“Yes, I’ll be there just now, but I’m stuck at
the robot!”
“Sure, I’d love to go
swim, I’ll go look in my cupboard for my cozzie!”
“Can you please pass
me a serviette? My hands are sticky from this braai.”
Did any
of that make sense to you? Is it a bit of a cryptic code that I invented to
confuse anyone who reads it? Well, now you know how my life has been for the
past seven weeks. Yes, this is English, no, I didn’t invent a new cryptic code,
and yes, people really do speak like this in the one and only Republic of South
Africa.
Here is your first lesson: “just
now,” is a term South Africans say to mean “on my way,” or “in a minute.” Yes,
I know “just now” means immediately, but apparently they don’t. Second lesson:
“robot” means “traffic light.” This one I at least had a heads up on from Korea
when we relentlessly made fun of Katie for always saying robot. But here, I’m
the minority. It is stoplight no more.
Dad McAlery hard at work at the braai. |
Next up: “swimming in your cozzie”
means “swimsuit.” They call it a swimming costume, or cozzie for short. And
cupboard? We know this one, right? Nope, it actually means closet. And last, “serviette”
you can probably guess as another word for napkin, which is correct. But I bet
I stumped you on “braai.” Braai is probably one of the most South African words
you can find in my dictionary (I actually made one in my diary) – it’s another
word for a barbecue. However, it means not only the grill but the entire
process of eating the meal. “Let’s have a braai,” or “I’ll start the braai just
now.” Throw some delicious marinated meat on the grill, add some sides, and
you’ve got yourselves a classic South African braai. It’s actually an Afrikans
(we’ll get there) word meaning “to grill,” and holds the same connotation as we
do for “having a barbecue.”
South Africa, also known as “the
Rainbow Nation,” is one of the most interesting countries I’ve ever visited.
It’s a fascinating blend of cultures, traditions, and ethnicities. It has a
history like no other country in the world, with only one generation of young
adults to have passed through its formative years post-apartheid. Apartheid is
the most crucial concepts to understand about South Africa, because throughout
the past century it’s shaped the nation and formed the intricacies and complexities
of the current social structure.
But,
before I get started on explaining about apartheid, I need to address two very
important points with you. 1. Not all of Africa looks like the Lion King,
Tarzan, or George of the Jungle. 2. Not everyone in South Africa is black. Just
please get those two thoughts out of your head straightaway, so we can move on.
So,
why isn’t everyone in South Africa black? Primarily for the same reason not
everyone from Zimbabwe, or Kenya, or Tanzania is black: a little thing we like
to call colonization. I’m just going to bring you back to your Western
civilizations class, though you probably didn’t pay an ounce of attention, and
see if you can recall a point in time when white people were trying to take
over the world. When was that, approximately? If you answered ‘anytime,’ you’re
pretty much right (and I just got you off the hook for sleeping in class). But
let’s be more specific and talk about the forerunners of the white people
explorer/conqueror type countries from the fifteenth century on: Portugal, England,
The Netherlands, Spain, and France. We’ll throw out Spain and France for now
and just focus on the first three. The Portuguese were actually the first to
reach South Africa, but the Dutch were the first to settle in the Cape (Cape
Town) Colony, on the southwestern coast, back around the time the time Colombus
discovered the Americas. They decided it was a pretty great place and set up
shop. As typical for a newly colonized country, there were white people and
there were natives. Then they fought, and the white people took over and
established all of their white people rules, while treating the natives
terribly and killing a great many of them with their dirty diseases. Sound
familiar?
This
wasn’t the complete story in South Africa, but there are some familiar elements.
At first, the native tribes in South Africa kind of just shifted over to
accommodate these pushy white people, but when the Dutch (joined by a
scattering of other random European groups, like the French, Germans and some
Scandinavians), started getting too comfortable in their new home and kept
expanding their boundaries, along with importing slaves to work their fields, things
started to happen.
At
the beginning of the nineteenth century, the British, whose power had been
growing over the Dutch in Europe, therefore in the global expansion theater,
took over the Cape Colony and sent thousands of British citizens to live in
South Africa, throwing off the ‘white people balance’ in South Africa. This is
where the face of South African colonization begins to look different compared
to the rest of the continent. After numerous disputes, the Boers (the evolved
Dutch settlers, no longer identifying themselves as purely Dutch, but as their
own people) decided they’d had enough of the British, and they took off for the
northeastern part of the country, Oregon Trail style. To make a long story
short, the Boers hung out up in the northeast (modern day Johannesburg/Pretoria
area) until the British caught up to them, while establishing a successful port
and sugar plantation stronghold along way on the eastern coast, and one hundred
years later they began to fight again. This sparked a series of what are called
the Boer Wars, a unique set of African wars. They were unique because they
weren’t African against African or African against European, but European
against European, fighting for control within an African country.
By
1902, the Boer Wars were finished, and the British were the proud new owners of
a new Republic, to add to their growing Empire. As they surveyed their land,
they would have found a vast and diverse mix of cultures, from the high
concentation of Indian workers who had been brought in to work on the sugar
plantations in the East, the Europeans and Australians who flooded in when
diamonds, then gold, were discovered near Pretoria, the Boers who were still smarting
over their defeat and now referred to themselves as Afrikaners, the fierce Zulu
tribe of the eastern coast that were still trying to retain much of their
traditional tribal life, other native tribes who were just trying to live
peacefully throughout the whole mess, and all of the mixed races of everyone
who had been co-exsisting ever since the Europeans had first arrived, bringing
slaves from other parts of Africa and Asia. I’m not quite sure how or why the
Chinese got here, but they’re here too.
The Father of the "Rainbow Nation" |
So
now, go back to the early part of the twentieth century and start to think
a
bout all of these diverse races and ethnicities, and then think about one of
the minority races – the whites – trying to control who can live where, who can
work where, who can vote, who can enter the city to work, who can go to school
where, who can sit where, who can eat where, etc. This, similar to some of the
most severe segregation laws in the United States prior to the Civil Rights
Movement, was the reality of South Africa for nearly a century, under a system
know as apartheid.
Apartheid,
defined simply as “separation,” was originally put forth as a theory of
“neither discrimination nor the domination of any particular race; the races
would simply follow their separate paths in all spheres of life in accordance
with…their own traditions and cultures.” Well, this didn’t happen. What really
did happen was that white people wanted to control everyone who wasn’t white in
order to protect their own interests. Under this pretense, the underlying
foundation of apartheid was based on racism and white supremacy, and it was
successful for nearly one hundred years.
Waiting in line to have passes approved. Kwa-Muhle Museum, Durban. |
There
is so much to explain about apartheid, much of which I’ve learned from reading,
going to museums, and listening to stories first hand while I’ve been here, but
it’s impossible to cover in a short time. Basically, Americans can compare it
to the segregation policies in the United States, with restrictions on land
owndership, signs instructing where to sit and stand in public places, where to
work, who to marry, what kind of education one will receive, and all other facets
of life. Beginning with the first Native Land Act of 1913, which designated
that Natives (Africans) weren’t allowed to own certain lands, nearly every year
there seemed to be a new, controlling, and demeaning race law. People had to
carry pass books, which would identify them as far as what race they were –
though sometimes race was arbitrarily decided, and family members were
identified as different races. Entire neighborhoods and districts were
relocated and forced to move out of ‘white areas,’ and the education system for
non-whites was designed to create an extremely unfair advantage for the whites,
such as not teaching English, and cutting all of the successful mission
schools.
As
you can imagine, all of these laws formed and enforced by a small white
minority over the majority of the country created some unrest among those being
prejudiced against. Along the lines of (and inspired by) Mohatma Ghandi,
political parties began to form based on the idea of nonviolent protest. The
most prominent parties were the Communist Party (CPSA) and the African National
Congress (ANC), of which Nelson Mandela played a crucial role in.
In memory of the freedom fighters. Soweto, Johannesburg. |
However,
as much as these parties tried to promote nonviolent protests such as strikes,
marches, and defying pass laws in order to be thrown in jail, things escalated
to a point of violence involving protesters and the police. The most famous
incident and turning point was the Sharpeville Massacre of 1960, in which the
police opened fire on the peaceful protesters, killing and injuring hundreds. “The
crisis received huge international publicity, exposing the nature of the regime
and taking its apartheid policy beyond repair.” Foreign investment pulled out,
the British cut South Africa from the Commonwealth, the ANC was banned, and the
freedom fighters, including Nelson Mandela, were forced underground or into
exile. It became clear that non-violence was not going to make a change, so
these underground parties began forming their own armed units and enacting
small attacks of symbolic significance, not targeting specific people. It was
these incidents that eventually led to Mandela’s arrest and trial in 1963,
where he was sentenced to life imprisonment on Robben Island. After a famous
five hour speech at his trial, “he emerged from the trial as the ANC’s dominant
figure and the major leader of the struggle.”
The
following three decades consisted of more violent attacks, protests, strikes,
and international condemnation. South Africa entered a border war with Namibia,
which increased military presence throughout the country. Students became the
main leaders of protests and uprisings. However, their efforts proved
effective. Though laws were not lifted, the enforcements became relaxed and
some were simply ignored. Eventually, by the late 1980s, it became clear to the
leaders that things could not continue as they were. By this time there was a
new political party in operation, in secret talks with Mandela and other political
prisoners on Robben Island. The era of apartheid was at an end.
On
February 2, 1990, the new president of the Republic, F. W. de Klerk, “with
great calm and panache, announced the end of apartheid, the unbanning of all
prohibited organizations, the release of Mandela and the remaining ANC
prisoners, a welcome back home of all exiles and the invitation to the ANC and
all other parties to talks on a new democratic nation.” Four years after this
historical moment Nelson Mandela became the president of South Africa, after
the first nation-wide election ever held, with all citizens given the right to
vote. The new Constitution included freedom and equality for all, and a new
generation of South Africans were born into a democratic nation.
Taking part in South Africa's first democratic election. |
The new Constitution of South Africa. |
And
now, as Nelson Mandela nears the end of his long and incredible life, (the 94
year old former president has been in the hospital for the past week but
appears to be making a recovery) the future of South Africa remains to be seen.
All of the struggle and fighting for freedom has been eclipsed by the current
ANC government, who seems to be more concerned with spending taxpayer’s money
on frivolous things such as fancy cars and big houses. The ANC, once a beacon
of hope for South Africa, now seems to be deteriorating within its own power.
Young, educated South Africans are favoring international jobs over internal
positions due to better opportunities and a more stable economic environment.
The most we can hope for is that the loss of Mandela will reinvigorate his
undying fighting spirit to unite the people of South Africa as one, equal
nation with opportunities for everyone. South Africa has overcome an incredible
history of struggle and conflict, and has so much to be proud of as a nation
and a people. Even if they speak English a little funny.
So
as a final language lesson, now that you understand a little more about the
country I’ve been living in for nearly two months now, I’ll give you some words
that I’ve spent weeks learning how to translate. You’re very welcome for saving
you the trouble of buying an English-South African dictionary if you ever go to
South Africa:
A
pudding is dessert, a hooter is a car horn, a boot is a car trunk, an indicator
is a car blinker, biltong is jerkey, a jersey is a hoodie, a biscuit is a
cookie, a crisp is a potato chip, a chip is a french fry, a joll is a good
time, a plaster is a Band-Aid, a plait is a braid, matric is senior year in
high school, varsity is university, a rusk is a heartier biscotti for your
morning coffee, brekkie is breakfast, rashers are bacon, and a garden is what they call a backyard. And just for
an extra bonus, I’ll warn you that the steering wheel is on the right side of
the car AND they drive on the left side of the road. I don’t recommend renting
a car unless you’ve had some practice.
The new flag of the Republic of South Africa, the "Rainbow Nation." |
Two
weeks ago I left my lovely ocean view at the McAlery’s place for another
camping trip with Jason’s family in The Berg, followed by a week back in
Johannesburg until Allie and Travis arrived last Saturday. We spent the past
few days in Cape Town, and will head to a game reserve for more camping this
weekend. My time in Durban was incredibly relaxing, yet also productive, most
importantly in getting my paperwork ready in order to prepare for the Russian
visa application. Speaking of Russia, I have a new update for those of you who
don’t know yet: instead of teaching on a four month contract in Petrozavodsk,
Russia, I’ve recently accepted a different nine month teaching position in
Moscow. The Moscow job is a better financial situation, a longer contract, and
it seems to provide a stronger support system for its foreign teachers. I’m
excited to spend nine months in a world-famous city, and to take advantage of
such a great learning opportunity. Plus now I don’t have to learn how to
pronounce Petrozavodsk.
So
with that, start arranging your Russian visa paperwork to come for a visit. I
don’t recommend coming in January, but I’d love to see you. More from South
Africa after I’ve had a few more adventures here. Take care and Happy Summer!
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