This evening I went to watch Mmusi Maimane talk in London at King's College. Not only was he authentic and interesting and pragmatic and a wonderful ambassador for our country - but most importantly he was HONEST. It was refreshing. There was a sense of positivity with a very healthy dose of reality. South Africa is not without it's problems, but to think any country in the world is would be terrifically naive.
He is a riveting speaker - eloquent, well thought out, a great balance between the emotion and the facts. He has excellent knowledge of our country - I suspect much of his own intellectual interest as that available to him by virtue of his job.
There was a wide range of people at the event. Lots of South Africans. Lots of white people. But a sprinkling of non-Saffas and black South Africans. Lots of great questions. Mmusi struck a chord with something he said in answer to the question 'is South Africa ready for a white President?'. His answer - quite simply - no, not yet. But it was the rest of his answer that had me enthralled. Probably most pertinently because I have found myself using the very words he uttered. People (me included) have said that we do not see colour, we do not see race. I do it because it is my way of saying I see through colour, it is not important to me. But here's the thing…thanks Mmusi for the enlightenment. If we wonder through life saying 'I don't see colour' in our efforts to convey our liberalism we are simplifying the existence of every other race. In his view, by saying you don't see colour, you are in essence saying you do not see the person. It is about acknowledging the whole person and choosing to celebrate our diversity and differences rather than trying to infer race is something NOT to be seen. Lesson learnt - thanks Mmusi.
The other thing that he said that resonated IMMENSELY with me…'the future of South Africa can ONLY be better than the past history of South Africa'. I could have stood up and high fived the man. It was like the lights turned on and someone was home. I did not grow up in South Africa so I have nothing to compare to. I have no benchmark. At the drinks after the event, I spoke to a fascinating lady called Ruth. A 53 year old, black South African who was energetic and passionate. She was talking about how she knows apartheid was wrong, but her life before democracy was far better. She spoke about how free she was as a young girl. Free to play in the streets. Free to explore as a child. She spoke about how angry she is with her country now. How disappointed she is in how her daughter will never know the sense of freedom and safety she had as a child. It was fascinating. I have never ever encountered a black South African who was so frank about her experiences before and after democracy hit in 1994. I was riveted. We spoke about why black South Africans still vote for the ANC in their droves when their lives are not changing. I asked her why she thought that was the case. The answer she got us to - if you have no benchmark, no comparison, you don't know what you don't know. Essentially continuing to vote for the ANC in the face of such abysmal service delivery is the only benchmark many South Africans know. They do not know how things were before democracy in terms of service delivery and efficiency.
Overall this was a great evening. It was enlightening, encouraging, frank and filled with no pretence. That's the beauty of going to events like this - nobody is there under duress. Every person there wants to be there. They want to engage in the dialogue. They want to collaborate on the problems and co-create the solutions. I find this inspiring. I raised my hand that I will go back to live in South Africa at some point. And I will. But in the meantime, I am honoured that people like Mmusi Maimane are fighting for our constitution, our country, our economy and not for the politics, continued race debates and continued segregation. Long may it continue.
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