“I must say…” seems to be a common introduction to most opinions in South Africa. I must say the party in Troyeville, celebrating Obama’s victory, was inspiring in itself. There were “Africa for Obama” and “A change we can believe” in shirts on many attendees, thanks to the work of my host Miriam and many of her friends. The attitude was lively with press reporters taking photos and a crazy mix of music - including a lot of American jazz and African remixes of popular songs… and the occasional undanceable but headbangable tunes of Janis Joplin and the Violent Femmes. But what was most inspiring was the mix of people, a full-out gradation of all skin tones like I’ve never seen before. The area where I’m living, the Free State, is Afrikaner-central and dregs of racism and separatism are still alive and well here in many, many ways. But this corner of Jo’burg (Miriam likens it to Greenwich Village) expressed every possible race, culture, class and sexuality and was absolutely amazing. I have never been in the midst of such diversity in a bar before!
Through Miriam, I have met many amazing people and potentially helpful contacts for my continued stay in SA. One of Miriam’s friends has a very interesting job managing water and sanitation projects in “informal settlements” in Jo’burg. His work with this non-profit makes him a wealth of information about such settlements, which actually refer to areas commonly known as squatter camps - typically areas where immigrants & refugees end up settling. Xenophobia is one of South Africa’s major issues. On a continent with very little in the way of wealth, people from all over Africa end up flocking here including Somalis, Zambians, Zimbabweans, etc. And in a nation where people are already struggling to find employment, illegal immigrants become a source of competition and thus a source of contempt, as they’re generally willing to work for less - sound familiar to the issues with illegal immigrants in America?
Leading up to the early days of Apartheid, the Afrikaner government did what it could to portion out 13% of available land to blacks (leaving the rest for whites, mostly). This included urban areas…but as Apartheid got well under way, overcrowding soon became an issue in cities and the word “resettlement” was used to explain the mass evacuation of these black populations to new areas (usually further away from the city centers, on the outskirts of town). Soweto (South West Township) is a famous example of an area allotted to these “resettled” black people.
Resettlement is a dirty term, but after talking to Miriam’s friend, it is alive and well today in these informal settlements. The “Red Ants” is a security company that is privately contracted by city governments to swoop into these settlements in plain clothing and forcibly remove the squatters - to relocate them elsewhere. Surprisingly they’re allowed to take their corrugated metal walls and other such building materials with them… but nonetheless, they are uprooted and shamed and made to rebuild their life elsewhere in a location they have no control over.
I had the chance to visit the Apartheid Museum while in Jo’burg and spent 2.5 hours there but it could have easily been extended to 5. The museum is very nice, constructed similarly to the Jewish Museum in Berlin, so that you have to enter at a certain point and exit as a certain point and every exhibit in between is part of a linear flow - so that you have to walk through it as such. This makes sense for a historical period of such magnitude, where the process of time has a direct influence on the politics and the understanding of it comes with knowing the timeline involved. I recommend it to anyone who has the chance to visit SA. The photos I have posted here depict an exterior installation - a series of mirrors with life-size photo cutouts of people pasted on them. From the back they show the different people who came to S. Africa prior to Apartheid and from the front they reflect present-day images. The mirror has a very nice effect with the partially filled rock wall and the added layer of seeing yourself as part of the exhibit.
The museum touched upon all aspects of Apartheid, but one part that struck me (that strikes me daily) were the photos of white people being served by “domestics” (aka domestic servant or for the PC version, domestic worker). There is a much more broad consciousness of race here. As a white person, I am in the minority of the population and the socio-economic differences are glaringly obvious. In some ways, this is a blessing. It is good to know what being a minority is, to see full and well that I am a “have” (even though I’m technically unemployed) rather than a “have not” (because I also have a savings account). But on the other hand, there are certain tropes that one must deal with. There are lots of “small” jobs that existed under Apartheid rule that cannot be lost because it offers employment to people who need work. From people on the street who must be tipped after you park because they’ve watched your car and prevented theft, to people who pump your gas and also should be tipped, to the most common domestic worker.
At the farm where I currently live, my hosts are very responsible in giving as many jobs as they can provide for, even though they are certainly humble enough to live by their own hand. So there are 3 people who work in the house, tending various jobs from nanny-ing the 2yr old baby, daily maintenance of rooms (ie making beds, changing towels), laundry, ironing, dishes, and cooking. It sounds absolutely opulent compared to the American experience where one must do for themselves and even those who can afford the luxury of a household worker only have them come once a week or every other week. But it really is a responsible thing to do here. I still make my bed every day, even though I could easily leave it alone and come home at 4 to find it perfectly made up. I even make my bed, on days when I might be tempted not to, just so someone else doesn’t have to make it for me. It’s a strange opposition to the rules governing my residence and the very nature of “Give a man a fish, he lives for a day. Teach a man to fish, he lives for a life.” I’m not sure what it is I’m protesting, but it honestly feels uncomfortable to be served on such a level. I know for a fact that at many homes you don’t even pour your own cup of tea, so for the level of independence I maintain here, I am glad! I say this not in protest to the lifestyle lived here on the farm, but to the nature of the beast that was taken down in the 90s that thus left much economic responsibility in the laps of people who could afford it (who should have afforded it even more so all along).
There are many discomforts to discuss with regards to race and class here and this is just one of them! However, it does shed light on America. It is not always so different there, it’s just that as a white person its easier to ignore, take for granted, or misunderstand. I cannot begin to unravel the profound effect it may have on my person, but it shines for how we must all delve into, try to interpret and ultimately attempt to understand our economic and social advantages to the pyramid our society is build upon.
P.S. Having difficulties posting pictures, will post in retrospect when possible.
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