Not My South Africa

With all of the reports on what is going in South Africa these days I couldn’t help but mull over some things. The South Africa that is in the news is not my South Africa, it is not the country or the culture that I enjoy seeing all over the news, but it is part of the whole story.

Xenophobia is not a new phenomenon in South Africa. It has been around ever since the first Europeans landed in what become Cape Town, and probably even before then. During my time there I saw not only racial tensions, but tribal tensions, and national tensions. The town of Pietermaritzburg is home to many immigrants from other African countries, primarily Zimbabwe and Mozambique (which are the two countries that have the highest populations in South Africa due to their close proximity). Many of these people are students at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal and through some of the work I did on campus I got to know many of them. One story was from a man who was in the graduate ministry program at UKZN and was trying to also earn money to bring his family into South Africa. He was from Zimbabwe and worked as a Pastor there in the rural areas. He left because of the political tensions in his area and because he was told that because of his brother’s political status that he too was being watched and was in a lot of danger. He told me that Pastors were expected to carry both a Bible and a gun and to choose a side. If he chose wrong he would be killed. So, he made sure his family was safe and he left. He expected to be safe in South Africa but it was not as welcoming as he thought. He had to hide where he was from and who he was from certain people and decided to learn the isiZulu language in order to blend in. He told me a story of how one day he was at a barber shop getting his hair cut and some men there were talking about how many “Zims” were “taking over” Pietermaritzburg and how if they could they would chase them out or just kill them. Obviously these men did not know that he was from Zimbabwe because by that time he had perfected his isiZulu (which is not at all easy) and was blending in well in the community. He left the barber shop quickly and said that he has been fearful ever since. I sat there and spoke with him about this and while he was telling me these things I was mortified, and he was speaking to me with such calmness, you’d think we were talking about the weather. This wasn’t what I had expected to hear about this place, but it also was not a rare story. As a foreigner myself I wouldn’t say that I was concerned of my safety but I learned to tread lightly. For the most part I was welcomed with open arms but also curiosity. Some of this curiosity was aggressive and some wasn’t. I would constantly face the question, “Why are you here?”. I typically was heard out and accepted though some were still not completely thrilled to have an American walking around. I was lucky though to be part of a community that was thrilled to have me walking around and enjoyed the time I was there, just as much as I enjoyed being there. So it didn’t quite make sense to me to hear such a story of misunderstanding and hate. Luckily he was not just met with xenophobic people but also the South Africans that I knew best, those who are welcoming and kind and willing to share in each other’s cultures. There is and always will be a divide; those who are closed off and hateful and those who are open and understanding. We just have to hope that those who are open stay the majority.

And South Africa is not the only country in the world that struggles with these issues, I mean, look at America! The immigration topic is always a hot one and stirs up issues from jobs to healthcare to education. The difference is where and how these arguments happen, many times it is behind closed doors, in court rooms, in deserts, in the streets of a township, or the Rio Grande. The truth of the matter is there are people fighting for opportunities and fighting for their lives every day, it just depends on where the spotlight falls. And currently it has fallen on South Africa. Whether it’s the Rainbow Nation or the Melting Pot at some point things boil over and tensions run high; whether it’s the economy being bad, local officials not doing their jobs, natural disasters, or religious debates, something will always cause people to lash out. But it is such a small population of people who do so and it is unfortunate that we base our opinions of entire countries on those few. South Africa is not an unwelcoming, violent, or cruel place. In fact it is the exact opposite, it is a country of beauty and love and hope, but also a dark and troubled past. That past can rear its ugly head from time to time and remind people of their differences more than their common ground. It is something that we as Americans can absolutely relate to, especially given the current racial charged events going on in our own country.

What bothers me most though is this overuse of the term –phobia, words like Xenophobia and Homophobia. Afraid? Really? A phobia is an uncontrollable fear, something that paralyzes us and controls us, it is quite literally a mental disorder. In my opinion the dislike or even hatred of another person because of their race, country of origin, or sexual preference is not a fear, it is not uncontrollable, it is not paralyzing, it is an ignorant and purposeful disregard for other people. Why? Why are we afraid of each other? What is so threatening about the fact that a man loves and wants to marry another man? What is so terrifying about a person coming to another country to escape a dangerous situation and start a better life? Nothing, there is nothing scary about either of those things. Now, to be fair I will not count out the fact that people have different lives and experiences, they are shaped by their interactions with others and the way they were raised. But, we all have a choice. We choose whether or not to bring down our fists or to shoot the gun, we choose who we listen to and who we shut out, we choose. I don’t mean to say that you have to get along with or love everyone, but if you decide who you want to love or hate based completely on where they came from or their lifestyle than that is where I draw the line.

The world has some serious problems and most, if not all of them, start and end with us. There is a group of people in South Africa that chose a violent and destructive path and have opened the door for others to do the same. But there is a much larger group of people in that country that will not make that choice, people that will stand up with others and say “we are all Africa”… So, my South Africa is not what you see on the news, it is not violent or destructive; my South Africa is welcoming, my South Africa is the place I called home, my South Africa is beautiful.