THE AFRICAN SPLENDOUR! (TALES OF INCLUSIVITY) #Blogchatter #WriteAPageADay
Africa has played a
significant role in our lives over the years. When my husband was in the Army,
he was posted as a UN Peacekeeper to Mozambique and Rwanda for a year. Mozambique
had its elections and the Army officers had to keep an eye to see that they
were conducted peacefully. After eight months, my husband was shifted to Rwanda
which, in those days, was in the grip of a deadly tussle between the Hutus and
the Tutsis.
So much happened
there that I had no idea about. One of the horrific incidents was when my
husband had to hide in a ditch into which rivers of blood were flowing.
Genocide was the order of the day, and one never knew where the attack would
come from. The weapon used most was the
machete. If I had known of the violence and the bloodshed, I probably would not
have slept a wink the entire time.
The UN Peacekeepers
were prominent in their sky-blue berets. They carried no weapons and hence,
were more vulnerable. Yet, there was an unspoken rule that Peacekeepers were
not meant to be harmed, and God took care of the entire group, made up of
different nationalities – Indian, Russian, Cape Verdean and so on.
When my husband came
back, safe and sound, after an adventurous year, he carried many horrendous
stories, both in his mind and in the form of tapes. The genocide in a church
made our blood run cold, and my little daughter and I thanked the Almighty for
having protected him and for bringing him home.
Decades later, when our
daughter decided to get married, she found her soul mate in a boy who lived in
Johannesburg, South Africa. His entire family was there, and memories of her
father’s sojourn at Africa years ago helped her to make up her mind further. She
found a new family there, and we would make a trip for around two to three
months every year for the past six years, missing out on only the pandemic year.
Today, we have two adorable grandchildren as well.
The first time we
went to Johannesburg, it was a whole new world to us. People of all
nationalities milled around, and in every mall or farmer’s market we went to,
what we received was a cheery greeting and broad smiles. The warmth was
unbelievable. The first time I heard our daughter reply to a greeting brought a
smile. A burly black gentleman said, “Hello, how are you?” She replied with a
smile, “Good, and yourself?”
That was the standard
response everywhere. Maids, bus drivers, shop assistants and neighbours – every
single one of them was polite and cheery. The words ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’
came automatically. We felt accepted and loved being there.
I still remember the time when we went to a traditional market with typical African wares, which were perfect as gifts. As we browsed around, we were fascinated to see a band playing. African music is rhythmic and catchy, and as we kept time, one of the drummers gestured to me. When I went closer, he handed over the sticks (if that is what they are called) to me, and there I was, drumming away for all I was worth, with a crowd of people cheering me on.
Myriad are the experiences that we have had; the Lion Park, Monte Casino, Constitution Hill, and even Sun City. Once we had gone to a restaurant for
a birthday celebration. After a delicious meal, we suddenly found all the
waiters and waitresses moving about to music, as they formed a line and came
towards our table. One had a cake with candles which she placed on the table. The
whole lot of them sang and clapped and the ambience was out of the world. It
seemed such a lively way to usher in a birthday.
Every time we go back
to Johannesburg, we make new memories. Our son-in-love’s family is a foodie,
fun-loving one, and often we go to new places and savour new cuisines. Needless
to say, every member in the family is a Master Chef and dining at home is as
exciting as eating out.
We look forward to
going back to Johannesburg again some time soon. The fun and the frolic
continue, but the real thrill lies in seeing our loved ones and spending time
with the little ones. As they say, home is where the heart is, and for those
special months, our hearts are most definitely in Johannesburg!
That was an amazing write up about Africa, thankfully you have given the colour and glory of the African humanity and warmth of their social life. Their welcoming mannerisms oozing with simplicity and love is their real greatness. We, living in Cape town is falling daily for the liveliness of the life here. It is tough for people in Kerala to feel and understand the African experiences and the wealth of their friendship and social life. Thanks for sharing it here. It's true the pandemic has put a big dampening effect on the social life here, which is slowly coming back.
ReplyDeleteThank you ever so much for that heartwarming comment, Prasanna! As you have seen, my husband and I have quite fallen in love with S Africa and Cape Town is on our itinerary sometime in the future. I am thrilled that you enjoyed my write-up. God bless!
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