I remember my very first day in London, walking down High street Kensington, i came across a guy who was busy doing some labour jobs on the pavements. i stood and stared at him for what must have been 5 minutes, you see he was white, that to me just did not look right. i wanted to ask him, what the hell was wrong with him? how can he be white and be doing odd jobs like that. and after a long while i walked away, realising for the very first time, how much Apartheid had penetrated me, as much as i, understand the effect of our system and how the rest of the world operates. But it was imbedded in me, that is all i have known and understood. I have always know whites were superior and you NEVER find a white folk doing that kind of job. in my country, that is a black man's job. it was in my subconscious ness, it was a painful revelation.
On Friday i walked around the CBD in Cape Town, there we quite a few constructions going on, i was frantically s3arching for just one, not even white, maybe coloured or Indian soul... i did not even find a single one. i must have seen over 50 men, ALL of them were blacks, and that suddenly felt a bit odd for me. this country sure has a very LOOOOOONG way to go where that is concerned. as much as things might be different theoretically, the reality is sad.. it is a very marginalised society.
Sunday 21 January 2007
Thursday 11 January 2007
The Culture
Well, most interesting of culture I must say. Extremely Americanised, I mean you get confused whether you landed in Jozi or LA, until you hear the accent. Ranges form TV, music and all, though it is a known fact that US culture is copied all over the world. Having been in the UK, I noticed the pride the English have in their own culture. Until I went to England, the English language was always just one English, I didn’t know that you get American and English… 2 different languages, needless to say I was corrected more often than not, as I spoke more American than English, and I don’t mean Yankee slang or anything like that, now having to adjust to the way people speak here. Even television, British TV is just that British Television. I have had to have friends from SA updating me via e-mails, on what was happening on some of the programmes I liked, funny thing is, these r all American programmes, like Girlfriends.
It is not only that, even the type of music, you hear on a Metro FM (SA) and Kiss FM (Brit) totally different. I would turn onto metro to catch up with the newest India Arie, and wouldn’t get that on Kiss. Worse one of my favourite Classical singer Josh Groban, an American who isn’t well know in England, but extremely popular in SA, I only found out he had a new CD on my first week back, he ain’t even South African. The music differs totally.
The culture is something else, though coming back, soo much has changed… and there is a slight and a conscious effort to move back to Africa, there is this whole Africanism thing going on. For example, one thing I have always know, even when in England, is that, South African, r more ethic in their appearance than most of Africa, I’d be in Canary Warf and a Nigerian guy would come to me and tell me I am South Africa, mainly ‘cause of my locks. We r more into natural, ethnic looks, etc. but coming back, I have notices, this has moved to another level now. I have 2 siblings, we all have locks, well I am the bad influence, I count the friends or people I know who don’t have locks. It is crazy ya’ll, whereas when I was in Europe and America, I did notice that, natural hairstyles are very much looked down on. Whereas weaves and all, is the in thing, more acceptable, especially in the corporate world. To be all natural, you ought to be artsy, soulful, etc. where as here… business woman, have locks, parliamentarians and ministers have locks, CEOs have locks… it has moved from the age of trying to make a statement, which was the case 9 years ago when I did it. Now it’s more a fashion accessory, more accepted way, than weaving and all that.
So there is this whole identify issue, and at the same time trying to be very much like the west, in the way things r done, values, etc, but maintain one’s African identity. All I can say it is an interesting place to be, soo different in soo many ways. I am also learning a lot, and tryna adjust to the culture.
It is not only that, even the type of music, you hear on a Metro FM (SA) and Kiss FM (Brit) totally different. I would turn onto metro to catch up with the newest India Arie, and wouldn’t get that on Kiss. Worse one of my favourite Classical singer Josh Groban, an American who isn’t well know in England, but extremely popular in SA, I only found out he had a new CD on my first week back, he ain’t even South African. The music differs totally.
The culture is something else, though coming back, soo much has changed… and there is a slight and a conscious effort to move back to Africa, there is this whole Africanism thing going on. For example, one thing I have always know, even when in England, is that, South African, r more ethic in their appearance than most of Africa, I’d be in Canary Warf and a Nigerian guy would come to me and tell me I am South Africa, mainly ‘cause of my locks. We r more into natural, ethnic looks, etc. but coming back, I have notices, this has moved to another level now. I have 2 siblings, we all have locks, well I am the bad influence, I count the friends or people I know who don’t have locks. It is crazy ya’ll, whereas when I was in Europe and America, I did notice that, natural hairstyles are very much looked down on. Whereas weaves and all, is the in thing, more acceptable, especially in the corporate world. To be all natural, you ought to be artsy, soulful, etc. where as here… business woman, have locks, parliamentarians and ministers have locks, CEOs have locks… it has moved from the age of trying to make a statement, which was the case 9 years ago when I did it. Now it’s more a fashion accessory, more accepted way, than weaving and all that.
So there is this whole identify issue, and at the same time trying to be very much like the west, in the way things r done, values, etc, but maintain one’s African identity. All I can say it is an interesting place to be, soo different in soo many ways. I am also learning a lot, and tryna adjust to the culture.
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