Poetry - Welcome to Our South Africa

Before I left America, I remember someone saying, “Once you’ve been there, you will always be homesick for South Africa.”  I remember thinking, “Will I really?  I’ve been to a lot of wonderful places in my world.  Will this be so different?”

Once here, I rapidly fell in love with South Africa - the beauty, the complexities, the people.  There is a Shona saying:  moyo muti unomera paunoda, which basically means “your soul is like a tree that takes root where your heart is.”   With less than half of our time remaining, I am starting to transition my heart.  I am missing my kids, grandkids, and friends in America!  Yet I know that I will be leaving a piece of my heart behind.   

In South African Literature, we recently read the book Welcome to Our Hillbrow by Phaswane Mpe.  Professor Mary West asked each of us to write a poem, based on the book and/or our experiences.  I will always remember a line from the poem written by our student Bobby Fischer: “Welcome to South Africa – a vacation, with consequences.”   

The morning the poem was due, none of our flats had any water.    This was the poem written by Tucker Mithuen, Liz Stocker, and Isaac Meyer:

First World Problems

Welcome to our flat, it has no water

Welcome to Missionvale, it has little water

-It is now flooding-

Welcome to our first world problems, where we complain about not showering for a day

Welcome to our rich, privileged study abroad trip, where we ignore South Africa's problems

Like everyone else

Welcome to our self-righteous voluntourism 

Even in self-criticism we probably still don't get it

Welcome to our South Africa- Are we there yet?

I’m also including my poem – the first I’ve written since third grade!  (In the novel, Tiragalong is a small, rural hometown.  Hillbrow is a poor township the author moves to outside of Johannesburg, where Africans from other countries are not welcome.)

A Driving Tour of South Africa

Poem based on Welcome to Our Hillbrow by Phaswane Mpe

Welcome to our Tiragalong … 

… Filled with family and first loves,

… Superstition, suspicion

…Where normal is known since you were small.

Welcome to our Hillbrow…

… Cultural crossroad next to the City of Gold

… Where some homeland stories are never told

… Open to black Africans, but not all.

Welcome to our Port Elizabeth…

… Where complexity and riptides run a mile deep

… Where only a few young women can soundly sleep

            …Are we complicit in it all?

Welcome to our South Africa …

… Where street names – and housing conditions - change every block

… Where red robots tell you when to stop

… Where Danger comes from The Right, and then maybe The Left...

We’re connected to All…  

…Get out of the car!