Interesting things

Exploring the Okavango by Mokoro, a kind of dug out canoe/gondola

This is a painted frog hanging out on some reeds in the delta

Some of my friends at Mankwe, playing cards

Random baobab picture

My friend and our guide, Shabba

Only Elephants

At night I see

silent lightening in the east

the rain comes heavy drops

erase the patterns the

ants and millipedes spent all day

making in the sand.

During the day I hear

a woodpecker thump a tune

constant clicks calls and chatters

from the yellow billed hornbill.

I watch a treesnake on a thin branch

eat eggs from a weaver's nest.

And I see a cobra by the kitchen

be killed by a mongoose

(and the next day, a moongoose

chased by a wildcat).

I watch a wallspider weave

a nest from its silk spinerette

And at night again, the nightjar's dusky call,

the barn owls and the frogs finding mates

in the puddles left by the rain the night before.

Then, a distant rumble roar.

"Lions!" and I wake him up next to me.

He rolls over. "It's only elephants"

And I think

it's only elephants.

Reflections of the Apartheid

When I was in South Africa for a few weeks before coming to Botswana, I built up a lot of mental commentary about race that I had little opportunity to share with anyone. From my friends and relatives remarks, some of which seems incredibly and blatantly racist, as well as a visit to the Apartheid museum, and reading Martin Meredith's The Fate of Africa; I have a lot I want to write about! And now that I'm in Botswana I have copious amounts of time for reading, reflecting and writing.

Race and the apartheid are obviously a complicated story deeply rooted in South African history. The apartheid officially ended less than 2 decades ago, and so there has not been a lot of time for the country to recover. Particularly the increase in violent crime has led most of my relations think about the apartheid era as "the good old days". Of course this seems wrong to me, but also makes a certain amount of sense, as with any group that has lost their hold on power and wealth, they are now embittered. Also they are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to affirmative action; and there are now even some poor white people living in previously black townships (though most whites maintain their upper class status, living in isolated white communities with electrical fences, barbed wire, guards and guard dogs). And of course my relations blame this on the black government, and refuse to think of the whole situation as a result of the history of the past 300 years of whites being in power.

Anyway, I feel like I have an interesting perspective on the topic. On one hand, half of my family is Afrikaner, and I hear that side of the story, particularly when I am in South Africa. I also hear the American side of the story, which is very simplified, and basically concludes that it was American economic sanctions that ended the apartheid (and does not mention the revolutionary violence and direct action that was really the key to its end). But I am particularly interested in how and why the system of apartheid started in the first place, and also on how it ended. The middle part is of course interesting too, particularly the petty Apartheid laws that were there just for their own sake and didn't even do much to increase white power, such as banning sex between whites and blacks. Also the story of Stephen Biko, who takes the title of "community organizer" to totally new levels in my mind. So here are a few things that have stood out to me, from the museum and my readings. Sorry if they seem a bit fragmented, but I am not trying to write a history of the entire apartheid; just comment on some aspects about it.

Afrikaner nationalism was partially brought about by British colonial racism. But also, the "voortrekkers" were pioneers in a wild and dangerous land. And I think that when fending for yourselves under harsh circumstances leads to a fierce sense of independence and nationalism--the "pioneer" spirit, or whatever you call it. This strikes a lot of similarities with Americans with (too) much national pride. Also similar is the insularity that typically goes along with this. During the apartheid, white society became increasinly insular and isolated from the views of the rest of the modern world. There was a lot of national propaganda, such as from the national radio network and various films. Television was blocked from the country until the government was sure it could control its content. There were so many censorship laws agains literature and entertainment, and very limited independent press. It is easy to see how most of white society in South Africa at the time had no access to any outside opinions at all, and how people growing up in this climate of conformity and propaganda, turned out, well, how they are today (see my previous posts about traveling through the Free State, and parts of the West Coast). Again, this sort of insularity reminds me of certain areas in America today, and certain phenomena like the Minute Men in Texas. It seems that insularity and national pride such as exist in those regions bring about exactly the kind of xenophobia that caused the apartheid; or exreme right-wing views of immigration.

The apartheid was a system of maintaining white control, and by 1953, it was the most thorough system of racial survelillance ever created. It imposed strict racial classifications on all citizens, relocated millions of people at the convenience of keeping people separated, and outlawed sex and marriage across racial lines. It was created by Afrikaner nationalists, some of whom are still around today. If some of their crimes, only disclosed in the 1990s, seem reminsent of Nazi Germany, it might be because duing WWII, the extreme Afrikaner nationalist factional called the Ossewa Brandway supported and modeled itself after the Nazi Party (though Jan Smuts at the time sided with Britain). Much like in America at the time, public facilities and schools were segregated. However, while in America the civil rights movement was taking place, white South Africans were retreating further and further into their shell and becoming increasingly isolated and indoctrinated.

In 1989, FW de Klerk unbanned the African National Congress (ANC) and relased Nelson Mandela from prison. There are many reasons why he did this, but overall he wanted to protect Afrikaner interests, and realized that the modernised form of the apartheid that he wanted simply would not work. There was too much revolutionary violence which would only continue to increase, and he realized (mostly from Rhodesia/Zimbabwe's example) that the longer he delayed political reform, the weaker the Afrikaner position would become. De Klerk saw Mandela as someone with who the white establishment could work with. Though foreign sactions were costly, they were not very damaging. I think being subjected to international sports boycotts was probably more damaging to the white psyche.

It is hard for me not to mythisize Mandela. I cannot think of a historical figure that just seems so good. Granted I don't know as much about him as I probably should, and I am sure he has some skeletons in his closet. But the more I read about the end of the Apartheid, the more I think that without Nelson Mandela, it would not have happened as soon as it did, and would not have been as peaceful as it was. His attitude of compromise in the extreme, and his own self sacrifice for the good of his country, are truly remarkable. During his presidency he made a special visit to the widow of Hendrik Verwoerd, who was basically the architect of the Apartheid, and who was living in a whites-only colony in the Free State. He also went out to lunch with Percy Yutar, the prosecutor at his trial that argued that he be given the death sentence, and then expressed regret when it didn't happen. I think Mandela and all of black South Africa would have been justified to hold accountable those who committed the atrocities that allowed the Apartheid to happen. The Truth and Reconciliation Commissision (TRC) in the mid 90s unearthed some very damming testimony from a lot of people, but it was all in exchange for amnesty. So while I think many people should have been persecuted, it is just a further example of how Mandela did what was best for the country as a whole--starting the process of healing and reconciliation, rather than take vengeance.

The fact is, according to the TRC, under the governments of Botha and DeKlerk, death squads operated as part of the governmental system of oppression, torture was used systematically and was even condoned as part of official practise, and violence between rival black factions was officially encouraged, supported and even financed. Also, according to an official 1998 survey, 80% of white South Africans deny these facts to this day.

As for the level of violence that the protestors of the apartheid used, I support it. The ANC resorted to violence as a last resort because every legal and non violent means to resist the apartheid were blocked by the government. Of course there are many instances of acts of gratuitous violence (such as "necklace" murders) and violence that wasn't necessary or that ended up harming many innocent people. But to equate the resistence to apartheid with the defence of it is totally wrong.

One of the legacy of the apartheid that is very apparent today is the massive disparity in wealth. In 1994, the average white income was 8 times greater than the average back. Whites held 13% of the population and earned 61% of the total income. When Nelson Mandela took office, South Africa's economy was actually already in very bad shape. Previously, it ranked in the top 25 in the world, with vast mineral reserves. But the previous government had run up a huge deficit, and its domestic debt was also huge. The unemployment figures then, as they are now, were also in extremely bad shape, at around 33%. Furthermore, after Mandela took office, foreign investors, which were badly needed, were reluctant to invest. So, rapid change for South Africa was basically impossible; and mostly because of the whites that were in power before Mandela, and also the heavy toll foreign economic sanctions took on the economy--also the fault of the previous white governments. Though the black middle class benefited after the end of apartheid, the overall gap in prosperithy within the black community only widened. And today, only around 5% of the black population has reached middle class; the rest still struggle in poverty.

So today's picture of South Africa is still very much a result of apartheid policies. Whites tend to be very quick to blame the unemployment and poverty on the black government (and the resulting crime wave), but this is simply not true. And though I find a lot of fault with the general white attitude in South Africa today, my family will be very quick to remind me that similar attrocities were committed pretty much everywhere else in the world (though maybe not as systematically, or as recently). South Africa didn't kill off its native population, as what almost happened in America. And to its credit, the changeover in government is one of the very few in Africa in the past 50 years that did not come at the cost of a civil war. Anyway, who knows. Maybe in the next 100 years there will actually be racial integration in South Africa ;)

Pula e ya na (It's raining)

I have now lived in Botswana for a month. My situation working at the bush lodge is still not completely clear, and I keep waiting it out, expecting an answer is just around the corner. In the mean time, I am basically left alone with the Batswana staff at Mankwe. Which has turned out to be really nice. At first it was a little intimidating, to be the only legohowa (white person) living here. The exception are the two managers, white Zimbabwean ex-pats in their sixties, who live totally separately and are not part of the community at all. But I am now very close with a handful of people here, and on friendly terms with the rest of the staff. I am learning setswana, and also some tradional dancing, which is very relateable to American flat footing. Everyday I learn something new about the wildlife. I go on "safari" drives whenever I can, but often see things around the camp as well, such as a boomslang slithering in the branches above the bar; or a wildcat chasing a mongoose in the driveway.

The lodge is not in the Okavango delta itself, but in the surrounding Mopane forest, named after the dominant tree. This is the rainy season, and it is very hot during the day, except when it rains. It is actually not the best season for viewing wildlife--that would be winter, when there is less vegetation. That is also when the delta floods and is the only source of water for a large area, and many animals congregate. But having been here for a month I have of course seen some amazing wildlife,and have even had the chance to go into the Moremi Game Reserve, and go boating and even swimming in the delta. It is hard to express how beautiful and precious this ecosystem is here, and I am really appreciating living in such a wild area.

This is also the best season for birds, as there are many migratory species in the area now. I am ashamed to say that I can now name more birds in Southern Africa that I can in Virginia. The sounds here are also amazing. All throughout the day there are bird calls, though they come to a climax in the mornings and at dusk, when the songs are combined with the frog and cricket chirps. My favorite calls that I can recognize are the African Puffback, which sounds like "chewy chewy WOO! chewy chewy WOO!" and the chinspot batis, which sounds like the first notes from three blind mice. Also, the red billed francolin

which in addition to looking quite goofy gives a loud and hysterical wake up call around 5 every morning. I can often hear lions and hyenas calling at night, and sometimes during the day. There have definitely been lions and the occasional leopard roaming around the camp at night, as I see the tracks in the morning; but luckily I have not run into any, except on game drives. On one of my first nights here, a full grown elephant bull passed right next to my tent. I could see its tusks gleaming in the moonlight, and if I could have reached my arm out through the window, I would have touched it. It was definitely a magical experience; but I am also very glad I was in the safety of my tent, as

elephants are one of the more unpredictable and deadly animals to run into in the bush.

But my favorite thing so far has been hanging around with the staff. One of the benefits of traveling alone, I have found, is that you make friends quickly! I feel very fortunate to have relationships with the people here on a peer level. We play cards, cook together, play soccer, and just generally hang out. I have been giving some of them computer lessons at their request, which I have some mixed feelings about. But overall I do not think my friendship with anyone is harmful, and might actually be a good thing, as most of the Matswana staff has only had power relationships with white people, where they are the workers, and the makgowa (white people) are the guests, or are the boss. I respect the people and their culture, and try to express interest and learn about traditional things (such as medicinal plants and dancing) without appropriating them, and without returning any feeling of superiority of western culture. But I know that, even though I am genuninely enjoying learning aboutsetswana culture and living with these people, that I will eventually get on an airplane and return to America. And I know that just by being here I am supporting the tourism industry, which is by and large culturally destructive. So as you can see I have some mixed feelings about this whole deal.

Overall, Botswana is an exceptional country in Africa. While I was in South Africa, before I left for Botswana, my cousin said something to me like: "I love Botswana because the people there are completely color blind. It makes no difference to them if you are black or white." Now that I am here, I see what he means. Of course people are not completley color blind. But compared to South Africa, it might seem so. From my own experience, I don't think it would be possible for me to have made so many close black friends were I in the same situation in South Africa. I think at least part of this difference is due to the historical regard for race. For example, in the height of the apartheid in the 1960s, while South Africa acutally passed laws banning interracial marriages; Sir Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana, was marrying a white British lady, Ruth Khama. Reacting to this, the South African government not only asked Winston Churchill to intervene and arrest Khama (I think they had fled to England for a time), but promised to arrest the president if he ever stepped foot on South African soil. Which was hard for him to avoid as the capital, Gabarone, was actually in South Africa at the time. Anyway, I think this shows a stark contrast. But there are also major differences between the two countries in terms of population (Botswana has only 1.8 million people, less than the tiny kingdom of Lesotho). There are also major differences in terms of colonial heritage. South Africa was a British colony and fought several wars over this, as mentioned in a previous post. Botswana was made a British protectorate merely by asking Queen Victoria, and has had no internal or external conflict. Also Botswana has major diamond deposits, which they have acutally handled it well--instead of the money being grabbed up by ruling tyrants like most other African nations, the wealth has been spread to the people, in the contruction of schools and hospitals (However, there is something weird about the relationship between the diamond mining company DeBeirs and the country, which I have heard called DeBswana...I will have to do more research on when ever I have access to the internet again). But obstensibly everything is working out pretty well economically for Botswana for right now. Like the rest of southern Africa, AIDS is a huge problem, affecting almost 50% of the population, and killing off the working class. And I

don't know what will happen when the diamond depostis run out. But they also have a solid tourism industry and as a result are taking good care of their national parks and the like.

Anyway, I am still not sure how long I am going to stay here! I would like to see some other parts of the country before I leave, and am thinking about taking a trip up to Kasane and then to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Sometimes I feel like I could live in Botswana forever, and sometimes I wish I were back in Blacksburg. I suppose that is what traveling is all about.