Cry, the Beloved Country

In 1948 Alan Paton wrote Cry, the Beloved Country, a story written just as apartheid was taking control of South Africa. The story of tragedy and reconciliation is quite moving, as a black parson and a white landowner cope with devasating loss. Looking to the future of South Africa, Paton says “I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find that we are turned to hating."
I think this line sums up where South Africa is today, 17 years after apartheid came to an end. We spoke to dozens of people from a variety of socioeconomic groups, and found a wide variety of comments on the status of today’s South Africa. Everyone agrees that apartheid had to go, but not everyone is sure about where the country is headed. In fact, one colored cab driver insisted that life was better, or at least safer, under apartheid. Freedom is a messy thing. De facto segregation continues everywhere, unemployment is high, crime is a concern, and government corruption is a growing problem.


Then there are the shanty towns, the slums euphemistically called “informal settlements”. They stretch on for miles, almost entirely populated by blacks, the worst of them without electricity, running water, heat, or anything else that we take for granted. It’s absolutely heartrending. The government has made efforts to bring basic services to these endless townships, but it remains the most obvious sign that while apartheid is over, its legacy lives on.



For an uplifting looks at modern South Africa, take a look at the film Invictus, even if you’ve seen it before. Skip the lengthy rugby parts, (unless you like men in shorts…), and focus on Mr. Nelson Mandela, as played by Morgan Freeman. How Madiba, as Mandela is called, came out of 27 years of imprisonment to lead South Africa with forgiveness instead of revenge, is remarkable. As he said “If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy.
Then he becomes your partner” and “You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution." Can't argue with that.