Article for 2013 Mar 28

2013

2013 Mar

Mar 28 Passion Thu

The South African counterpart of the British woodpigeon sings the Pingu themetune.
The South African counterpart of the British blackbird rubs its wings on its flank (because cricket is SA’s national sport).
The South African counterpart of the British carrion crow is Bostrychia hagedash, the hadeda ibis, and a rather lovely addition to my own IBIS (Index of Birds I’ve Sensed, my avian life-list), alongside the sacred ibis, the olive thrush, the fiscal shrike, and the white-fronted barbet.

There’s more to South Africa than birds. There are trees, which are here classified as follows. There are alien invaders. There are permitted aliens (which aren’t actually permitted, in national parks). And there are natives (which enjoy such privileges as not being uproooted on sight or denied the experience of being planted). It seems like SA may be adopting an arboraceous apartheid.

Mentioning which, we visited the Apartheid Museum this morning. Because there’s more to SA than the birds and the trees. There are memories of the real apartheid, real conflicts, real social injustice. And the real eloquence, real courage, and reel social responsibility borne by the Mandelas, the Goldreichs, the Mbekis, the Wolpes, and all the many others who recognised that together we are stronger, for when the whole world unites there is no sidelined (or celebrated) majority (or minority) to exploit (or be exploited).

Still with me? Good; I’m still here myself, to inform you that the spaghetti lunch I had at the nearby Italian restaurant was the best pasta dish so far this holiday. To be honest, I doubt it will be usurped to that title. It’s great what happens when an English boy of Scotch parentage eats Italian in a South African street named after a Namib general.
It’s great when nationalities unite like that.