Is South Africa really Africa?

Is South Africa really Africa? Geographically of course it is. Politically? Well the recent demise and corruption charges for President Zuma certainly suggest it is. Corruption is sadly endemic at the highest levels of politics in most African countries. Zuma certainly won’t be winning the Ibrahim Prize.

Economically it is the second largest in Africa. A member of both the BRICS and CIVETS economic groupings. But it’s this economic engine that makes South Africa feel, well, very un-African. The cities are full of luxury apartments and American-style strip malls. People drive cars or take the train to work. Even in the rural areas most people live in a solid brick-built house. They have shoes on their feet. Children throng to school….

Even in Soweto, things were not as bad as I had expected. Yes, some people still live in extremely poor conditions. 24 people to the house I visited, sleeping on a damp floor when the roof leaks. But they had electricity, a TV and an oven. More than houses (or huts) I’ve visited in Ethiopia, Uganda, Sudan, Togo, Benin……. And surprisingly some of Soweto consists of houses I would be more than happy to live in myself.

I’m not suggesting that this is an acceptable standard of living. Of course everyone should have the right to a permanent, quality dwelling. To running water and their own toilet. To the right to own the land their home sits on. The people of Soweto are rightly proud of their community. But like everyone else, they aspire to more.

What is more African is the blending of traditional with modern. Just as the voodoo followers of West Africa also practice Christianity or Islam, the modern Zulus still respect ancient beliefs. Although most now live in a modern, brick-built, box-shaped house, they still have a traditional round hut on the premises. I say traditional, many are also now made of brick. These round buildings host traditional council meetings. But they are also the home of the ancestors and are maintained so the ancestors know where to return to. After all, they just wouldn’t recognise a modern rectangular house.

As well as the standard of living differential, it is a geological element that most makes South Africa different. The earth just isn’t red. To me, one of the things that captivates me about Africa so much, is the sight of a red dirt road winding through the lush African countryside (yes, it’s not all desert!) It’s a sight that tugs at my heartstrings and somehow makes me feel like I was meant to be here. My parents (who have been visiting) remarked how red the earth was. But it’s not. They haven’t been to real Africa….

So is South Africa really Africa? It’s undoubtedly a beautiful country. A country with a troubled past that is very much looking towards the future. And maybe this is the future. Will one day other African countries have realised their potential and developed to this level of economic prosperity and standard of living? How long it will take the others to catch up is unclear but that is surely the dream of most Africans. I just hope in doing so that they don’t abandon their culture and traditions. I witnessed ‘progress’ in Ethiopia and it’s an impossible conundrum. So maybe South Africa is just leading the way. The future of Africa is South Africa. But its earth will never be red….