I remember my first visit to Cape Town looking at that island and thinking why is South Africa doing this.
I remember on my last visit going on a slightly crazy evening drive through a black township. We had to keep our heads down. Afterwards we visited a bar where one of Warren's friends was a banned person. I remember walking up to meet him and Warren suggesting that we back off as these two burly looking guys approached. They were the State watchers... Not sure of the correct name.
What a marvelous memory you have, Rex. You remind me that many of my friends from my student days were considered “undesirable” by the Apartheid government because of our opposition to its policies. Indeed, the “Security Police” as we called the watchers, were either rank amateurs or couldn’t care less. They’d park their black, government issue vehicles right outside the front door and watch the comings and goings in plain sight. One of the many reasons I left when I did. No regrets.
I was stopped short at the award Dede received that used the term “non-racial democracy.” The implications are enormous. Is it really? Is that how it’s all turned out? Is that what the U.S. purports to be?
In 1995 I lived next door to a white family who “escaped” from their compound in Johannesburg, where they could not let their children play outside the walls. So their 8 year old son was thrilled with being able to ride his bike on our neighborhood streets. What was the political situation at that time?
PS: This family had a recipe for curry that was the best I’d ever had. It was supposedly a local recipe and was quite red in color. 20 years later I still think about it and regret not having a copy. It was spectacular in scrambled eggs!
The rapid transition from segregation to democracy, Shannon, was clearly not without its pitfalls. THE ASPIRATION was for a “Rainbow Nation,” the name given to South Africa by Archbishop Desmond Tutu after its first democratic election in 1994 since apartheid ended. It’s a metaphor for the coming together of all different peoples who live in South Africa – a nation with 11 official languages.
THE REALITY has been a decades-long slide into widespread corruption that has seriously hobbled economic progress and reverberates today. An analogy can be seen in Russia – the dissolution of the Soviet Union was followed by the chaos and corruption of Boris Yelstin, the first freely elected president of Russia ever. His demise led to the rise of Putin – and today it seems we might be on the eve of World War III.
BTW South Africa has quite a few unique foods on its menu, apart from curry: have you ever tried “boerewors?” (Afrkaans, literally translated as “farmer’s sausage"). It delicious!
Anne and Jean are right Warren, your writing style draws the reader in and then shares the amazing research you do in each of your articles. Couple that with your own personal experiences and the interviews you do with fellow travelers and guides makes for fascinating reading and lessons for life. Enjoy your last several days there and I do hope you leave with a vow to return soon, it’s clearly a happy place for you to be.
In truth, my friend, my writing style has undergone a truly radical transformation in just the last two weeks, one I have resisted for ages.
Throughout my decades of experience, every editor who improved my work would say: “Leave yourself out of the story. The reader doesn’t care about you!”
Indeed, scroll back to any article from my past and you’ll rarely find that dreaded first-person pronoun “I”
Journalism has changed. I noticed it years ago, but the “inked-stained wretch” in me stubbornly refused to adapt.
Until two weeks ago.
Preparing my first South Africa article
SOUTH AFRICA: A BEAUTIFUL BUT DEEPLY TROUBLED COUNTRY
I caved. It is MY story, I reasoned. There is no escaping the first person singular pronoun.
The response has been overwhelming. I’m deeply gratified, proud and exhausted! There’s more to come – Monday’s episode justifiable begins with the word every journalist (and reader!) just loves: EXCLUSIVE.
Hello Warren, from the other side of the planet! I hope you're having an absolutely wonderful time back home visiting your sister and seeing the changes since your last trip home. I am SO enjoying your posts for multiple reasons. First of all, I'm awed by your professionalism, attention to detail and the fact that somehow you can find the time to link articles and videos to your postings. It's a great treat to get to see your journalism skills in action.
My son and I were in SA in August 2016. You're rubbing off on me! I wanted to be exact, so I had to scroll through a jillion pictures up in the Cloud to find exactly when we went. Robben Island was definitely a highlight, especially since our tour guide was a man who was imprisoned there with Nelson Mandala. Horrifyingly fascinating. We met the young guard who became Mandala's friend and he signed a copy of the book he wrote about his experiences with him on the island and after his release. Unfortunately, I passed the book on to my son, he passed it on to his brother and, you've probably guessed it by now, no one knows where it is.
The story of how we got to the island involves 1 friendly, knowledgeable, whispering secretly in a corner tour guide, 1 tour guide willing to break the law and 2 American tourists who had no problem doing a few dodgy things to get there. We have stories to exchange, Warren! I'm hoping you'll let me treat you to coffee/tea, etc. so we can discuss all things SA. After you're unjetlagged, of course.
I wish you a very boring, totally uneventful trip home. I think the travel karma gods owe you one!
PRICELESS, Anne! Just maybe the “travel karma gods” do indeed owe me one. But just between us, they already are paying me back! About three hours ago I called to arrange my COVID test for Monday at Cape Town airport. Bottom line: Rapid antigen test 150 ZARAND (=$10US) no typo! Ten dollars! Cost me $200USD at LAX on outbound. 15 minute turnaround – took me 90 minutes at LAX ☺
Indeed, everyone has a story, and it’s my vocation to find them and share them with my readers … and the world. Apart from that, it is huge barrels of FUN! I trust my absolute pleasure in this is communicated in the sub-text to my articles. I’d love to meet for coffee (American tea sucks; SA much better). Look forward to hearing from you when I return.
I remember my first visit to Cape Town looking at that island and thinking why is South Africa doing this.
I remember on my last visit going on a slightly crazy evening drive through a black township. We had to keep our heads down. Afterwards we visited a bar where one of Warren's friends was a banned person. I remember walking up to meet him and Warren suggesting that we back off as these two burly looking guys approached. They were the State watchers... Not sure of the correct name.
What a marvelous memory you have, Rex. You remind me that many of my friends from my student days were considered “undesirable” by the Apartheid government because of our opposition to its policies. Indeed, the “Security Police” as we called the watchers, were either rank amateurs or couldn’t care less. They’d park their black, government issue vehicles right outside the front door and watch the comings and goings in plain sight. One of the many reasons I left when I did. No regrets.
I was stopped short at the award Dede received that used the term “non-racial democracy.” The implications are enormous. Is it really? Is that how it’s all turned out? Is that what the U.S. purports to be?
In 1995 I lived next door to a white family who “escaped” from their compound in Johannesburg, where they could not let their children play outside the walls. So their 8 year old son was thrilled with being able to ride his bike on our neighborhood streets. What was the political situation at that time?
PS: This family had a recipe for curry that was the best I’d ever had. It was supposedly a local recipe and was quite red in color. 20 years later I still think about it and regret not having a copy. It was spectacular in scrambled eggs!
The rapid transition from segregation to democracy, Shannon, was clearly not without its pitfalls. THE ASPIRATION was for a “Rainbow Nation,” the name given to South Africa by Archbishop Desmond Tutu after its first democratic election in 1994 since apartheid ended. It’s a metaphor for the coming together of all different peoples who live in South Africa – a nation with 11 official languages.
THE REALITY has been a decades-long slide into widespread corruption that has seriously hobbled economic progress and reverberates today. An analogy can be seen in Russia – the dissolution of the Soviet Union was followed by the chaos and corruption of Boris Yelstin, the first freely elected president of Russia ever. His demise led to the rise of Putin – and today it seems we might be on the eve of World War III.
BTW South Africa has quite a few unique foods on its menu, apart from curry: have you ever tried “boerewors?” (Afrkaans, literally translated as “farmer’s sausage"). It delicious!
Boerewors.. We can buy it here at a number of places. Made locally by the many South Africans who have made Australia their home.
Anne and Jean are right Warren, your writing style draws the reader in and then shares the amazing research you do in each of your articles. Couple that with your own personal experiences and the interviews you do with fellow travelers and guides makes for fascinating reading and lessons for life. Enjoy your last several days there and I do hope you leave with a vow to return soon, it’s clearly a happy place for you to be.
In truth, my friend, my writing style has undergone a truly radical transformation in just the last two weeks, one I have resisted for ages.
Throughout my decades of experience, every editor who improved my work would say: “Leave yourself out of the story. The reader doesn’t care about you!”
Indeed, scroll back to any article from my past and you’ll rarely find that dreaded first-person pronoun “I”
Journalism has changed. I noticed it years ago, but the “inked-stained wretch” in me stubbornly refused to adapt.
Until two weeks ago.
Preparing my first South Africa article
SOUTH AFRICA: A BEAUTIFUL BUT DEEPLY TROUBLED COUNTRY
https://warrenswil.substack.com/p/south-africa-a-beautiful-but-deeply
I caved. It is MY story, I reasoned. There is no escaping the first person singular pronoun.
The response has been overwhelming. I’m deeply gratified, proud and exhausted! There’s more to come – Monday’s episode justifiable begins with the word every journalist (and reader!) just loves: EXCLUSIVE.
Wow! Brilliantly written Warren! I had forgotten that you intended to visit the island! Very interesting indeed!
Hello Warren, from the other side of the planet! I hope you're having an absolutely wonderful time back home visiting your sister and seeing the changes since your last trip home. I am SO enjoying your posts for multiple reasons. First of all, I'm awed by your professionalism, attention to detail and the fact that somehow you can find the time to link articles and videos to your postings. It's a great treat to get to see your journalism skills in action.
My son and I were in SA in August 2016. You're rubbing off on me! I wanted to be exact, so I had to scroll through a jillion pictures up in the Cloud to find exactly when we went. Robben Island was definitely a highlight, especially since our tour guide was a man who was imprisoned there with Nelson Mandala. Horrifyingly fascinating. We met the young guard who became Mandala's friend and he signed a copy of the book he wrote about his experiences with him on the island and after his release. Unfortunately, I passed the book on to my son, he passed it on to his brother and, you've probably guessed it by now, no one knows where it is.
The story of how we got to the island involves 1 friendly, knowledgeable, whispering secretly in a corner tour guide, 1 tour guide willing to break the law and 2 American tourists who had no problem doing a few dodgy things to get there. We have stories to exchange, Warren! I'm hoping you'll let me treat you to coffee/tea, etc. so we can discuss all things SA. After you're unjetlagged, of course.
I wish you a very boring, totally uneventful trip home. I think the travel karma gods owe you one!
PRICELESS, Anne! Just maybe the “travel karma gods” do indeed owe me one. But just between us, they already are paying me back! About three hours ago I called to arrange my COVID test for Monday at Cape Town airport. Bottom line: Rapid antigen test 150 ZARAND (=$10US) no typo! Ten dollars! Cost me $200USD at LAX on outbound. 15 minute turnaround – took me 90 minutes at LAX ☺
Indeed, everyone has a story, and it’s my vocation to find them and share them with my readers … and the world. Apart from that, it is huge barrels of FUN! I trust my absolute pleasure in this is communicated in the sub-text to my articles. I’d love to meet for coffee (American tea sucks; SA much better). Look forward to hearing from you when I return.