Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Cape Town II

Cape Town Novenber 1st 2006....70 degrees with strong sea breezes and not a cloud in the sky...glorious.
The Cape TIMES announced this morning the most favored halloween mask of last night: This year's winner as a replica of George Bush. In the past, the winners had been such icons as Osama Bin Ladin, Draclua, PW Botha, Saddam Hussein and Idi Amin. Go figure.
The TIMES also announced the death of Botha, that last of the APARTHEID premieres who was a die hard until death and actually believed that the races here had to be divided between white (including Japanese), Asians (Indians and Chinese mostly), Cape Malays (mostly of Indonesian descent) Cape Coloured (the total European probably-majority population of mulattos), then the various black tribes. My god, someone needed a slide rule to keep up with it all. Botha WAS a ghoul and yet Mandela (whom he imprisoned) and Archbishop Tutu have sent warm condolences to his family and have asked them if they would like for the premier to lie in State......WHAT reconciliation.....in what a glorious city.
As I wrote Spring has fulminated forth in such a riot that it is almost unbelievable. If the sea breezes were not brisk today, the roses in my cottage's little garden would probably smell like a florist shop or the cosmetics counter at Sak's. I went yesterday down to the Cape of Good Hope, that obligatory trip, one that I have now made I think 5 times....always something new: this time a number of different varieties of the extremely exhuberant Protea flowers (on bushes...looking like blooming artichokes almost), a dozen heathers.....lots of whales playing out at sea. Went on a small group tour...terrific young couple from Dublin among others, both so enthusiastic about the Cape that they are considering emigration.....even though Dublin booms as it never has in its history.
It is curious to talk to people and find out how essentially relaxed they are about their new racial reality. They greatly resent those who left South Africa, mostly Apartheid types (though they may have denied it) who would not have been comfortable in this very well working multi racial society. The locals are deeply resentful of the emigres of the apartheid and just-post era, easy to understand. I heard the same expressions of disdain in Havana for those who left Cuba. I am sure that there are still massive economic racial divides here, but on the whole things seem amazingly relaxed. The houses all have plaques from this or that security service.....but people tell me the streets are much safer than 5 years ago. YEAH!...I have seen the Tower of Babel and it works.
This will be my last missive from the gloriously blooming so-called dark continent.

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