We arrived in Durban almost a month ago. It was a five hour drive from Johannesburg to Durban on roads passing outside the Drakensburg mountain range and through huge farms of mealies (corn or maize) and cattle, with a few game farms thrown in. The land was very green as January is the rainy season here.
We arrived to our new accommodations in Amanzimtoti, just south of Durban. A coastal suburb which was developed in 1906 when big industry came to the area. There are some spectacular views in the area of the Indian Ocean. Unfortunately we do not have any, although we do get to go to the beach quite often.
About three weeks ago I met my first Rotarian (or as the South Africans have feminized them to “Rotary Anns”). Alethea who is the student coordinator met us in a place just outside of central Durban, in a place that used to boast hunting in the hills less than 200 years ago. In place of wild game malls, apartment buildings, and quaint restaurants have sprung up. Alethea was very personable. After doing our introductions she told us about all the other Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars who are wondering around the Durban area and who have yet to leave. She also briefed us on the club that would become our host.
A week later we met with Anne who is from the Pinetown club who is our liaison. Pinetown is another industrial suburb west of Durban. Anne is super sweet and has a lovely “British” accent. We found out more about the Pinetown club and were told that the District Governor was going to be at the next meeting and that we should wear red if we could. So when Thursday came Joe and I got ourselves ready and wore as much red as we could which really wasn’t very much. In any case the meeting was very long and super red. Carolyn the president told us that it was in honor partly of Valentines Day. They had arranged a singer, elaborate centers for the tables, and most people wore some red. Everyone welcomed us with open arms and it was pleasant getting to meet everyone and see how their club works. The next week when we attended the meeting, which was much less formal, I made my introduction as did Joe. It was lucky we came that day because their scheduled speaker did not arrive.
Between the meetings Joe and I have been meeting many people, doing interviews, setting up focus groups, and visiting places. The research aspect of the trip seems to be -on task and I have got tons of support from people in Wentworth – a formerly Coloured (mixed-race category from Apartheid days) neighborhood in south Durban that is situated amidst an oil refinery and several other industrial plants – institutions like the Killie Cambell Library, University of KwaZulu-Natal, and KwaMuhle Museum, where my former isiZulu teacher works!
On Saturday Joe and I decided to go to the Botanical Gardens because we were going to meet someone around there later. The gardens have some spectacular specimens, many of which are imported. There is a fern area with numerous types from Asia, Baobab trees from West Africa, humongous fig trees, Bromileads from Central America, as well as tons of water plants, herbs, and flowers. The area is a “hot spot” for weddings and picnics and we saw our share of sparkling Indian brides contrasted by people lounging on blankets on the grass.
While we were at the garden we heard some music. So decided to venture out to see what the music was about and if we could see what we thought was a concert. After a ten minute walk or so we didn’t hear anything anymore and were sad because we figured it had ended. However, after passing a ornate Hindu temple/school juxtaposed to a Islamic learning center, across the street from a Roman Catholic Church, we came upon a political rally for the newest breakaway party – National Freedom Party (NFP).
The NFP is a spin-off of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) that has a long history in the province. It is typically associated with the amaZulu people who are the majority ethnic group of this province (hence the name KwaZulu-Natal). They have also been known for their violent clashes in the 1990s with the now ruling party African National Congress (ANC – the party of Mandela).
For more information please click here: SA history online
And so the NFP is actually less than one month old. However from the crowds of people you wouldn’t know it. When we arrived at the sports field thousands of people were milling about, sitting in stands, lounging on the grass, and listening intently to the voluptuous woman, dressed in NFP colors (orange, black, and green), speaking on the platform. She spoke the new party’s manifesto in both isiZulu and English. She seemed eloquent and well rehearsed, not once did she stumble over a word. She spoke about sensible things and sensible needs all governments should meet. Towards the end of her speech she began singing and what was so moving was that everyone in the stands began singing too. But it wasn’t just singing, the crowds of hundreds of people began harmonizing and producing rounds in an intricate weaving of voices. The beautiful thing is that after the woman had exited the stage the people continued to sing and as a large group began singing another song in the same seemingly rehearsed manner.
One funny thing that happened was while we were standing in the field watching the orange sea of NFP supporters, the landscaper from the Killie Campbell Library appeared before us and greeted. We were very surprised because not in a million years did I expect to see someone I had met. It was a nice addition to the day.
When the singing subsided a music group came on with Zulu dancers. We went closer to the stage to see and got another treat. The event ended at 16:00 hrs (4pm). It was a mission to exit because there was a bottle neck at the exit so people were squishing through the dividers and doors attempting to leave. People had been bussed from hundereds of kilometers away and had a long way home. Busses were filled with orange. When we left the rally we were just about ready to vote NFP. We returned to the gardens for another hour and then went to our meeting. It was a lovely day in Durban.
NFP launch
