Thanks for South Africa

I suppose this is an extreme way to get out of basting a turkey every half hour. Or watching that disturbing Sarah Palin video where she's aggressively chatting away while a turkey is being slaughtered behind her. Or listening to Hank Paulson explain why Americans need to pony up another $800 billion for stupid loans and bad debt.

But sometimes going 10,000 miles from home is the only sensible thing to do.

On Thanksgiving night I'm flying to South Africa, where I'll be traveling for several days with a group of American bloggers. If I can recover from jet lag, it should be an amazing experience. We'll be visiting a youth program in Soweto and descending into the world's deepest gold mine. We're also going to visit the Mandela Family Museum, tour ancient caves in the Cradle of Humankind and see an electric car demonstration. If it were up to me, being a California girl, I would have added a day at one of South Africa's gorgeous surf spots. After all, in Johannesburg this time of year it's early summer. But I guess our hosts didn't want us to get sand in our laptops.

But seriously. I feel incredibly fortunate to be going to South Africa. Particularly at a time when America is changing and we have our first black president, whose election has been celebrated around the world, I'm eager to see how we're perceived there.

As a journalist and a blogger, I've always felt it was important to understand other countries and how people live in other parts of the world. Like America, South Africa is going through a time of great political and economic change. In September President Thabo Mbeki was ousted after a power struggle in the African National Congress. And in the wake of South Africa's AIDS crisis, the new government is trying to rectify years of neglect and suffering. The epidemic has taken a terrible toll on women and children. One thing I hope to do is visit one of the Elizabeth Glaser Foundation's Pediatric AIDS clinics while I'm there.

Just to set things straight, the trip is being sponsored by the International Marketing Council, an agency that promotes tourism and investment in South Africa. Because of this I asked several journalists whether they thought I should go. As long as I disclosed the trip was paid for, they didn't see a problem. With foreign bureaus closing and magazines increasingly strapped to send writers to cover stories, they also believe the rules are changing. We're still not sure what they are yet. But few editors and publications can afford to be so pure these days.

So I hope you'll follow me as I explore South Africa. It should be an exciting Thanksgiving. Even without Sarah Palin.

Follow Mona Gable on Twitter: www.twitter.com/monalg

Comments

[sagan555]

I hate to burst your bubble, but there's no surfing in Johannesburg - by virtue that it's not anywhere near the sea, horizontally or vertically. You can try Durban, or, if you feel really adventurous, go to Jeffreys Bay near Port Elizabeth (1.5 hours by plane from Jo'burg plus 50 min drive). Plus, be careful not to get raped or killed why you're in South Africa. It's a dangerous country.

[biabouman41]

Get Smart. Because the context is Africa, your statement that "Thabo Mbeki was ousted after a power struggle" suggest there was a violent overthrow. In fact he resigned early when it became evident he did not have the support of the ANC and was voted out as its leader.

[stell]

You'll notice that in spite of electing their first black president, 15 years after the formal end of apartheid, what shape are the black people in? What kind of shape are the white people in?

While your vacationing, you should also take note of the fact that 90% of the businesses are still white-owned, (that includes that goldmine you'll be descending into) and they still need affirmative action. Gone is the more overt form of White Supremacy, only to be replaced with a more refined one. Probably the most important question to ask yourself is: What has changed?

What should be evident in your visit is that South Africa still has a major race problem. There is nothing to celebrate.
Apartheid was in place for 45 years before its abolishment. Barack Obama has not promised to be their messiah. The world needs justice; gauranteeing that no one is mistreated, and those that need help the most get it. No more mistreatment on the basis of color.

[biabouman41]

IN fact, the apartheid system was in place for about a hundred years, from the days of the Boer wars against the British. But it was not formally called that.

[stell]

You're correct. Be it 50 years, 100 years, or 1000 years it was a disgrace. The point I was trying to make is that at this point, White Supremacy is either going to become more refined in South Africa, and the world over, or its going to go out of business, but I wouldn't bet on it.

[cke]

I'm looking forward to your posts on how US is perceived by the outside world, especially the recent election.