A Young Woman’s Notes on South Africa

2007-08-07

Editor’s Note:
Howard University journalism major, Simone Stephenson spent a month in South Africa, working for “The Big Issue ” magazine published there. Many of the things she witnessed and experienced changed her view of the world and how she operates within it. Here she recounts her quest to become a global citizen:

My Kind of Cape Town
One of my goals is to be hired at a newspaper or magazine in a foreign country and be forced to write as if I am from that country. I have studied the history of South Africa and Cape Town, and have learned a lot about the culture and the layout of the city. I thought coming to South Africa as a journalist would allow me to immerse myself totally in the South African and Cape Town culture; allow me to experience the food, music, dance and life of the South African people.  More importantly, I thought that being hired as an intern for a local magazine meant that the editors deemed my skill level high enough to travel to a whole new continent to experience new journalism. 

Unfortunately, I cannot shake my American identity.

I knew from the beginning that, after taking in my accent, nobody would think, even for a moment, that I was a native South African.  I even expected to have to resist subconsciously viewing things from an American perspective. What I was not expecting was having to focus on strictly “American Topics.”

During a brainstorming session with the editor-in-chief, several potential article ideas arose.  First idea: search for the best pizza in Cape Town.  “Chicago is known for pizza, so I believe you’d be the best person for this job,” smiled the editor.  I forced a smile and even a laugh, but I was upset:  Was he implying that I was not experienced enough to take on region-specific stories without broadcasting that they were written by an American?  Was he implying that American journalism is trivial and I have not and could not have had the training and education to deliver a piece of substance?  Perhaps I was jumping to conclusions and he truly was joking.  Maybe he never looked through the portfolio that I sent him, and he was unaware of the extensive research involved in many of the pieces I have written. 

“There are lots of museums here; perhaps you could compare them to the Smithsonian or the museums in Chicago.  The architecture…the history…the content,” he proposed. I couldn’t help feel as though the sole purpose of my being hired was to give an American perspective of South Africa, which I did not want to do. I know that above all I am an American girl in a South African city, but I wanted to be seen as a journalist -- not an American journalist.

The final decision made by the editor and myself was for me to go to a few museums in Cape Town and study their architecture, content, and history; the Smithsonian component, consequently, was eliminated.
Round One goes to the American!

Views on the United States
I have always been curious about how people from other countries feel about the United States.  I’ve seen Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, and know the global statistics: Although the US is only about 6 percent of the world’s land mass, we reportedly use 40 percent of the worldwide oil consumption on any given day.
 
So, when a South African intern named Fuzy (foo-zee – cute name!) accompanied me on an assignment about the Cape Town Holocaust Center it seemed like a good time to ask. As we were riding along in her car, I was snapping shots of everything.  We passed a majestic white, gated building with several protestors out front.  She informed me that the building was Parliament, and the group was protesting something regarding Gaza. 
When the subject of Parliament came up, I pounced:

“Just out of curiosity, what do people in South Africa think of Americans?” She smiled.  “Well…uh…hmm…That’s a pretty tough question, because not everyone thinks the same thing,” she finally said. 

I didn’t mean to put her on the spot, but I was curious.  “I think that propaganda is a very powerful thing.  Fortunately I know that it cannot all be believed.  Unfortunately, not everybody knows that,” she said. 

A lot of things are said about the United States, and a lot of blame is put on you and your President, but I’m not sure.  I reckon that since I don’t know enough about it, I cannot really make a real statement,” she added.  “I will say though, that there are a lot of people who don’t really care too much for you.  Not just because of the war, but because of your attitudes towards the rest of the world.  You guys seem to often think you’re better than other people.  Most people…African or not, don’t like that,” she said.

 I sat there, not stunned by what she said, but rather by the fact that I was really hearing it for the first time. She finally added, “No offense though!  It’s not really a bad thing; it’s just interesting I guess.  How people think sometimes.”  

It’s a crazy feeling being judged for something that you really have no control over.  Leave it to my diplomatic new friend to downplay being thought of as a citizen of a pompous, overbearing superpower.

1 | 2