An American Facebook friend asked me this question… tell me about South Africa…. I took a few days to think about it.
I could tell him about the political situation, the dark history, the unemployment, the ‘Struggle’ and the ‘New Struggle’ after. I could tell him about the crime. About my friend being murdered for a fucking cell phone, my friends being hijacked, my one friend being raped after a long work day just outside her home when she almost got home. I can tell him about friends that phoned me because their sister, brother, son, daughter were murdered just because they owned or worked on a farm….
But I can also tell him about how sometimes you meet stranger, a selfless stranger that wants nothing from you except a smile, I can tell him about the beautiful mountains of Mpumalanga, the corn fields that stretches to forever in Western Transvaal, the ancient stone circles that is over 70,000 years old in Kaapsehoop and Waterval Boven, the beautiful Vaal River, Pretoria in Spring, The magic of Plettenberg Bay, Knysna, the call of the Hadeda and the beautiful sounds of my Mother Language Afrikaans with poetic words like skemer, duister, verdwaal, beeldskoon, asemrowend, belewenis, venster, trapsuutjies, Tarentaal, summier and lekker.
I can tell him that I will never leave this country because it is my home, that even the darkest place here, or the most negative experiences here are not as powerful as the beauty and compassion of a multitude of my people, be they black, white or brown. That we have a country of beauty, where in some places green forests and fields seem like they stretch forever.
Tell you about South Africa? I can’t. It is too huge to tell you about. Come feel its grace, its beauty, its darkness, its shame and its glory.
(c) 2016 Allen Simpson
all photos copyrighted to Allen Simpson
Februarie 4, 2016 at 7:15 vm
Thank you for reminding me
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 7:54 vm
Thank you for reading 🙂
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 7:26 vm
Ek sluk trane weg…jy het dit perfek opgesom.
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 7:55 vm
Baie dankie Perdebytjie… dit was vir my ‘n moeilike vraag en ek moes hard dink en oop en eerlik antwoord oor watek weet. Daar is mense wat dalk nie saam sal stem nie, maar my antwoord is oop, eerlik en almal waarvan ek gepraat het bestaan en het deur alles gegaan wat ek beskrywe het.
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 8:47 vm
Although I can’t wholeheartedly agree, It is very true, and so eloquently said.
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 8:58 vm
Thank you EvermoreLize. I am sure there are points to disagree on, we are each his or her own person, with our own unique experiences, but thanks for keeping an open mind and if you want to talk about what you disagree on, I am open to it as well. Maybe you can change my mind on something I said. I love to grow and you may even open a new path in my way of understanding things.
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 9:11 vm
Oh, just my personal experience….. I am not as passionate about our country as you, unfortunately, and my reasons are not based on the current political climate or any of the problems we face as a nation. I do agree this is a beautiful country, I also think most people feel that way about the country they were born in. I haven’t traveled much, but I’m sure every country has it’s own way of stealing your breath and all languages has it’s charms. I am by no means negative about South Africa, I merely consider myself a citizen of the world, so to speak….
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 9:20 vm
That is quite understandable. 🙂 I also agree that every culture has its charm. I have not been overseas but there are other countries out there with languages and architecture that also steal my breath away, And I have fantasies of visiting a few of them one day.
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 1:48 nm
Sjoe Wolfie perfek, ek is MAL oor hoe jy ons land beskryf!! Die beskrywing van ons pragtige Natuurskoon doen dit vir my!!! Enige buitelander wat jou skrywe lees, sal nie anders kan as om te kom kyk hoekom jy so liries raak nie!!
‘Come feel its grace, its beauty, its darkness, it’s shame and it’s glory’
Raakvat woorde!!! Goed gedoen my vriend!!!!
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 1:49 nm
Dankie!!!!!
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 7:29 nm
My plesier!!
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 7:52 nm
❤
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 7:11 nm
Ek wens ek kan hierdie geluid wat nou uit my mond, my liggaam gekom het neerpen. Iets soos O (met ‘n kappie), iets soos ‘n sug van genoegdoening, ‘n ‘ja, presies net so’. Sjoe!
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Februarie 4, 2016 at 7:52 nm
Baie dankie Toortsie 🙂 Jy maak my aand
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