11 Giraffes, and 3 Baby Lions...Just another day in South Africa

              We’ve all grown up hearing the phrase “Lions, tigers, and bears. Oh my!” That phrase has now transformed; bears have been replaced with giraffes. We made our way to Sea View Lion Park on a mission to pet a baby lion, a goal that simply had to be checked off our South Africa to do list.  King Cabs came through when Avis neglected to tell us they didn’t have a car available when we made a reservation the night before. When we came upon 11 giraffes in our path, we were quite glad to have someone else driving. Enamored with the awkwardly elegant animals in such close proximity, we took more pictures than necessary by far. After we had gotten our fill of giraffes, we walked through the park observing lions in cages, which I must say was a little less exciting than seeing them out in the open at Scotia Game Reserve. In the middle of these gorgeous native animals was an enclosure that surprisingly enough held two tigers, the classic Tigger sort. While they certainly aren’t native to South Africa, we enjoyed watching them prowl nonetheless. We were then taken to our final destination, the coveted baby lions. After picking out some fun souvenirs for family and friends back home, we bought the ticket to the cuteness.

Two of the lions were three and a half months old, the other five months. Sleeping was their activity of choice, making the prospect of being in such close contact with such a powerful animal a little less nerve racking. The fact that they were smaller than my brother Mick’s dog Grady also lessened the intimidation factor. But of course they weren’t to stay like that. The lion I was petting decided he would like to wake up and play and began to bat around at our hands and arms with his paw. The caretaker said this was perfectly benevolent behavior but when she informed us that we should bat him on the nose if he were to bite, I got slightly nervous. Inspecting the pictures afterward revealed that at one point when I jumped up a little at his first batting of the paw, he stared at my behind rather like it was a tasty morsel he would like to take a bite out of. (I’m glad I didn’t realize that at the time or I would have been out of the cage in a flash).  After a day of tall surprises and playful lions, we returned home with adorable pictures and an item to tick off our to do list.

Providing Context for Apartheid Literature

            Literature in South Africa is undeniably painted through with the effects of apartheid. Each novel we have read brings to light the depth and breadth of the atrocities and their effect on the South African people (a list of the books I’ve read so far can be found at the bottom of this post). Our literature professor understands the difficulty of reading such harrowing literature and provided added context for us by inviting a fellow professor to speak in class. The guest speaker, Janet Cherry, gave us a brief history and overview of the influence of activists and the unifying effects of music throughout the struggle.  Janet Cherry was a political activist during apartheid and in the years following. She was an underground member of the ANC as well as an active member/leader in the End Conscription Campaign, which worked to end the draft. The draft’s policy of only drafting white young men negatively affected ace relations through a compounding nature; young white men were recruited to police townships and suppress young black men, creating a cyclical pattern of violence. She was involved in this movement when she was arresting in 1986 during the famous State of Emergency that lasted three years. She described this arrest (there are many others) as particularly “funny”. She was warned that activists were being arrested and hid at a non-politically active friends house and when most of her friends were arrested at a meeting, she fled to Cape Town to her brother’s friend’s house. The security police who were sent to find her in Cape Town arrived at the house at 2 am. In her pajamas, she attempted to climb the fence in the backyard, only to be met by a security policeman. He asked who she was and she replied with a sassy “Who are you?” to which he replied that he knew she was Janet Cherry and she should promptly return to the house. The chase was over and she was taken back to Port Elizabeth and jailed at a prison for female political activists that I actually pass every time we drive to the Haven. The prison was given the name Rooi Hel meaning red hell for the horrors committed there. While Janet was not tortured, she was kept in solitary confinement for 2 months. After those two months, she still was quite secluded as the prison was segregated and she was the only white woman there at the time. She witnessed the torture of many women and one woman died due to lack of medication for her diabetes while she was in prison. One would think this would only produce negative effects in a person, but Janet still produced a positive outcome. During this stint in prison, she completed an honors degree and “even got out in time to write end of term exams”. During her next long imprisonment, she began her masters and she is now a professor of development studies at NMMU. Janet worked as a researcher for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). At one point a police officer applied for amnesty for throwing brick through the windscreen of her moving car, an action that could have easily killed her. Not only did she research for the commission, she was able to witness several public hearings, an experience that would touch any soul with the power of confession and reconciliation.  While we have studied the TRC in depth this semester, meeting someone who was a part of the process is gives added life to something we’ve encountered mostly through textbooks. Meeting a white political activist who crossed racial boundaries to join the struggle for an equal South Africa again forces me to realize how recent the struggle is and how close and real it still is today.  

**List of books so far: Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela, No Future Without Frogiveness by Desmond Tutu, My Traitor’s Heart by Rian Milan, Disgrace by J. M. Coetzee, Triomf by Marlene Van Niekerk, and 13 Cents by K. Sello Duiker.

A Girl's Day in South Africa

            A girlfriend’s birthday is a perfect excuse to venture out for a day of fun with the girls. To celebrate Heather’s 21^st, our flat went to Casa Mia Health Spa, a quaint escape tucked 15 km away from Addo National Elephant Park in the fragrant citrus trees. Infused with Mexican style, the beige stucco, bronze wrought iron, and weathered wooden doors, Casa Mia was a great place to steal some relaxation and time away from endless reading lists. We chose the anti-stress package and it certainly fit the bill after a busy few weeks of reading, presentations, and papers.  The schedule entailed a sauna, a hydro bath, an Indian head massage, a color elements full body massage, a light lunch, and a pedicure. Most treatments were relaxing to the point of sleep inducing, a welcome phenomenon. The hydro bath was slightly more amusing as Laura and I had to share a tub. Entering the romantically lit room with pale hibiscus blooms delicately placed around the room and rim of the tub, our giggles immediately did not fit the charming atmosphere (neither did our bath-foam-turned-Santa Claus-beards which can be seen on Facebook).  Between treatments we lounged by the pool reading South African health and beauty magazines and observing a particularly active butterfly flit between the hibiscus and Bougainvillea. The light lunch was simply yummy; the light mango chutney complemented the fresh cut vegetables, mango strips, and tender chicken breasts over a bed of greens. Casa Mia provided friendly service and a place to chat and relax with the girls. So after a day of loosened muscles and pretty toes, we made our way back to the reality of Port Elizabeth and a night of fun for Heather.