Last weekend I went to another music festival, this time Ramfest, in Worcester, just one hour's drive north from Cape Town. It was quite a bit bigger than Raka festival, it had two stages even and a nice concert area with bars and food stalls. Not to forget the 'must' for all festivals, a stall to get a tattoo or your nose pierced, and the usual stall for the cheap wooden hippie jewellery. What a feeling of globalisation! I loved it though, somehow the feeling at these South African festivals is very different from the ones in Finland. In Finland, the festivals I have been to, I have sort of felt a bit distracted or hectic at least, people are so drunk and everywhere is a mess. I have not had that feeling here, people are very easy going, friendly and just relaxed. And wow these people camp nicely! I went with my Afrikaans friends and we had a bakkie, which had everything you can ever imagine needing in the wild. It even had a tent ON it, that you just fold open nicely. How convenient. People have chairs around a braai fire, play music, sing, listen to rugby, chat and chill.
The bands were surprisingly good too, all were mainly Afrikaans. I am starting to like Afrikaans bands, especially when my friend has been kind enough to translate the lyrics to me, and the lyrics have such great meaning in them. It is a lot about how people are feeling here, what is your identity. One song described how they felt they were a tourist in their own country. I guess that is how most Afrikaners feel. It is very comforting to realise how music can unite people and make you realise that those thoughts and feelings inside of you can be shared.
I also realised that Afrikaner people can be a bit shy at first, they keep their distance, they want to get to know you before talking to you openly. This happened to me. I wish I had understood that. Only later some of the friends we went with came to me and said that he did not know how to approach me because I felt so confident and sure about myself... Basically he said he is envious because my identity as a Finn is so certain and whole. I don't remember anyone even complimenting me on my confidence! And that someone actually pays attention to that. I guess it shows that it is an issue for them, and I do understand that. It is very easy for me to have an identity as a Finn. I know I take it for granted too often, sometimes don't even appreciate having it. It is just a part of you and you never question it.
For Afrikaners it is not so simple, other people question it all the time. They say you don't belong here, this is not your home. Where is it then? If you don't even know your ancestors who arrived here to be farmers and to form a new nation, how could you just go back to Europe, you don't even have a European passport. But people still say that they are not African. In the present day South Africa they are all Africans, equally just as much as any other native. I can see myself getting frustrated as well, because I can imagine how empty it can make you feel not having an identity or feeling that you don't belong here.
Later that night we got into quite a deep conversation about the situation, how Afrikaners are treated with a lot of prejudism overseas, and how things are still too black and white here. We have the good and the bad. Try to be on the side of the 'bad' and you are immediately turned into a racist. I know it is so tense and sensitive still, and for sure I do think that past cannot and should not be forgotten too easily, things do take time to balance out and I guess you cannot balance things without first giving more to the previously disadvantaged people. But I do understand how the new generation, without any participation or role in the history, can feel very frustrated about being the ones to blame and not really having a freedom of speech in the fear of being condemned. And yes there are serious problems in this country, on how to educate the majority of the people, how to get jobs for people, how to cure diseases, reduce crime, the list goes on. But the fact that there are other more important things to worry about doesn't mean other issues should not be discussed.
Sometimes it is just so difficult to understand other people. Yet so easy to judge them and trust your first impression based on nothing but presumptions and generalisations. But it is so cool to realise that your ideas and thoughts about some people can change completely, for better. And to feel like you understand them, that you can identify with them.
Who said that do not judge a man until you have walked two moons in their shoes. It means you need a lot of patience, time, ability to adapt and be flexible, will to understand, and I guess it helps to have a heart too.
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