WHAT SHAPES A PERSON (RE-POST) June 29, 2008
Posted by frostygirl in Tradition.add a comment
This was one of my first posts and as my traffic was very low some of my regular new readers may have missed it, therefore I am re-posting it again as it should be of interest.
OVERVIEW
I gave this subject some serious thought and realised that it is a huge subject and I need to approach it one step at a time, therefore I decided to look at the broad picture first and then expand on a subject or section at a later date in further posts. It is always better to get your mind around the broad picture first before trying to learn about the detailed picture.
THE MAKEUP OF A PERSON
The “makeup” of a person is very complex, from birth they are exposed to various factors and these factors mould them into who they are. A few of the factors are:·
Traditions Language Religion Education Skin colour
Of course there are many other factors which will influence a person, but I have chosen the above as I believe that they influence each individual the most.
TRADITIONS / CULTURE
Let us take a look at just one “tradition” of a few nations or like-minded groups around the world and see how powerful they are in the mindset of that nation or group.
The Americans traditionally celebrate “Thanksgiving” every year and it is very important to them, why?
Religious Christian groups traditionally celebrate “Christmas” every year and it is very important to them, why?
The Chinese traditionally celebrate their “Lunar New Year” every year and it is very important to them, why?
I can go on and on with this list because everyone has traditions and knows why they are important to them, but that does not mean that the people outside of their group know or understand these traditions!
Now, what would happen if you tell each of the above groups that they must scrap their tradition and follow yours? There will be a huge outcry from all of them!
The point I am trying to make is that you must learn to understand the traditions/culture of a nation; group or individual before trying to communicate with them or you can walk into a minefield and lose a few limbs on the way.
LANGUAGE There are many different languages and dialects in this wonderful world of ours, but that is one of the most prominent causes of misunderstanding in the world. If you cannot understand what a person is saying to you or the context thereof, then you are lost! Now you must rely on someone else to interpret the words for you and you become reliant on that person’s interpretation and understanding of the words. Therefore what do we end up with? Miscommunication and lack of understanding!
RELIGION Every religious group strongly believe that their religious belief is correct and will die trying to defend that belief because without it they have no foundation, hope, etc.
EDUCATION If you do not have education you are at a great disadvantage in this modern world with all of its technologies! If you live in a remote area and you can live off the land then you can get by without a formal education, but as soon as you start interacting with others outside of your area you need education.
SKIN COLOUR As much as people say skin colour does not make a difference, they know that they are wrong because it does not matter what your skin colour is, if you come in touch with a person who has a different skin colour you view them in a different light, because they differ from you. Therefore, depending on where you grew up your view of another persons skin colour will differ.
OK now that I have shown that the abovementioned factors can shape a person, let me try and paint a broad picture of the African “mindset”.
TRADITION / CULTURE In South Africa this is a very complex subject because there are so many different “groups” of people in this country and each have their own traditions and some have added traditions from other group’s to theirs over the years and made it their own. I am not going to go into this subject here in any great depth now; I will cover that in future posts. I will just briefly explain one tradition i.e. “Labolla”. Many black people believe in having large families because a man is judged on how many children he has, they also love having girls because then they can ask for “Labolla” from a man who wants to marry their daughter. This is a negotiated price the suitor has to pay to the father before he is allowed to marry the girl. Unfortunately the effect of this system has caused fragmentation of families as numerous unwed mothers had to fend for themselves and their children because the father of the child could not afford the Labolla and therefore the girl’s father would not allow the marriage to take place.
LANGUAGE In South Africa we have 11 official languages, that does not mean that there are only 11 languages spoken in South Africa, there are many, many more but the present government decided to recognise 11 of the main ones. Not all South Africans can speak 11 languages, in fact most white South Africans can speak either one or two (English / Afrikaans) and have some understanding of an African language, but most black South Africans can speak at least four languages, their own local home language, one of the other African languages, English and Afrikaans.
As the country previously only had 2 official languages some areas of South Africa are predominantly Afrikaans speaking areas (Free State) and others are predominantly English speaking areas (Kwa Zulu Natal).
We do have a communication problem in South Africa because of our diverse backgrounds and languages, therefore we all need to make an extra effort to make sure that when we speak to one another we communicate effectively and afterwards check that we have been understood correctly. All visitors to our country should also follow this advice it will make your stay so much better.
RELIGION Once again, because of all the different groups in South Africa there are very many different religious beliefs. Most black South Africans believe that their forefathers intercede for them in the hereafter and in view of this they give their relatives a huge send off when they die and perform many rituals and ceremonies during the time after death and at the actual burial and for many years thereafter. In view of this they do not believe in cremation. They still believe in witchdoctors, sangoma’s, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangoma ) etc. and will go to them to hear what their forefathers say, obtain medical advice and many other needs. The main-stream religions have allowed them to bring their culture into the “church” therefore they have now mixed the two into one where most go to “church” but they still continue with forefather worship.
EDUCATION The education system in South Africa was good prior to 1994, even though there were separate schools for the various race groups, the children went to school, were taught discipline, values, how to read and write and any child in South Africa could obtain a matriculation certificate if they set their mind to it. Unfortunately this is not the case now, there is hardly any discipline in our schools, the literacy levels have dropped dramatically where a large percentage of learners do not know how to read or write properly, there is a lack of skilled teachers, the administration system within the Education Department has deteriorated so much that forward planning, using funds budgeted for to build and equip more schools, etc. has come to a grinding halt causing either overfull classes with up to 60 students in a class sharing desks or no classes at all where schools have been vandalised and wrecked. There are now a large number of black children who do not have any form of education because of lack of control in the education system.
SKIN COLOUR In our country’s history we lived separate lives depending on our skin colour and the system was made law and called “Apartheid” which means “separateness”. Every race group lived in their own area, had schools, churches, etc. in their own area and married in their own race group and were able to develop their own way of life further. When this system was abolished it opened up all areas, schools, churches, jobs, etc. for all race groups. A new Constitution was written which gave equal rights to all; unfortunately reverse racism has now become a norm in the country whereby whites have been sidelined in many areas being replaced by unskilled black people, especially in the Government Departments and whites find it extremely difficult to gain employment in this country and most young white South Africans go overseas to find work.
CONCLUSION As I said at the beginning of this post, it is a huge and complex subject but if you come back to this blog once a week you will slowly learn more and more about South Africa and its people’s and the African mindset. My advice, for now, to any visitor to this country is to treat each person they meet in South Africa as an individual, do not generalise. As in any other country in the world you have inherently good people and inherently bad people and you should rely on your “gut” feeling when coming into contact with any person. There are so many good, humble and law abiding citizens in this country but most tourists do not get exposure to them because of the “criminal element” in the country. I will write an article on hints for the tourist shortly so that any traveller coming to South Africa will be a little more equipped to take on the challenges of visiting Africa.
Thank you for your time.
Popularity: 65% [?]
ROBERT MUGABE RUINED ZIMBABWE June 25, 2008
Posted by frostygirl in News.add a comment
It is amazing how such a well educated man like Mugabe can deteriorate into what he has become. He is the laughing stock of the world and does not even seem to realize it.
Everybody says that they should negotiate with him, has nobody noticed that it cannot be done!
You can not reason with an unreasonable person!
He is in a world of his own and sees himself as wonderful so no matter what the world says he will continue with his violence and intimidation.
Since the MDC leader has announced his retirement from the race the violence against his supporters and himself has escalated. Does that make any sense? Not to a normal human being, no.
Popularity: 60% [?]
SA BANK CHARGES DUE TO DROP June 23, 2008
Posted by frostygirl in News.5 comments
We are all holding our breath for the expected announcement on Wednesday as to what recommendations are going to be made by the Competition Commission with regard to bank charges in South Africa.
The banks have been milking the consumers for years now and it is wonderful to see that at long last something is going to be done about it.
In South Africa you are charged for almost everything you do i.e. depositing cash, withdrawing cash, bank statements, cheque books, etc and then a further monthly service fee is added too. Your monthly bank charges can be as much as R80 for a private individual just doing their monthly transactions.
Some comments from other countries will be welcome on this subject.
Popularity: 57% [?]
ROBBEN ISLAND SHAMBLES June 22, 2008
Posted by frostygirl in News.3 comments
For nearly 400 years, Robben Island, about 12 kilometres from Cape Town in South Africa, was a place of exile and imprisonment where rulers sent those they regarded as outcasts and troublemakers.
This island is most famous for being Nelson Mandela’s home for 18 of his 27 years imprisonment and was declared a world heritage site in 1999. Nelson Mandela went on to become the first black President of South Africa. It has since become a symbol of the strength and endurance of its political prisoners, and “the triumph of the human spirit, of freedom, and of democracy over oppression. ”
While Robben Island was run by the prison service they and the prisoners took great pride in the fauna and flora of the Island and it was a lush beautiful place with a large variety of animals and birds living on it.
But now this Island is in an environmental crisis through lack of proper management by the Robben Island Museum who is supposed to look after this world heritage site.
Once again we find a typical situation where blacks, who are not trained, are placed in situations they cannot manage. They are supposed to protect the nature to ensure that this site remains the tourist attraction it has become.
The main problem is the explosion of ferrell rabbits eating everything in sight and despite the warnings given by the environmentalists to the museum management over 3 years ago of the ecological disaster waiting to happen, nothing was done.
Now there is a major crisis as many animals like the deer, springbok, bontebok and rabbits are starving to death. One can clearly see up to what height the animals could reach to eat leaves off the trees and bushes and when they could not reach anymore they died from starvation.
Footage of a buck eating a carcase of a dead animal was taken by the environmentalists and that is shocking in itself because buck never eat meat, so the poor animal had to be desperate!
Once again the citizens of the country have to dig into their own pockets to help the starving animals. Relief workers are taking food and fruit across to Robben Island to keep the few remaining animals alive.
Now that this problem has been highlighted hopefully the museum management team will get together with conservationists and implement a plan to reduce the ferrell rabbits, see what they can do about the animals who are not indigenous to South Africa, like the fallow deer, and restore the vegetation and animal life to what it was before.
Popularity: 49% [?]
STORM LASHES KZN SOUTH COAST June 20, 2008
Posted by frostygirl in News.add a comment
Well it was full moon again on 19 June 2008 and the KZN South Coast felt the effects when a huge storm lashed the area causing a lot of damage and killing at least 12 people.
The Durban Weather Bureau said the heavy downpour had broken four rainfall records, one of them dating back to 1964.
1000’s of people have been displaced and have been accommodated in local community halls for the time being.
The damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure amounts to billions of Rands and it will take a long time to repair/fix.
This part of South Africa has been hit quite a few times over the last 2 years and the sea has been claiming back large stretches of beach from Ballito Bay down to Port Shepstone. For more info on this storm go to:
http://www.dailynews.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=nw20080620172217260C783449
Popularity: 46% [?]
MORE ON AFRICAN MINDSET June 18, 2008
Posted by frostygirl in News.add a comment
A few more things happened in South Africa recently which may be used as examples of the African mindset:
The ANC Youth League president Julius Malema said that the organisation would kill “counter-revolutionaries”, including those in the ruling party, who undermine party president Jacob Zuma. His call to “kill for Zuma” at a Youth Day rally in Thaba Nchu on Monday has created a publicity nightmare for the ANC.
To make a public statement like that straight after we have seen the awful xenophobic attacks in this country is absolutely irresponsible! Read the full story at:
The second example is the vitamins issued to HIV/AIDS sufferers to help them build up their immune systems by a German company. They were told to take the tablets as well as the antiretrovirals they were already taking. Of course they did not do so and actually stopped taking the antiretrovirals all together. You cannot treat the African the same as you would in the more developed countries. You cannot assume that they understand the instructions given to them or that they would read and understand the directions on the vitamin bottle!
Read my previous post on HIV/AIDS why medicate?
The third example is the continued stealing by postal workers of articles sent to people in SA, it has now got so bad that Amazon Books have black listed The SA Post Office and will no longer be sending books via them. Read about it at:
And finally, Chinese South Africans are now classified as “black” so that they may qualify for Black Empowerment benefits. How anyone can say that Chinese are black is just so funny.
Just as funny as South Africa being called the “rainbow nation” but if you have a close look at the colours in a rainbow you will not find the colour “black” in it.
Popularity: 43% [?]
SAVE WATER, ELECTRICITY AND SOAP POWDERS! June 16, 2008
Posted by frostygirl in Uncategorized.1 comment so far
Something wonderful for Africa once it comes available. I saw this post today at: http://travellingspouse.blogspot.com/
Recently the University of Leeds announced that one of their spin-off companies, Xeros, is commercialising a process of washing (and dry-cleaning) clothes, first developed by researchers at the university.
Plastic granules are put into the machine with the clothes to remove dirt. Tests have shown that they remove stains as effectively as normal washing methods and clothes are left as fresh. They estimate the new method will use less than 2% of the water and energy of a conventional machine, and of course there is no need for a tumble dryer. They are hoping it will be available in 2009.
Presumably there will be no need for a fabric conditioner, nor will you be hanging the clothes on an outdoor line, so I’m wondering how fresh is “as fresh”? Nevertheless, the saving in water and electricity will make it very, very attractive.
They believe the process can also be used for dry-cleaning, removing the need for harmful solvents which are linked to certain types of cancer, a great step in improving safety.
How will the soap manufacturers react? Will they be offering to supply a bar of soap to the developing world if we buy 10 packets of washing powder?
University of Leeds press release.
Popularity: 47% [?]
SARDINE FEVER HITS SA EAST COAST June 11, 2008
Posted by frostygirl in News.2 comments
The sardine run has started in Ramsgate off the East coast of South Africa. This annual event is awe inspiring and the sight and experience cannot be described sufficiently in words, it is an experience you have to go through yourself to understand the thrill of it all.
Everyone who has seen and experienced the thrill of seeing the huge shoal of millions of little fish, swimming for their lives battling against all odds to reach their destination, will tell you to make a point of one day seeing it for yourself.
Huge schools of dolphins, sharks and other game fish surround and attack the sardines from below. Thousands of birds bombard them from the sky. If they venture to close to the shore people net them or scoop them up in buckets to use for bait to catch bigger fish or to eat them.
It is a frenzy of activity and lasts only a short while, but it is spectacular. To learn more about this event go to:
http://www.biganimals.com/sardine.html
Popularity: 45% [?]
WILL TREVOR MANUEL CUT FUEL TAX? June 9, 2008
Posted by frostygirl in News.1 comment so far
Did you know that about one-third of the pump inland unleaded petrol price, which stands at R9.96 a litre, consists of taxes and levies.
Well a promising bit of news came today when minerals and energy minister Buyelwa Sonjica said that she would make a proposal to finance minister Trevor Manuel to cut fuel tax. “I am going to engage the minister of finance with a view to exploring possible steps with regard to the tax regime following these unacceptably high oil prices,” Sonjica said.
Apparently President Nicolas Sarkozy of France has proposed that value-added tax on fuel be suspended when oil prices are high.
There are two other important measures which were also announced and they are:
A new coal-to-liquids plant to be build by PetroSA
Resuscitation of a deal under which a 1 000 megawatt power plant will be built by an independent power producer.
It is encouraging to note that some positive steps are being taken to help the South African economy and people.
Now we can just hope that Mr Trevor Manuel will be brave enough to agree to the proposal, even if it is just until the oil prices come down to an acceptable level and stabilise.
Popularity: 42% [?]
SPRINGBOKS WIN 43-17 AGAINST WALES 2008 June 8, 2008
Posted by frostygirl in Sport.add a comment
Wonderful win, well done Springboks! A convincing win of 43 - 17 over the Six Nations champions Wales.
Our young players did themselves proud and it was also wonderful to see our RWC players on the field giving their all as usual.
Coach Peter de Villiers said he could not have expected a more satisfactory result in his first match at the helm of the Spingboks.
Wales coach Warren Gatland said he was embarrassed by elements of his team’s performance in the 43-17 defeat at the hands of the Springboks in Bloemfontein
A special moment for our captain John Smit who earned his 50th cap as captain for the Springboks a wonderful achievement!
Now we can look forward to the 2nd test next Saturday.
Popularity: 39% [?]
