“Why?”… “You should have chosen London”…” Why would you choose South Africa?” Rather than being faced with congratulations and excitement about our acceptance into this program, this is the response I was met with. This response came from parents, siblings, and some friends. Like a majority of this program, Most of the backlash came from my parents, and like a majority of this program, my parents are African immigrants.
Our parents come from countries that have been exploited and sought after for centuries, such as Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nigeria, Egypt, and Somalia. This trauma of not being able to fully enjoy the beauty of their home country has left many Africans to view Africa not as a place for enjoyment.
A continent no one would dare to step on unless they had a significant reason. Just a place to visit family.
As I began to send my parents videos of Cape Town, South Africa, within the first couple of days of me arriving, they admitted they were wrong. Truly blown away by Cape Town’s beauty, I felt successful in my effort to prove how the African continent does not have to be just a place we visit home. I won, or so I thought,
However, I noticed something shift within me in Cape Town. I started to question myself: “ Who gets to enjoy South Africa?”
As I looked around me at every nice restaurant and beach, I saw only White People, some “Coloured South Africans, and the only Black People I saw were from out of the country. I also realized that I have yet to see a single service worker in Seapoint who is not Black.
I was framing Cape Town to be this Magical African city where everything is perfect and beautiful, but I found myself doing a disservice to South Africa by framing it in that light, completely ignoring the country’s history and marginalized groups.
I must recognize the privilege I have in enjoying this city. The privilege I have to be an American citizen here. The privilege I have to be here under the Yale University name. The privilege I have to hold USD in my account and the conversion factor that works in my favor. The privilege I have to enjoy South Africa.