Somewhere in Nicaragua
By Emma Pennington My daughter Emma is travelling through South and Central America for four months. I asked her to pen a weekly missive on her travels, experiences, high and lows. Here is her 4th attempt!
If I had earned a dollar each time I was asked “Is South Africa dangerous?” I don’t think I would have spent 4 months in Aspen working two jobs to save up for my ‘gap year’. After two months of travel through Brazil, Peru, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and El Salvador the curiosity I am met with when introducing myself as a South African, is way more than I anticipated, and…..invariably the same.
Is South Africa safe? Will I get robbed? Are there lots of sharks? Is the wildlife on your doorstep, like… would you ever bump into a hippo? Why do you like it there and, do you want to live there your whole life?
People seem genuinely curious as to whether what they know (usually very little) about South Africa is true. A 5-minute conversation seems to change their opinion instantly and leaves most saying “Wow! Maybe I need to visit South Africa”.
They’re interested to find out we have 11 official languages; that there are amazing and interesting places to visit other than Cape Town; that the Garden route is rated the most scenic in the world; that a round of golf costs $30 and a beer $2.50! The obvious concern is safety which usually ends up with a discussion on the “safety” of their own country. Don’t get me wrong, in SA “having your wits about you” is a part of everyday life, especially as a woman.
But as the discussion progresses it enables me to reflect on the privilege I have had growing up and the safety this has afforded me, and when talking to foreigners there is always mention of the legacy of apartheid and what this has meant for geographical safety disparities – I make an effort to talk about the level of crime a foreigner might experience in comparison to what the world seems to say about travelling to South Africa.
In truth I have met very few people who have said “no” when asked if there are certain “no go” areas in their own country, or if they are careful with their belongings on public transport, if they feel 100% safe walking alone at night or whether they would park their car without locking it. But the question for me is ‘why is the narrative around South Africa’s ‘dangerousness’ so much more sensationalised, so much more vivid, so much more in the spotlight than it is in other countries around the world? Other African countries take the trouble to promote their ‘special’ tourism offering on local TV stations, why don’t we?
When chatting to fellow travellers, I invariably mention the beautiful duality of Cape Town for its beaches and mountains, the serenity of the Garden Route, Kruger National Park as a treasure, the many surf breaks and the weekend braais, most of which ‘informed’ foreigners are aware of. But, when I mention the Karoo, the epic Drakensberg Mountains, the cultural richness of Johannesburg and the incredibly diverse nature of South Africans, people are much more interested and engaged. To put it simply much of our unique South Africanness they just don’t ‘get’ and that there is much more to do than “safari” and visit Cape Town.
As young travellers the issue of affordability in South Africa always raises eyebrows! Furthermore, the proximity we have to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique and the adventures that one can have there are factors most tourists don’t consider. And clearly, there are some things one cannot put into words – watching a Springbok game, having a petrol attendant make your day, witnessing random acts of kindness, laughing with a complete stranger in a shop queue, and enjoying real connection with people on a level that is uniquely South African is difficult to articulate.
At the end of the day, South Africa is my home and my Dad, ‘Mr. South Africa- The Good News’ constantly reminds that many of the statistics around us such as being the ‘most unequal society in the world’ are skewed. My lived reality is the SA brand of goodwill and generosity here is real. True, it doesn’t make international news but it is what is special about our people.
I can only hope that other South Africans abroad tell the same story – and if not, I ask – if all you have to say is bad, what are you doing to fix it?
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