Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is
the inheritor of our fear. Let him not love the earth too deeply... For fear
will rob him of all if he gives too much. (Alan
Paton, author)
South Africa has it all: incredible natural beauty, diverse
wildlife, extraordinary mineral wealth, and wonderful people of many races.
`
South Africa should be full of hope, not despair; pride not
shame; love not hate.
South Africa is full of problems: unemployment, disease, economic struggles, violence, and racial tensions.
I visited recently to try to understand this contradiction just a little. I fell
in love with the country – how could anyone not? But I was also frustrated by
the sense that this is a country that falls far, far short of its potential for
its people, the continent of Africa and the world as a whole. There is so much
to learn from South Africa – both positive and negative.
We all belong to South Africa, and South Africa belongs
to us all. (Nelson Mandela’s law partner,
Oliver Tambo)
This is the first of a series of blog posts in which I am
recording my impressions from this short visit, and the research that
surrounded it.
South Africa is described as the “Rainbow Nation” (Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s vision)
and so it should be. But as yet, 24 years after the first democratic election, I’m
not sure the label sticks.
In 1994, all of South Africa went to the polls and elected
the African National Policy, headed by the great man himself, Nelson Mandela,
to lead them. Hope and expectations were high. The ANC promised economic and
social justice and prosperity for all South Africans. Now, 24 years later,
nobody would claim that these ideals have been attained.
It was always going to be difficult. Hundreds of years of colonial
and inter-tribal conflict had done great damage. Even ANC supporters are
disappointed with how it has turned out. The ANC is struggling to maintain
enough of a base to keep some kind of majority in next year’s elections, so the
old promises are being rolled out again. But the country needs far more than
promises. Nelson Mandela’s vision was of a unified country, working together to
use all its advantages to benefit every single South African – white, colored,
Indian or black. If only he could have cloned himself!
Still, the potential is there. It is palpable in the laid
back and diverse city of Cape Town. It pulsates in the busy, not always
comfortable, city of Johannesburg and Soweto. It is more peacefully evident in a
Xhosa or Zulu village. It can’t be escaped in the extraordinary natural beauty
of a drive up the Garden Route of the Western Cape, or in the Kwa-Zulu Natal
and Eastern Cape Wild Coast.
The very diversity of the wild life in South Africa seems
like a metaphor for the country’s human diversity.
Visit if you can – I promise you won’t be disappointed. But
don’t expect to solve any problems. It will take more than an individual – even
one like Nelson Mandela. He couldn’t have said it any better:
If there are dreams
about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal.
Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness.
It will take the whole country, perhaps the whole world. It
will take time, perhaps several generations. But it is worth it – the world
would be so much the richer for a healthy South Africa. Pray for her, and for
her people. The Xhosa song Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika was the cry of hope that
formed the heart of the fight against apartheid – God Bless Africa!)
Xhosa
|
English
|
Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika
Maluphakanyis' uphondo lwayo Yiva imithandazo yethu Nkosi sikelela, Thina lusapho lwayo Chorus Yehla Moya, Yehla Moya, Yehla Moya Oyingcwele |
Lord, bless Africa
May her Spirit be lifted high Hear Thou our prayers And bless us. Chorus Descend, O Spirit Descend, O Holy Spirit |
One more thing - huge thanks to Stephen Abelsohn stephengo2southafrica.com / www.go2southafrica.com) who custom-designed and arranged this most amazing trip.
Stay tuned for a little more depth on some of the colors of South Africa!
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