Our South African Education

Recently I have begun learning about South Africa. Through university studies and through South African friends, I have had a casual acquaintance with South Africa. I read a few novels by Nadine Gordimer and J.M. Coetzee (both South African authors) during a Post-Colonial Literature course that I took in university. And when we lived in Toronto, we had good friends who immigrated to Canada from South Africa, and introduced us to bits of South African culture, some of the highlights including banana on pizza, and the South African love for a briar, or a barbeque. A few months ago I began to ease a little deeper into South Africa with the aid of Zakes Mda's novel The Heart of Redness. I chose it as a novel for my book club. It proved to be a challenging read but led to great discussion. I also began to familiarize myself with South Africa with a map, and general statistics, (thank you Wikipedia).

A few weeks ago I visited another South African friend, Elsebé and had a wonderful afternoon with her. We drank Rooibos tea and she spoke tenderly of the country where she grew up and from which she emigrated three or four years ago. She showed me beautiful books on South Africa, some in English, some in Afrikaans. And lent me South Africa The Beautiful as well as two children's books Looking at the Xhosa and Looking at the Zulu. The country and the people truly are beautiful and it was great to familiarize myself with them a little more.

Elsebé also lent me a huge book The New History of South Africa which I have begun to read ambitiously from cover to cover. The book starts pretty much at the beginning of time and I'm already at mid 1700s! I'm only on page 67 of 437. I'm enjoying reading it. I find it interesting to compare to Canadian history, the African people there and the First nations here as well as the process of colonization.

One of the most striking things in my reading is the attitudes of the Dutch colonizers towards the Khoikhoi and the Xhosa people, the first African people that they encountered in South Africa. In many ways it is similar to the treatment of the First nations people here in Canada by the French and the British. However, I somehow feel less at ease in reading about the actions of the Dutch colonists (later the Afrikaaners) in South Africa. The reason for my ill ease is my own ethnic background. My parents and my husband's parents are immigrants from the Netherlands. When reading Canadian history, I can "tut tut" at the treatment of the British and French towards our aboriginal people, but when I read about the actions of the Dutch in South Africa, I identify more with them. Dutch Protestant Christians, just like me, committed these atrocities.

I'm sure this struggle will continue as we learn more about South Africa, its history, and the inequalities that still exist there. I imagine it will be a struggle we deal with as we travel around South Africa with our new African son. And I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a continual prick in our hearts the rest of our lives.

I was very impressed with the manner in which Elsebé spoke of the process of colonization and of apartheid. I admired her humility and honesty in talking about the evils of apartheid, and her refusal to gloss over the horrible treatment that occurred at the hands of her own people. She spoke of good good people who fought hard against apartheid, but was clear that still today there are many people who broach the subject of race with hatred and hard hearts.

Elsebé also lent me some South African movies and CDs. We are familiarizing ourselves with The Drakensberg Boys Choir, Randall Wicomb and Helmut Lotti to name a few. It is neat to hear some traditional South African songs like Shosholoza, Tula Tula (a lullabye) and Nkosi Sikelele Afrika, the South African National Anthem. Nkosi Sikelele Afrika is beautiful song, an interesting national anthem. Its lyrics read more like a contemporary praise song or a prayer than a National Anthem.

It is an easy anthem for me, a Canadian learning about South Africa, to sing (and pray) with my whole heart.

Nkosi Sikelel'i Afrika (Lord God bless Africa)

Maluphankanyisw'uphondo Iwayo (Let its fame be lifted up)

Yizwa imithandazo yethu (Listen and hear our prayers)

Nkosi sikeleli, Nkosi sikelela (O Lord God bless)

Nkosi Sikelel'i Afrika (Lord God bless Africa)
Maluphankanyisw'uphondo Iwayo (Let its fame be lifted up)
Yizwa imithandazo yethu (Listen and hear our prayers)
Nkosi sikeleli, Thina lusapho Iwayo (Oh Lord God bless us, we children of Africa)

Woza moyo (Come Spirit)

Woza moya woza (Come Spirit come)

Woza moya (Come Spirit)

Woza moya woza (Come Spirit come)

Woza moya oyingewele (Come Spirit, Holy Spirit)

Nkosi sikelela (Oh Lord God bless)

Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso (God bless our nation)

Ofedise dintwa le matshwenyeho (and stop all wars and sufferings)

O se boloke (And bless it)

O se boloke morena (And bless it Lord, Oh God)

Setjahaba sa heso (Bless our nation)

Setjhaba sa Afrika (Our nation, Africa)

Nkosi sikelel'i Afrika (Lord God bless Africa)

Maluphankanyisw'uphondo iway (Let its fame be lifted up)

Yizwa imithandoazo yethu (Listen and hear our prayers)

Nkosi sikelela, (Lord God bless us, we children of Africa)

Nkosi Sikelel'i afrika (God bless Africa)