Our First Braai!

Well, yesterday was an official national holiday for “National Heritage Day.” And this year, the theme for the day was “Braai” which is the South African word for Bar-B-Q. As we’ve been told, braai-ing and Bar-b-q-ing are fundamentally different, because at a braai, the focus is drinking and talking while hanging-out around the fire. Rather than using gas or charcoal brickets, the hard-core braai-ers use regular wood. So, it takes a couple of hours of fire to leave the coals just right for cooking, and it is that hanging out 'round the fire time with beer and wine and conversation that distinguishes the braai from the bar-b-q.

We decided to celebrate "National Braai Day," and invited almost every South African that we know over to the house for our first house-warming braai PARTY! Just to make sure I wouldn’t embarrass American masculinity in the process, we did a practice braai earlier in the week with a mere dozen lamb chops, and it was a huge success. It took about 1 hour for the wood to burn down to leave the perfect coals, which put out just enough heat for the lambchops. It was such a nice evening that the four of us decided to eat outside in front of the braai! It was wonderful.

Well, for “National Braai Day” we invited our mixed-heritage friends. The baker family, Michael (German) and Lara and their 3 kids. The restauranteur family, Ilana (American) and Brent and their 2 kids. Our Fulbright friends from Stellenbosch, Trevor and Jess (both American) and their 2 kids. Also, Jess’s sister and brother-in-law from Seattle were in town, so they came as well. And we also invited my colleague from UCT, Janice. And then, just to round out the affair, Alex invited two of her buddies from school, Nicole and Tarryn. So, altogether, we had 22 people for our first major braai: 28 lamb chops, 6 porter house steaks, 6 feet of “boeurwurst” (typical South African beef sausage), 24 chicken legs, and 2 chunks of “firm” tofu –yes, for our South African friends, this was their first experience with grilled tofu! We also bought a marinated Ostrich steak, but couldn’t find a place on the grill for it, so that will have to wait for next time.

So, how did it go? Well, we passed the test, I think. The meat was all cooked by 4:00pm (we started the fire at 1:30), and relatively tastey –only a few charred pieces of chicken, and some slightly overcooked lambchops. As Brent (one of only 3 full-blooded South African adults in attendance) said, he has been to many a horrible braai, and ours was definitely not horrible. I guess that is a compliment! One of the kids said that she was very impressed by our braai-skills, and that we almost looked South African!

Some of the common braai problems, that I hope we avoided, include: waiting forever for the wood to burn down enough, as the guys keep drinking beer and putting more and more wood on the fire; overcooked meat, because the meat comes off the grill and gets put into the “warming tray” where it continues to cook, and so that nice pink meat looks like shoe leather when it is eventually served; and, waiting too long to put on the food, so that the coals die down before the meat is cooked.

On the Political Front

So, while we were braaing up a storm, the National Legislature was busy preparing for the election of a new interim President to take over for Thabo Mbeki. The interim President will serve until the next elections which will happen between Jan and April next year. And while they were busy doing that, the future President and head of the ANC, Jacob Zuma was celebrating National Heritage Day in typical Zulu fashion. Here's the cover of today's "Cape Times," showing "JZ" (as some affectionately call him here) in traditional Zulu dress celebrating "National Heritage Day."

The political turmoil has been very upsetting for many. Very few people really liked the former President, but they also have less good feelings for Zuma. He is a real populist, not an intellectual, and so many in the white community are worried about what his Presidency will mean. The ANC will win 70% of the votes, so he is a lock to be the next President. The only question is what kind of policies he will pursue, and that is anybody's guess. There is really no viable opposition party, though the Democratic Alliance is getting a lot of support from the white "progressive conservative" community. It is very interesting to see this all unfold. This is a very young and fragile democracy. And with the recall of Mbeki, and numerous cabinet ministers resigning in protest, and all the in-fighting within the ANC, and all the vague references to corruption, people seem to be losing faith. There is not a lot of trust in the public institions --police, courts, ambulance and fire. Things we definitely take for granted. So, while the political transition is something that is not uncommon in Parliamentary democracies, the instability further erodes people's confidence in their already shaky state institutions. More on politics to come.

Blog ya later.

Seth./.

First Bike Ride in South Africa!!!

Last Saturday was a major day for me: my first bicycle ride in South Africa. I woke up early in order to meet the “Cycle Lab Club” at the bike shop for the appointed rendez vous at 6:30 am. I packed up my gear the night before so I could make a quick getaway, including putting the bike in the car the special way that I had been shown by Nick –the guy I had bought the bike from, who had also told me about the club-- so that I don't scratch up the interior of the car, and still can fit it in the backseat of the tiny Toyota Tazz that I drive.

I got to the shop, about 10 minutes south of our home, in plenty of time, and at 6:30 was on my bike and ready to go. About 60 riders had gathered, and the lead organizer proceeded to give instructions as to where the different groups would meet. They have 3 rides: Long (100 k or 60 miles); Medium (60 K or 40 miles); and Short (40 K or 25 miles). And for each ride, they had 3 groups: fast, medium, and slow.

As it was my first time, I went with the Medium/Medium group. There were 15 of us, and by 6:45 we were heading further south, along the coast through Muizenberg, to Simonstown, and ultimately to the entrance to the Cape Point National Park –the southern most tip of Africa, known as the “Cape of Good Hope.” Here are a couple photos of the scenery. The photo on the left is an aerial view of Simonstown, the one on the right is the Cape of Good Hope:


As the dawn awakened, it turned out to be a brilliantly beautiful day. Clear skies, a little wind, beautiful sun. And the ride was stunning, hugging the coast as we headed south on a road very similar to Highway 1. Right along the coast were pods of Right Whales, playing in the bay. Along the road there were signs saying “Don’t feed the baboons,” though I didn’t see any out on the road begging. (It turns out, baboons are a huge problem here, similar to our bear problems in the national parks. However, these animals are really bright, and it turns out that they’ve figured out how to open up car doors in search of picnic baskets! Yogi bear with a humanoid-like brain, stealing picnic baskets!)

It took us about 2 ½ hours to complete the 60 Ks. It was a fabulous ride, and I hung in there beautifully with the group, as the pace was perfect for me. I even was the pace-setter on the long climb up to the entrance to Cape Point National Park: not bad for the pudgy grey-haired American with the big belly! However, there was no red polka-dot jersey waiting for me that day. I guess you only get that when you ride with the “Long/Fast” group. I think I’ll stay with my “Medium/Mediums” for a while.

After the ride, everyone gathered at the bakery next to the club for coffee and breakfast, sharing escapades and planning the next outing. South Africans, at least those of means, are incredibly active. So, for those tri-athletes and extreme runner-racers out there, this is the place to be. Amazing scenery, and races happening every weekend somewhere.

I was so psyched at the end of the day, that I went back and signed-up for the “Cape Argus,” a 109K (66 mile) bike race that happens on March 8. It is the largest “timed bike race” in the world, with 35,000 people entered. It is supposedly an awesome ride, along the coasts and over the mountains, with entertainment the entire way, and a great party at the end. Sounds fabulous. Here's a map of the route for the race. Wanna ride?
So, need to go get some training time in! Watch out Lance…

Blog ya later.

Seth./.

A Visit to the District Six Museum

Naomi and I went into Cape Town yesterday during lunch, and spent a little time at the "District Six Museum." District Six was a very integrated urban community, that started in the mid-1800s, as a home for freed slaves, artisans, merchants, new immigrants, and many other dis-affected residents of the city. Unlike most other neighborhoods, District Six was highly integrated. There were Africans, and "Coloureds," and newly arrived Italians, and Jews living together in a very lively urban setting. There was a vibrant Jazz music scene, Yiddish theatre, and lots of other cultural events. The photo on the left comes from the 1950s.

District Six is located on a little bluff, just outside the old center of downtown Cape Town, with some nice views of the harbor. As a result, during the Apartheid era, District Six was declared a "whites only" neighborhood. Beginning in the mid-1960s, the government demanded that the 30,000 residents be re-located to townships in the Cape Flats, a group of un-inhabited sand dunes, miles away, and in the middle of nowhere. People resisted. But ultimately, the government got its way, sort of. The residents were all forcibly removed, and the neighborhood was buldozed. However, given the tension that remained, the re-development process never really happened.



Today, nothing much remains of District Six. But, it came to be one of the most powerful symbols of apartheid injustice in Cape Town. The space looks like a jumble of rolling fields right on the outskirts of downtown (as you can see in the photo on the right). The government has plans to build 4,000 new homes there, for the families of the residents that were displaced. But you can imagine that this is not a simple process. To date, only 50 homes have been built.


The museum is located a few blocks away in downtown Cape Town. It is an attempt to keep the past alive, and to provide a venue where people can learn some lessons about tolerance, community, and inclusion. There were lots of personal stories documented, and lots of photos from daily life.

We'll definitely be going back, as we went without the girls (which was quite nice. We also had a nice lunch at a funky place called Dias Tavern right down the street). Here is a link to the District Six Museum website: http://www.districtsix.co.za/frames.htm. It's worth looking at.

Blog ya later.

Seth./.

Johnny Clegg: The "White Zulu"

We had a great night at the convention center in Cape Town, seeing a concert by "Johnny Clegg." Johnny Clegg is a legend here in South African pop and protest music. Since the 1970s, he has been playing with an integrated band, singing songs with integrated lyrics (English and Zulu), both of which were outlawed under apartheid. He has had a number of "cross-over" bands since that era, including Juluka (meaning "sweat" in Zulu), and Savuka ("we have risen" in Zulu), mixing traditional Zulu and pop and reggae music. You can read about him at: http://www.realsa.co.za/eventdetail.php?event_id=76

And, if you want to hear some of his sounds, check out these YouTube links:

Johnny Clegg music video "Great Heart": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_9xtCbRgH4

Johnny Clegg and Joan Baez singing "Asimbonanga" at Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday bash in London: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdKNKZ2uhUk

The crowd was pretty mixed: some old protest rockers, some youngsters, some black and coloured, though mostly white (tickets cost $35 each, which is real money here!). But what was really inspiring was to see the whole crowd really moved by these songs, singing in unison about freedom, about a common culture.

Also, this concert was called "Heart of the Dancer," so he spent time teaching us about Zulu culture and Zulu dance, showing how his different songs from the past 30 years were inspired by and transformed by different types of Zulu dance. He was joined by some amazing dancers, who really kicked it up!

It was really inspiring, and I got a bit of sense of the possiblity that maybe there can be a country built from this incredibly diverse set of cultures. At least that night, while everybody was standing singing "Asimbonanga" together, you got that feeling.

Blog ya later.

Seth./.

"Fair is Fair!" So, what is Fair?

There was a protest on Monday at UCT, organized by the Freedom Forum Plus, against what they depicted as "racist admissions policy" at the UCT Med School. Here's the background. As part of the "Transformation" agenda, there has been an attempt to recognize the un-even playing field that exists for those who graduate high school. One aspect of this is the "affirmative action" policies that have been implemented in a variety of settings: government agencies, universities, and private industry. Last year, the UCT Med School approved a differentiated admissions policy for the class of 2009. They established different criteria for admissions for different groups of students. Everyone has to take the same admissions exam, but the bar is set at different levels for different groups. So:

-If you are white, you need a 91% to be admitted.
-If you are Indian, you need an 88% to be admitted.
-If you are coloured, you need a 78% to be admitted.
-If you are Black, you need a 74% to be admitted.

What do you think? Is this fair?

It wouild be hard to imagine that a policy like this could be implemented in the U.S., given all of our blurring of racial/ethnic lines (what if my mother is black and father is Indian?), our sense of living in a post-racial society, and our strong ideology of individual rights and individual achievement which reigns above all.

Well, a group called the "Freedom Front Plus" here in South Africa clearly feels the same way. Here is their web-site: http://www.vryheidsfront.co.za/index.asp?l=e. Their claim is that the policy is racist, discriminatory, and unconstitutional. The campus leader for the FF Plus, James Kemp is quoted as saying:

"it was ridiculous that years after the scrapping of laws on racial classification these types of practices were still allowed at public institutions."

On "Cape Talk 567AM" they were discussing this, and they had a spokesperson from the FF Plus. He reminded the listeners that the folks who will be taking the tests in 2008 have spent their entire schooling lives in the post-apartheid schools, and therefore, these kids should have no need for any sort of favoritism. It is his argument that they have not been the victims of apartheid policies or schooling, as they entered school post-1994, and so they should not be granted any advantage.

Well, listening to his arguments helped me feel even stronger that a differentiated set of admissions criteria is totally fair. Just check out the schools that Alex and Maya are going to (nice public schools that cost a bundle, and so they are very much out of reach for 95% of the population), and the schools in the townships. In fact, township schools are not only understaffed and overpopulated, but the very schools themselves are falling down, due to the vandalism that is taking place. One school had to be condemned, and the students had to have their classes on the grass because vandals had stolen the metal reinforcing bars that hold up the roof! Now, how how can we set one bar for all students when some students don't even have bars!

The inequality is so evident, you can't help but see why a differentiated admissions policy is the least that society can do, not to mention, supporting those kids once they get to University. In fact, that is the mission of the unit that I am affiliated with at UCT --The Center for Higher Education Development. Here is a piece from their mission statement:

"The Vision of the Centre for Higher Education Development is to be a cross-faculty unit that contributes to continual improvement in the quality of higher education through widening access, promoting excellence through equity, developing the curriculum in partnership with faculties, enhancing the competence of graduates by ensuring the provision of key skills and abilities, and enabling systemic improvement through the research-led development of informed policy options" ( http://www.ched.uct.ac.za/ ).

School-Ride Talks with Alex
So, Alex and I were talking about this the other day on the way to school. She asked, "But is that fair?" We thought about the white person who might have worked really hard and gotten an 88% on the exam. Not admitted; although that person would have been admitted if they were from any other group. How would it feel like to be that person? If I were that person, would I feel good about sacrificing my med school future for the good of a more equal society? I guess that's the core of the issue isn't it.

The next day, Alex told me that they were going to have to write an essay in Geography class on Affirmative Action. We talked some more about the complexities, and about the idea of who was ready to sacrifice their individual future for the good of society. I shared my sense of wanting to rather err on the side of social equity as opposed to rights of the individual. Not sure where she ultimately came down on the issue.

But, this feels like education to me!

Blog ya later.

Seth./.

"Transformation," Street-Renaming, Black & White, and Red South African Wine

Where would I be without "Cape Talk AM 567" to enliven my morning commute. This morning's issue was the City of Cape Town's decision to shelve the newly approved "street renaming policy." The new policy, which has been long overdue in Cape Town, establishes a formal process that needs to be adhered to as street names are changed from those that honor "the architects of apartheid" and "colonial powers" to those that are more representative of the majority (90% of the population) "black African" population.

(Why did i put "black African" in quotes? Here is a segway to this story. Last night, I was reading the label on the bottle of Merlot that Naomi and I were drinking. It said that the family is 9th generation Western Cape winemakers, having gotten their first harvest in 1715. After almost 300 years, they'd surely consider themselves African!)

This street-renaming is part of the process which everyone here refers to as "Transformation." "Transformation" is also an official policy, with rules to follow and laws that support it. It really means rebuilding the entire society, piece-by-piece, streetname-by-streetname, so that the decades of racist apartheid policies, and centuries of oppressive colonial policies are "transformed" and the society is transformed into a (and this is the word that I've also heard used quite often) "non-racial democracy."

"Transformation" is everywhere. The first piece of news on the radio this morning referred to the need to hire 1,500 more police officers in the Western Cape. In describing the initiative, the police spokesperson said, "We even need more white males and females!" That was a shocking statement, because as part of "Transformation," South Africa has developed very aggressive affirmative action programs. All companies, schools, and public agencies have to submit "Transformation Reports," showing that the demographics of their employees are shifting. There is a mandate to have blacks and coloureds in management and top decision-making roles. As you can imagine, this has been a very controversial policy, especially from the white's perspective, many of whom have left the country, feeling like there will be no opportunity for advancement for them here. I've met a number of white engineers whose companies have been downsized due to the mandate to award contracts to black and coloured engineering companies. They each seemed to be handling their downsizing well, with little anger, or charges of "reverse discrimination." But, that is happening. Which is why the police spokesperson's comment about "we even need whites" must have been somewhat shocking to folks.

But back to the street-naming controversy. Across the country, there has been a push to rename streets, moving away from names that honor the Afrikaner and British colonial powers, to names that honor "black African" history and culture. The Western Cape has lagged behind the rest of the country in this process. Partly because it has not been governed by the ANC post-apartheid; partly because of its political conservatism; and partly because of the fact that there is not a long history of black African settlement here. Most everyone who is here in Cape Town now, came from somewhere else --either Malaysia or India as slaves, Britian or Holland or France as colonialists, or other parts of South Africa as imported slaves/indentured workers or laborers.

The City of Cape Town is governed by a mayor from the Democratic Alliance (the white "not-ANC", not-racist party), with the ANC being a minority party on the City Council. They finally passed a policy on renaming, with active support from the ANC. But, the DA was clearly feeling pressure from their more conservative constituencies, and deciced to shelve the plan, and go back to the drawing board. (You Monterey County residents, does it sound a little bit like our efforts to pass a "General Plan Update"?)

So, the talk show host had an ANC City Council member, Peter Gabriel, address their frustrations City's decision to shelve the policy. Then, the host invited folks to call up and share their opinions. The first caller was a white guy, with a strong "colonial accent" who proceeded to say: "What's all this fuss about naming. A name is a name. I don't care what they call this country, as long as it works! And anyway, let's not forget all that the colonialists did for Africa. Afterall, without the colonialists, Africans would still be spearfishing on the beach!"

Wow!

The next caller, also with a strong white colonial accent, said: "I can't believe you didn't throw up at the racist comment that the last caller made! Aren't we over this? Don't we know that we have to rename this place so that the majority who live here don't have to be constantly reminded of their history of persecution?"

Wow again!

I'll have to mull this over tonight, over another glass of wonderful red African wine, grown by 9th generation winemakers. "Transformation."

Blog ya later.

Seth./.

Some Updates

Storms and More Storms...

Lots has happened in the past week, including The Pollack Family weathering a number of winter storms, including the worst that Cape Town has seen in seven years! We moved to our new place in Constantia amidst the storms, only to find a small willow was blown over in the back yard. The landlords had called Nick from "Afford-a-Fell" to come and take the tree down, which he did without a problem. Then, the day after that tree was cleaned up, we noticed that a huge 150 year-old oak had also come down in the back yard. Here's a photo:

Not only did the tree come down, but as you can see, it also took part of our security fence with it. So, Naomi has been working with the City of Cape Town, and Nick, and the fence company to get this taken care of. Welcome to our new home! Other than the tree issue (and oh yes, the washing maching breaking down), we love our decision to move, and can't wait for the weather to change, and for "braai season" to begin.

Weekend with the Whales

We are just back from a great weekend whale watching in Hermanus, 90 minutes from Cape Town along the southern coast. Hermanus is a cute town that reminded us of Pacific Grove, except, in Hermanus, they have Southern Right whales, and they come right up to the coast line to have their babes and frolic. We had one beautiful day watching a couple dozen whales playing right off the shore. It was wonderful. We stayed at a great B&B right along the shore, and got to watch the whales from our breakfast patio. Pretty amazing. We also took our first walk in th feynbos --the unique ecosystem that is indigenous to the western cape region. It was gorgeous, with lots of plants in bloom, and birds twittering everywhere you turned. (I've posted a few pictures as a slideshow.)

Exercise Updates: Moving this almost 50 year-old body...

And on the exercise front, a couple of exciting developments to report. I did my first couple of workouts at our new gym, "Virgin Active." Just minutes away, it is incredibly convenient with great equipment. I did some great sweating on the stationary bike, and then took a sauna, and cooled-off in an outdoor shower. Nice. Also, I successfully WALKED OFF the tennis court for the first time in 18-months. The last time I was on a tennis court, we were in Cancun, and I was CARRIED-OFF with a ruptured achiles. I went and hit with my friend Michael for an hour, and it felt great! Watch out Roger, Seth is coming back... comes. And finally, even though I've yet to ride it, I bought a used road bike: Trek 1200 aluminum. It cost $400, and I bought it from a guy who has his own business buying and selling used bikes. So, he'll buy it back from me when the year is over. A great deal! Now, if the storms just die down a moment... (It's pretty amazing. Right now, the rain is falling so hard, making such a racket on the roof, I can't hear a thing...)

Blog ya later.

Seth./.

Braai-4-Heritage

While the furor over racism at the rugby match seems to have died down, there were some comments in today's Cape Times, responding to Archbishop Desmond Tutu's enthusiastic support for "braai" (that's BBQ to us Americans) being chosen as the theme for this year's National Heritage Day September 24). Here are a couple of letters to the editor from today's Cape Times.

"I am deeply saddened and offended by Archbishop Desmon Tutu's words, as a man of God and of peace, regarding natioanl heritage day, as are thousands of other non-meat eaters. We are encouraged to embrace those who have sinned against us in the form of apartheid, theft, rape, and murder, and yet pacifist vegetarians and vegans are made to feel like pariahs, for living a life that does not include killing in a country that is rife with violence! We all enjoy a braai. I can testify to the fact that tofu, brinjal, and mushrooms on the braai, along with corn, are fantastic and i have extended a personal invitation to Archbishop Tutu to enjoy a non-meat braai at his convenience. One doesn't need to have the equivalent of a funeral pyre in order to enjoy a celebration."

And, here's another:

"It is a great idea to encourage South Africans to braai on Heritage Day, to celebrate their "SouthAfricanness." What a pity, however, that the bulk of the population ("the lumpen proletariat") will not be able to afford the meat! Bon appetit to those who can."

Clearly, a few hurdles to overcome before the nation can all gather around the braii-pit in celebration of a common heritage...

Blog ya later.

Seth./.

Racism and Sports? No... (addendum)

Here's an addendum to the previous post on race and rugby. If you haven't read that post (2 September), read that one first.

Allister Sparks' Perspective
I'm reading a great book that had some insights about the race history of South African rugby. It is called "Beyond the Miracle: Inside the New South Africa" by Allister Sparks. Sparks is a South African journalist, and anti-apartheid activist. This is the 3rd book in his series on the history of South Africa. He's a great writer, and was a key player in many of the events that he describes over the past 3 decades. (Thanks to Steven Levinson for turning me on to these books. Invaluable!)

In a chapter in which he writes about Mandela's brilliance in recognizing the importance of not allienating the Afrikaner community, he cites the following example:

"Mandela's most spectaculaarly successful gesture was his appearance, just one year after becoming President, at the final match of the Rugby World Cup in Johannesburg. Rugby had long been a sporting obsession among white South Africans, the physical expression of their self-image of rugged manhood and national toughness, and few things had pained them more than being shut out of international competition because of the government's insistence on apartheid in sport. By the same token most black South Africans spurned the game, preferring soccer. To them it was the oppressor's sport, and it still rankled with them that rugby's one-time chief adminstrator, Danie Craven, whom whites revered, had once vowed that 'over my dead body will any black man ever war the Sprignbok jersey'."

Well, a year after democracy, South Africa was awarded the host for the 1995 tournament, and the Springboks surprised everybody and made it to the finals against the New Zealand "All Blacks" (how ironic that the "All Blacks" were the opponent!). Sparks then talks about Mandela's decision to be there for the final:

"Mandela, sensing the emotional intensity of the occasion, went to watch what was a nail-biting match. His attendance caused a stir of appreciation in the huge and overwhelmingly Arikaner crowd. When South Africa won dramatically in extra time he walked onto the field wearing a Springbok cap and the captain, Francois Pienaar's, number six jersey to present Pienaar with the trophy. The crowd went wild with delight. 'Nels-son! Nel-son!' they chanted as they waved the colourful new South African flag. As I drove home from the stadium that evening, crowds of cheering, dancing black people clogged the streets and jammed the traffic to a standstill. It was the new South Africa's euphoric high."

It would be nice to see more such euphoric moments...

Blog ya later.

Seth./.

Racism and Sports? No...

This was a very interesting day. Alex and I made our first commute from our new home, and the traffic was not as bad as we had thought, so we were about 20 minutes early and stopped for a coffee at our favorite spot, Melissa's. I bought a newspaper, and enjoyed my triple decaf Americano (what a horror--no milk and no sugar! I create a stir every time that I order this), as Alex drank her hot chocolate. Well on the front page of today's Cape Times was this story: "Racist Attack Sours Rugby Win." Here's a link to the article in today's paper. http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20080902060348574C782966 But, a little background is needed to help convey the power of this story.

Race and Sports in South Africa: "It's kind of a little bit of a racist thing, I guess."
South Africa is an incredibly sports-crazy society. Yet, like every other aspect of life here, the effects of apartheid and its history of forced racial separation are not far from the surface. The three biggest sports here are cricket, rugby, and soccer. Historically, cricket and rugby have been sports that have been mostly played by (and enjoyed by) whites, while soccer has been seen as a more "black African" sport. One friend (white) who we met shared this common colloquialism: "Rugby is a hooligan-sport played by gentlemen; while soccer is a gentlemen-sport played by hooligans." Another friend (also white) shared that while South Africans are incredibly devoted to their national rugby and cricket teams (the "Springboks" and the "Proteas" respectively) they follow European (mostly British) soccer and kind of look down on their own soccer team. In fact, he shared that recently "the European cup champion Manchester United was touring South Africa, playing local teams, and you would have thought that Manchester was the home team!" Then he paused and said, "It's kind of a little bit of a racist thing, I guess."

Back to this Morning: The Pleasures of South African Talk Radio
So, when I saw the headline in the paper this morning, "Racist Attack Sours Rugby Win" (by the way, South Africa had just trounced Australia 53-8, after having lost embarrasingly the previous weekend), I showed Alex the article and the quote by the black woman who was verbally and physically assaulted at the stadium by three big drunk white guys, who, according to the article, shoved her and said: "'You bloody k****r, what are you doing here? Your people have taken over the country and now you want to take over the only white sport left'."

So, Alex and I had our own little conversation about this on the way to school, trying to understand how much racism is or isn't prevalent in sports here. Little did I know that this article would become THE TOPIC on talk radio (Cape Talk AM 567) for the rest of today...And so, when I was coming home on my afternoon commute, I tuned in again. By this time, the South African Rugby Union had gone on record and posted a 10,000Rand reward for anyone who could provide information to identify the 3 "big white drunken abusers." Yet, by the afternoon commute time, nobody had stepped forward to point the finger. So, this led to the typical calls, from the typical white-denialists, who made such comments as: "If this really happened, don't you think someone would have stepped in to stop it?" Or, "So, of the 56,000 people in the stadium, not one person has called in with information to identify these guys?" Or, "Isn't this her word against theirs?"

To be fair, there were also a number of calls from white guys who provided some insights into why people might have hesitated from jumping in to confront three huge drunk white rugby fans. And the host did a fair job in trying to confront the white denialists. However, there were really no calls that brought any insights into the larger social dynamics, especially around the tendency of folks in power to deny the claims of those in the margins. Somehow, the conversation stayed very much at the individual level. Those guys did it, or didn't. Other guys saw it, or didn't. And none of those other guys, who might've seen it, did anything then, or now about it. There was really no insights into that comfy place that those of us in power like to sit: denial. Afterall, we were just there to enjoy a nice gentlemanly game of rugby!

Amidst the denials, some callers reminded the listeners that the best player on the field that day for South Africa was a black African guy named Jongi Nokwe, who scored four "tries" (the rugby version of a touch down) in the victory. And yet, other callers reminded the listeners that every time Jongi Nokwe scored a try, there was a corner of the stand that started a chant "K, K, K, K," --short for the South African word "kefir," which is the local equivalent of the "n" word. Here's a picture of the new South African rugby hero:

And then...Favorite BBQ Recipes (amidst words of wisdom) from Archbishop Tutu
And then, without missing a beat, the radio host segwayed to the next segment, featuring a call-in from Nobel Peace Prize winner, and former head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that tried to mediate the healing and reconcilliation in the immediate years after the end of apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The topic was "braai" (South African term for "BBQ"). It seems that September 24 has been officially designated, "National Braai for Heritage Day." That's right. According to the website http://www.braai4heritage.co.za/, "braaing is a deep-rooted tradition in South Africa that cuts across all demographic groups. This initiative has the potential to become a contemporary means of celebrating South African-ness, especially considering that braaing is a positive feature in most South Africans' lives - being the fun-loving, social and hospitable nation that we are."

And so yes, amidst this very tense conversation about race and oppression and rugby, the archbishop calls in and shares his love for braai, including his favorite recipes. And without missing a beat, he reminded everybody that when he was a boy, there was only one small section of the stadium (yes, the same stadium where the rugby match took place) where blacks could even be! And that now, 56,000 people (granted, mostly whites), were going out of their gords, celebrating the great feats of the "great black hope" Jongi Nokwe. OK, most were celebrating...

So, almost in the same breath, Archbishop Tutu (aka "His Braai-meister-ness") was able to hold in his heart the tensions that are so apparent in South African society, witch indredible generosity of spirit, fun, and humanness. He celebrated the great progress that has been made in the past 14 years. He wanted badly to look beyond the "few bad apples" in the crowd at the rugby match, and ultimately celebrate our common humanness: gathering round the BBQ over huge slabs of meat! Woe to the vegetarians amongst us...

So, while there might be a common heritage (braai), it seems like South African society is hoping that the legacy of race and apartheid will just quietly fade away. Unfortunately, it feels like there's a real need to find a common language to talk about this legacy while also gathering 'round the braai... There are some amazing people doing that. More on that in the weeks to come.

So, don't forget to braai on 24 September! We'll surely be gathered round the spit at our new braai-pit here at the house.

Blog (and braai) ya later.

Seth./.