Ubudhi

by Zoe Kapesa (Serbia)

Making a local connection South Africa

It had been such a rough year! And it seemed as if everything was finally just turning around and just for my good! Before I left the house to do some last minute shopping at Mr Price in South Africa,I thought to myself, ‘I should pray’ , as per routine and I did.As soon as I was done I called an Uber! South African Uber drivers are the best! They are always friendly a little bit over friendly I might add.They literally ask you everything. Where you are going? Who you are going to meet? They are so into personal details.I really don’t know what it is.Could it be because I share the same color of skin? They want to converse with their fellow tribe mate about problems that are common to us? Not that I’m interested at times I just want to get to where I need to be and fast! So the Uber driver comes and we follow through with the same routine.’Unjani?’ meaning how are you? The driver plays his usual humble and polite role. ’Ngiyapila budhi’ I reply, simply meaning I’m fine brother.Piercing silence with a capital S, you could even hear church mice thinking.Well that’s an exaggeration but for a typical Uber driver, that was abit uncommon.He turns on the radio.Yes, it’s my favorite music you can never go wrong with South African house music. I then decide to be a normal human being and ask how he is.The excitement on his face is striking ...he replies ’hai sisi....’ a common statement used when you about to offload a whole bucket of stories and he goes on and on and on and on.I quickly stop him in his tracks, ’Budhi’ meaning brother, ’I don’t understand iZulu’.The look on his face is a pure work of art, a mixture of confusion,disappointment,curiosity and adventure. ’Oh...you don’t speak iZulu’. ’So what do you speak?’ He asks.’Budhi...just English’, I reply.He gets excited a chance to practice his English skills and not be laughed at, we are both in the same boat, his English not so perfect but reigns goddess compared to my iZulu skills. We start speaking about South African soapies, they are my delight when I’m back home in my own country and to be physically on the same soil on which they are made, electrifies my brain waves. He starts to tell me about a show that I had really prejudged never really sat down to watch a whole episode, just watched snapshots when it was being advertised and I just convinced myself it wasn’t for me. Oh how deceived I was! He explained to me how it was the best South African soap that depicts pure Zulu culture,traditions,conflicts,expectations and the richness the soap has from the dramatic actors to how their lives in the real world are in contrast to their lives on set as most Zulu people are slowly moving towards integration of some Western values into their lives over their own Zulu culture and norms.’Interesting’ ,I thought to myself. We were almost there, I thought to myself, ‘that wasn’t so bad.I was actually enjoying the ride.This man had given me more than a nice ride to the mall.He gave me cultural knowledge about present day South Africans and reminded me how they are so colorful and truly deserve to be called a Rainbow nation. He opened my mind to see, how a simple interest in another being can totally change trajectory of events.Maybe he knew the common stereotyping placed on Uber drivers and he decided not wear the badge. Anyways I’m finally at my destination.I pay for my ride and I give him the biggest smile I can.It wasn’t much but I thought to myself what if we lived in a world which allowed us to be so free, to be ourselves and not have to feel as if we aren’t tolerated and that we are judged. What if I took him out for coffee? Would it be weird? Forget societal unspoken rules, they are unspoken because no one lives up to own them.I make my own rules! Live fearlessly! Love freely!