June 20, 2006
Before arriving in Johannesburg, I had many ideas about
what I thought Africa would be like. Perhaps most prominent
among these thoughts was that the majority of people would
be in a state of economic desperation. I assumed that this
impoverished condition would lead to a sense of hopelessness
and a stagnant economic environment.
Both of these assumptions have been shattered in the last
few weeks spent here. Just exploring Johannesburg and the
surrounding area immediately showed that not everyone in
the country was poor and in fact there were many middle
class and wealthy people. However, I still believed that
the poorer areas would be places of hopelessness. This
assumption was first jarred when we went to visit the South
Western Townships (Soweto). This was the place where the
Africans of Johannesburg were forced to live under the
apartheid government.
 |
Photo by Pok Cha Samarrai |
| Members of Massinger, a village in Mozambique,
perform a traditional dance for U.Va. students. |
Consequently, it was the site of
many anti-government protests. I had always heard that
these neighborhoods remained poor and tough. I figured
our tour would be like visiting a slum.
Upon arrival in Soweto it didn’t feel like the
run-down neighborhood I had expected. In fact the stores,
homes
and markets we passed seemed vibrantly alive. We ate
lunch in a restaurant that despite its location in a
poor neighborhood
was obviously cultivating a refined [clientele]. Talking
with the owner revealed his plans to improve and [expand]
before the World Cup in 2010.
Our tour guides that day were also residents of Soweto
who had started their own touring company. Both men also
had plans for other endeavors, including the establishment
of a bed and breakfast within Soweto.
A comparable place and time that kept popping into my head
was the Harlem Renaissance, and I was told later that this
observation is made frequently.
After this experience I thought perhaps this entrepreneurial
spirit was confined to the urban areas. This perception
too began to change as we moved from the city out into
the countryside. We soon found ourselves in Thohoyandou
in the Limpopo Province. This area was a former Bantustan
homeland set up by the apartheid government to keep blacks
from living in urban areas. In visiting the surrounding
agricultural areas, we saw that many of the family farms
were trying to grow from subsistence, hand-to-mouth livelihoods
to a more business-oriented agriculture geared towards
the cash economy.
One specific example that stood out to me was a man who
had a farm and had seen strawberry farming on television.
He went to Cape Town, bought three plants and now has fields
of strawberries. He is the only farmer in the area to grow
this crop and is trying to build a market. To start with
he has been selling them to school children for five cents
each and plans to continue expanding his operations.
Not only were farmers trying to grow their businesses but
local communities were seeking to get into the tourism
field. We visited a village in the Mutale Valley that is
home to one of the African students in our class. His family,
as well as the consular of the village, showed us around
and revealed their plans to establish a lodge and continue
to build their cultural exhibition to attract tourists
to their naturally beautiful home.
Venda wasn’t the only place where rural communities
were looking to brighten their future. In Massengir,
Mozambique, we stayed at the Covane Community Lodge,
which is a lodge
operated by the local village on communal land to benefit
the community. In two years they have already been able
to use the proceeds to construct a new classroom for
their primary school.
When we reentered South Africa to stay at the Witswatersrand
University rural facility in Acornhoek, the sense of economic
optimism continued to pervade our encounters with locals.
We met a woman named Martha who began to sell needlepoint
creations several years ago to help cover the cost of living.
She has since moved to a roadside stand and sells many
items and is now putting her children through higher education.
We took a tour of the village of Velverdeen led by a group
of unemployed community youth who hope to market their
tours to visitors to the nearby Kruger National Park interested
in learning about African culture.
Just yesterday at lunch the owner of the restaurant apologized
for his humble restaurant but assured us when we returned
in a few years it would be a much-expanded place.
My trip through Africa has shattered my belief of economic
desperation and hopelessness. Instead I have found a vibrant
culture of entrepreneurialism and economic optimism. The
growth really is inspiring and the mood infectious. Although
there are many poor areas, this spirit seems to suggest
that with continued help and investment this condition
can be overcome. I look forward to seeing even more evidence
of this vitality as I continue my time in South Africa. |
