On "Africa" and Blogging

On Africa

The idea of Africa is perhaps far more powerful than the location or the geography. At least I think so. There is this psychology about being as far away as Africa is, or in as remote a place as Africa should be. There exists some strange exoticism about the continent, even when you're there.

In Massinga, Mozambique.

Quotes such as these pop up:

"TIA: This is Africa."
"What do you expect, you're in Africa now."
I'm going to study abroad in Africa. -- "Are you going to come back alive?"

You quickly realize that Cape Town is actually quite European in nature. Many preconceptions are skewed if not incorrect, but you also find some things true. A search for the real Africa begins, I guess. In my project about blogging, we talked about the effect that student blogs can have on these perceptions, both positive and negative. In one sense, students probably contribute to the exotic nature of the country, as they travel and highlight the different, the crime, the corruption, and general lack of organization.

On the other hand, I'm of the opinion that most of what students write about "Africa" is fine. It will probably be better or at least challenging to what most people think. And the truth is, there is no one Africa. The continent is obviously immensely diverse, but beyond that... it is full of contradictions. South Africa is a constant dichotomy between luxury and squalor, the modern and traditional. Sure, its true that Africa has expensive cars, beautiful beaches, some great universities, some world class hospitals, TV channels, cinemas, etc. However, it is also true that people still live in huts in many places, there are still piss poor governments and poor countries with rich governments. There isn't a hospital in Mozambique that I would trust with my life, baboons can often be seen on the sides of rural roads, and you can still travel and see women walking with enormous cargo loads atop their heads, often with no hands to support them. Circumcision and other initiation rituals still take place among Xhosa men at around age 20, and many other elements of Traditional African Religion are alive and well, often mixed with Christianity or Islam.

I guess what I'm saying, then, is that one of the overarching themes of being abroad in Africa is simply Africa. Specifically South Africa, but that gets lost in the shuffle. As one black South African student remarked in one of my classes, "We are a colonized people. Our language, our movies, our music. Even Africa isn't African anymore." Looking back, I just wanted to share that, in as much as it may make sense. How about you, has reading this blog surprised you at all about Africa?

How I will remember Johannesburg.

On This Blog

When I began this blog in January, I certainly didn't have a strong idea of what I was going for. I did, however, set a few ground rules for myself from the beginning. First, I would write for anyone that wanted to read. This meant explaining things that weren't immediately obvious, and generally avoiding inside jokes and lots of specific stories about people that readers didn't know.

More than anything though, my intention was to bring you along. Instead of just telling you what I've been doing, I wanted to capture the places, the stories, and the progression as I blogged. I've made maps, hoping not to assume that you knew where I was going, and also made a point to write often and in a way that reflected the changes that I felt happening for me.

In a way, keeping a blog is a lot like reporting the news. Tons of stuff happens everyday, you see things while walking to class, you have interactions with new people, you witness things in the city. Every so often there is a big event that requires a post, but generally... the most important stuff is hard to articulate. "Shifts" happen within as you stay longer in the country, make realizations about how things "really are", and perhaps get a better sense of where you are and the people you are around. I don't know, I hope I was able to capture some of that. It will be fun to reread my posts when I'm missing Africa.

Anyway, to these ends, I hope it made things more enjoyable to read. Lastly, I doubt anything profoundly exciting will happen in the states when I get back, like pilot whales beaching on the shores of Lake Mendota or hills completely going up in flames, but I may still blog about my adjustment back to the States.

The Nature of Study Abroad—Translation

Studying abroad is really overwhelming in some ways. Not in the personal ways of moving yourself, missing people and things, or dealing with money and that. Those things are true, of course, but it can also be overwhelming to find yourself in such an international context so suddenly.

What I mean is this—a new student to an area instantly tries to get a sense of where they are, how things are different, and how people are different. Not only are you presented with opportunities to interact with residents of the country, but you make friends with, live with, and become close to many international students at the same time. Meanwhile, you try not to make comparisons between things here and at home. Yet comparison is essential. We are translating currency amounts, measuring cups for cooking, temperatures, the meanings of words, perceptions of local issues and histories, explanations for global issues, and more. As this creature gets larger, out of nowhere, this person finds themselves sitting at a crossroads of different peoples and human difference in general, I think. At times just as a spectator, and other times as a participant. You're translating all the time in your head, and here we're both still speaking English!

I sometimes feel it would be easier to ignore all of this and become numb to the differences, but that seems like cheating and missing out. I often feel like I'm witnessing some of the most basic and common, and at the very same time intricate and complex, issues. It can small... like "How many times must we talk about my accent? Or Obama?" In this way, you learn to accept that you're a foreigner, people are interested, and you must be able to laugh about being American.

But take race, for instance. One can assume that in a country that has as horrible a history of racial oppression as South Africa, this concept would be quite important. And in a nation where apartheid was ridded, it is fascinating to still be confronted daily with its effects, and its legacy in a post-apartheid society. How people talk about it, how South Africans my age reflect on growing up, and how tensions still exist today. How they say that Cape Town is the city obsessed with race. These conversations may seem quieted at times, but it truly is like a silent noise within the city, something that doesn't go away and cannot be ignored. Or so it feels like to me.

And at other times, it simply explodes. Like headlines in the papers about "racist" polticians, or a recent Facebook group that was created to defame the new white, female premier of this province. It was instantly flooded by university age students, white and black, with thousands of terrible comments flying back and forth. Some were intelligent, but the vast majority were uninformed, juvenile name-calling and racist shouting. It was the vocalization of some of this silent noise that happens in this country surrounding race. And it is overwhelming!

Then my comparisons come in. I find myself looking for ways to draw parallels to the US. Of course we talk about race, and of course it is still an issue. African-Americans are historically and still disadvantaged in our country, and there still exist tons of debates surrounding racism, institutionalized oppression, and political policy as well. But, what if this is what race relations looked like in the US after the civil rights movement, or what some of the political conversations sounded like when the US was a young democracy? Unsure, developing, and somewhat fragile. More palpable. I don't know. This is where I kind of come to a stop, and say that I'm not entirely sure what I'm saying. And I admit that I've gone through this post several times trying to make things more cohesive and organized.

Maybe that's the point though. They often are not cohesive or organized. As a study abroad student, the longer you are here, the longer your mind tries to digest these things, and make sense of them. I'm not done, but rather feeling in this moment a little overwhelmed with doing so much internal translation, and feeling so often like a foreigner. That is also one of the points of this post, then. However, the spectator role allows you to start to see the truth of human nature, in an international and cross-cultural way.

There is also a bit of deception involved in understanding study abroad. Students aren't just visiting, they spend several months building lives in a different country. You seek out and build meaningful friendships that have trust, reciprocity, and some semblance of meaning. At least that's what I've been trying to do. You spend lots of time making your bedroom habitable, finding a social circle, and when things become manageable and comfortable... you pick up and disappear. Of course that is difficult. You literally leave a void, and people must even delete you from their cell phones.

My recently habitable bedroom.

This prospect is what has me feeling very uncomfortable right now. The fleeting and inevitable nature of this process has me weary of reaching out, and of getting attached to people. It is probably because I've never been very good at losing friends, in fact I am particularly bad at it. Especially when they've made an impact on me. Granted, this could all be avoided if I put less thought into things and just had fun... and I do this too, but it is not really my nature. I begin to ask myself "Why am I trying to build this friendship? I leave in a month."

I also don't like the idea of being part of the "study abroad cycle", where you know people that know you will leave. I'm often in contact with people that meet study abroad students a lot, or what I have dubbed the "student abroad machine". They know you won't be friends soon, and they're used to knowing Americans and watching them leave. I just don't want to be another person that comes and goes, I suppose. Oh well, perhaps I am.

Relaxing with friends at Breede River.

Elections and Erections: A Political Satire Show

One of the best ways to learn the ins and outs of a political climate is to watch a local comedian talk about it. I did that this weekend, when Steve and I attended the show "Elections and Erections". It is a one man show, sort of, put on by Pieter Dirk-Uys, a legend in South African comedy. He reminds me very much of Eddie Izzard, and has been providing political satire comedy for decades, even before apartheid ended.

His alter ego is Evita Bezuidenhout. She's a well known Afrikaans woman that has lots to say about leaders and events. Pieter also does impressions of other people, including former presidents PW Botha, Kaglema Motlanthe, Nelson Mandela, and Thabo Mbeki (through a dummy). He also did a great Hillary impression. Below Evita is pictured with the new South African president, Jacob Zuma (risky business!). Of course, Zuma has a shower above his head to represent his famous comments about taking a shower after having sex with an HIV positive woman to reduce the likelihood of transmission.

Evita with Jacob Zuma.

It was definitely a crash course of the less obvious parts of the national narrative, but I was hanging on and understood most jokes. Steve said that I'm the only American he would bring to the show, which I'll take as a great compliment. My favorite part came when Pieter, without any impersonations, did a monologue about what it was like to live under apartheid in the 1960s. He described when he became a Democrat, no longer supporting the apartheid-promoting National Party, after having a sexual encounter with someone he legally could not: a coloured man. Except it wasn't only illegal because he was gay, obviously they both would have been in quite a bit of trouble just because they were of different races. He described the fear of living, and the fear of connecting with others.

Despite the widespread cynicism about the new president and the politics that it will usher in, he had quite a craft at making light of things and reminding people about the lighter side of politics. He must have... his show was sold out for a whole month. In the end though, I take a bit of comfort knowing that Zuma won't be my president. After feeling utterly marginalized and left out of the political discourse in the US, and worried for too long at how bad things were going to get, it feels good to know that I'll be going home to an Obama administration soon.

I found this drawn on a concrete wall, beneath a railway bridge here in Observatory:

South Africa Votes in Three Days

Electioneering in South Africa has pretty much reached a fevered pitch within the last two weeks, since the general election happens in just three days. That's right, after closely following the big national elections for two years in the US, I came here and have been following theirs since. They're electing new mayors, provincial premiers, and even the president. Except it is more difficult to read into the politics here, certainly because I'm an outsider. But I've been trying, through conversations, Wikipedia, and general creeping.

First, the election cycle (as in most other countries) is a lot more relaxed that in the US. The main method of campaign publicity, it seems, are the hordes of party posters that line every single street post in and around Cape Town (see left). These went up just over a month ago, and parties have been ramping up public appearances and newspaper rhetoric since. The last two months, though, have been when most of the action has happened. This difference, however, is small compared to the general culture surrounding the election.

Unlike in the US, there is virtually no question who will win the presidency. It will be whoever is leading the ANC (African National Congress), in this case Jacob Zuma. There is so much loyalty toward the party for leading the resistance to, and the liberation struggle against apartheid that they have a monopoly on votes in the country. The problem, as I understand it, is that the ANC has not made the transition from liberation movement to a sound, intelligent, responsible government that has the resources and organization to deal with some of South Africa's major contemporary problems, like crime, HIV/AIDS, housing availability, and employment rates. They've faced fighting within the party, corruption, and generally do whatever they want while being secretive about it (like an underground liberation movement does). Many would argue that the ANC hasn't done a whole lot since 1994, and it is no longer the party of the great Nelson Mandela. I can't really disagree, but am careful to make the statement my own.

So today, you have Jacob Zuma assured a presidency. I think they are already planning his inauguration. A man that has no formal schooling past grade 5, and has been embroiled in national, high-profile lawsuits over the last few years over corruption, money laundering, fraud, racketeering, and even a very serious charge of rape (which made a mockery of him). All charges were eventually dropped, some just a few days ago. I've really not met anyone in the country that is looking forward to Zuma being president. It seems very depressing, actually, since things in the country seem to be getting worse, a distancing from the grand visions of a non-racialized, progressive society in 1994. It is, more importantly, a distancing of the protections built into their heralded constitution as well.

The thing to watch, then, isn't who will be president. Most people are watching whether or not the ANC gets 2/3 of the vote this coming Wednesday, because if they do, they will have the power to alter the constitution. And lots of people are scared of that. Opposition parties have been warning that South Africa could be headed the same way as Zimbabwe, where Mugabe changed the constitution every time he ran into legal trouble regarding his position and power, and other things that stood in his way. We'll see. I've heard good things from the opposition parties, especially the Democratic Alliance, but they aren't gaining much traction outside of this province. It is a bit scary, actually.

All eyes are on Wednesday.

I think this political cartoon illustrates the general idea.

1994: Nelson Mandela, standing tall, leading the nation.
1999: Thabo Mbeki trying to fill Mandela's shoes.
2004: Thabo Mbeki trying to fill Mandela's shoes.
2009: Jacob Zuma using Mandela's shoe to destroy Mbeki.

Umqombothi: "This is Our Amstel!"

Last week, I arranged for Erik, Jana, and I to visit Nyanga Township. I had gone there for a braai at the beginning of the semester and have since been volunteering somewhere else. A friend of mine, Andrew, works for our landlord and was kind enough to show us around a bit more. While I've already posted many of the pictures with my slideshow, I wanted to recount one of the more interesting moments of the day.

We had just gotten off the interstate, and were driving right into Nyanga. More specifically, I was driving into Nyanga, on my newfound right side of the car and left side of the road! I had Andrew on the phone, and was looking for him while entering an area I certainly didn't know my way around. I suddenly saw him, darted to the side of the road, and he got in.

We did introductions, and the day had begun. "Our first stop will be one of the hostels in the area," he said. We went a few blocks and stopped in front of what looked like a chicken coop (to my untrained eye?). We went in, and were met with about 15 mostly older men sitting around on benches talking. Feeling quite white and out of place, we began by just standing and looking around. They quickly offered their seats, which was really nice, and they insisted.

One man introduced himself as Bishop. With a laugh, he carefully made sure that I didn't think he was the Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I think I had that much figured. Anyway, a woman that had a thick sun cream of some sort all over her face was running the hostel, and had homemade beer for us to try.

Here we go...

It is called Umqombothi. Be careful to pronounce the "q" as a tongue drop click. It is brewed from maize and sorghum, and while a little chunky from the ingredients, was actually sort of good. However, all three of us were really unnerved about drinking out of what looked like a used paint can with styrofoam on top, as it was passed around the circle. Actually, I think we were all a bit freaked out when we saw it. Jana really didn't want to, but smiled and participated. My favorite part was when someone shouted to us, "This is our Amstel!" Andrew also explained that it is used in Xhosa ceremonies, rituals, and if someone were to contact the ancestors.

Down the hatch.

Andrew demonstrates.

Outside the hostel.

It was a good experience though. Also, there is a song that was made many years ago with the same name, since it is about the beer. Here is the YouTube video... it's hilarious, seriously. It will also help you learn to say Umqombothi.


Bonus: Here is the Wikipedia entry on how to make it, if you're interested. After reading, I didn't like seeing the bad health effects that may be associated with it.

Black Simpsons

I found this somewhere near Green Point, I think on Regent Street.

At first, it struck me as racist, in an American context. After some curious researching, I found that the design is also a popular, sold out t-shirt in South Africa. And I also found some online discussion of the t-shirt, where South Africans chimed in and gave many reasons why it is not, but rather a celebration of S. African culture.

Either way, I like it.

Remnants of the Struggle on Human Rights Day

In South Africa today, it is Human Rights Day. The below picture was taken right off Main Road by Groote Schuur Hospital, a remnant of the struggle to end Apartheid here.

Since so many human rights abuses took place during Apartheid, this holiday is meant to "ensure that the people of South Africa are aware of their human rights and to ensure that such abuses never occur again." It also commemorates a large protest at Sharpeville in 1960, where 69 people were killed by the police while protesting the government mandated pass books. The event also lead to the banning of black political organizations.

Indeed, South Africa has come a long way in that regard. But it isn't enough! Despite their very inclusive constitution, it does little to protect people in most of the country's areas. From my time here, I know that South Africa has way more to do more for women's rights and gay and lesbian rights.

It is interesting to think that class plays such a strong role in 'insulating' LGBT people from homophobic discrimination, but it is certainly true here. There is same-sex marriage, anti-discrimination laws, and a vibrant gay scene in Cape Town (or so I hear). Despite this, it is still taboo to be gay in the townships, so much so that lesbians are being brutally gang raped by men to "correct them." One advocacy group reports they see 10 new cases per week in Cape Town alone. There have been 31 reported cases of murdered lesbians since 1998, and without hate crimes distinctions in this country or an aggressive judicial system, only one conviction has been made. See this article.

Last April, South Africa's only out lesbian football player, Eudy Simelane, was gang raped by five men and stabbed in the face, chest, and legs 25 times.... left to die in a creek. As a gay man, that type of hate makes me sick to my stomach. There is so much that needs to be done here. That's not even mentioning how far they have to go in the rights of women and gender relations.

Happy Human Rights Day.

Cape Town News

This is how the news outlets reach out to Cape Town, and I suppose partly how the city gets its news (or at least headlines):

I chose that headline, because a lot of the time they are very funny to me. Maybe it is the odd juxtaposition of a frivolous article with the in-your-face advertising techniques of the Cape Times and the Cape Argus, but they can be amusing.

Two of my favorites were "CORPSE FLOWN TO WRONG FUNERAL" (I laughed forever) and "RIHANNA: I WAS BEATEN" (not that the concept is funny, but it is so matter of fact). Of course, they have headlines about the upcoming election, party politics, and city news, too... but I focus on the amusing in the morning. They are very regular about putting them up though, at like 3am everyday, and on every other street pole (different headlines), all the way down both sides of Main Road.

Since I'm a news fiend, I get furious when I read about a big headline on the street pole before I notice it on Google News or some other online news source (it makes me feel like they've won). I was so upset when I read that Obama set a withdrawal date from Iraq on Main Road.

They were a bit late to the punch on this one, though. I left them in the dust:

Today, Erik, Jana, and I are hoping to go back to Muizenberg Beach to surf. Hoping for good conditions! It has warmed up to the upper 70's today, and will again be in the lower 80's the next two days. I also hope it lasts!

Top Ten Things I'm Struggling With

I've written lots of posts now about the amazing things that I've encountered and done over the last few weeks now, but everyone deserves a chance to rant a bit, as well. So here is my countdown of the top ten things that I've been struggling with recently. My shit list, so to speak...

10) Going up and down stairs after Table Mountain.

It has now been several days since my Table Mountain hike, but I'm still super sore. There are a lot of stairs on campus, and I've been doing a lot of walking back and forth from bus stations, and around the city. Either way, it's killing me, but will be over soon.

9) I go up and down stairs on the wrong side still.

No joke, I didn't realize how engrained road directions are in my head. When I get to a staircase (on campus, for example), I find myself walking up the right side, until a huge group starts walking down the same side. I'm doing it wrong! And I keep doing it wrong! Then I slowly try to get to the other side (see number 10).

8) Servers at Obz Café.

This is a smaller restaurant right in my neighborhood, and I'm so tired of the service there. I would stop going, but they have half price pizzas on Wednesdays. They bring you one water at the beginning of the meal, and never refill water until asked, and it can take 10 minutes for it to arrive. That's Africa time for you. We've also had many other bad experiences there, I don't want to get into it.

7) Howling dogs.

There are two dogs across the street from my bedroom window, and several others nearby. They regularly have wars in the morning, other times they sing to each other. Give me a tranquilizer gun, and I'll get back to sleep. Hell, a regular gun would also do fine.

6) Stuff molds so quickly in this country.

A loaf a bread molds within a few days, fruit within a few days, and a bag of potatoes that I bought was covered in mold in a week. And I've never had bananas mold... ever. They just get old. But three days after buying bananas the top of the bunch was moldy. I suppose the food is fresher and has less preservatives, but that doesn't do me very good after a few days.

5) I'm still without my debit card, and it probably won't come anytime soon.

After being pick-pocketed last week, I obviously have no debit card. Luckily, I took some money out the day before, and have been surviving on that since, but I'm now running low. They sent me a replacement, but it will likely take quite a while to arrive. I'm probably going to need to get a cash advance on my credit card soon.

4) Things are cheap and it makes me spend money much faster.

Yes, the exchange rate is very favorable. I mentioned how cheap it is to get food on campus, etc. I just bought two 40 oz. of beer for $2.00, and nice wine is only $3-$6 for a bottle. Groceries are also very cheap, and it makes it so easy to go out to dinner instead of cook at home. Or to pick up extra things at the store, or stop for ice cream and stuff like that. As a result, I'm probably burning through money faster than I would. See number five for why that is a problem.

3) Cockroaches.

They fumigated last week, they are back. I killed three last night, two were very small and had just hatched or something. They aren't nearly as bad, but they have returned.

2) There are no drinking fountains anywhere in this city.

I don't get it! If you know me well, you know how much water I drink in a day. At a restaurant, I usually go through four glasses of water (see gripe #8). I have only seen one drinking fountain in public since I arrived, and it was on the Table Mountain trail! They are nowhere on campus, how do people drink here?! I keep forgetting my water bottle, so I keep having to buy beverages on campus when I eat, which I normally don't do (see number 4).

And number one...

1) Everyone Smokes Everywhere.

This is driving me crazy, and I'll explain. I've never smoked, but cigarette smoke has become so rare on campus at UW that if I catch a whiff... I don't mind, and I almost like it for some reason. It's just something different. And no, not everyone smokes, but so many people do. Outside most buildings there are lots of students smoking, and every restaurant I go to the smoke is nearly inescapable. My religion class is two hours long (I'll talk more about my classes soon), and it typically has a 10 minute break halfway through. We were given the option of skipping the break to leave early yesterday, and after almost everyone opted to keep going and leave early, the professor asked how many smokers we had. There were two, so we took a 5 minutes break so people could smoke. Seriously!? I'm going to have the black lung by April.

Okay, I'm done complaining. I just had to vent a little. Below you will find one of the many things you, too, can waste your money on. It was only like $3.00 -- the fruit drink that is.  The water is what I 'bought' after asking the waitress for a water.  I suppose I should have said "bring me a free tap water that is in a cup and doesn't cost money."

I will have many exciting things to talk about in upcoming posts.