Today was filled with a multitude of novel experiences and a better understanding of the government and how the African National Congress has remained in power since the end of apartheid. Thirteen of us boarded the van around 9:45 this morning. We were on our way to a huge ANC rally with presidential candidate Zuma speaking at a venue in Khayelitsha. After waiting for the official rally bus to pick us up, we were warmly welcomed onto the bus and promised shirts so we could be true supporters at the gathering. We stopped at the woman’s home and were all given black shirts with a huge print of Zuma’s smiling face and the words “VOTE ANC” directly below it. A free shirt got everyone much more excited and ready for a day of governmental festivities.
We arrived in the middle of the township and stepped off the bus to a woman selling corn from a barrel. The corn selling is for the most part commonplace but since we were all a little hungry, the vast majority purchased a cob for 6 rand each. After my first bite ended with a lack of crunchiness and taste, I decided the corn would be better appreciated by one of the many people around me. I was approached by two interested people so I split the corn in half to appease both of them. This made them happy and left me with a good feeling as well. A few other people did the same thing as we were making our way into the field. After a lot of shoving we entered the venue which was basically a huge expanse of land. There were people everywhere doing the ‘Amandtha’ – ‘Awayytu’ (spelled by sound) chant and response. This means literally ‘Power’ – ‘To the people!’ which was a chant derived during apartheid.
I was curious about the ANC and why people were so attracted by it. Luckily I had these questions answered when a few men approached me to give me a greeting. They told me they were loyal voters of ANC and I proceeded to ask them why. Their response was basically that since the ANC brought them out of apartheid and the fact that it’s a party that speaks for the majority of South Africa, which is poor blacks, they support it. I was inquisitive and questioned further and was surprised to find out that the men were aware of the corruption within ANC and that they disagreed with many of their policies. However, they were still proud supporters. Although this was just a miniscule sample of the people at the rally, it helped me put the party into perspective.
The conversation was cut short when we were all reminded of our VIP status and that we had seats in front of the fence and to the left of the stage. We plopped down on the grass with a clear view of the speakers. At first I felt somewhat uncomfortable being on this side of the fence. This is because we were a group of whites huddled together with an immense crowd of black followers on the other side. However, this feeling of awkwardness went away when I pleasantly noticed that the young boys and girls were allowed to climb over or scurry under the fence. A swarm of children came around us and made themselves comfortable. This made the whole event more enjoyable and interesting because the kids were fun to interact with and kept our energy up since it’s easy to drift when listening to a long speech in a different language.
Kevin and I were enveloped with smiling kids and I took out my notebook to journal. I then got the idea of asking the kids if they wanted to doodle and draw in my notebook. This not only entertained the boys and girls but now I have a nice collection of drawings as well. This was going very well until a man in front of me wanted to get involved. When a boy was in the midst of drawing a face, the man tried to tug the notebook out of his hands. I intervened and took my notebook back. The man then began to yell at me about a variety of things as I sat face to face with him doing my best to seem nonplussed. Every time the man would make an order or suggestion, rather than be defensive I strategically took the “I don’t understand and can’t really hear you” approach. This worked and the man grew tired and focused his energies on a woman to his right. Soon after, he was physically escorted out. This made me realize that what Vernon said was true about not becoming too relaxed despite the environment.
After Zuma’s speech a mix of celebrities took the stage to everyone’s delight. We all got up and moved closer. Yet, before this occurred Jordan and Chelsea were affectionately attacked by a ton of the children which led to some great photos. We moved our way closer to the stage to see an appealing dance and then a famous singer. During this time a bunch of us danced with the kids that we were closest to. This led to me giving 3 different boys some fun piggy back rides so they could see the stage. Although my shoulders are still a bit sore, I’m happy that I was able to give them a literal boost and better view of the stage.
Our day was concluded once the fence was pushed over by an onslaught of fans. We tried to make a quick exit but stopped a few more times for pictures. Overall, this was a marvelous day and I thank Jeremicia Seherie for hosting us. From just these few hours of being immersed into the culture I feel as though I’m walking away with heaps of knowledge involving the relationship of society and politics that I did not have before. Terrific day!
Jeremicia
