South Africa, Land of Employment

My trip to South Africa began with passing through the Accra and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) airports. True to form, I made friends with the security lady in Accra and she later sent me a bunch of pictures of products she could supply for export. The Addis airport was notable only because it is the only place so far that I have not been able to receive data on my phone, including rural areas. A lot of people travel through Addis on Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline in Africa based on fleet size (and one of the first anywhere to have the 787 Dreamliners). I can highly recommend the airline except for the relatively small baggage allowance.

Once I arrived in Johannesburg, I met my former Malawian student who is working in a factory there. He was the standout student in my sixth grade class and I’m so proud of his support of his sisters’ education back home. A lot of Malawians travel to South Africa, about a two-day bus ride through Mozambique and Zimbabwe, because of the greater job opportunities there.

Together, my student and I went to the Lion Park, which I did not realize at the time was where the American woman had been killed only a few weeks earlier!* But it was an incredible experience; we had a [turned out to be] private tour with Alex, the lion trainer originally from the U.K., who was able to interact with some of the cats and who educated us for more than two hours about their behavior, conservation, hunting policies, and life philosophy. We also got to touch a cheetah, who was purring while we stroked her. What beautiful animals!

Despite the arguably-exploitative nature of “zoos,” I feel that this type of park is the best option. Animals live in groups with plenty of space and periodic “enrichment,” and as Alex put it when I asked him, “I’ve never seen a lion go for a jog.” I also share his commitment to educating Africans about these animals, and I appreciated his subtle commentary on race in the context of natural heritage.

I felt like a slightly uncool mom as my student browsed the internet reading about military technology, while I went to sleep. That would not be the last time I would feel like that on this trip.

After this QT with my student, I headed to Cape Town for a meeting with Fiona Spolander of Fashion Sensitive Planet. This company uses native animals hides like springbok to make beautiful purses, handbags and home wares. You can see the collections at www.fspcollection.com. I was impressed not only with the products and the factory, but also with Fiona herself.

Being in Cape Town was a little weird. The VA Waterfront and downtown area are very upscale. I ate at a burger restaurant near my hotel, and it was filled with white people, except for the manager – he was from Zimbabwe and further epitomized the migration of the most talented and ambitious Africans to South Africa. Later, I also got to chat with some of the white people, and many of my preconceptions about them were challenged. That will have to be the subject of another post.

See you in the Warm Heart of Africa…

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*The woman had opened her window, contrary to park rules. I may argue however, that people should not be allowed to drive around in their own cars, due to humans’ tendency to break rules no matter what they are.