"It is often said that the worst thing to happen to Africa was the arrival of the white man. And the second worst was his departure."
I love staying in hostels. When you are traveling it is hard to establish relationships out of thin air much less have anything even slightly interesting to discuss. Hostels solve this problem by instantly breaking down barriers because they provide a place for fellow travelers to meet because they are all in the same situation; alone, nervous and eager to meet others. As you meet people along the way, you are able gain new perspective from the discussions that take place. There has been a reoccurring theme pop up in many hostel discussions throughout Africa that has been weighing on my mind. The scenario for the discussion is always the same: a white South African (WSA), a Westerner (European or American) and either a racial, political or Zimbabwe debate. This is the setting for the same reoccurring debate that is based on one underlying question, 'Are White Africans African?' This subject is usually directed at South Africans because of the lingering apartheid legacy but I think it should be applied to the whole of Africa and not just one country in the south. However, for the sake of the argument I will focus on South Africa for it is the beacon of prosperity in sub-Saharan Africa and the most memorable debate at a hostel centered around it.
I love staying in hostels. When you are traveling it is hard to establish relationships out of thin air much less have anything even slightly interesting to discuss. Hostels solve this problem by instantly breaking down barriers because they provide a place for fellow travelers to meet because they are all in the same situation; alone, nervous and eager to meet others. As you meet people along the way, you are able gain new perspective from the discussions that take place. There has been a reoccurring theme pop up in many hostel discussions throughout Africa that has been weighing on my mind. The scenario for the discussion is always the same: a white South African (WSA), a Westerner (European or American) and either a racial, political or Zimbabwe debate. This is the setting for the same reoccurring debate that is based on one underlying question, 'Are White Africans African?' This subject is usually directed at South Africans because of the lingering apartheid legacy but I think it should be applied to the whole of Africa and not just one country in the south. However, for the sake of the argument I will focus on South Africa for it is the beacon of prosperity in sub-Saharan Africa and the most memorable debate at a hostel centered around it.
So one night I was in a hostel in Windhoek, when an Australian girl started preaching to me and three WSA guys that every white person in Africa should be forced to leave. She started listing of numerous horrible acts Europeans have done in Africa and called for their immediate withdrawal. She then looked to me for some assistance in her crusade against the evil South Africans. Matching her enthusiasm and tone I replied, “they will leave when every white Australian leaves Australia!” She was shocked and the WSA applauded. She couldn’t’ see the connection. Yes, Europeans have done terrible things in Africa, but also to the rest of the world. Let’s say for instance all of the Aborigines were not systematically killed over time and they were the ruling party in Australia today. What would the political landscape look like now? If all of the American Indians were not killed off by disease and war providing them with the majority today in the USA, how would we, white people, be judged if they were in charge? The fact of the matter is that terrible things have been carried out on a very large scale throughout history and only now do some of their descendants have to deal with the consequences; i.e. South Africa.
Before coming to Africa, I took the same moral high ground as the Australian girl, but I realized I was wrong.The Australian girl then started attacking the WSA guys about apartheid and looked at me as if she redeemed herself. I again told her that I have to moral high ground to stand on. America has the same dark history of racial segregation and anyone that denies it is lying. I consider myself southern being from West Virginia and have traveled extensively throughout the South. I know that there is just as much racial tension in the US as there is South Africa if not more because I have experienced it. The mentality isn’t that much different. The only surprising and shameful aspect about South Africa is that it lasted for so long, ending in 1994.
I then asked her what the white people living in South Africa should do. “Move,” she said. One of the WSA guys yelled “Where! I grew up in South Africa, my family is from South Africa and my passport says I am South African. If I am not South African, what am I?” It is a very good point and I do not have the answer and neither did the Aussie girl. After the situation calmed down a bit, I asked our Aussie girl how many generations her family had been in Australia. “Three,” she said. The WSA gave a little chuckle and informed her that his family has been in Africa for four generations. I couldn’t answer the question because quite frankly, I don’t know! Immigration is a topic of everyday discussion for WSA today. Many have immigrated to Australia, England, New Zealand, Canada and the USA because of the current situation in the country. I have become very well versed in recommending suitable cities in the US for them to possibly immigrate to. For instance, I was waiting in line in the Victoria Falls airport when I met a very nice WSA couple in their early thirties. They began to ask very pointed questions about certain cities in the US trying to hide their real intentions. Knowing they were looking for possible destinations to immigrate, we had a lengthy discussion and I ended up making a couple recommendations for them.
South Africans have been through a lot over the past couple of decades. The turbulent 80s that brought an end to apartheid which lead to anxiety and uncertainty of post apartheid rule provided more than enough reasons for all WSA to pack up and leave the country then. Many did leave but many also stayed. The anxiety was quickly calmed with reconciliation and the country has managed to prosper even in the face of numerous problems. I now ask myself another question: Why are the same people that were willing to stay in the 80s and early 90s now looking to immigrate? What has changed? Have things gotten worse? There has been another development in South Africa that has taken place just one month ago that has prompted this new wave of fear. The ruling party of South Africa is the ANC. Nelson Mandela was and still is to an extent the face of the party that has ruled the country since independence in 1994. The president of the ANC in effect becomes the president of the country. The ANC held their elections last month. The winner was a man named Jacob Zuma. This is frightening because Zuma has numerous felony charges pending against him including corruption, arms dealing and rape. How can a man with countless criminal charges possibly be elected to lead the most prosperous country in all of Africa? Simple, he is a Zulu, the most populous tribe in the country, and this is African politics. African politics, to an extent, is a legalized form of ongoing tribal conflict and warfare. Look at Kenya right now. The elections results are being disputed between the two largest tribes in the country. The vast majority of Africans still align themselves with tribal beliefs and will vote for anyone that represents their tribe, criminal or not. Under such circumstances, is democracy the best form of government? There are many different philosophies on how to solve the problem.
South Africans have been through a lot over the past couple of decades. The turbulent 80s that brought an end to apartheid which lead to anxiety and uncertainty of post apartheid rule provided more than enough reasons for all WSA to pack up and leave the country then. Many did leave but many also stayed. The anxiety was quickly calmed with reconciliation and the country has managed to prosper even in the face of numerous problems. I now ask myself another question: Why are the same people that were willing to stay in the 80s and early 90s now looking to immigrate? What has changed? Have things gotten worse? There has been another development in South Africa that has taken place just one month ago that has prompted this new wave of fear. The ruling party of South Africa is the ANC. Nelson Mandela was and still is to an extent the face of the party that has ruled the country since independence in 1994. The president of the ANC in effect becomes the president of the country. The ANC held their elections last month. The winner was a man named Jacob Zuma. This is frightening because Zuma has numerous felony charges pending against him including corruption, arms dealing and rape. How can a man with countless criminal charges possibly be elected to lead the most prosperous country in all of Africa? Simple, he is a Zulu, the most populous tribe in the country, and this is African politics. African politics, to an extent, is a legalized form of ongoing tribal conflict and warfare. Look at Kenya right now. The elections results are being disputed between the two largest tribes in the country. The vast majority of Africans still align themselves with tribal beliefs and will vote for anyone that represents their tribe, criminal or not. Under such circumstances, is democracy the best form of government? There are many different philosophies on how to solve the problem.
I have no idea which one is right but I do know that it will have to be a compromise and nothing absolute. Absolute like in Zimbabwe, the beacon on hope in southern Africa before South Africa took its place once it stumbled. Zimbabwe has tried and is in the process of trying to expel all of the white farmers from the country. Robert Mugabe, the leader of Zimbabwe, has been successful in his efforts because most of the white farmers have fled for their lives. Others were not so lucky and have lost their lives when war veterans showed up at their homes and killed them. The result, Zimbabwe is the fastest shrinking economy in the world. Inflation is reaching 15,000% where $1 US dollar is worth 1.2 million Zimbabwean dollars. The standard of living is half what is was at independence in 1980. Some Africans, still say this is progress because the white man is gone: white men that were there for generations, built clinics and schools where the government would not, and white men that employed thousands of Africans. Now, the country that was considered ‘the breadbasket of Africa’ that could feed itself and its neighbors with some of the most advanced agricultural technology in the world has reverted back to subsistence farming tilling the land by donkeys in some areas. There is no food in the country. If you are lucky, you live close to the border where you can leave to buy groceries. If you are not so lucky, it is the survival of the fittest finding food wherever you can. This can’t be the solution.
The world is getting smaller every day with larger numbers of people having the ability to move around the globe with unprecedented ease. The racial, linguistic and ideological make up of countries are being tested and gradually changing as populations are confronted with the influx of immigrants. America is a nation of immigrants and yet, each call themselves American or some variation (i.e. Chinese American, African American, Latin American) No matter where their ancestors may come from or where their racial homelands lie, immigrants can still achieve citizenship. This is happening on a daily basis around the world but some parts of the world have not figured out how to deal with past movements, in most cases forced movements. This is a major problem in Africa today: accepting the past and resisting the urge to reverse it. In Africa, the issue of being native or not is easy identified for some because it is black and white, literally.
