«Black and White/Schwarz auf Weiss – Erfahrungen aus Südafrika» jetzt als Buch erhältlich

Töne Wissen Qualität

Mit diesem Buch ist die südafrikanische Metropole Johannesburg aufgezeichnet. Visuell und textuell und in Ausschnitten, in subjektiven, zufälligen Ausschnitten. Die Zusammenstellung ist damit eine persönliche und kann keine exemplarische sein für das unüberschaubare Johannesburg. Jeder der Johannesburg gesehen hat weiß, in dieser Stadt – wie im ganzen Land Südafrika – gibt es nichts, was als exemplarisch gelten könnte.

Zwischen 2009 und 2011 lebten Enikö Gömöri und Norbert Herrmann im Bezirk Illovo in Johannesburg. Mit Bus, Bahn, Taxi, Fahrrad, VW Käfer und zu Fuß lernten sie Downtown und Uptown, Townships und Villenviertel, Straßenmärkte und Shopping-Centern kennen. Und Menschen. Enikö Gömöri ist Illustratorin und Grafikerin, Norbert Herrmann ist Schriftsteller und Podcaster und arbeitet als Projektmanager. In Südafrika unterstützte er über zwei jahre eine HIV-Vorsorgeorganisation für Jugendliche und begleitete eine Gruppe von jungen Slammern.

16 Illustrationen (schwarz-weiss) | 16 Texte (davon 5 in South-African-German-English)
Weiterführende Links: Buch bestellen | security to go

View original post 35 more words

Approaching Johannesburg | Johannesburg Sehen

GERMAN VERSION

National Unity Day Zimbabwe

Bis auf den allerletzten Quadratmeter vollgestopft ist dieser wunderschöne, gewaltige Landschaftspark, überquillend von unsichtbaren Lebewesen. Das ozeanische Schnauben, verschluckt von einer alles absorbierenden, gebieterischen Macht, die vermeindliche Witterung einer reichhaltigen Kornkammer, all die verborgenen Zeichen versucht der beissend glühende Wind fortzublasen. Dabei ist der heisse Wind nichts anderes als der allerletzte Odem all der eingepferchten Gespenster. Dann herrscht absoluter Stillstand – für ein Jahrtausend.
The sudden absence of the beat of this butterfly’s wing initiated that thunderstorm. Never before nature gave a broad sign like this, people stood still, knelt down, started praying. Birds kept plummeting until – everything stopped.

Day of Reconciliation

Thingahangwi, Brandi und Hannes, zu dritt graben sie, tief hinein in die Erde, ein Loch, länglich, wie ein Grab. Schaufel um Schaufel, die Shirts verschwitzt, die Erde klatscht auf den anwachsenden Hügel, rutscht zurück in das Loch. Unbeirrt schippen die drei weiter, bis das Loch tief genug ist. Tief genug, das Grauen aufzunehmen. Tief genug.
Die Schlange ist lang, sie wirkt endlos, aber, sie nimmt ab. Geordnet und geduldig schreiten die Einzelnen vor. Und spucken. Hinein in das Loch, es ist ein ekelerregendes Schauspiel, ein nicht enden wollendes, rythmisches Rotzen, eine Symphonie der Ablehnung. Niemand wagt es, in das Loch zu blicken, auch dann nicht, als die Letzte gespuckt hat.
Thingahangwi, Brandi und Hannes greifen wieder zur Schaufel und füllen das Loch. Das geht viel schneller als es dauerte, das Loch auszuheben. Am Ende errichten sie den Grabstein, in bunten Lettern mit Kreide beschrieben: “Hier ruht die Vergangenheit”.

english version in ITCH

Leaving Jozi

link zur deutschen Version
My path leads up north, as if following a sign saying ‘Europe’. This is where I am heading to. Back to countrywide well organised education, national roads free of potholes, astonishing art exhibitions. I already picture Claude Monet’s ‘water lilies’ which I will see in Paris. It is an impressionistic masterpiece, transforming reality –water lilies – into a feeling. Horizontal waters mirroring vertical skies, no horizon. Monet had a gardener only taking care for his water lilies.
On my way to the Gautrain station at Rosebank I pass gardeners, caretakers, and watchmen. They keep staring at the big bags I carry. I feel intimidated. All I want to do is walk, walk through the city that I have called my home for more than two years now. And then catch the train to the airport, to Europe.
Straight in front of me, less than 5 km away, I see the downtown high rises, vivid Hillbrow, legendary Ponte City, the top of the top of Carlton tower. I remember my excitement when strolling through the areas of CBD for the first time. I left my purse and my cell phone at home for this trip, cached 50 Rand into my pocket to jump on a Metro bus heading downtown. Crowded streets, market stands, a feeling of Africa – so much different to northern suburb’s reality.
Above that fantastic downtown skyline I see the South African sky. Once more I am stunned: this topology, this dimension of clouds. It looks like a mega-screen movie in 3D, transforming clouds into massive geometric objects which create a feeling of glory. Yes, I admit, it looks better than Monet’s water lilies.

I pass walls and fences, security-cameras. Oh my god how I will enjoy walking German streets, at night, a bottle of cold beer in my left, without any fear of being mugged. I encountered South Africans who laugh at people that were mugged. “Stay in your house” is what they would tell. “Stay in your prison” is what I would hear.
Malls. That’s the public part of the prison, the area that South Africans consider as freedom. Those malls are unique in this continent. One of the reasons why South Africa might be rated as not being part of ‘Real Africa’, shifting South Africa closer to Europe and US. White people around, the ‘white factor’, that’s another argument for Milisuthando Bongela in her weekly Mail&Guardian column to explain why South Africans think their country is better off than other African countries. And another uniqueness for Africa: these streets, even 6-lane highways between Joburg and Pretoria. But then: potholes and potholes between East London and Blomfontein, on the National Route N6.
And potholes on Oxford Road. The Gautrain bus passes by. Hardly a passenger inside. Who wants to pay double the prize of the Metro bus fare? “Financial apartheit” I heard a colleague saying once. He would remember apartheid buses from decades ago. Now at least Putco and Metro buses take all passengers, even if in a Putco bus a white person can still be considered extraordinary. Whites being infected with HIV are also extraordinary – and it is hard to find the statistics that separate by ethnic groups. There is no easy answer for the spread of the epidemic in black South Africa. Multi partnerships is considered one outstanding accelerator of HIV. But no way to cut that down; even role models celebrate their multi-partnership life. Why should the citizen of – let’s say Mamelodi – go for single partnership or at least for condomizing? Because he feels like when condomizing he would defend his prosperous future?
This powerful poet from Orange Farm comes into my mind. Dazzling words hip-hopping out his ever-creative mouth. An enlightened person, I still consider him to be this country’s future. And – as soon as his girlfriend unexpectedly fell pregnant he started collecting for lobola. Culture catches everybody.
I remember my confusion when seeing these adverts on downtown and township streets that are touting ‘penis enlargement’ and ‘same day abortion’ on the same placard. Keeping in mind that especially in South African townships violence against women is worldwide leading in statistics. That’s how I learn that contraries do not exclude one another, in South Africa contradictions coexist powerfully and might even strengthen one another. Just look at the ever blooming security sector.
I will never forget these unbelievable helpful Africaaner, stopping for me in my broken beetle, checking the engine, swallowing petrol, toeing at the end. And then asking: “In Europe, you also have these many blacks?”
“Do you like South Africa?” was the frequent question when people found out about my status as foreigner. I learned from the answers of others what I was expected to reply: beautiful landscape, amazing beaches, Drakensberge, Capetown, the weather – did anybody ever mention the people? What really got into my mind was: ‘Yes, the weather is nice – but do not forget about these spontaneous Jozi rainfalls and artillery thunders, attacking you out of blue skies. Yes, and the landscape is beautiful. But remember, Europe obviously has a lot of beautiful landscapes too. And you can easily reach them with public transport, you can fearlessly walk through city centres, you don’t need to be endlessly grappling with your alarm system. Yes, I like South Africa, but – this is not my dream of a country.’ If I wrote something critical like that about South Africa people would then comment: ‘Why are you here?’ – maybe after looking at my name to find out whether I am black or white. Why am I here? Good question.

While exercising for long distance running in the Joburg northern suburbs streets in 2009 I experienced people pro-actively looking at me, keen on greeting with the unquestioned “fine and you”. After the Soccer Worldcup Jozi people seem to have lost their pro-active willingness to greet passers-by. In Capetown I felt as a disturbing person when exercising, I received a lot of unfriendly looks and was greeted only reluctantly. Running East London disturbed me, people just ignored this white person, nor friendly neither unfriendly, just indifferent. That was one point when I re-learned: in South Africa it never is appropriate to talk about ‘people’. Differences are ethnic and financial, differences are in talent and in opportunity, differences are in self awareness, difference is everywhere. Any generalization would only lead to conflict, because, again, in South Africa you most easily will find proof for opposing arguments.
Some questions remain: Why do some people not lock the door when visiting a public toilet? Why is it that people are surprised every year when they experience the coldness of winter? Why do I find advertisements for music CDs and there is no place you can buy those? Why do some people complain about crime and in the same sentence say they would love their country? Why isn’t more money spent in schooling? I remember, after reading in his newspaper about the national matric results 2009 some person sitting next to me in the bus said: ‘this country is a brain-low nation’.
People on the streets hardly ever get the chance to leave this country. On the contrary, South Africa rather absorbs more and more people from other African countries. If I was to imagine Europe conceiving all these immigrants, there would be high chances of xenophobia – also in Europe not everybody welcomes foreigners as source of fresh brain. Even if there’s room for enhancements I consider South Africa to be doing a damn good job compared to ‘first world’ countries. I notice a surprising level of social peace in South Africa – considering the colonial and the apartheit history, considering the huge gaps in income, considering the temptations of corruption. South Africa copes with having the first and the third world within its boundaries. Whereas Europe desperately tries to keep the third world out of its boundaries – by means of huge walls and fences and security cameras and rude laws.

The moment I enter the Gautrain station I figure it out: to me South Africa feels like a real world with all its distinct contrasts. Thus it is a model to learn from. Maybe in Europe continental fences cannot be kept forever, maybe a kind of ‘third world’ will upraise within the ‘first world’. Then Europe would need to cope with this, and I am not sure whether Europe will do better than South Africa does now. That’s what South African reality made me aware of. To get rid of European arrogance, that’s the reason why I was here.
As the Gautrain doors close smoothly it feels like being back in Europe – within South Africa.

Mugging for Dummies

“What do you expect, at this time of the month? Nobody will carry large amounts with them, last pay day is long long gone. It’s not only you and me who is broke! If you want to mug people properly, make a plan, do it right, and consider the date in the month.”

Eastern Cape

Kaizer Chiefs is a Sowetan Soccer Team

Fauna, Flora, Forschungsmythen Teil 13: Beyond the Rainbow – Regenbogen

A rainbow is the first indicator that shall not be neglected. A rainbow is a serious issue concerning the sky. To avoid permanent sky, weather or climate malfunctioning, please do consult a sky-mechanic within 24 hours after first detecting a rainbow.
Hinweise finden sich bereits in den fruehen Schriften: der Regenbogen wird dort gerne interpretiert als Heiligenschein. Er sei eine Markierung, eine Erhebung, eine Auszeichnung eines Flecken Erde. Menschen, die unterhalb eines Regenbogens das Licht der Welt erblickten gelten als gebenedeit.

Troyeville: Spaza Gallery

A wise hippie’s smile
welcomes the adventurers
that made it here

Once an hour
all those present must lissomely bent forward
to escape the reckless watch hand

Thus the Spaza Gallery thrives just fine
it stays an island
amidst a running time