to themselves. I find that really disgusting, and as a result I am sometimes seen as not a true South African, but foreign loving. I guess this would explain why I hadn’t dated a South African dude in a while. It was never a conscious decision not to. It just happened because of the places and people I hung with. But the positive thing is that, not all of them, most of my friends, are all open minded and world travelled, and tend to see the bigger picture. It tends to happen with rural based and township dwellers, who just think everyone is here to take over, etc. But the sad reality is that SA is an open market economy, so they better get on with the programme sooner than latter. As much as I understand, it is our history, but people refuse to move on, they are still trapped in the past. I guess the reality is that, as much as we are free etc, depends on how you view freedom, it is gonna take some time for things to change, for people to really be mentally and emotionally free. Especially since this is become a class based society, and the gap between the rich and poor is widening by the day.

Jozi

Went jogging the other day, and it was refreshing to see how clean this place can be, almost as if no one lives around here, well I live in the Northern Suburbs of Jo’burg (Randburg) and it is the least busiest place, posh apparently. There is a nature reserve just few minutes walk, quite different. But one thing that really caught my eye, other than the multiple malls, literally every second to third block there is a mall. And the are all packed. I digress, well what I noticed was the fact that Armed Response, must be a lucrative business to get into. I mean, every house has some form of armed response and there are placards everywhere, and in some cases there are security guards, in the middle or a residential dwelling,, you’d find a small security guards kiosk thing. We are not talking your average security within a complex. In this case it seems like the community somehow came together to have a stationary security kiosk within their midst, sort of guarding a section of the suburb.


And I took the minibus taxi the other day, I hadn’t taken that in years, it was quite an experience, on my way back I sat at the front considering I wasn’t sure where to get off, so I thought it better to sit next to the driver. I ended up being caught in collecting the fares, it wasn’t fun. You get confused with all the moneys everyone gives you, before my stop, this lad from the back was complaining about wrong change and all. I dunno why didn’t that taxi have a conductor, that is the norm and makes things easy. And I notices, it is strictly the less well off who use that mode of transport. but I guess the difference between the bigger and smaller cities, is that in bigger cities you get all races using it, white, black, coloured and Indians. I was shocked to see a white person at the taxi rank, that is not normal. But then again I haven’t really lived in Jozi, maybe it has always been the case, as for Cape Town, strictly blacks and coloureds, and so are most places.

This is where it starts

On more lighter note we all have heard all sorts of stories about South Africa right? or the continent as a whole, and I am sure what comes to mind first is CRIME and/or APARTHEID, well depending on your politicisation and all sorts, the order in which you associate the country with the two will vary.

Now, in an attempt to dispel all ‘popaganja’ (because frankly there ain't nothing proper-about it), and misconceptions about this place. At the same time being brutally honest telling it exactly how it is. I will be dedicating a blog to the Continent and especially South Africa, as it often will be my main point of reference.

My current blog, is just about me, and a lot of sh!t I sometimes come across or create. That will continue, being a place where I go and let it all out. But the 2nd blog, will strictly be my observations, taking into consideration all the knowledge acquired through my travels (just kidding, am far from it, still very much in the leaning process). But I will now and then compare it to what my minimal touristy knowledge about other parts of the world I have been to has offered me. I am open to be corrected in this case by more knowledgeable people. Acknowledging my own patriotism, I will attempt at all cost to be as honest and factual about this.

So be patient, I am not even sure where to begin, how? what exactly to focus on? But I have a burning desire to actually tell it like it is. And this is also, for me, a journey into getting to know SA, I was talking to the soul brother last night, we spoke about what he was currently reading and my intended travel around Southern Africa(Mozambique, Swaziland, Botwana) in the next 2 weeks. He is reading a few books about Zimbabwe and Miriam Makeba. And when we got talking about the infrastructure in SA, especially in relation to the up coming world cup, in particular the transport infrastructure. I was honest enough to say that I am have never been in a metro in SA, I mean all my life, I refused to catch the metro, I had my own ‘reasons’ of course (or rather some bulsh!t excuses).And he just went like, so you are a snob hah…actually he is right. But as part of an attempt to really understand this place, I will, and on my own, catch the metro soon. That will constitute one of the subjects on my new blog.