Top 30 things I'll miss about south africa

In no particular order (except for #1!)

Top 30:
30. Tuesday eve life group...is everything really meaningless??!
29. Wednesday night #parkhurst community group. What awesome guys/gals!
28. Warm days and cool nights. mostly. regardless of season. At least in joburg!
27. Braai's! it's more than just a bbq!
26. The privilege of sharing my birthday with the whole country on freedom day. I always knew SA and I were meant to be!
25. 26 Dorset Place, Parkwood with Craig Campbell! #nodrama@26!
24. Cape Town. Yes, even with its horizontal rainfall, anti-human winds, and village-like cliquish backward-ism, it's still got the beauties of table mountain, lions head, 2 oceans, wine lands, muizenberg beach, Olympia cafe and a *few* good men and women!
23. Biltong. Beef jerky, whaaat?!
22. 1st wednesday film club at atlas studios, auckland park. Though couldn't go today, 1st wed is always good times, especially with Mophethe Moletsane, Marcel Tsholofelo, Dolapo Adejuyigbe and many others! -->; (http://www.atlasstudios.co.za/filmclub.php)
21. Sunrise, sunsets, and sundowners! [wish i could say #parkhurst church community group again, but that's been used!] anyway, driving home from work today (finally at a reasonable hour) i realised how gorgeous the sunsets are in this country. like this:

20. The NEPAD Business Foundation. Saving the developing world one private sector company at a time.
19. Service! shockingly bad service! ok, i wont miss that at all, but will miss the very few restos with shockingly good service, like posticino's in sea point (cpt), cafe del sol (jhb), thomas maxwells (jhb) and i'm sure 1 or 2 others.
18. Arts on main at maboneng! Love Jozi!
17. Wooden spoon/private open mic nights at chez folu-craig
16. Mangoes! big, juicy, organic, *african* mangoes!
15. My joburg-MBA crew. Will miss u guys dearly!
14. The drakensberg! When God created the world and thought to himself, "how do i show these people a glimpse of my beauty", he created the drakensberg mountains! truly amazing..
13. Local comedy shows... e.g. trevor noah
12. Insanely large mugg and bean muffins
11. Neighbourgoods market, the post, market theatre and many more places in the rapidly evolving braamfontein, newtown, and Jozi CBD
10. Concerts and concert 'halls' like the former house of nsako in brixton! Special mention to jazz on the lake and joburg day..
9. Game parks. and the big 5. I'll never step inside a zoo again!
8. A helper. I've been so spoiled! How am I gonna survive cleaning after myself..
7. Long weekend mini-road trips and drives...and those who accompanied me! Some favourites: groot marico, waterberg, sterkfontein dam, Kruger, pilanesberg, magaliesberg, sabie, tower of pizza, Pietermaritzburg, and on...
6. The beauty in the chaos of a developing country. All the crap we complain about (cops, traffic, bad service, construction, politicians...) actually keeps things quite interesting!
5. Tumi, Bliss, Kaelo - my nieces and nephew - and of course their respective parents! Marcel Tsholofelo Adam McKendi Mpho Tshweneyame
4. The motley crew with Mina Demian and Vije Vimage Vijendranath! Not racist, just real!
3. "Eish", "heita", "ja ne", "voetsek"...sad that in 5 years this is pretty much all I know of the local languages and slang, but hey, it's taken me far! ... and of course "shap shap"
2. Afro-jazz! "...I may be walking in the streets in a city called London (or New York, St. Louis, Chicago, DC...), but the dust on my boots and the rhythm of my feet and my heartbeat say Africa..."

• Those lyrics are from "Say Africa" by Vusi Mahlasela. Others that I'm quite fond of include: Oliver Mtukudzi, Hugh Masekela and Zonke

1. My name-sake, my God-send, my love! ... I certainly did nothing to deserve you or your love and feel so happy and blessed to have you in my life. Missing you like crazy every day you're not around...

are you inspired?

i'm inspired.


back in my younger years (eons ago), i used to go to church camps every summer. the camp that i went most was called neotez (some native american word that means youth, i think). i loved neotez and anxiously looked forward to this 1 (or so) week every year. anyway, this neotez camp, somewhere in the middle heartland of america, was set on a beautiful piece of land, (almost) untouched by man. the massive trees, fields of grass, hills, valleys, rivers, lakes in the horizon just made this spot a perfect spot for a getaway (and also, of course, ready-ground for trouble making by teenage boys!). on this piece of camp land, there was a spot which was probably the favorite spot for most people. it was called inspiration point. i'm not sure how much inspiration went on at that spot, but only a 15-minute walk from the major camp grounds, lay this amazing spot of nature. if you liked a girl and wanted to impress her during a short recess, you would sneak her off to this spot and gaze at the amazing wonder (not that i did any of that, of course!). it was essentially a cliff (and not that high either), overlooking a river and some grass and trees. on a clear night the stars were most beautiful at inspiration point. on a stormy evening, the lightning was most pronounced there. daytime or sunset, dawn or sunrise, inspiration point was the place to be.

i went to this spot almost every summer from middle school until even after college, and tho i'm not sure how much inspiration i got, it definitely helped to put things in perspective and provided an opportunity to marvel at how awesome nature really was. hence i typically associate inspiration with nature.

a couple blog posts ago, i blogged about a blogger's crisis, not knowing what to make of this blog and not having the necessary inspiration to continue to write about myself. well...i am proud to say that i have not yet found an answer to what identity this space should take. i am equally proud to note that at least for this post (and maybe a couple to follow), I will continue to write about what interests me and things going on in my life. what's a blog if not self-indulging, no??! so in this search of inspiration, i of course went to the woods, watched the stars, took a walk around nature and arrived back at the same spot i was before. refreshed of course, but back to the city grind, having found no answers. what fun is life if answers are easy to find, right?

failing to find my inspiration in nature, i had almost given up, when i attended a work seminar and was treated to a guest speaker, professor nick binedell, dean of the gibs school of business in joburg. he was told to speak about his inspirational life and his journey as a white south african, very much involved in the struggle against apartheid. he spent about 4 seconds on that and decided he wanted to talk about other things that he's more passionate about than his life. he then spent the next hour encouraging us to find what brings us joy and doing it. in a room full of ambitious business/corporate types ("future leaders of SA!"), he challenged us to do what brings us joy and only then can you do "great work". and great work, he added, is often voluntary. some balls this guy had to tell a bunch of us looking for the next quickest way to make money, and tell us to go find something voluntary to do that'll make us great and potentially radically change the landscape of south africa. i loved it!

he spoke about only needing 2  things in life - a mirror and a map. the map tells you how you got into the room; and the mirror reminds you who you are and what brings you joy. he left us with a couple inspirational quotes:

1. in your lifetime, you can make africa work or crumble.
2. the world is your oyster, but you gotta go fetch it.
3. the most important thing is curiousity.

now none of this was earth shattering or groundbreaking. i'm sure at one point or another i have heard these saying before. but for some reason at this place and this time, it resounded to me. perhaps it was the search for something inspiration in my life that gave his speech meaning. perhaps it was my year-long itch to get back to doing meaningful work (both voluntary and otherwise). or maybe the discussions that i had with 2 south africans who gave a rather daunting evaluation of south africa's current standing. these 2, whom i deeply respect, told me in complete honesty and absolute sincerity that they would be leaving south africa soon because they honestly felt that the country was on a familiar collision course for disaster. maybe it was all of the above. whatever it was, i left that room wanting more. i went to speak to the prof in the hallway after his speech for another 30 minutes and i still wanted more. i was inspired!

so what now. i'm still inspired. but i still want more. more than just inspiration. how do i find what brings me joy? south africa is not my country, but i feel compelled to work to ensure that the dire and negative evaluation of some people about the prospects of south africa never come true. im not american but i want to do the same in america. im not african (cuz there's no such single thing...), but i desire to do the same across countries in africa. i'm inspired to do something. but what that thing is, i haven't a clue yet. i leave it up to fellow readers and bloggers to hold me to that inspiration. and to those who may have recently found their inspiration as well, lets get to work! lets find that map and mirror.

what's in a heritage?

so today is the youngest of South African national holidays, Heritage Day. Or is it? Some refer to this day as Shaka Day. Others, actually most people, refer to it as National Braai Day. Listen to the radio shows, read the newspaper articles, and hear people speak about this day this week, and you would not be blamed for thinking that South Africa dedicated an entire day to celebrate braai-ing, or bbq-ing (for my non south african buddies). Although we saw almost no sunshine today, i'm sure this did not keep thousands, millions, from braai-ing and preparing potjies (pronounced "po-i-keys"). So why are south africans celebrating braai meat? What heritage are they celebrating?

I managed to come across this unbiased (i think) background of heritage day:

In KwaZulu-Natal, the 24th of September was known as Shaka Day, in commemoration of the Zulu King. Shaka was the legendary Zulu King who played an important role in uniting disparate Zulu clans into a cohesive nation.  The Public Holidays Bill presented to the Parliament of South Africa at the time did not have the 24th of September included on the list of proposed public holidays. As a result of this exclusion, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), a South African political party with a large Zulu membership, objected to the bill. Parliament and the IFP reached a compromise and the day was given its present title and seen as a public holiday.

  

So are we then meant to celebrate the Zulu kingdom today? and how does braai-ing fit into the culture of the zulus? i spoke to a few south africans about my many questions and they gave me many interesting responses. most agreed that it was a day to celebrate sa's many diverse cultures and its ability to understand, tolerate, and share in others' cultures. 15 years ago, former president nelson mandela stated that the reason for declaring this day a holiday was to acknowledge that the rich and varied heritages in sa have a profound power to help build the new nation. He added that in order to rise from the ashes of division and conflict, it was essential for sa to acknowledge the sacrifices and talents of all the cultures residing in these borders. Yesterday, many organisations encouraged their employees to come to work dressed to showcase their cultures. At my client i saw several people dressed in full indian attire, zulu and xhosa wear. there were even some in "other" african wear, from east and west africa.

However, i didn't see anyone in afrikaans gear or british gear. those from british descendants claimed they hardly have a culture to display. i guess i can't blame them for that! however, the afrikaans have a very rich and celebrated culture. why were they not participating in this national holiday. ask many of them what they're doing to celebrate the holiday and they would give you a stare like you were the dumbest thing in the world, and almost in unison tell you they were going to braai, all saturday. of course. in all fairness, quite a few/a lot of blacks, indians, etc also use this day to braai and affectionately label the holiday as national braai day. but how did that come to be? how did heritage day become braai day? seems to water down the significance of the holiday no? or perhaps, it seeks to find some common ground, as with rugby or cricket, that most south africans can cling to in hopes of finding some sense of commonality - a hope for a nation striving to come together?

For the all-too-educated blacks i spoke with, this watering down of an important holiday to something as meaningless as burnt meat did not fly too well. one replied to my questions by stating:

"first we need to reflect on what we have inherited before creating a new so-called heritages of a new consensus. And truth is that what we have inherited this far is causing discomfort to those that stand to loose from the critical review"

That's deep and powerful and all-too-personal for so many. He added:

Braai day is a good idea, they just need to find a separate date for it and not undermine the significance of what brought about heritage day. People died a people suffered for this day to be symbolic.

other bloggers and twitter-ers shared similar sentiments. everyone loves to braai or to go to a braai in sa. that's a national consensus! but should this "new heritage" overshadow the real significance of heritage day? on a broader note, shouldn't we as a society be careful not to lose historical significance of our history, lest we forget where we came from and where we're going? do we all wanna end up like the british decendants who seem to believe they have no heritage? my father loves to remind his children to never forget whose we are and where we come from. he was reminding us in a way, not to lose our heritage, perhaps knowing full well how easy and convenient it often is to forget.

Happy Heritage Day South Africa! and in the words of a twitter-er that i fully respect: "Celebrate your roots but let other people braai too"

madiba: savior, saint, or common man?

  

Last week, i was invited to join a discussion with a group that i described as young energetic south african youth leaders (or YESAYLs). No, these were not political youth leaders in the mold of julius malema (good ole juju). and they probably wouldnt consider themselves youth leaders...yet...but imo they're well on their way to defining and shaping the conversations in south africa in the years to come. and that's a good thing. i'm not 100% sure why i was invited; though being a friend of one of these YESAYLs didn't hurt i guess. I'd also like to think that i was invited because one of the YESAYL thought I had something to add to the topic. and she knew me enough to know that i would never turn down a chance for a good debate.

The topic: Mandela Day and Mandela, in general.

Before I got the invite, I had a pre-debate with aforementioned YESAYL about Mandela day and the activities set apart for that day, particularly the one organised by the cheesekids organisation. See, every July 18 (or thereabouts), south africa celebrates the former president's (and living icon's) birthday and 67 years of service. Mandela has made a point in recent years to remind south africans this should never be seen as a holiday (which it isnt), but as a national day of service - a day set apart to do something, anything, for at least 67 minutes to help someone else or some community or some school, etc. People proudly boasted of the 67 minutes they spent cleaning up their local park, their local roads, taking food to the homeless, reading to kids, painting schools, etc. instead of south africa looking for a moment to unite around during world cups and sporting events, you would have thought they found one during mandela day. people were reporting from all over the country what they had just done and how proud they were of themselves. it was a time to be proud to be south african, or for people like me, proud to be among proud south africans. or was it?

at least one group of young intellectuals (mostly black south africans) found something fundamentally wrong with these kinds of activities. Enter the previously mentioned YESAYLs. They criticised the cheesekids organisation for organising an event that was supposed to be about giving back, but rather turned into a publicity stunt with "famous" people showing up to sign autographs and the organisation spending lots more money on concerts and PR than actually focusing on helping people. They questioned how much "help" or effect the 67 minutes really had on the communities. Were township kids really better off for kicking a ball around for 67 minutes? Were students smarter and better equiped to succeed academically thanks to the new hastily painted hallways? Were the homeless better off for the bland soup made and distributed within the allotted 67 minutes? Or was it a day to feed white guilt and make people (white, black, indian, green, purple, yellow...) feel good about themselves, because, hey they've done their 67 minutes of service and now they can relax in anticipation of next year's 67 minutes? (one YESAYL wrote a brilliant piece about this in the leading mail & guardian newspaper; check it out at here)

This was the starting point for last week's discussions facilitated by these YESAYLs. you may have noticed me or others tweeting with #madiba. These were the instructions of the group for those that chose to tweet the debate. I resisted at first, but just like my resistance of twitter, i had to give in to the urge! Moving on, the convo quickly turned from the pointed debate on mandela day to the "issue" of mandela himself.

The sub-topic: do we still need mandela?

As south africans, these YESAYLs all had valid points; I learned quite a bit from them. there was no debate that madiba was needed in the early 90s. As the struggle went global, it was necessary to have a face for the movement. when blacks were liberated, but tensions existed between zulu's and xhosa's, for example, madiba was absolutely necessary. despite his many flaws, madiba the saint was needed for a time period. the question now remained, do we still need madiba today? do we need a saint? a savior? do we need to look at our past to determine where we're headed or do we need to look to ourselves to find the savior within?

Intellectually, the arguments of the YESAYLs made sense. Painting a school for 67 minutes or giving bread and sweets to a homeless person may actually do more evil than good. Ideally, we would all want people to have a more sustained commitment to helping those in need. going to a school every week to tutor and mentor is obviously much better than going once a year, for an hour, and kicking a soccer ball around, then turning around, getting the hell out of there as fast as possible and going back to enjoying drinks, dancing and music in a much more comfortable northern suburb (which is some people's recollection of what happened on mandela day). And yes, ideally, we would leave madiba alone and let the man be in peace and move on. we wouldn't use him as a crutch or elevate him to a pedestal he never asked to be on. we wouldn't use him as the only reason to do something for a purpose greater than ourselves. what happens when the man dies? we would have to move on sometime, no? why not now? but is this only an intellectual argument?

for those students of south african history and the history of the struggle - as most of these YESAYLs were - its easy to recognise madiba for the ordinary man that he is and therefore to place too much value on the intellectual and fact based arguments. but for people like me - and i would dare say many other non-south africans - #madiba represents more than himself. i challenged the group to look beyond the intellectual argument and towards a more emotional and realistic one. to remember what madiba stood for and represents to the rest of the world. he was the face of the black struggle. to move on from that so quickly, risks "moving on" too quickly from the plight of the black south african - a struggle that still continues in full force today. to move on from the ideal that is madiba risks moving on from the ideal of forgiveness and nation building. as an alternative to madiba, many may turn to a more militant and less thoughtful juju- a scenario, i don't even wish to entertain. dead or alive, if people can look at madiba and be inspired to learn more about south africans or to act in an unselfish manner, with a greater purpose, if madiba represents the aspirations of a nation and the ideal of freedom and reconciliation, then why are we so quick to want to discard that? although fully aware of his faults, i was inspired by madiba and what he represents and represented. an ideal he was willing to die for - words i can only aspire to say one day.

and what about mandela day. once upon a time, i used to hate people that come through inner cities or townships once or twice a year and pass out candies or play soccer with the kids for an hour, give them some soup and then leave. I agreed with the group that it helps the "volunteer's" egos and guilt way more than he helps the communities and kids. but then i thought some more about this and the ideal of the majority of ONE. if events like the one organised by cheesekids (however flawed) allowed just one person to experience something they would normally have not in a community they would normally not visit; if the call to service opened the eyes of one teenager to think of others above themselves, even for a few minutes, and sacrifice some of their time and resources; if all the festivities introduced only one person to the idea of giving more regularly and volunteering more actively, then in some way it has its value. i think we may need to start viewing development of people, communities, nations, in such a light. As we await the lightning bolt to hit, eradicating poverty and solving world hunger, perhaps we can take solace knowing that one person has been given an opportunity to have a view into the world of helping people help themselves, perhaps meeting others with the same goals, and perhaps going on to make it a sustained habit.

these YESAYLs have decided to start a youth think tank. i look forward to watching them grow and hearing great things about them!

lessons from momsie and popsie

so the parents just left and what a week and some. before i say much else, i just want to say how much i really admire those guys, their marriage, their faith, their love for people, and their resilience. popsie always says that their dream and hope is for their children to surpass them in all areas. to be honest, at this point, if i manage to be even with them (esp marriage-wise), i'll be happy!

they're so cute!

speaking of parents, they came from the US after a brief stop in Nigeria. Which leads me, sort of, to what i want to discuss. lately, i've been on a self-proclaimed 'journey of hope' - to find things about nigeria that make me hopeful and which spell signs of development and improvement. before then, i had been all too often chastised for being a pessimist after being the eternal (and naive) idealist in my university days.

because the last time i was in nigeria was about 6 years ago and, since then, i've read and heard some postive things, i was looking forward to hearing my parents perspective and their experience in naija. well, i must say it took all the optimism in me to keep the faith after listening to my parents lament the sorry state of the country. these are die-hard nigerians (my parents, i.e.) who have been investing and building for decades, dreaming of their early retirement back to nigeria. the feeling they had was not simply sorrow, but even anger, at the waste, corruption, and under-development of nigeria. seeing the roads in south africa, even the small potholes, they couldn't stop complaining and marveling at why the nigerian government cannot do something as simple as fix the roads that are in such disrepair that if left alone will render nigeria un-travel-able. when i took them through the shacks and impoverished areas of cape town and johannesburg, they were surprised that this sort of poverty still existed in south africa; however, the next thought that came to them was how even the poor, mostly, still have access to good (and relatively clean!) roads, water, electricity (sometimes). This meant that the poorest of south africans were still likely several levels richer than the poor nigerian.

sure, south africa cannot begin to compare itself against nigeria and thus celebrate being far and away more developed. but, on the flip side, nigeria certainly has to consider its journey in comparison with south africa's and be much ashamed. what have we done with so many riches - within the soils, the waters and brains of nigeria? and what about all those positive reports of nigeria improving? the improved banking environment? the cleaner lagos? the housing boom? perhaps my parents didn't go to those parts? or perhaps changes in the macro- and micro-level factors have yet to reach the average nigerian?

this reminds me a bit of 2009, when i spent the year working in botswana. no offense, and all love, to my batswana friends, but i gotta call y'all out! going to bots, i had read all the glowing reviews of the country. least corrupt african country, most developed, best cinderella story, going from very poor to high middle income country in ~40years, boomin economy, booming middle class, etc. well, this wasn't exactly the case. In fact, the capital city, Gaborone, was a little more than a glorified village. However, this is about where the comparisons b/w nigeria and botswana end. Personal bias aside, the policy level changes in botswana were actually being felt among the average batswana. I do not recall seeing one beggar in all of Gaborone. People were being put to work, mostly. The average guy in 2009 felt better off than the average guy in 1970. My parents lived in Nigeria in the 1970s and they and many others certainly felt richer, prouder, and more hopeful then than now. theres shame in that.

so the million naira question remains: what is wrong with nigeria and how do you fix it? my parents have many theories; one being that nigerians are simply not patriotic enough and do not own up to their country enough to want to fix things without waiting for the nebulous govt to act. im not so sold on that theory. but the idea of patriotism got me thinking about solidarity. what makes nigerians nigerian? its certainly not language, culture, or a shared sense of identity and belonging. rather, its a bit more modern than that. and perhaps gives some glimpses into what the problem is. if you ask any nigerian on the streets of lagos or elsewhere how they're doing, they will not answer "fine", like the rest of the world. No, the most common response to that question is simply: "i'm struggling". so perhaps, its a shared sense of struggle that makes nigerians nigerian? its this sense of struggle that makes nigerians get up in the morning and drive through none moving traffic, board well worn, torn, and overcrowded buses, navigate the crater-sized pot-holes on every street and highway. perhaps, also, its this sense of struggle that keeps the nigerian from taking ownership of things such as neighborhood crime, cleanliness, roads, water provision, and infrastructure development and maintenance. to me, these are easy wins for local governments. is it this sense of struggle that gives corrupt politicians (that's almost a pleonasm) a free pass - allowing them to endlessly steal taxpayer money with less than nothing to show for it?

my parents have never stopped dreaming about retiring back to nigeria, and in fact have been building and investing in anticipation for that. however, one could almost hear a doubt in their voices as they lamented over the increasing negative trajectory of development in the country, contrary to a lot of the news one reads about these days. even if were able to diagnose what the problem was - patriotism, corruption, sense of struggle or otherwise - how do we go about fixing it? what am i doing or can i do to address it? that, my friends, is the 2 million naira question.

top-10 things on my mind for 2011

so we're now 8 days into the new year; hope everyone's 2011 is going just as planned - exciting, adventurous, refreshing, etc... mine is going amazingly as i'm still on holiday and i doing what i like, getting back in touch with old mates (many of whom i'd neglected for a year), reading, writing, watching movies, and looking forward to 2 road trips before i start the rigours of work again. why can't i find someone to pay me for this all year??

this post may seem a bit disjointed, but i have a lot going on in my head and i'm using this as my medium (just ur luck!). so to hark back to my old ways a bit, herewith your first top-10 list for 2011. really its more like top-10 things of whats currently on my mind (and in absolutely random order).

10: new years resolutions. the never ending question/ easy icebreaker for the first week of the year. so, how many do you have? or more importantly, how many have you already broken? or, theoretically, do you believe in new years resolutions? i don't really know why this has become a belief over the years; new-agey people are quite famous for the response: "i don't make new years resolutions", or rather, "i don't believe in such things". whether u believe it or not, tough. most people make plans, so whether u do it for a day, week, month, year, etc, chances are you're planning on doing something(s) this year. that, my friend, is a new year's resolution, ka-pish? so i do believe in new years resolutions. so how many have i broken? none!...mainly because in my mind the new years resolution calendar for me hasnt started. still in holiday mode, remember?!

9. new years resolutions(2). mine. i've got quite a few of them actually. i wont mention all of them, but i plan on being more active/sporty. this includes soccer, tennis, squash, cycling, and the occasional gym-ing. i also plan on blogging more regularly (you should expect to see a blog every week...thinking fridays or saturdays or sundays...which means you should be checking this space more often, putting it in your favourites, putting it in your blog feed, etc...). i also plan on resuming my fetish with road trips! the more the merrier. and other resolutions i'll make up as i go along. if you don't have any resolutions, i suggest you check out this list of top 41 places to go in 2011...its inspirational!

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/travel/09where-to-go.html?pagewanted=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha210

8. last years resolutions. i took a look at what my resolutions were in 2010 for shits and giggles, and noticed that i barely got a 50% mark. for those too far removed from school, this means that i barely completed half of what i resolved to do at the beginning of the year. my resolutions included getting my mba (check), enjoying the world cup to the fullest (ok check), being a "man of my words" (ok check), being more disciplined (fail), and doing more outdoors (fail...mostly...tho i did some ultimate frisbee (once) and touch rugby (a few times)). not a whopping success, but im cool with that. just have more to add to my 2011 resolutions.

what a year of african football! i was there!

7. joburg. im finally back to the city of gold, the promised land, the land of flowing honey and butter and malls... so, riddle. how do you know you've arrived in joburg? when u need to go to a mall to do everything that needs to be done (banking, eating, mailing, hair cutting, chilaxing...). you know you've arrived when it rains and all of a sudden you see potholes like never before. you've arrived in joburg when every possible window or door or opening in a house or apt is preceeded by burglar bars. finally, you really know you're in joburg when people show off their beautiful lavish homes with 12 meter tall fences topped by broken glass, topped by electric wiring and fencing, with a private guard and 2 dogs trained to tear human flesh at first sight. then if you manage to step inside the gate, you find yet another set of walls and electric fences and private security system to protect each room of the house. to be fair, on the flip side, you've got some of the friendliest people, the warmest friends, the best places to chill and just hang out. i really love this city!

6. cape town. despite my groanings about this city, i truly believe, in terms of sights and sounds, it is among the 10 or 5 most beautiful places in the world (at least that ive seen). mountains on one side, oceans on the other, driving at sunset, walking on the beach, waking up to see the sunrise on top of a mountain, there's few places better than this. and almost everywhere you go presents a kodak moment.

5. US. i had a very nice christmas here in sa. but i really wanted a white christmas; its been too long since ive seen snow. of course its not all its cracked up to be, but even if you've lived in snow all your life, the sight of fresh snow on the ground (before the snow trucks and the sand and salt) is still an awesome one. like this:

4. sudan. tomorrow, southern sudanese go to the polls to decide on their future. i'm really intrigued by this and i think it will be the beginning of relative peace and progress for the country and the region. it wont be all smoothe and the election probably will have some irreglarities, but i hope and pray that all in all, things go well and southern sudan can soon begin to celebrate its independence and learn to govern themselves in revolutionary and innovative ways and teach africa a thing or two. a lot to ask for, but i've been criticised for being too big of a cynic so heres to trying to regain a bit of my youthful hope-filled days.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12070034

worth reading. edu-ma-cate urselves.

3. cote d'ivoire. 2 concurrent governments? one being run out of a hotel? head-of-government-turned-tyrant? flawed elections? ignorance of people's will? stubbornness to leave office? failed legacy? return to turmoil? yet another set back? does africa ever learn? more importantly do the dim-witted people that govern many african nations ever learn from the past (note i refuse to call these guys and lads leaders)? what happened to the will of the people? what happened to a government for the people? helping those that cannot help themselves? leading progress and innovation, championing democracy, transparency, and good governance? isnt it past due time for some semblance of credible civil society to rise up?!

2. nigeria. never a dull moment. elections set for april with goodluck, maybe, as the leading candidate?? i'm in no mood for puns, but what a great name, mr. goodluck! in all seriousness plenty is riding on this election. nigeria could have a relatively free and fair election and choose a leader from a region that has never produced a president and that has been largely marginalised even though it provides most of the revenue for the country. or it could go the route of the past and have a shambled election filled with more violence and vote rigging and greed than ever before. obviously there's a lot of grey in between. hoping for the best.

1. look all around; theres nothing, but...newness. more than 3 years into my ubuntu adventures, and im finally sick of my blog template. so it's changed! hope you like it. if you don't lemme know and i may or may not listen to your suggestions. there will be more minor changes to come and i may or may not note them as they come. also important, i'm embarking on a project which may produce other new things this year. more to come on that. be sure to *watch this space*!

filmin' it up

After i handed in an assignment literally 4 minutes before it was due on monday night, i decided that for the rest of the week, i would find a way to treat myself. and i think i have, even tho i can't seem to get other excited about it...so since tuesday, i've been enjoying the 12th annual south african internation documentary film festival (encounters.co.za). yes, call me a geek or dork or lame (i can take it), but i tend to enjoy docu's. they are not only entertaining at times, but they teach you a lot about different things and different perspectives. so, i've seen one every night since tuesday (i saw 2 on tuesday night actually) and im planning on continuing this trend until sunday. nevermind that i don't have the money or the time for this kind of venture, i'm treating myself to a well deserved interim break! here are some thoughts on some of the films i've seen so far:

Here Be Dragons
this docu is about a white civil rights attorney, George Bizos; an icon in the struggle against apartheid. George is greek by birth and has represented countless ANC-ers as well as those crucial struggle icons, including the family of steve bantu biko (at the TRC), winnie mandela (multiple times), nelson mandela and others at the rivonia trials, and plenty others who fought for freedom and justice, of all different races. His story is truly inspirational and emotional and he does little to hide his emotions during the film and in his work. His decision to pull out of the truth and reconciliation commission (as the appointed counsel opposing amnesty grants for perpetuators of the previous regime) truly highlights the issues i hear every now and then about the shortcomings of the TRC. he recalls that he was simply sick to his stomach watching people conjure up excuses, blamiing indefensible dead people, and faking half-assed apologies and getting off scot-free from crimes they'd committed. Is this justice?

One of the other bright spots in the film was archbishop desmond tutu (among other dignitaries filmed celebrating birthdays with George). tutu was his usual bright, jovial, and child-like self when describing the truly transformational and inspiration figure of George. he says, watching him during th erivonia trials, you felt like you could give him an oscar for his performance.

On a slightly negative note, the film was a bit confusing at times and could've used a narrator. It also had superfluous information and clips were shown that didn't seem to fit the film. however, the film ended beautifully taping george as he was recognised for his latest book. in his speech, george says (not verbatim):
...people often thank me for the work that i've done over the years, but it is i who need to thank south africa for allowing me to understand that we are not intrinsically different peoples depending on our race, but that we are all part of one race - the human race. Thank you, south africa for allowing me to reach my fulfillment.

Forgotten Gold
This one is about Mulamba Ndaye. Have you heard of him?? No, you probably haven't. And its a shame. Mulamba is from DRC (Zaire) and holds the record for most goals scored (ever) at the African Nations Cup (9) in 1974, when Zaire went on to win the tourney. Till this day that record has not been broken. A few years later, he got caught up in some politics and had to flee the country. He's been living since in exile in south africa, mostly as a car guard (the guy that stands next to your car when you're eating dinner and "watches" it in hopes of a R5 tip at the end of the night). The story was very inspirational and at the end i got to meet and shake hands with the old man himself.

However, the film, i don't think, was very well made. It was also a bit confusing as it kept moving from past to present with little cohesion. and the storyline was lost on me several times. overall tho, the film must be praised, like the others, for highlighting human lives and experiences that we should know about, but don't.

Thembi
this is one about a vocal south african girl who died of aids in 2009. she is one of a very few south africans who was bold enough to talk openly about her HIV status and try to de-mystify it(actually one of the pioneers). great story, but in the end, she dies as a result of her not continuing with her medication. the film doesnt really go too much into this, but i suspect she was overwhelmed with the sudden "stardom" and also the constant realisation that she would have to take these mountains of drugs for the rest of her life.

the bad part: brilliant film, but again the point of it was lost on me. yes, people should be able to talk more openly about these issues and not risks being teased or ostracised or beaten, but i dont think that goes far enough. i kept asking myself, so what? thembi went all over south africa and to the US in her campaign, but what exactly was she campaigning for. I'm still not sure. was it for the use of condoms? or for abstinence? or for women's rights to be empowered to ask their man to use a condom? the film doesnt really help in this regard. and then she died. whats her legacy and why was her campaign important. what lives on? the audience is left with too many questions.

The gardner and his 21 flowers
this film is about a zambian man who essentially runs an orphanage from his small home/farm. only thing is that the orphans are the children of his dead relatives (mostly sisters) from AIDS. William, the gardner, barely has anything, only his garden where he grows fruits and vegies and tries to keep out monkeys who often come to destroy his crops. from this (and the small rats the children catch) he must feed feed the 21 and hope to have some left over so he can sell to the locals and buy some meat every once in a while, or pay for schooling, or school clothes, etc. the family is obviously poor and receives no grants or assistance from the government but the film shows a family clearly rich in love for each other. my question: what is the role of government if it is not to provide for those like william and his family, who cannot provide for themselves. in the course of the film we witness some deaths in the family, due to curable illness like malaria and severe malnutrition in most of the children (from the protruding bellies). one girls says she sometimes wishes she was dead, so that she wouldnt be so hungry. my guess is that its not only sometimes.

this story is not unique to william, but rampant all over the world, particularly in africa. first instinct is to be sad, next is to be angry at government's inaction and corrupt ways, but i think finally we realise that the idea here is to do what we can with what we have. "to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded."

whiter than white

i just realised and have become overwhelmed with the amount of work i shouldve done and need to do for this week...so instead of doing that i decided to go into panic mode and update this blog instead of actually doing work. strange??? me thinks not.

sometimes i just start writing blog entries and then come up with a suitable title afterward. this time i did it the reverse, which means that i now have to try to fit what i want to write about to the title. i had an experience last weekend that really bothered me, stirring up emotions that i hadn't felt in quite some time. i think it still bugs me; so i'm now writting it down. whether or not it helps, who knows.

when i speak of my experience in mississippi (deep south US), I'm typically a little negative in my tone and i generally speak of that not being the most ideal first impression to get of the US. Coming from a place where I knew nothing of discrimination and racism, it was such a slap in the face and key first-hand lesson, to see racism clearly at work. and what was even more striking: racism within blacks. in fact, i encountered an overwhelmingly greater sense of racism and ignorance amongst blacks than i did amongst whites. [till today, i maintain that almost everyone, if not everyone, of every race and culture, holds some degree of racism and must learn to deal with it...tho plenty disagree with me].

Anyway, after my initial shock living in mississippi, I quickly forgot about those moments as i had much better and friendlier times in st louis and chicago. living in south africa has been another learning experience; but one that hasn't really bothered me too much as i understand that the country is enterring a period of growing pains. of course, occassionally i get stopped and harrassed at the airport for being nigerian, or followed in the book store by a black guard to ensure i dont steal any books or read that one book about black liberation that im not supposed to, i presume. usually, these things dont bother me. i just smile and nod and occassionally make a snide remark to the guard, or border control, or whoever.

last weekend, i was showing a high school friend of mine (who happens to be white) around cape town. a bit of context is key here: black (at least those in joburg) typically say they like cape town, but could never live here because its often so racist and unwelcoming. i've never believed these allegations completely. I mean, sure, cape town, isn't the most welcoming place; even white foreigners complain of how difficult it is to assimilate into the culture and find close friends, but the onus of relationship building rest on both parties equally. Also, I guess i wasn't really trying to assimilate to 'cape town' culture, whatever that is, so i couldnt be bothered. anyway, i deviate. point is: cape town can be a racist place. so can anywhere. oxford, mississippi was definitely a racist place (at least in 1992-94).

so i take my friend out to a bar/lounge in greenpoint, Jade's, and the bouncer guy refuses to let us in. He makes up some story about the night being dead (obviously not true, as we can see people in the lounge) and therefore he couldnt let us in. Regardless, I simply wanted to show him a cape town hangg out spot, stay for like 30min and then leave. While I'm trying to understand this guy's rationale, large groups of girls walk straight in, no questions asked. later, a group of guys walk up and in, few questions asked. one small detail: everyone who's walked in so far are white. so again, i ask mr. bouncer guy whats the deal. immediately out of nowhere, this dude starts using the n-word. btw, this dude is not american and while i've heard the n-word passed around lifelessly here in SA, it bothers me a lot because people dont know the meaning of what theyre saying and just use the word. there's a similar derogatory term used here in sa, the k-word, but if u even dare use the word in jest, ur as good as dead. but this guy continued to use the n-word, and began to raise his voice and essentially bark at me and my friend, as we're walking away from this ignorant fool. best of all, this guy was black. and ignorant. and racist. flashes of mississippi.

i thought i could just pass this on as another annoying moment in the span of many annoying moments, but i realised later, when i couldnt sleep, that it really bothered me, and, at the time, i wasnt sure exactly why. later, i was chatting to a friend who used to go to this lounge all the time. he mentioned that this same bouncer dude had done the same thing to him when he brought 2 black girls with him; i.e. make up some story about why he couldnt let them into the bar. this guy actually comfronted him about his actions being racist and the bouncer dude just shrugged it off. this guy, like myself, will never step foot in this lounge again.

so why the title. so often when someone utters the word racism or racist we immediately think of a white person doing something to a black person. i think it has become fashionable these days for a black person to outdo white counterparts with regard to racist actions. but since theyre black, and believe that it is impossible for them to be racist, they somehow justify their actions to themselves. however, these people (whether the bouncer guy or the guy following black people in stores, or the police officer racially profiling) want to justify their actions, it is utterly and totally racist, no matter what colour you are. And how are blacks to move beyond and ahead if we continue to mimick and perpetuate the racist actions done to our own kind in the past? I'm not sure i would have been as angry if a white person had denied entry because of the colour of my skin. but for a black person to mimick the same action? thats just another level of disgusting.

i hope the title is not taken to imply that i think white people are racist in general. thats not my point. in fact, as i mentioned, i think most of us have elements of racism within us and the sooner we recognise this, we can develop ways to correct it. while ignorance may be bliss, it is also the surest way to stagnation and backward-thinking. my point, i guess, is that we, as black people, and south africa, as a nation (US could also be included here) are going nowhere, if people within the same race can't even be solid in their stance against racism. i dare that idiot of a bouncer to complain if he is stopped by the police while driving for no reason other than that he is black. how can you complain about an institution when you are part and parcel in perpetuating the same system/mode of thinking?

thats it for my rambling. will try to lighten up the next post.