South Africa

I'm spending my last couple days in Pretoria, South Africa. I can't be bothered to venture to Jozy (Johannesburg). The primary attraction there would be the Apartheid Museum, which is closed today. Otherwise I have heard nothing but very bad things about Joburg, "It's just so dangerous" I'd been told by locals.

Instead, I'm slowly acclimating to the "civilized" world of comfort and consumption in South Africa's capital; where traffic signals are obeyed, merchants don't haggle and showers have hot water. And though beer is always served cold, the people smile less, the babies whine and cry, and suddenly many people are overweight.

Ironically, this is the first country where I've struggled to communicate with people. While English is one of South Africa's national languages, I have said "Sorry, I'm not from here. Please say that again, slowly" several times today! It's just a strong accent and I have to get used to it.

It's winter here, a mild winter at that. But serious enough that I walk around with knit gloves, a stocking cap and a fleece coat. The University of Pretoria is nearby, so I had a wander through its campus. What a contrast to the other places I've been: maintained modern buildings, manicured grounds, a mix of people--black and white, male and female.

Pretoria is a bustling town with a feel and layout that compares to many cities back home: four-lane expressways, indoor malls, suburbs and car dealerships. Walking around, I am just another person here, indistinguishable until I talk. I feel safe until my eyes catch the newspaper headlines describing some violent crimes. South Africa has an extremely high violent-crime rate, "highest in the world" some say, yet it's considered to be the most developed of all the Sub-Saharan countries.

I begin to think about that Joseph Conrad novel again, imagining my journey into "civilization" as my journey into the "Heart of Darkness." The newspapers support this fantasy, as I read about how not far from here are sprawling shanty towns where there is no law. And just a couple weeks ago, poor South Africans began killing the even poorer immigrants from neighboring countries. Talk about terror! The tension is almost palpable when I ask an ambulant craft vendor where he's from ... he wouldn't tell me.

And just up the street resides a man expected to be South Africa's next president, Jacob Zuma -- head of the ruling political party, African National Congress. True to African form, he's a politician with a controversial past--accused of rape, fraud and, of course, corruption, it baffles me that he's still in power. (Click here to See BBC article)

Ah yes ... Africa, how fortunate I am to have had a glimpse. I have enjoyed it very much. Thoroughly. Once called "The Darkest Continent," more recently labeled "The Greenest Continent," to me--considering all the inspirational landscapes, beautiful people and brutal social struggles--Africa is an amazing mess.