MY SOUTH AFRICA - Memory Vignettes

Nkele, the young woman who cleans our house, brings her 2-year-old daughter to visit at least once a week; she is a precious little one, vivacious and spirited. I love the way she calls me “Auntie”, a sweet juxtaposition of respect and intimacy towards me, a complete stranger, really. I will find it strange not to be able to know the outcome of Nkele’s life … her marital problems, her humble insecurities, how her little daughter, Maritza, and her older son, Elbert, turn out.

They will have better opportunities, I am hoping, but will they?

When we first arrived we were included at an intimate multi-ethnic party given by another embassy employee.  Because of Apartheid, such a gathering could only be held in private homes, typically those of foreign diplomats. Upon our entering, hosts and guests welcomed us with singing the traditional African Anthem “Nkosi Sikelele Africa” -"God, Please Help Africa ". As we came into the room they took our hands as they all sang. The melody was so genuinely felt by everyone, I was brought to tears, deeply moved by the sentiment of pride, warmth and love that united us all; it was magical. That evening was perfect to articulate and open up honest dialogue about racism. An informal dinner, wine, candles: perfect for guests to relax and break into small groups. It was an experience I will never forget."

The thorny acacia trees on the front lawn are a striking symbol of Africa.  Just as in the desert, most trees in sub- Saharan Africa have spines and thorns, an adaptation defense mechanism, I assume, to protect themselves from large animals. ‘My’ acacia trees have gracefully gnarled branches, very large thorns and wonderful spring blooms. I wonder if the family of egrets  will continue to fly into the trees in the early dawn as I listen to the crickets, the calming rain and the rustling of the leaves in the wind?  Who will leave water and bird seed for them when I’m gone?  I wish I had taken more snapshots of amazing South Africa, its flora and fauna, its architecture, stores, its population!

But, alas, not everything was simple when we first arrived. For long weeks I was in culture shock. Although everything was gorgeous, the weather perfect … South Africa wasn’t Boulder or Washington. Everything was different: the pavement in the streets, the traffic flowing in the opposite direction; fish-fed chicken in the supermarket (!), seasoned chicken livers in plastic tubs, an innumerable array of sausages …I miss peanut butter and Oreo cookies, but I’m learning to love the Russian sausages, biltong, and All-Gold Tomato and onions.

Once I embraced South Africa, my new favorites became Marmite and butter on crumpets, ‘pap’ (warm maize meal with sauce) and of course … a perfect braai.

The smells of South Africa are imprinted in my subconscious. Arriving in September, we experienced the whole area from Johannesburg into Pretoria having the scent of campfires; smoke plumes along either side of the N1 (intercity highway) rose in the distance over grassland fires. Spring brings the moistness of rain and sweet pea flowers; the jacarandas perfume their way into summer as they blanket the streets like a carpet of purple snow. Rain falls again in midseason, when temperatures climb steadily... I love to listen to it as it taps on our shingled roof, I have seen a couple of owls nesting near the Chimney right above the family room!

MY SOUTH AFRICA -Excerpts of my life in the African Continent

I started driving a week after arriving in Pretoria, telling myself constantly to think “KEEP LEFT, KEEP LEFT” as I drove in the opposite direction I had driven back home. Here in South Africa, the right of way is on the left side of the road.  I had a whole set of new challenges, except that I had driven on the left some twelve years back when we lived in Singapore. Now, learning to dodge motor bikes and street vendors was a new task I had to contend with!  On that first day I got lost in what looked like a Black Township (which I later found out was Mamelodi) and was overwhelmed by the disparities I saw.  Some type of workers’ long houses, perhaps; lots of people waiting for buses; everyone going about their business.  I didn’t feel threatened, just lost, but quickly finding my way back. We really have so much in the house and lawns the embassy provided for us, I remember thinking.We have grass and flowers; everything in the township seemed parched and brown.

Later during that first year once I got used to South African life, I went to Mamelodi often to deliver clothing and school materials as part of an embassy sponsorship program; in doing so I learned about the disproportions between Black and White schools, the decay of township classrooms and lack of teaching aids and materials. Black students had to go without chalk, pencils, textbooks … I’d like to believe that I changed part of all that, but really -- whatever I did and concerned myself with was but a drop in a very large bucket of things to do, teach and improve. Years of neglect and government indifference cannot be scraped in only three years of guardianship! I know other people after me continued the project picking up where I left off as I pick up after the people before me. 

During our three years in Southern Africa we drove to several countries in the region, among them, Swaziland, a tiny nation landlocked between South Africa and Mozambique. The countryside along the highway was bordered by thick pine forests, the mountains … just breathtaking!. There were cattle roaming freely and farms and arable land. I am told, by friends still there, that in later years, a township has grown alongside the highway with no running water, no city services … utterly poor. Other countries we’ve seen: Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi each and every one of them so different yet so similar. For me, most of the Africa I know, including Kenya, brings the memory of awesome spring thunderstorms, exceptionally vibrant sunsets, and enormous pale yellow moons. I have read that Southern Africa is home to some 800 bird species (!) and it ranks as one of the top birding destinations in the world.

Did I mention the wild thunderstorms…howling empests that break-up the dry spell of winter? In our first year the rains came in the middle of September, right after our arrival in Southern Africa; on our second year the winter dryness -- brought on by the bonfires from people trying to keep warm – was broken by storms in early October; the most refreshing first rain of the season hauling away dirt and smog … so long overdue.  Generally, during the colder darker days of winter (June through August) a medium weight haze, from township and veld fires, permeates the atmosphere making breathing difficult and the air quality sometimes intolerable. When rain finally graces the land with its soothing quality, the countryside and the people take on new overtones.

On our last year there, rains came in mid-July as we were packing out for our move back to the USA, a kind of farewell from above, I felt, allowing us to see yet another display of natural supremacy.  Abruptly, the heavens became gloomy as thunderous pitch-black clouds and brilliant lightning bolts crisscrossed the sky. Almost immediately, vast and plump raindrops began playing their music on our tiled rooftop … merging from a steady crescendo into a thriving deluge. I recall our happiness as we graced the front lawn with dances and squeals -- my children in their bare feet -- appreciating the cleansing purity of rain.

As time progressed, South Africa became ‘home’ in the disappearing shadows of the Apartheid regime, a disappearance mostly in name really, as the situation for the common Black worker didn’t seem much improved. We feel that our lives were warmed indelibly by the South Africans we met.

 

As we prepare to leave, I can’t help but think of the beautiful Ndebele women clad in alluring and colorful dress designs, their multi-ringed necks … will I not see them again on route to their village carrying baskets proudly on their heads, their babies wrapped 'round their backs?

As we depart South Africa, people of all backgrounds enjoy more social equality, if not economic yet, certainly educational.  There is still a lot to be done! The new generation is positively harvesting the goods scattered during those historic times at the end of Apartheid. South Africa is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and rewarding countries we have experienced life in. I hope to be back some day...   

MY SOUTH AFRICA - My African Safaris

I will never forget our times on safari – guided or on our own – mostly in the low veld at Kruger National Park game reserve, where animals wander freely and without political borders -- there's an area between South Africa, Zimbabwe and Mozambique called the Great Limpopo. Animals come and go establishing their own migratory rules. Most of Kruger Park is in Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces northeast of Pretoria; distinctive wooded savannah and tropical riverine forests cover glorious terrain and dramatic landscapes.          

Early dawn is best hour for sightings of elephants drinking from water holes or grazing on the marshlands, perhaps a glimpse of a lioness and her cubs feeding at the site of an earlier antelope or zebra kill … a pacing leopard, on the way to his den after a night of arduous work, or possibly a pride of lions stalking their prey at dusk.  Giraffes are noted for being everywhere among the thorny acacias that shade parts of the park; White rhinos are difficult to spot but what a special treat when that happens! Time and patience is all it takes; experience is also important for the outings and sightings: pre-dawn and just after sunset are prime times. Kruger has the famous ‘Big Five’-- buffalo, rhino, lion, leopard, elephant -- and we saw them all at different times, but nature is unpredictable, one never knows what will show up, not even the experienced guides, because they have no control over the animals or their amblings for any specific day.

Life in South Africa cannot be complete without indulging -yearly if not more often- in safaris. Safaris for us were fun when visitors came to town, but we managed some on our own, not only at Kruger but in reserves in Botswana, Namibia and other areas of Zimbabwe as well. 
Long boots and long sleeve gear are necessary when going on safari -especially when a walking outing is arranged- and a good camera (!), remembering that opportunities to capture great wildlife shots sometimes happen without notice!

MY SOUTH AFRICA - FIRST IMPRESSIONS

If human and social integrity had been nonexistent, South Africa would have been paradise for the local White minority – and for far too many of them, it was -- throughout the days of the Apartheid regime (“separateness” in Afrikaans) we encountered when we arrived in the country.
From the beginning we loved the luxurious chalets and bungalows, perfect climate -very similar to Southern California- and immaculate gardens. When we moved to the house where we ended up living from 1989 to1992, we marveled at the extensive, perfectly manicured gardens.
In the following days, we noticed the gardener in charge of our grounds silently entering and departing through a side iron door annexed to the main electronic entrance gates; gates that guarded the view of our house from the street. Simon, as I came to know later, tended the perfumed splendor of the gardenias, bougainvillea, birds of paradise and exuberant calla lilies. He also mowed the front and back lawns, approximately some 20 by 25 yards. Anything I asked him to cut or do he would reply "Yes, Madam!" And even though I asked him countless times to call me by my first name, he never did. I was always Madam. Ingrained habits die hard. It was also difficult to explain that we did not support 'Apartheid'. Those people who worked for us -and for other American Embassy employees based in South Africa- eventually understood that we had different policies.
Back in Washington we had read all about the appalling regime, but once in Pretoria we soon began to understand the nightmare and agony of the oppressed majority.  We had a glimpse of their present situation knowing that South Africa had a long history of racial segregation way before the Apartheid system took hold.  After several weeks in the country, we understood the dark mechanisms of racial segregation. The laws concerning employment, housing, and education kept the native Black population marginalized through gigantic socio-economic and political inequality. Blacks were not allowed to participate in government.  White Afrikaners -- those descendants of the 17th century Dutch pioneers who ventured to this land with the Dutch East India Company -- and the smaller British migration, maintained autonomy by segregating the illiterate majority.

In 1990, in-coming president De Clerk abolished Apartheid (with minimal violence and rioting in the streets) and released Nelson Mandela from prison; the rest is history, as people say.  During our years in South Africa we learned about the reaches and discrepancies of racism. We worked hard to upgrade schools and materials in creative ways and supported students to seek scholarships overseas.


Almost from the beginning of our time in Pretoria, I worked as a Foreign Student Advisor at the embassy. I only worked about 20 hours per week, but thoroughly enjoyed my job.  Some brilliant Black students passed through my office brightly securing full or part scholarships at US universities.

Towards the end of our time there, well into our impending departure, a terrible sadness gripped  my heart as I realized that my students, my friends and my South African life would soon be part of my past. I feared for the all children I'd leave behind. I hoped that the progress and momentum gained in all aspects would remain strong after our departure.
I will always remember the colors and textures of that beautiful land, the kindness of the people, their gentle demeanor, the winter aroma of burning firewood...esw