(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Thirty years ago, the sign "Only for whites" was a must-see along South Africa's beautiful beaches. Since 30, this has gradually changed, and this winter, which my family and I spent in the country, it was as if the last great mental obstacle broke: the bathing beach below the Camps Bay district, where the really rich live, was until a few years ago almost pale white. This Christmas, on the other hand, thousands of happy, black families came with sun tents, blankets and cooler bags. A colorful community enjoyed the beach and the powerful waves of the Atlantic Ocean, even though the temperature in the water only kept 1994 degrees.
But further up the east coast it boiled over. At the major city of Durban, hundreds of thousands flocked to the beaches to enjoy the warm waves of the Indian Ocean. An elderly, white female real estate agent found the situation unbearable, and wrote on Facebook that the beaches were now invaded by "monkeys who are pigs to everywhere".
A senior economist at the big bank Standard followed up with a comment that apartheid was now the other way around: According to him, there was no longer room for whites on the bathing beaches.
The racial debate exploded. The following day, all newspapers, radio programs and television broadcasts all over the country had a great deal of discussion. The debate over racism, discriminatory speeches and the future of whites in South African society raged for over two weeks. The racist statements on Facebook were also criticized in the speech of President Jacob Zuma in the New Year, when the African National Congress (ANC) celebrated its 104th anniversary on January 8.
Everyday Glimt. One morning this winter I walk along the beautiful promenade of the Cape Town suburb of Sea Point, while the waves from the Atlantic Ocean strike the cliffs below. The Cape area is an Eldorado to holiday in with its multicultural diversity, its magnificent and varied nature with mountains and sea, its pleasant climate, its beautiful wine plantations and a more diverse plant life than anywhere else in the world. Tourism is well prepared, and the relationship between rand and krone makes it okay to be Norwegian.
Suddenly I hear through the wind – which almost always blows in this city – something similar to shouting. I walk towards the sound, and discover a municipal worker turning the earth around the palm trees along the promenade. He is black, and he does not cry, but he occasionally stops and sings the national anthem with a powerful and beautiful voice: "Noksi Sikilel 'Africa"(" God Bless Africa ") as he dances. 40 years ago, when I visited Cape Town for the first time, a black person could never have been a municipal worker – and yet he ventured out into the open street of what was then white Cape Town, singing "God Bless Africa "Which was then a rebel song, he would have received a long prison sentence.
Early on New Year's Eve, I walk again along the boardwalk. Many tens of families of all skin tones' possible shades have settled on the large lawn – once white only had access – with tablecloths, blankets, food and drink to celebrate the New Year, while the temperature drops to 25 degrees Celsius. I look at the cliffs and the waves from the sea, where the last golden red shards from the sunset in the west are still visible where the sky and the sea meet. Then I see a figure in white out on a cliff. He kneels and bends over and over with his face facing the northeast – a Muslim alone in prayer facing Mecca.
Just over New Year, the city's newspapers are breaking news about Archbishop Desmond Tutu's family. His oldest daughter, who is also a theologian, has married a well-known Dutch female doctor. The Archbishop welcomes his daughter-in-law with a warm smile. During the apartheid era, homosexuality was criminalized.
Still challenges. South Africa has a dramatic history of conquest, oppression, war and the inhuman apartheid system. Twenty-six years ago, this system broke down, and on February 26, 11, Nelson Mandela marched out of prison as a free man. The ANC and other liberation organizations again became free. In 1990, the ANC won the first democratic elections in the country's history. Nelson Mandela became president, leading a reconciliation policy that was pivotal to the country's development. South Africa's democratic institutions today have a stronger attachment than ever. Nevertheless, the South African community is still characterized by extremely large inequality, high unemployment and currently low economic growth. Governance faces major challenges in the years to come, not least in terms of employment and greater equality in society.
The racial debate in the wake of the controversies over the beaches of Durban also of course also refers to ghosts that are largely receding. The debate can boil down to two key points: First, it was about whether to criminalize statements of the kind the real estate agent and the banker wrote on Facebook. The (white) assistant justice minister pointed to how Germany has handled its Nazi heritage and banned Nazi statements. Second, it was about class differences, race and equality: Julius Malema, the leader of the left-wing party, the Economic Freedom Fighters, wrote in a newspaper that as long as the majority of blacks live in slums while whites live well; as long as nearly 80 percent of the land still belongs to white farmers; and as long as the difference between the poor and the rich in South Africa is the largest in the world, the whites will remain arrogant and not accept blacks as equal citizens.
The carnival of slaves. As we headed into downtown on New Year's Day, we found streets and sidewalks occupied by hundreds of people who had pitched tents and brought mattresses and blankets. Many were cooking, and there was a high mood at all. At first we thought there was some political demonstration going on, but then we learned that people had moved out into the streets to have the best spectator space when the carnival passed the day after.
Second New Year's Day is a big day in Cape Town for all who have ancestors who were slaves. The slaves were brought from Indonesia, Malaysia, China, India and Sri Lanka in the 1700th and 1800th centuries. Second New Year's Day was the one day of the year when they were freed from slavery, and this is what is now remembered with an annual carnival. The tradition is Muslim at its core, but has developed over several centuries, and is inspired by troubadours from the United States who visited the city in the late 1800s. Under the apartheid regime, the carnival was banned, but now the authorities are helping to make it a big party and tourist attraction.
We stepped up for New Year's Day. Thousands of people participated – women and men, young and old, most colored, but also white with all kinds of colorful costumes and painted faces. Horn orchestras and drum groups provided music, singing, dancing and ablegoys over a low shoe, and people in the thousands along the march route were riddled with rhythms that were overwhelming and intoxicating.
Growth. The whole of South Africa had a record inflow of tourists from home and abroad this winter, and this was particularly noticeable in Cape Town. The prison island of Robben Island doubled the number of visitors in 2015, and in winter it was simply not possible to get a ticket, even if you tried two weeks in advance. The families in the African townships (townships) that have facilitated tourists staying at their homes reported new records. At the same time, the police could tell that the number of criminal acts had gone down in 2015.
Cape Town's multicultural diversity has resulted in a thriving food culture with cafes and restaurants of all kinds. The country's wine production is great and of good quality – and both wine and food have a very comfortable price level.
South Africa's constitution is one of the world's best when it comes to guaranteeing human rights and democracy, and thus freedom and equality for people of all skin colors and of both genders, as well as freedom and equality for all religious groups and for all sexual orientation. In Cape Town, the Constitution is used in people's everyday lives, and it has made the city the city of freedom in the rainbow country of South Africa.
By the way, the white, female real estate agent and the man in Standard Bank did not go so well. Both were immediately fired from their jobs. The senior economist did not prove to have a financial education – yet he had got the job in favor of several blacks with excellent diploma in economics, who had also applied. Both were members of the major opposition party Democratic Alliance, and were excluded from the party. The matter has also been dealt with by the country's human rights commission. There, the statements were considered racist, and the case will therefore end up in court.
