John Post

So far our trip to South Africa has been great. We have seen that the country is much different from what Americans typically think of Africa to be like. Don’t get me wrong, we have seen our share of straw houses and extreme poverty. The big difference, however, is that the people are considerably different than what we imagine Africans to be like. Miserable, uneducated, and militant- as Africans are portrayed to be in many films (Blood Diamond, etc.)- are three adjectives absolutely do not describe the people who we have met. Instead, the people are thoughtful, optimistic, hard working, grateful, and, most importantly, happy.

This does not go to say that the more superficial stereotype of Africa as a poverty stricken land is universally true either. We are staying in a very nice hotel, among other nice hotels, across the street from a booming mall, with a bowling alley, a movie theatre, and enough shopping outlets to make a 14 year old girl feel like she is in heaven. The streets are lined with advertisements for cell phones, luxury cars, and computers. The fact that places such as Johannesburg exist in Africa was surprising to us. We were expecting to instantly see a part of the world which is completely foreign to us at home. In a way, we were surprised that we were not surprised.
My new impression of the typical African, or at least South African is best exemplified by the people that we have met. We met people from a group called Umsobomvu who funded young entrepreneurs in starting their business. My sense was that the primary mission of this group was social improvement. Unlike banks, which make loans because they collect interest, this group really wanted to advance the southern region of Africa. This, however, was only one of many such programs in South Africa. The Safari we just got back from donates part of their earnings to the local village. This funding goes towards building schools, hospitals, etc. When we visited the village we saw that the people (as a result of this funding or not) seemed to enjoy life in a way that Americans don’t. We realized that these people don’t need our money to be happy. Happiness does not come from what we have. Instead, happiness comes from living sustainable, meaningful, and energetic lives.

The final example of how Africans are proactively seeking to help themselves, which I found most interesting of the three, is the work of a man who introduced himself as Fred. Fred emphasized to us that a relatively small number of people have shaped the world. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, and now we can sit in rooms with light. The Wright Brothers invented the airplane, and now we can take cool trips to Africa. MLK and Gandhi both started human rights movements which have created the path for how our world has changed in a recent context. Fred has started a school to educate the people who will help shaped Africa. He believes that in two or three generations, Africa can be a major force in the world – comparable to Europe or America. I thought that his goal was very inspiring. The Africa School is just getting off the ground, but surely we will hear more from this school in our life times. Fred struck me as one of the few people who really can change the world. (ps. I am embarrassed that I don’t know his last name)

So far, our trip to Africa has changed my perception of the world. I look forwards to seeing Zambia in the next couple days.

John