The thing that struck me most about my time in Johannesburg, South Africa the past two-ish weeks is how a country deals with trauma. Usually when we're talking about this, in cases like Cambodia or Rwanda, we're talking about war or genocide. In South Africa is was the longer and more insipid Apartheid. On Saturday I went with some colleagues to the Apartheid Museum (the picture of the Joburg skyline is taken from there) and so was put face-to-face with how recent and brutal the era was. And then we went to an outdoor concert featuring Freshly Ground - a great band - and the park was filled with mixed race groups, kids of all races dancing together. I won't say there isn't still some tension- it is almost palpable, but definitely under the surface but right now there was more interracial mingling in bars and restaurants than I remember in the States. And it only ended 20 years ago!South Africa was lovely and I would have really enjoyed Joburg but the idea of moving somewher
e that has even higher crime rates than Nairobi doesn't excite me much. I didn't experience anything but my level of alert in Nairobi is as high as I'd like to be.On Sunday, a colleague suggested checking out a gospel church in Soweto (the slum-ish area outside of Joburg where Mandela and Tutu lived). It was fantastic - we ended up going to Grace Bible Church which was huge, there were probably 1000 people there. The music was great and well appreciated, there were huge jumbotron screens and powerpoints. People got up and danced (swayed) to the music, thunderous applause followed and people were really friendly despite the fact that David and I were the only white folks in attendance. It struck me that versus the sermons I've witnessed in the US over the past few years, there was a lot more emphasis on being thankful for what small things we have versus dwelling on sinning. Likely that's a result of the income levels of the church but that message went down better for me. It was also really nice to see all the age ranges come together for a few hours every week and just sing and reflect.
We all stayed in a guesthouse (Melville Inn) in a part of the city called Melville
which is a small street lined with restaurants, bars and cooky shops. All the places had outside seating and the weather is great (but cool). I have to remember how much I like that lifestyle.It was also great to travel with 7 colleagues who I rarely see - we had a great time, went out every night - even if only for dinner but it was really fun to be surrounded by interesting and talented people.
