About a month ago we went to one of the biggest sporting events in the country, Kaizer Chiefs vs. Orlando Pirates. Both soccer teams are from the Joburg area, and the FNB Stadium built for the 2010 World Cup was sold out. This post is not going to cover the argument of the Chiefs' superiority over the Pirates, which is entirely true, but a comment made to me towards the end of the day that stuck out. I'll first point out that my roommate Amanda and I were asked several times to take photos with total strangers. Then as the game started the man seated next to us said "It's nice to see you kind of people at this game." We assumed that photos were requested because the "kind of people" we are are white people. In a stadium of 95,000 people, I could probably count the number of white people I saw on two hands. In South Africa, soccer is a historically black sport, while rugby is the historically white sport. Even typing these descriptions feels strange to me, but it's how it is in this country. After the game, we returned to our car, which I had to drive over the curb and up a hill while four people pushed from behind in order to park, to find that we were completely parked in and were going nowhere fast. While waiting I sat on a metal beam near the street as Chiefs and Pirates fans flowed past. At first I didn't notice all the stares I was receiving, then I began to notice some were giving me looks of confusion that would turn into warm smiles when they saw me smile at them. I realized they were confused at this random, lone, white girl with Chiefs attire, face paint, and a vuvuzela (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzela). Most people reacted in some way when they saw me sitting there, either by blatently pointing at me and speaking in another language, giving me the peace sign and yelling "Amakhosi for life!" or embracing me in a hug and calling me their "Amakhosi sister!" (Amakhosi means "Chief" in Zulu). The reaction that most caught me off guard was a man who jokingly asked, "Are you lost?" I laughed and told him that no, I was not lost, which he laughed at as well.
There have been many times I've felt completely lost since arriving in South Africa, but that moment was not one of them. Racial issues are obviously beyond complex in this country and I can only share what I have experienced as a white, female, American. South Africans are very blunt about race and categorize most people as black, white, or coloured, which is mixed. In Vereeniging, most of the white people are Afrikaaners, and black and white people are usually only seen together in the workplace. As an interracial household, we get stared at constantly when we are eating at restaurants, stopping at the grocery store, driving down the street etc. This is not the case when we're in Johannesburg though, where people of all skin colors are enjoying each others' friendship and company out on the town. I also realize this happens in American cities too depending on where in the country you are, the size of the town, the history of the place, etc. Cory and I were also asked one day at a coffee shop if we found black people to be more friendly than white people, which struck me as a bold and blunt question, but a question that I had actually thought about previously and found that yes, I feel that way here in Vereeniging. Note that this question was asked by a white woman and that she felt the same way, that black people are more friendly around here. While these thoughts, realizations and conversations sometimes make me uncomfortable they are part of what I experience in my South African home. This conversation is one that enters my thoughts often and makes me wonder "why am I feeling this way?"
Language is also closely tied in with racial issues here. There are eleven official languages and at the beginning of my stay here I found it weird that I was determining how to greet someone based on the color of their skin. White people typically speak Afrikaans (which I get spoken to in often, with no response on my end, leading to confusion of all kinds) or English. The other nine languages are typically the first languages of black or colored people. From my observations white people know one or two languages, while black and colored people seem to know five or more. In secondary school, in order for a student to receive their "matric,"which is basically graduating from high school, students must pass a national exam that is only offered in English or Afrikaans. Hmmmm, for a country with eleven official languages, is that okay?
Growing up in Eau Claire, where 91% of the population is white (2010 census), I remember feeling uncomfortable referring to someone as "black" or "African American" because different people prefer to be identified differently. Here it is much simpler to identify someone as, black, white or coloured. Every other issue surrounding race is far from simple. I may have confused you in this post or said some things that made you uncomfortable. This is basically how I feel most days. It's difficult to put into words what I see or feel when it comes to race here. One more thing before I sign off for now: presidential elections are May 7th and many are voting for the ANC, which is the party of the current president who got majorly booed at both Mandela's funeral and the South Africa vs. Brazil soccer game. He's a corrupt dude, but it's looking like he'll be kept in office for five more years because he represents the ANC, which is the political party that led the fight to end apartheid and the political party of Mandela. Even though the ANC is not doing much for this country and has diverged greatly from what it once stood for, people will still vote that way because it brought along the first black president. There's even a "No Vote" campaign started by people who are encouraging others to not vote since they feel the government is corrupt and their vote won't do anything. Just another snippet for you to think about. Welcome to my rambling brain on the issues here!
I love and miss you all very much. It was especially hard being away from home this past week as we lost our dear pupster, Madeline. As my mom put it, she lived to give and get love, which we could all learn a lot from. It was also my mom's birthday yesterday, and birthdays are always sad to miss! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter holiday and ate lots of Reese's eggs and Starburst jellybeans!!!! Those are my favorites!
love.love.love.
Kelly a.k.a. Naledi (my African name, meaning "star")
P.S. If you are interested in supporting the work my roommates and I are doing at Sedibeng College, here is a way you can do it. We have amazing students but lack many resources for them, so we are raising funds for the many projects we are initiating! Any amount helps! Thank you so much. More information can be found on the following link: http://www.gofundme.com/7f5sgw
Language is also closely tied in with racial issues here. There are eleven official languages and at the beginning of my stay here I found it weird that I was determining how to greet someone based on the color of their skin. White people typically speak Afrikaans (which I get spoken to in often, with no response on my end, leading to confusion of all kinds) or English. The other nine languages are typically the first languages of black or colored people. From my observations white people know one or two languages, while black and colored people seem to know five or more. In secondary school, in order for a student to receive their "matric,"which is basically graduating from high school, students must pass a national exam that is only offered in English or Afrikaans. Hmmmm, for a country with eleven official languages, is that okay?
Growing up in Eau Claire, where 91% of the population is white (2010 census), I remember feeling uncomfortable referring to someone as "black" or "African American" because different people prefer to be identified differently. Here it is much simpler to identify someone as, black, white or coloured. Every other issue surrounding race is far from simple. I may have confused you in this post or said some things that made you uncomfortable. This is basically how I feel most days. It's difficult to put into words what I see or feel when it comes to race here. One more thing before I sign off for now: presidential elections are May 7th and many are voting for the ANC, which is the party of the current president who got majorly booed at both Mandela's funeral and the South Africa vs. Brazil soccer game. He's a corrupt dude, but it's looking like he'll be kept in office for five more years because he represents the ANC, which is the political party that led the fight to end apartheid and the political party of Mandela. Even though the ANC is not doing much for this country and has diverged greatly from what it once stood for, people will still vote that way because it brought along the first black president. There's even a "No Vote" campaign started by people who are encouraging others to not vote since they feel the government is corrupt and their vote won't do anything. Just another snippet for you to think about. Welcome to my rambling brain on the issues here!
I love and miss you all very much. It was especially hard being away from home this past week as we lost our dear pupster, Madeline. As my mom put it, she lived to give and get love, which we could all learn a lot from. It was also my mom's birthday yesterday, and birthdays are always sad to miss! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter holiday and ate lots of Reese's eggs and Starburst jellybeans!!!! Those are my favorites!
love.love.love.
Kelly a.k.a. Naledi (my African name, meaning "star")
P.S. If you are interested in supporting the work my roommates and I are doing at Sedibeng College, here is a way you can do it. We have amazing students but lack many resources for them, so we are raising funds for the many projects we are initiating! Any amount helps! Thank you so much. More information can be found on the following link: http://www.gofundme.com/7f5sgw
