Simple
equation: Italian Post + South African Post = Disastrous service. This week I
received a note in the mail saying that I had a piece of "registered"
mail at the post office waiting for me. Concerned that it was (yet) another
speeding ticket, I hesitantly went to the post office to find that it was, in
fact, a letter that Giulia sent in mid-April for my birthday (1 May). What made
the two-month delay in delivery more ridiculous is that she sent it expedited
from Rome (~5 euro for a letter!).
One aspect of South Africa that I'm continuing to appreciate is the weather.
Now, I don’t want you (the reader) to think to yourself, "why do I care
about the weather and why is Scott writing about this?" I think weather
has a major impact on your life, whether consciously or subconsciously. Winter
been in full-swing and although it is cold in the morning, everyday guarantees
warmth and sun. It's amazing to me that the sun shines everyday … the lack of
sunshine, I feel, is the real issue with winters in the Midwest.
"Encounters:
A South African Documentary Festival" is from 12 June to 24 June at the
Bioscope Theatre, an independent theatre, downtown in the old manufacturing
district of Johannesburg. I was able to catch three films this week: Island President, Progress,
and Under African Skies. I
thoroughly enjoyed each film and I thought that the Bioscope picked a nice
variety to show. The Island President
is about (former) President Nasheed of the Maldives and his attempt to bring to
light the effect of climate change on his country during the 2009 Copenhagen
Conference on Climate Change. With a rising sea level, the Maldives, a chain of
2000 islands at sea level, will predictably be destroyed. The documentary
followed him as he campaigned to find consensus among world leaders - and the
extraordinary actions he took to help develop the movement. Progress is about a rugby club from
Uitenhage (Eastern Cape - north of Port Elizabeth). It chronicled the players'
lives, the impact of rugby in their diverse, manufacturing community and their
victory over one of the most decorated teams in the country (Stellenbosch, the
"Maties"). Under African Skies
was about Paul Simon's 25th Anniversary concert in South Africa for his album,
"Graceland." The album is highly controversial due to Simon breaking
the artist ban in South Africa (he claims to be "invited"). Many
South Africans view the album as a way for Simon to take advantage of the situation
in South Africa, the end of the Apartheid. The album, recorded with many South
African artists, showed the diversity of Simon's songwriting and was well
received (in both album sales and awards).
On
Saturday, I went with Gerhard and Marlize to Maike and Tasmin's (their
daughters) orchestra concert at a local school. Again, I was very impressed
with the skill level and diversity of music they performed. It's obvious that
the members of the orchestra are passionate about music and the conductor is
doing great things. Afterward, I went back to their house for a braai
(cookout), watched the South Africa versus England rugby match, and spent the
night. It was really nice to spend time with them and relax. Also, we finalized
the plans for the road trip (we leave in two weekends) - its amazing that its
almost here!
Literature
Review: A book that a fellow Fulbrighter recommended that I read is R.W.
Johnson's South Africa's Brave New World.
I started reading it this week and couldn't put it down. Overall, it chronicles
the less-than-fairy tale end of Apartheid with corruption, graft,
assassination, and power struggles that are not part of the mainstream notion
of the "1994 Election."
The
Amazon
Book Review writes: "The
universal jubilation that greeted Nelson Mandela's inauguration as president of
South Africa in 1994 and the process by which the nightmare of Apartheid had
been banished is one of the most thrilling, hopeful stories in the modern era:
peaceful, rational change was possible and, as with the fall of the Berlin
Wall, the weight of an oppressive history was suddenly lifted. R.W. Johnson's
major new book tells the story of South Africa from that magic period to the
bitter disappointment of the present. As it turned out, it was not so easy for
South Africa to shake off its past. The profound damage of Apartheid meant
there was not an adequate educated black middle class to run the new state and
apartheid had done great psychological harm too, issues that no amount of
goodwill could wish away. Equally damaging were the new leaders, many of whom
had lived in exile or in prison for much of their adult lives and who tried to
impose decrepit, Eastern Bloc political ideas on a world that had long moved
on. This disastrous combination has had a terrible impact; it poisoned
everything from big business to education to energy utilities to AIDS policy to
relations with Zimbabwe. At the heart of the book lies the ruinous figure of
Thabo Mbeki, whose over-reaching ambitions led to catastrophic failure on
almost every front. But, as Johnson makes clear, Mbeki may have contributed
more than anyone else to bringing South Africa close to "failed state"
status, but he had plenty of help."
This
book really challenged the traditional notion I had (and I believe that many
Americans/"Westerners" have) of the end of the Apartheid, Nelson
Mandela, and South Africa today.
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