December 13, 2007

• An African Christmas

  What a difference nine years doesn’t make!  One interesting effect that this writer’s strike has had, is that all of the normal late night talk shows are all playing reruns from much older shows.  Last night I watched a David Letterman show from 1998.  What struck me was how many things are still the same. 

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  1998

  

  9 years ago, we were bombing Iraq, Clinton was trying to stay in the White House and Britney Spears was the talk of the town. 

  2007

   

  

  Today, Iraq is still being bombed, Clinton is trying to get in the White House and Britney Spears is the talk of the town.  So yes, the more things change the more they stay the same.

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  Thinking about all of this reminded me of where I was 9 years ago today.  It was a year after I had moved from Chicago, had sold everything and was just traveling.  I was in Cape Town, South Africa that month.  Since I’m such a packrat, I dug up an old email and some scanned photos I sent while I was there.  Admittedly there have been a few changess in the past 9 years.  I did not own a digital camera in 1998.  There was one Internet cafe in Cape Town that I could use to send this email.  I had just set up my first website, a crude Geocities site as a tribute to my dog Oreo, who had just died, and I had just purchased my first cell phone! 
  
  

  From: Carey
  Sent: Friday, December 11, 1998 10:48:15 AM -0800 GMT
  To: Undisclosed Recipients

  Subject: Merry Christmas From Africa

   

   

  Hello everyone, and Happy Holidays from Cape Town, South Africa. I

  arrived in Africa over two weeks ago, not knowing what to

  expect, and as my time remaining here is now less than a week, I find

  myself not wanting to leave.

   

  Cape Town alone is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. It

  rivals Rio de Janeiro in natural beauty, and Sydney, Paris and even

  Chicago(!) in urban splendor. Though it is a small city (the second

  largest in South Africa at about 4 million) it has all of the amenities

  of the great western cities of the world.

   

  I have traveled extensively during my time here, from the very

  southern tip of the continent at Cape Agulhas, to the fabled Cape of

  Good Hope, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic, to the lush wine

  country of Stellenbosch, home to some of the finest wines on the

  planet. I have toured Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18

  years of his nearly 30 year prison sentence. I have photographed

  stunning sunsets from the slopes of the most famous landmark in the

  country, Table Mountain, whose flat “table top peak” is often covered

  with a thin layer of clouds the locals refer to as the “tablecloth”.

  I have encountered penguin, baboon, springbok, ewald, zebra, dassy

  (related to the elephant), tortoise, and many strange birds and

  insects. I even went whale watching in Hermanus, the best place in

  the world for land based whale watching, but alas it was too windy the

  day I was there to see any Southern Right whales.

   

  A friend of mine from Switzerland was staying with me here for a week,

  and then some friends from Johannesburg came down to revel in the

  glorious beaches of the Western Cape for five days. I have made many

  wonderful new friends, as all of the people here are extremely

  friendly and love to hear what it’s like to live in America.

  This country is startlingly “new” to democracy. Their constitution

  and bill of rights is not even two years old. They have been

  struggling with the demons of years of apartheid since 1990, and will

  unfortunately never be able to undo much of its damage.

  This is a country wrought with paradox. People who live in the cities

  shop in huge Western style malls, with all of the latest fashions and

  designer names. Everyone, young and old (as in Brazil, Australia,

  Japan, and Europe) has a cell phone. They watch the latest Hollywood

  movies in large 14 screen cineplexes, yet they only have four

  television stations, and there’s no such thing as cable. They watch

  Seinfeld, Friends and of course Oprah (everyone knows about Chicago!!

  Thanks Oprah!)

   

  Travel just outside the cities however, and it’s a completely

  different story. When apartheid was first introduced, blacks in the

  cities were sent to “townships” to live. These shantytowns, with no

  electricity or plumbing, are still homes to millions of “Africaans”,

  and they are indeed appalling.

   

  On a drive home from the southern coast, I stopped for gas at a Shell

  station. The gentleman who pumped my gas, asked me in very broken

  English if I could give him a ride home, as his shift was over. I

  agreed, as he had already won me over with his friendly (though

  toothless) smile when I pulled up. As I was unsure about what type of

  gas my rental car took, he was very helpful, and extremely polite. As

  he directed me towards his home, I soon found myself entering a

  foreign world like no other, only a few hundred yards off the main

  highway. Fires burning in barrels, chickens, goats and dogs running

  wild, naked children playing with tin foil balls, and thousands of

  make shift “homes” made with whatever material was available.

  I have seen slums before. The favelas of Brazil, the projects of

  American cities, but nothing I have ever seen was like this. As

  impoverished as it was, it was a vibrant community. A community of

  people, all of whom have a distinct role. A community full of pride,

  from the elaborate colored headdresses worn by the women, to the

  impromptu artwork painted with whatever colored material was

  available. As I dropped my new friend off, he simply said, “God Bless

  you, Merry Christmas.”

   

  There is a huge movement underway to register people to vote in next

  years presidential election. Unfortunately the drive is so

  unorganized that even President Mandela went to the wrong place to

  register. The result is record low registration, and it is feared that

  the election will be fixed by the African National Congress, and that

  an unpopular and bitter candidate will win the majority.

  Though there is much respect for President Mandela, there is great

  rift between the the black, “coloured” (a term describing those

  Africaans who are mixed with the large number of Malay and

  Eastern/Indian people who populated this land when it was originally a

  colony of the Dutch East India Company in the 1600′s) and white

  population. I have spoken with many people, black, white and

  coloured, and there is a huge fear among the white minority (the

  country is 75% black) that a huge “reverse discrimination” movement is

  underway.

   

  What happens in next year’s election will be integral to the future of

  this country. There is so much potential here, it is mind boggling.

  A wise investor, could do quite well in almost any city in South

  Africa. I look forward to returning in the future to see the growth

  and change of this infant democracy.

   

  Next week, I depart for Madrid Spain, to meet my friends who are

  converging from all over the world. I will be spending New Years in

  Seville, with many of the people I spent Christmas with last year in

  Brazil. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone.

  It won’t be easy however, to leave “Mama Africa”. Table Mountain has

  cast its spell on me. The crystal blue (though cold!) Atlantic

  beaches will surely be missed. The climate here is incredible. No

  humidity, and about 83 degrees every day. There has only been one stormy day

  since I arrived. (But what a storm it was. There were devastating

  tornados in the Western Cape that nearly killed the President!)

  I watch CNN every morning at 5:00 (when I get in!) and am following

  the latest news from Iraq, as is everyone here. Despite the modest

  Muslim population here in South Africa, (75% of the population is

  Christian) everyone I have met, is very much in favor of the United

  States action against Iraq.  They do however, laugh at the fact

  that we are impeaching our president over something so silly.

   

  I was thrilled to see how many people have logged on to the “Oreo“

  website after receiving my Christmas card before I left the States.

  It is indeed amazing how our ability to communicate has changed so

  vastly in just a few short years.

   

  I trust this message finds you all happy and healthy. I wish you all

  a blessed holiday season, and am sending warm thoughts to all of you

  from this magnificent continent.

   

  Peace,

  Carey

  

  
  The Victoria & Albert Waterfront, bombed a year after I was there

   

  
  Glorious Table Mountain & the “tablecloth”

  
  Sunset at Ratunga Junction, Cape Town’s Disneyland

  
  A wild springbok

  
  Yes, there are penguins in Africa!

  
  I almost died getting this shot!  Long story.

  
  Local children playing cricket

  
  The city, from atop Table Mountain

  
  Me, at the Cape of Good Hope

  
  The cable car up to Table Mountain

  
  From the V&A waterfront

  
  On the way to the Cape

  
  Crazy wild baboons, who pissed on my car

  
  A baby in one of the townships

  • 3:47 am
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