Afrika Mayibuye

"For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."
- Madiba -

There are two types of people in South Africa: those who are negative about the future of the country and those who are optimistic. This is a complicated country to say the least and this basic seperation is the only description that can be made of its people in one sentence, all others will require many more paragraphs.

Why people feel either way is because of two reasons: apartheid and the end of apartheid. This racist and degenerate form of politics still resounds in South Africa today because it was so very succesful in what it aimed to achieve. The seperation and race-laws which were adapoted by the white supremacists had negative consequences on both white and black although it is obvious that the black people (or Africans) suffered the greatest humiliations and pain. The laws were of course targetted at them as well as the Indian and coloured population. The negative consequence for the white people only became apparent after the formal end of apartheid in 1994. Many whites who had grown up in the years after the Second World War had not known any political system besides apartheid and were therefore severely disadvantaged to deal with the new democracy and "freedom for all". The whites had of course also been seperated during these years and the sudden interaction with black people was a new experience to which some reacted with disgust, uncertainty or joy. Many Africans had also been "succesfully" brainwashed into believing that they would forever be servants of their white countrymen while at the same time the general white population knew no other way of life then to have black people work for them. These two opposites collided when South Africa was freed and their impact can still be felt today.

Negative: The End of Apartheid

I have come across many white people who are negative about the future of South Africa and their place in it. This is partly because they have lost the most, if I can put it like that, since the new democracy was installed. The fact is of course that the Nasionale Partij had given whites those rights and benefits which should have been enjoyed by all. This National Party was ultimately responsible for introducing the term "apartheid", although some of its attributes had already been in place before their election to power in 1948. Their rise to power came as a shock to blacks and whites alike: the English-speaking United Party had always been the dominant political group and they had made South Africa join the Allies in the fight against nazi Germany during WWII. Its popularity was enormous, surely after defeating the nazis they would be able to handle the racist National Party as well? Unfortunately this proved not to be the case. The freedom and the few rights that non-whites enjoyed during United Party's rule were taken away because of the feared swart gevaar or "black threat". The intentions of the Afrikaner (descendants of the original European explorers and farmers) government could be summed up in one word: baasskap or rulership. As has been so often the case in our world's history, religion jumped in to make things even worse. The Dutch Reformed Church openly supported the Afrikaner politics and gave religious credibility to their intentions by suggesting that the Afrikaners were God's chosen people. Furthermore they compared the political victory to the Israelites journey to the promised land. On a personal note I would just like to say that there are some dangerously stupid people on this planet. Nearly fifty years of oppression followed during which time well-known political activists such as Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Oliver Tambo and many others rose to the challenge. Anyway, the point is that after the end of apartheid the white population lost all those many privileges which they had grown used to having. Going from God's chosen people to Joe Average is a big step and most whites were not ready for it. The general white population was of course also divided into those who strongly supported the apartheid regime, those who were indifferent to it and those who opposed it. Those who were indifferent and simply led their lives trying to avoid politics were arguably the biggest group. I will tentatively describe these people as victims of apartheid as well due to the fact that they were kept ignorant by the government, although their own indifference to the political situation could be argued as a personal flaw as well.

What needs to be understood by the entire white population is that they are only human, not superior to anybody else (blatantly copied from Steve Biko). For many this is a lesson which is proving difficult to learn. Many white people who I've met and gotten to know have expressed their discontent with the current economic and political situation in South Africa. They know better now than to blame it on the Africans, but they seem to feel that the change from apartheid to democracy should have gone differently. To be honest I could not have imagined a better way to end the old regime and sound in the new than through use of the Truth & Reconciliation Committee. I cannot recall a past revolution which brought about a complete political change without resorting to violence and civil war. But the fact remains that many whites are disenchanted with their country and their own situation. Many of them have asked me why I came to South Africa in the first place simply because they cannot imagine anybody coming to their country voluntarily. What also needs to be understood is that most of the problems which are facing the new South Africa: high unemployment, poverty, violent crime, etc...would not have been issues if apartheid in all its "wisdom and glory" had not existed to begin with. Another hard-to-learn lesson for many because although they may not have actively participated in an unjust system their silence during those years speaks louder than words. The end of apartheid brought millions of previously excluded people back into the social, political and economic scenes of South Africa. Was there anybody who doubted that this would be a bumpy ride?

Positive: The End of Apartheid

On this subject I can be brief. The end of apartheid has opened South Africa up to the world and many whites, many of them students, have embraced their country's liberation from oppression with great enthusiasm. They refuse to see colour and are concerned about their future, their jobs and their country, the same as any other young person in any other free country. If black kids choose to hang out with other black kids or white kids with blacks, is that a problem? No, it would be their own free choice, which after fifty years they are finally able to make. Despite it's many internal problems South Africa is growing socially as well as economically; unemployment is still high at 25% but is steadily declining; the GDP has been rising every year since 1998; and the country is hosting the 2010 Football World Cup, a major test for South Africa if ever there was one.

South Africa is balancing itself out after decades of inequality, fascism and, let's just say it, an evil regime. That there are growing pains should hardly surprise anybody and it will take several more generations before black and white truly live on equal grounds. But the first and most difficult steps in what has the potential and spirit to become one of the greatest African nations have already been made.

(plus, any country which publishes its own FHM is bound to do well right? :) )

Afrika Mayibuye means, loosely translated: Africa shall rise again.

Madiba is Nelson Mandela's clan-name and it is considered a sign of respect if one is addressed or referred to by it.