I just landed in La Guardia and got into a taxi heading off to Manhattan. I settled in and gave the driver the details of my hotel. I was surprised - he was one of the few taxi drivers in New York with a New York accent. Imagine that. An ex-firefighter he told me. He leaned back in that taxi driver way and half looking over his shoulder asked me where I am from (out the corner of his mouth the way taxi driver do). “South Africa”, I replied, not really thinking about it. He went quiet for a little bit - no small feat for a New York taxi driver. I could see him frowning at himself - thinking what to say in reply. He leaned back and said, “So where is that?” Huh? “Hum, it is a country in the Southern part of Africa”, I replied - not sure what to actually say. Silence again. I could see his eyes in the review mirror and it was clear he had no idea where to go with this conversation. He looked at me in the review mirror and said, “So, who’s the President of Africa?” WTF? How do I answer that one? “Well. Hum”, was all I could initially think of saying. Silence from my side trying to figure out an answer. Do I ask if he has ever heard of Nelson Mandela? Do I explain Africa is a continent and not a country? Do I say South Africa is the name of a country? No wait - I got it. I looked at him and said, “Robert Mugabe”.
I mean really. What was I going to say?
I am from Africa. Here’s the problem with that. If I said I am from America what would you think? US of A right? There is only one America in the eyes of the world. When people talk about America they don’t mean the continent, they mean the country. But in Africa we have the opposite problem. People think Africa is just some uniform place somewhere off the coast of Australia or England. Yeah, many people think we are just a single entity with people who are all the same no matter where you go.
You can find Italian Americans in the USA and French Canadians in Canada, but there is no such thing as an Italian African or French African. Except if they got lost in the Dakar Rally somehow. No. To the world we are just Africans in Africa. All the same. A uniform country where we all speak Swahili or some or other version of clicking noises. (The God’s must be Crazy is seen as a hard hitting documentary!)
I wish we were this uniform. It would make things a bit easier. I mean really. In South Africa we have 11 official languages. And it doesn’t mean that if you knew one that you would know the other. Nope. It’s like Spanish and English - completely foreign to each other. Oh, we have some words we share - lekker and bakkie being a few we share in South Africa. Some more can be found at A-Broader View. Can you imagine 11 official languages? But we do have something in common. We are South African. And fiercely proud of it. Like all other countries we believe that our country is the greatest on this earth. A blessing from God. And we use our own criteria - like all other countries. The US measures it in wealth and the “American dream”. The German on their efficiency. The Brits on fish and chips, and warm beers. We measure ours on our past that we have overcome. That ours are the most just of societies. Where people from all backgrounds, ethnic groups, sexual orientation and religions can hang out together and have fun. Yes our great spirit is never better seen than when we are having a party. Which is most of the time. Oh, and don’t forget that we are the world champions in rugby, ranked number one in cricket for One Day Internationals and a string of players in the Top 20 in golf - and guess who will host the 2010 Soccer World Cup? Yeah! South Africa - the greatest nation in the world! (According to South Africans and a few of the most informed and wisest citizens of other countries.)
You know why Africans always smile and wave at each other? Because we are to sh*t scared of opening our mouths and having to speak to the other person. Which language do we pick? We have over 2,000 languages in Africa. So it makes it a bit difficult to pick one. Okay, we have the colonialist to thank for giving us English and French - most of us can speak one of the two. Badly, yes. But we can somehow communicate with each other. And a beer always helps to make the understanding a bit easier.
Here’s my other problem with people thinking of Africa as a country. I was on NewsBusters to “engage” them. If that’s what you want to call it… Well. Not everyone appreciated my superior wit and intelligence. (Hah - stop laughing!) What I found odd was that they always started talking about Africa and how bad it was - full or wars, Marxists, failed states, poverty etc. Well, they only did this when I pointed out flaws in some of their arguments - such as Obama not being Muslim or President Bush was maybe not a war hero. And then they got even more pissed when I started talking about Africa.
You see, Africa has many failed states. But we also have many good ones. Zambia, for instance, is more Swiss than the Swiss themselves. Yes, Zambia is as poor as you can get. Nothing there but some copper and poverty. They don’t even have a sea - they are landlocked. But Zambia has the friendliest people in the world Never been in a war - inside or outside their borders. And Botswana has been a fast growing economy for as long as I can remember. And Mozambique is growing at an enormous rate since the end of the war and offer so much in tourism. And Senegal has one of the greatest Presidents of Africa and the world - Wade. And…
Yes. There is a Zambia for every Zimbabwe. A Senegal for every Sudan. For every Equatorial Guinea an Egypt. A Botswana for Burundi. We are as diverse as the 52 independent states (60 if you include the territories) in Africa. As different as our languages. As straight or as crooked as our borders. We are black, brown, grey, white, pink, yellow - and any other shade you can think of. We are a crazy bunch who don’t get borders but will defend it to the death. We are mad, sometimes bad, too often sad, but always glad. We might not be a country. But we are Africans. And proud of it. Robert Mugabe or not.
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12 responses so far ↓
EnergyEngineer // April 6, 2008 at 12:26 pm
What can I say, I learned something. Yes I knew about Sudan and the South Africa were countries.
Apartheid was a rebellion in South Africa. And I had a quote from Nelson Mandala on my wall growing up.
“Our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate,
but that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, handsome, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some; it is in everyone.”
I know from this he was a good man. Other then that I know nothing about him or Apartheid. ( I had to look up the spelling. ) Public School didn’t seem to think any history beyond WW2. Right now I don’t have time to look it up and judge the accuracy of the statements. I am sure there are two sides to the story. I am inclined to go with N. Mandela side. Not that the other side didn’t do good things. They probably had some greater evil that overshadowed things.
cooper // April 6, 2008 at 6:22 pm
It is a shame in the world we live in , as global as it claims to be, that those in this country are so ignorant of Africa, the continent. I would hazard a guess though that the continent of Africa is not all they are ignorant about, some may be just as ignorant of their own country.
I do remember being taught about Africa, about Apartheid, and the various histories of the different colonizations, so there is hope, it is being taught.
It is frustrating though.
I worked prior to starting grad school and still do, only in lesser form, with an international non governmental humanitarian organization. I made a dear friend ( my mentor when I started there) when I started there as an intern, she is from Liberia , and I have heard much the same from her.
Jen // April 6, 2008 at 7:41 pm
And I lived in Africa, North Africa-Algeria to be exact. The fabled Atlas mountains, the Sahara , the Berbers, the Arabs, the French. What we know about the continent and many peoples who live and love there could fit on a teaspoon. Keep informing us, my friend. The more we see humanity the more we grow closer.
DelBoy // April 6, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Not only Americans are ignorant (in the nicest possible way) of Africa being a continent. Over here in Australia it’s not much different. As you mentioned, people assume that we all speak the same language and when you say you’re from South Africa they think that you are from the South of Africa (which I know we are, but you know what I mean - like “I’m from the South of France” type of thing.)
Is this because they come from such large countries and many never leave their own borders? Many Aussies travel, but how many get to Africa?
Segeju // April 7, 2008 at 10:03 am
Nice post.
One thing that really gets me is when Americans tell me I have an accent. Why can’t they be the ones with the accent? As far as I’m concerned, the way I speak is normal and it is they who have an accent!
I always think the the rest of the world should rebel. Why should our realities be judged from an American (USA) frame of reference?
Segeju // April 7, 2008 at 10:07 am
And also the way many Americans can’t seem to read/correctly pronounce a name that isn’t Smith or Brown etc.
They never even try to read it correctly! I guess because it’s not a ‘normal’ name?
—-
Well, I take that back… I’ve heard numerous S.Ans pronounce Bob’s name ‘Moo-gay-b’. And I was like whattheheck??
ilovemylife // April 8, 2008 at 12:03 am
Great post!
Odette // April 8, 2008 at 6:41 am
@ Segeju
Moo-gay-b?
LOL, thanks for making me laugh my friend.
poetik // April 9, 2008 at 3:11 am
i really understand your, may i say, frustrations? its very interesting indeed. but you are a bit lucky, you come from South Africa, and its not a small country, and anyone who knows anything about Africa, knows South Africa exists. imagine coming from Botswana…that is a huge problem my man. you are always explaining why you are not from South Africa but southern Africa, and what the difference is. sometimes you are asked whether Botswana is not part of South Africa, and you say “its a different country”, “whereabouts?”…”southern Africa”…”ohh, South Africa”
but i find it even more interesting that our children know so much about European history and American history, things like Bismark etc and that is not necessarily unwelcome, but they also tend to not know much about African history before colonisation. i have met South Africans who have no idea where Botswana is…and i am talking about right in Johannesburg, about 400km from Botswana. … its a shame my brother. But it will improve, i think in our subcontinent, since independence we have had better infrastructure which allows for easy travel in between our various countries. i meet South Africans in Gaborone who are just staying, and i meet Tanzanians visiting, and we Batswana also travel and spend holidays in Namibia, Mozambique etc. i think because our subcontinent is probably one of the most peaceful, we have tended to move abit more freely through the region, and that will help. we also need to really emphasise Africa Studies in our curriculum.
you don't say... // April 9, 2008 at 10:44 pm
Excellent post. I love how you responded to the NY taxi driver. You know, people are always surprised when I tell them there are alot of “non-African” cultures represented in African countries. I always get shocked reactions when I tell people I carpooled with an Indian in Nigeria and that there are plenty of Asians there. There were whites there too (in my classes).
I agree with your point about Africa studies. I know tooooooooooons about European History and probably more about countries in Europe than I do about other countries in Africa.
Snoop Diggity-DANG-Dawg // April 10, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Newsflash: Africa isn’t a country. It’s a county.
Nna // April 22, 2008 at 2:56 am
@Snoop Diggity-DANG-Dawg
“The Whole World is AFRICA”
The rest o you is just on some islands floatin’ rounda edges . . . lOl
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