Yesterday was a drive to the beautiful wine country which starts about 45 minutes outside the Cape Town. Spectacular views of the mountains, vineyards, and lush farm country comprising the area around the city. Highlights included a buffet lunch at a local farm with gourmet offerings alongside typical South African fare. By far the best meal I've had here.
En route home we stopped near Stellenbosch and happened upon a man with his young son walking their little doggie. We talked to him for about 15 minutes about his life, work, and experiences, particularly since the lifting of Apartheid. He and his wife are school teachers in this town of predominantly colored people. When I asked about his ethnicity, he said Cape Malay but apparently his and most people's primary identification is South African. Our guide Graham explained that this was a result of the work of Nelson Mandela who saved the country from certain ruin by unifying the races and tribes when Apartheid was defeated. Once de Klerk (Afrikaner) stepped down as prime minister and Mandela was elected, he and Bishop Desmond Tutu instituted a two-year period of pardon. Whites and others who carried out acts of terror and violence to support the White government were invited to ask forgiveness from their black and colored victims or from the families of victims. Doing so resulted not only in absolution for the perpetrators but in freedom from prosecution by the new government.
We had a black guide in Johannesburg and a white guide in Cape Town and I got different perspectives from talking with and listening to the two of them. Our accommodation in Jo'burg was owned by a wealthy white family and staffed by black and colored people. These terms used to describe race in South Africa are challenging for me. I asked quite a few questions of Graham. So I get black and white but what does colored mean? And Indians appeared to have their own category. Colored people could be Asians and others who looked to me like Pacific Islanders. I was quite uncomfortable with the labels although Graham kept assuring me that many race-related words that made me cringe were just fine in today's South Africa. If I get a chance, I am going to ask a black person here what they think. Our black guide talked extensive about Nelson Mandela who is revered by all and considered the savior of his people as well as the savior of his nation.
At it's best, South Africa does not discriminate between the races or the sexes. Still, many live in areas consisting only of whites, or blacks, or coloreds which may be the result of economics and not segregation. I don't know if schools are integrated at the primary and high school levels but suspect it is like the US and depends more on where people can afford to live. Education is a priority in this country and the literacy rate is reported at 70% which, if true, is great progress.
Like most things in life, the large issues are complex and without easy answers. In the few decades since the fall of Apartheid, the country appears to have turned around on many levels. Opportunities are increased, the standard of living has improved, and there is more harmony among the people. But there is persistent corruption in the government, there are black and colored people living in abject poverty (terrible slums in parts of Cape Town and Jo'burg), there are many homeless people living on the streets and there problems with drugs and alcohol abuse. Sounds like many big cities in the United States.
En route home we stopped near Stellenbosch and happened upon a man with his young son walking their little doggie. We talked to him for about 15 minutes about his life, work, and experiences, particularly since the lifting of Apartheid. He and his wife are school teachers in this town of predominantly colored people. When I asked about his ethnicity, he said Cape Malay but apparently his and most people's primary identification is South African. Our guide Graham explained that this was a result of the work of Nelson Mandela who saved the country from certain ruin by unifying the races and tribes when Apartheid was defeated. Once de Klerk (Afrikaner) stepped down as prime minister and Mandela was elected, he and Bishop Desmond Tutu instituted a two-year period of pardon. Whites and others who carried out acts of terror and violence to support the White government were invited to ask forgiveness from their black and colored victims or from the families of victims. Doing so resulted not only in absolution for the perpetrators but in freedom from prosecution by the new government.
We had a black guide in Johannesburg and a white guide in Cape Town and I got different perspectives from talking with and listening to the two of them. Our accommodation in Jo'burg was owned by a wealthy white family and staffed by black and colored people. These terms used to describe race in South Africa are challenging for me. I asked quite a few questions of Graham. So I get black and white but what does colored mean? And Indians appeared to have their own category. Colored people could be Asians and others who looked to me like Pacific Islanders. I was quite uncomfortable with the labels although Graham kept assuring me that many race-related words that made me cringe were just fine in today's South Africa. If I get a chance, I am going to ask a black person here what they think. Our black guide talked extensive about Nelson Mandela who is revered by all and considered the savior of his people as well as the savior of his nation.
At it's best, South Africa does not discriminate between the races or the sexes. Still, many live in areas consisting only of whites, or blacks, or coloreds which may be the result of economics and not segregation. I don't know if schools are integrated at the primary and high school levels but suspect it is like the US and depends more on where people can afford to live. Education is a priority in this country and the literacy rate is reported at 70% which, if true, is great progress.
Like most things in life, the large issues are complex and without easy answers. In the few decades since the fall of Apartheid, the country appears to have turned around on many levels. Opportunities are increased, the standard of living has improved, and there is more harmony among the people. But there is persistent corruption in the government, there are black and colored people living in abject poverty (terrible slums in parts of Cape Town and Jo'burg), there are many homeless people living on the streets and there problems with drugs and alcohol abuse. Sounds like many big cities in the United States.
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