Derek happy to share knowledge of Cape Town with her mom

Since day one here, I’ve seen this date as way far into the future – at the end of my Captonian career some might say – but it has finally arrived, my mother is sharing a week’s time with me in South Africa! I must say that although I have been looking forward to her presence, I am sad to know that it means I have very limited time remaining here and yet much left on my South African bucket list.

            

Because I love my mom very much, I was able to be persuaded by her to repeat all of the most touristy experiences of Cape Town. This past Wednesday, we booked a full-day peninsula tour in which we visited all the same scenic spots of Cape Town that we frequented during the first week of orientation: The Cape of Good Hope, Simonstown and its penguins, vineyards, etc. As I had the pleasure of sitting in the front seat of the minibus with the tour guide I was able to hear every question that was directed his way. I realized, that in the great but seemingly short time I’ve been here, I had picked up and retained so much knowledge of the history and culture of the area. I found myself able to answer each question directed at the tour guide and I would continue his answer with additional information. More significantly, I was able to analyze each of the (I should add, white) tour guide’s answers to pick up on the privileged perspective his information was based in. Instead, of truthfully telling that many of these landmarks and cities were created by whites vie for power, land, and the disenfranchisement of black South Africans (as taught in class); there were talks of Dutch settlement within South Africa and how that brought much diversity to the area. I was truly astounded by most of the things that came out of the tour guide’s mouth as, not to forget, he embellished his talks with racist jokes and remarks – and the crowd of European and American tourists were loving it! However, halfway through the tour I recognized that I could not hate or blame this man for what he was saying, the “history” of South Africa he knew was most likely the version he was taught in his schooling – a white body of education would never criminalize their own race in textbooks and lessons. As mentioned in class, the United States’ history is twisted all the same. Whatever the case I made sure at the end of the tour my mother and her friend were aware of the true history of South Africa, and I was proud to see that they could see the inconsistencies between this man’s stories and the information they got from Vernon during their community tour that Monday. All the same, I was very grateful that my mother was around to experience the musical Kanala. This piece of work demonstrated to her South Africa’s amazing culture as well as its sad history, the forced removals of colored people under apartheid rule. I was so excited to hear that she enjoyed this musical, and that she can return home knowing South Africa like I do.