The city of wander

by Zandile Funde (South Africa)

I didn't expect to find South Africa

At the end of 2019, I went on an impromptu vacation to the South African province of Limpopo. I packed my bags two nights before and we headed off to the city of Polokwane. On the way I couldn't help but stare out of the window because, for the first time, I was in awe of the beauty of my country from a different perspective. I documented everything from prominent road signs to the wildlife contentedly roaming green fields. After 13 hours on the road, our first significant stop was at the parliamentary buildings in Pretoria. The experience was nothing less of extraordinary. From the giant Nelson Mandela statue to the silent protesters' tents that had been set up by the Khoisan people at the parliamentary grounds. I had to pause and ask myself whether I would ever be even half as passionate about any cause, whether I would ever camp outside a public building (come rain or shine) for over 1 year of my life. I still don't know. If I'm being honest, the heat was unforgiving; however, that didn't stop us from exploring all we possibly could in the short space of time we were going to be there. When we were rested, we took a tour, found ourselves at the cultural 'Bakone Malapa Open-Air Museum' where we learned about the city, the Pedi culture and many other cultural tidbits I never knew I was missing. The tour guide told us everything from why the Pedi royal house doors are as narrow as they are to why the royal chief's aid has to eat the first bite of the chief's food. Could you guess? The languages were so different and nuanced that I found myself secretly listening in on conversations that I didn't even understand. The Pedi and Venda languages are so different to my home language of Xhosa that I left there having decided that I would definitely commit to learning the basic communication skills of at least 2 other South African languages. Everything I expected to find in Polokwane wasn't what I actually experienced. Being from a small town and having lived in another South African city for 2 years, I thought I already knew what I was getting myself into. Boy, was I wrong! The warmth of the people and the high vibrational energy was the very thing I would have never expected to find; it was the experienceI didn't even know I was searching for. I was left intrigued to find out what else the world has to teach me about myself and humanity.