Seek your own truth

by Phumzile Qwaqwa (South Africa)

I didn't expect to find South Africa

I have often had conversations with non-African people on how Africa exceeded their expectations. Non-African, in this context, does not refer to a particular racial group but refers to people that were not born in Africa. They have often felt robbed by how the media glosses over the splendour of Africa. I am yet to meet a non-African who has not gushed over how alluring Cape Town is. Living in Cape Town myself: I have had amazing conversations with tourists about their unforgettable experiences. One tourist from Scotland called Sam who was visiting Cape Town for the first time was lamenting when we had this conversation. “Gosh, we’d be fools to believe everything we see on TV mate. I wonder why they do this.” Looking at Sam as we conversed, I could see how being in South Africa, or Cape Town felt akin to reuniting with a long-estranged parent. “It just feels different,” he said, nodding his head with a wry smile. The most surprising realisation is how South African people (myself included) always go through this same non-African bias towards fellow African countries. We likewise argue that the reason for this bias is the media showing other African countries as of low class than South Africa, or our sheer and obvious superiority complex. Our superiority complex as South Africans has been so enormous. To an extent that my non-African friends have often asked me why black South Africans refer to other black Africans as Africans when conversing (but cannot do so when referring to themselves)? As if black Africans from South Africa have a different race. Some tourists have even asked me why South Africans call people coming from other African countries as “coming from Africa”? This sounds weird. It gives the false impression that South Africa is just a majestic and honourable visitor on the continent. It is worth raising these questions as they are true. We have redefined the word, Africa, to denote negativity or a low class- a class lower than ours, that’s for sure. In 2017, I did something out of my comfort zone. I joined a choir at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) where I was doing my final year for my qualification in Marine Biology. Because I did not boast any sporting prowess, I wanted to do something different before leaving university. Perhaps something that, in hindsight, would enable me to think “damn! Those were the days.” A unique and enjoyable challenge. There was an impending choir competition, and they expected fifteen choirs to compete so that on its own was challenging enough for me to try my best. My motive behind joining the choir was to improve my singing skills- well if I possessed any skills in this industry, ever. I was prepared to find out. My second motive was the prospect of travelling to Botswana, a neighbouring country to South Africa, one of the largest producers of diamonds in the world today. The winning choir would jet off to Botswana for an all-expenses-paid trip I the luxurious Travelodge Hotel. I really believed we could win the competition despite inwardly knowing singing was not my strongest point. I have always believed anything is possible with the right attitude and training. Fast forward to three weeks later and we had (as I wished) won the competition. It is still unbelievable to this day that my deep, out-of-tune voice could conform to a voice coach and win a singing competition. We were going to Botswana, and no type of weather would dare stand in our way. Amazing five-star hotels, world-class nature reserves, zero crime and beautiful people- Botswana had it all. I am yet to witness a more prolonged moment of silence from that number of people. Every choir member was whispering “wow!” Reality had debunked our misconception that South Africa is the best place in Africa. That trip has to this day taught me a lot about travelling. See the world and always seek your own truth!