Becky's new perspective

For our class with Marita we have been required to read fiction and nonfiction books written by South African authors. We had done the fiction assignment earlier in the month, reflecting on what we felt about the book and how it related to us since we have come to Cape Town. I really enjoyed the book I read; it was about a seventeen year old boy living in a township struggling to choose the path he should take to become an adult. He does not have many choices and ends up stealing cars and flipping them to make a profit. It was a great coming of age story and I felt really happy with the choice (Young Blood by Sifiso Mzobe) because I was able to understand what the protagonist was going through.

For my non-fiction choice I read a book called Native Nostalgia by Jacob Dlamini. I was intrigued by this book because he wanted to talk about why some black South Africans look back on their life during apartheid and wish it were still the same. I figured he would challenge the idea and show how people had been brainwashed to think that they had good lives during that era in South African history, but as I started to read I realized that he agreed with these people. I was initially shocked at his claim that he thinks back to that time with a certain fondness, but as the book progressed I began to understand.

He spoke about his childhood mainly and everything that surrounded him. He of course grew up in a township right outside of Johannesburg. His stories about the good and bad times reminded me a lot of myself growing up. Dlamini wanted to show that just because people were living in townships, doesn’t mean they don’t have happy lives. These people make a life for themselves and it’s the only thing they know so why should we think that all black South Africans feel the same about living through apartheid. This doesn’t mean that he agreed with what apartheid did, but he does want people to realize that even during a time when there was oppression there could still be happiness.

To look at a township and think that we need to help these people get out of it is crazy. Townships are homes for millions of people and it would be silly to think we should try and eradicate them. Each one has its own culture and community, so why should we assume the negatives completely outweigh the positives? I really enjoyed this book because it made me take a step back and reevaluate what I have learned since I have come to Cape Town. I got a different perspective about something I thought I was pretty well educated on, and after reading this book I would feel disappointed if I hadn’t been able to hear this person’s thoughts. I know I will have to remind myself that I should always try and look at things a little differently.