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The Cast of Culture in South Africa
by: Gregory Hudson
Drive along one of South
Africa's scenic strips and you will notice a landscape composed of a backdrop
of wide open spaces, blue mountains and blood-red sunsets. These scenes
abound, but given the nature of the culture in South Africa, your attention
could swiftly switch to a small boy gallantly escorting herds of cattle,
end to end, over a rainbow-like walkway crossing one of the largest and
busiest highways in South Africa. Culture makes Africa special and aside
from beautiful landscapes, this kind of exuberant and contrasting culture
in South Africa is what you really should experience.
Imagine this scenario for
a moment: You are hopelessly stranded deep inside the African interior,
without a spare tyre and waiting for help. You prepare to flag down the
first car that passes by. “When will that be?” you think to yourself. Time
wears on. You picture yourself dragging your dehydrated self over the many
kilometres of parched semi-arid terrain towards the nearest town, while
hordes of hungry vultures looming overhead contemplate you for lunch.
 Thankfully,
a small, dust-battered truck pulls up and this nightmarish vision quickly
dissolves. Tough looking men gaze out of the back of the truck, peering
at you with hardened looks acquired through labouring this tough, untamed
land. The uncertainty and tension is broken by their sympathetic smiles
and they drive you, happily and with good cheer, to the nearest service
station and back to your car where you are kindly helped to fit your newly
repaired tyre.
Now that you're safely back
on the road you begin to realize the meaning of genuine hospitality, known
within the culture in South Africa as 'geselligheid'. Thankful that you
have just had the actual experience (a certain something you felt) you
now have a connection, whole-heartedly, with the people and culture in
South Africa.
This is not a heat-induced
delusion or an isolated event. It is the actual story of one of our clients,
who broke down while driving across the arid West Coast diamond fields
of Namibia. Travellers have confirmed many of these kind-hearted acts that
have occurred during their experimental African odysseys.
Perhaps it has to do with
the land itself or its unrestricted nature. The reason why people help
each other, whether a stranger or a friend. This doesn’t mean South Africa
is a nation of altruistic saints. Leave your camera in your car on a downtown
side-street and the chances of it being there after lunch are less than
great.
What then is being said of
this country? These vast unspoilt spaces and unbridled wildernesses. This
wild place where the civilised nature and unique culture of its people
are measured by the kind-hearted attitude experienced so frequently by
many travellers.
What is the simple reason
so many of our visitors from the Northern Hemisphere return here again
and again? It can only be found in the actual experience of South Africa's
culture and the friendship of its people.
 The
many answers to this question can be shown over and over in the friendly
smiles you receive walking through a township market; in the respect and
tolerance shown, visiting the sacred sites and cultural icons of the people;
and in the greetings and genuine concern felt while within the hospitable
arms of local establishments.
Perceptions about “Africa”
have been changing slowly, but they are nonetheless changing. Foreign visitors
used to believe that herds of elephants roamed the dusty streets of local
areas and that to go hiking alone in the pristine African hills meant meeting
lions, giant spiders and possibly being attacked by masked warriors with
six foot spears.
The herds of elephants do
exist, relegated to the African game farms existing in remote areas throughout
the continent. The pristine hills stretch from one end of the Cape Peninsula
to the other, like a giant smile peering down over the valleys below, but
the wild beasts have long since been tamed and the hills are safely open
to all who would venture into them.
If you are looking for the
archetypal African adventure, laden with richly diverse wildernesses and
infinite possibilities, come and experience the warmth and hospitality
characteristic of this country. Trust South Africa to set the stage and
the cast to be our culture.
About The Author
Gregory Hudson
Escape Tours (http://www.escape-tours.com)
are a group of experienced travellers who have been exploring Southern
Africa since 1976. We would like to share with you our combined experience
and extensive travel knowledge, acquired through our passion for exploring
the unlimited potential that South Africa has to offer.
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