During our sojourn we have looked at how South Africa has tried to move from the hatred and violence that permeated the Apartheid era to the new Democracy. We have spent time in Orlando West gone to museums and truth telling sites. We have spoken with many people and seen the work of a variety of organizations. However the one thing I have noticed and was really cemented in my mind by our lecturer today was the fact that we have almost universally had a perspective from the victors and to not put to fine a point on it from a black perspective.
Aside from our first lecturer at UCT and Dr. Foster we have not spoken with White South Africans. I do not mean to say that we should focus on them or that they are more valuable or any such nonsense. What I mean is that our perspective is one that has been of rose coloured glasses. Like Hoffman I was oblivious to what might be right in my face. As Dr. Foster said there are serious problems still facing this country it is not even really all that advanced, if we are really not going to pull punches. The murder rate in South Africa is the highest in the world the unemployment rate is 41%. So many people think that this is the time for South Africa to shine but the current government is doing some things that the National Party and others before them did. For example there are a huge number of shanty houses along the road from Cape Town’s airport so they are trying to shine them up or else hide them. Has the city forgotten district 6? I wonder when someone will finally “wait what do these people want?”
I am not saying that there has not been great change and improvement but things are not as rosy as they seem and I believe that we have not had the chance to be exposed to the other side. I would personal use this in my own endeavors towards making a truth telling site in the San Luis Valley by making sure to fully research all aspects pull in the community re-research then perhaps I might have just scratched the surface. However that is not to say this course is a failure I applauded the fact I was able to draw this from what I have experienced. I think that the course is ongoing and I know already that it will be changing with new sections added and others removed the same as any other course. I think it is also hard to get a white perspective because many of the opinions that would shine light on these dark places are hard to get without placing ourselves at great risk.
I do not know the answer to this question and I do not claim to I simply realized that there was an element to the idea of reconciliation that had not been touched upon and I wished to place it in the open for people to comment on.
Hamba Kahle! Until we meet again Ryan E. Hardman
P.S. Of the lecturers we have had 2 have been white 2 have been african and 1 was coloured. However as I stated above I am talking about the organizations and people "in the field".
Mimi
My inspiration
A little history from the horses mouth
- Cabeza de Vaca
- I am a native of Boulder who has grown up with a diverse family that has lead me down many different and winding paths. I work in music but love history, I hold to the past but strive to know the future. I am a traveler who makes contacts in many different locals and who holds his word to be worth more then his weight in gold.
Interesting! I'd be interested to know if the unemployment rate has been broken down by race. That would also give one a different perspective on the 41%. I would guess it's much lower for white South Africans, perhaps in part because they have had the advantage, until recently, of better and free access to education.
ReplyDeleteI see that you say 2 of your lecturers were white and 2 were African... Is it really accepted that there can be such a thing as a "white African"? In Zimbabwe the answer is probably no, at least until Mugabe and cronies are long gone. In the USA we have "African Americans", but at least they are called Americans.... It is easy to be "color blind" when you only encounter people of the same race, much harder when the mixing is more even.
ReplyDelete