The two flags that my sister stuffed into my hand-luggage just before I got through the security gate in Bloemfontein: I took one of them out of the Snapple bottle, and unraveled it on my pillow.
To begin with, I am not sure how I let the flags into my bag. For the last half hour before we left for the airport, my mother had made it her duty to find things that exist in the world but not in my hand luggage, and to place those things in my hand luggage. I put a strict moratorium on new items after she snuck a six-pack of granola bars, one pack of mentoes, one of winegums, a tube of hand sanitizer and an 8 pack of those tissues that come in a pocket sized pack of about 12.
I am not sure whether I accepted the flags out of sheer panic, or whether they were self-evidently important to bring. I still have to decide where/how/if they will be permanently displayed. This is where the Snapple bottle comes in. For a short while after arriving here I was addicted to Snapple - (Corn syrup is like crack). I collected the glass bottles intending to do something pretty and creative with them to liven up my drab standard-issue residence room. In a flash of genius, I stuffed the flags into a Snapple bottle and displayed them on the window sill. It looks kind of dumb and ugly, but for now I have wounded two birds with one stone.
Since I arrived, I have tried to think about what it means to me to be South African. This was partly sparked by some tell-me-about-your-people-and-I'll-tell-you-about-mine group exercises at the beginning. These exercises - or rather my ineptitude at them - unsettled me a bit. On the other hand, I keep on saying things like "We have ..." and We are ..." when I mean to say "South Africa has ...." and "South Africa is...". I am trying to figure out whether we have similar ideas of what South African means, and whether I buy in. I am very envious of peoples who have (or seem to have) some sort of unified national identity. There is no surface in America, that does not have the American flag emblazoned on it.
Certainly I identify strongly with South African gays, and South African middle class people, and South African Blacks and Free Staters ... - but I can't think of ways of identifying strongly with South Africans period. Besides the physical space inside the imaginary border, I am not sure what we share. Perhaps I have just forgotten.
For the last week I have tried to write on my South Africanness without any success. I am completely blank. As a last-ditch effort, I unraveled my Snapple-bottle-flag on my pillow, made sure it was oriented correctly (red on top - the opposite of what you would expect) and stared hoping something would happen. Nothing. Back to the window sill.
< I am very envious of peoples who have (or seem to have) some sort of unified national identity. There is no surface in America, that does not have the American flag emblazoned on it. >
ReplyDeletePresumably you're implying that America is one of those nations (whose people has a unified national identity). I'd respond that (a) we absolutely don't (cf. current Muslim/immigration tensions), and that (b) pasting the US flag to various surfaces does not equate to 'the American people' having a unified identity.
National identity is complicated, is what I'm saying, which is what you're saying. We agree, yay!
-- Sam
This is a very complex issue and I don't think my comment here will do any justice. First of all, I don't think there is, or even ever was a unified South Africa identity. This is because of the nature of our history and also socialization (which is also tainted by our history). We have different identities, as you have mentioned in your post, and they are all very strong identities. I do believe we lack a unified national identity. We have adults who still do not know the national anthem, people who do not know what the colors of the flag mean or whether red or blue should be on top of the flag. I do not think our kids can recite Mr Mandela's inauguration or his treason trial speeches (this is not the history we learn in school). These are all the things that create a national identity (for good or for bad). Other places use religion to create a national identity, especially the Arab world.
ReplyDeleteHere in the US, kids are indoctrinated from birth with the states and their capitals, practically singing the declaration of independence, knowing their fore-fathers and what they stood for, there's a general respect for veterans, and there is a serious tradition build around holidays complete with colors and greeting cards. So, even though Americans have other different identities like republican or democrat, gay or straight, catholic or protestant, there's still a very strong national American identity. So then looking at America, South Africa lacks this unified identity. This lack of unity can be attributed to our history and our social structure. The South African identity is not so neatly packed like the American. And there are pros and cons to both sides. Lwando
I don't think any country has a unified national identity. It's always safer and more realistic to talk about identities and, built around these, publics. And maybe your flag being in the bottle is a reflection of your South Africanness *insert psychoanalysis*. S xx
ReplyDeletePerhaps I should not have used unified. As S points out, its (probably) not the case that everyone in a nation sees their national identity in the same way. But as L said, Americans seem way closer to being "a people" than South Africans do. Njabulo Ndebele wrote an essay I found interesting: "The ties that Bind" in a book called "Fine Lines from the Box".
ReplyDeleteSO interesting you feel this way about the States. When I travel, I'm envious of people who feel proud of their flag and want to display it. Where I come from, you don't see people flying the flag, and if you DID, you'd probably judge them. The night of Obama's election was the first time in my life that I looked at those stars and stripes and actually felt pride.
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