South Africa, Land of the '.........'

David Kibuuka, a successful Comedian in SA from Uganda. Title photo from the Mail&Guardian

I recently read an intriguing article in the Mail & Guardian, titled 'The State of our Nation -How others See Us'. An article on how people, more specifically foreign nationals who have been living in South Africa, perceive this country. I thought I should share some of their thoughts. Its always good to get relatively objective views on what one consider's home. Its also somewhat good to know that you are at times on the same page, and horrifying when there are total disagreements about the South Africa and its people.

Here is what a few of them had to say.

Pauline Lau, from China, has resided in South Africa for over twenty-five years now. She thinks South Africa is very multicultural, and is a mix between Africa and Europe. There are different cultures, with their own societies, own festivals, own foods, making it a colourful country.  She also said that people with money are happier. But those people with nothing must learn to improve themselves, instead of waiting for someone to help them.

"I must say this is a beautiful country - the air, the skies, the scenery and the people are generally very friendly here..." -Lau

Jean Buassa, an French teacher from the DRC, has been living in South Africa for nine years. He said that though South Africa is an African country, there is more racial and gender equality; he found that there more women working than men here..."You not only see women in the kitchen but you see them holding middle-class jobs". Two large set backs though, are that in many black people are still trapped within an apartheid mentality ans that South Africans are in general not happy with themselves. Many would much rather go back to the apartheid days, because of the increasing economic inequality that is very apparent.

One of the brilliant comedians, David Kibuuka, immigrated to South Africa from Uganda twenty years ago. He thinks that South Africans think that "the grass is greener somewhere else", because they feel trapped in a geographically isolated country where "everything is across an ocean and to the north is deepest, darkest Africa" and its too expensive to travel, and have no context.

"I came from deepest, darkest Africa. This is the land of opportunity; anything can happen... if you can stay alive" - Kibuuka

Another gentleman from Zimbabwe, Wellington Chabora, has been living in South Africa for ten years, believes that South Africans are accepting of other nationalities, but there are still some who don't. He also points out two serious concerns, first is the unhealthy levels of fear and violence that surround us everyday; secondly laziness among the youth.

Katrin Starzmann is from Germany, and has resided in South Africa for nine years. I have to point out that she has been living in Cape Town, a very westernised part of the country, and quite different from other cities in South Africa. She found that there is a significantly small number of black middle class in Cape Town compared to Johannesburg, and it is still very racially divided, where... "white people hold higher positions and black people work in lower positions". But she also found that in comparison with her home country, people here are generally happier and more outspoken.


To read the full article click here

I completely agree with these views, and unfortunately many of us still need to wake up to them. I love my country, and there is nowhere else in the world like it. The positives, and the hard negatives make it what it is. And what I love the most and what people generally agree on is that the people truly make the country...We are blessed to live in this place, we must continue to build it up, so that we can be Proudly South African..