© 2007 Institute of Current World Affairs
The Institute awards long-term fellowships to develop a deep understanding of an issue, country, or region outside the US and to share that understanding with a wider public.
Institute of Current World Affairs - Home Page

Below is a hobbled text version of a PDF document.
In order to read the actual document please click the link below and register if necessary.
(One-time registration is free and very quick.)
Read article

9/15/1982 - Dinner in South Africa by Bowden S. Quinn

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT WRITER S CONSENT INSTITUTE OF CURRENT WORLD AFFAIRS BSQ Dana Place Selous Harare Zimbabwe Dinner South Africa Septe Mr Peter Bird Martin Institute Cur World Af Wheelock House West Wheelock Street Hanover New Hampshire 03755 Dear Peter So about being South Africa Do hands sleeves jacket wiping slimy morally polluted I being introduced Otto Krause editor Afrikaans newspaper andspokesman ruling National Party Kendal Price institute fellow South Africa I visiting wanted moderate Afrikaner We drink Krause apartment elicited views U S politics We restaurant ordered bobotie traditional Afrikaner ground curry custard As waited Krause fired pointblank estion I habit telling people I their country South Africa confronts person stark ethical alternatives To dissemble would given queasy feeling complicity South Africa racial policies Besides Krause phrase Morally polluted eactly I I movie theater restaurant realized whites It river latedly seeing drain yards upstream dripping sewage So I I morally polluted crossed swords Krause skilled debater I He sliced through musketeer cutting plateon soldiers His arguments truths distortions contradictions I enough about South Africa pierce Yet conversation I received revelation South Africa typical African country riven tribalism still scarre experience colonialism The tribe power white comprises about tenth population The Boers Afrikaners ancestors settled country similar black tribes fought defeated Like Matabele Zulu Boers toral farmers ready exhausted They proud their cattle their fighting skills their society despised those members The descendants white black still ferent Krause spoke fervid black nationalist bigoted tribalist He spoke bitterly about Bgllsh Bowden Quinn completed month Overseas Journalism Fellow Institute He years West Africa seven monthsin Southern Africa BSQ referring hglish speaking white South Africans The between Afrikaans hllsh speakimg peoples remains marked years after supposly united country The iglish speakers still control business indus country because lopsided electoral system gives sparsely populated rural areas political clout cities Afrikaners government Krause proud people thrown colonial still chafed economic might hglish descendants wielded He could disciple Ka Nkrumah fulmi nating against colonialsm I thought being sophistic called South Africa Third World country actually undeceived South Africa capita gross national product US Ivory Coast Ireland The World Bank places South Africa among Arentina Brazil Chile Mexico Portugal Romania annual scale national economies The T World means nothing includes countries diverse Cuba Ghana Hondu India Israel South Africa South Korea Vietnam middle income countries World Bank Looking lists other economic social statistics South Africa usually falls between other African countries First World countries groups under title industrial market economies Ireland poorest Cer tainly though statistics South Africa devel oping country should Krause South Africa couldn expected vanced Western countries socially since backwards economically His defense apartheid South Africa needed problems The U S position criticize added started dealing racial problems years despite having world advanced economy Yet Krause welcomed criticism West because Afrikaners strong resolute their belie distinct God fearing people grown flabby I hearing between lines degenerate Americans pornography crime divorce rates inability stand Communism fight ideals Afrikaners would fight believed Confused I asked South Africa supported ideals West implied first argument jected I inferred second argument He South Africa import morality anybody I surprised answer expressed He angry insulting discussion ended there I since wndered abusive point afterwards became concil iatory claimed never annoyed The reason I think I close revealing Afri kaner ronghoid The South African government looks West support communist capitalistic white Western society faced onslaught primitive black dictatorial communists Let examine these defenses South Africa certainly society The police state atmosphere thick African country I BSQ verywhere I signs sinister official presence I resettleent Bophuthasana border where black failies refuse accept South Africa decision deprive their squalid limbo When I arrived I learned black social orker interested their plight detained South African police I talked black reporter Johannesburg about fearful Pursuing story coward I visited office New York Times reporter found office broken eekend Files blacks thrown floor apparently reaction publication frontpage stories South Africa T S before South Africa relatively press African standards Afrikaner government attitude toward press other ruling African clique It tries muzzle The government prohibits publication material might embarrassing It tihtened restrictions oubli cation names detainees It wanted restrictive would required licensing journalists The similarity between proposed UNEC0 proposals international certification journalists which demned bythe West supported Communist repressive Third World governments striking public outcry joined Afrikaans press criticism Reagan administra prevented passage South African government Nor South Africa capitalist state sense having enter prise economy Government intervention economy heavy African Third World count matter ideology profess The government riiid planned economy benefit ruling group revealed passage publication Black Sash liberal South African wornen organization The accession power National Party beginning deliberate concerted strategy redistribute South Africa wealth firstly breaking stranglehold foreign capital secondly intervention State promoting business industrial enterprises which would recycle channel South Africa wealth where possible metropolitan areas decentralized grovth points Given uonopoly State power National Party position promote Afrikaner business interests Marian Lacey The esettlement Policy historical context South Africa divided A Black S Publication South Africa indeed communist One lessons U S learned Iran friend winner winner friend One first applications philosophy Africa situation parallels South Africa Liberia ruled years Americo Liberians descendants American slaves links consideration native blacks Afrikaners black South Afri The U S supported Americo Liberian regime which centrated economic political power hands minor group comprised percent population When revolution however U S trouble making friends rulers Before U S about million support government Sgt Doe power annual contribution about million The U S appears prepa Zaire another African country parallels South Africa because abundance called strategic minerals The U S criti clzes nauseatingly corrupt regime Mobutu Sese Seko tinues economic military support government The Reagan administration change government internal affair Rather African Ayatollah Zaire though U S probably ditch Mobutu thinks doomed another person support retain country links West Could scenario apply South Africa Not conflict matter preservation Western society Mobutu wears Africaness sleeve leopard Seeing Afrikaners business suits getting toppled would harder American government accept Yet appearances deceiving The Afrikaners themselves Christian people their churc kicked World Alliance Reformed Churches because their support government racist polimies The Dutch French peasants became Boers arrived South Africa 1600s 1700s They missed social philosophical developments accompanied transition Western civiliza mercantile monarchies industrial dnocracies All Western nations accepted equality fundamental truth supports legitimacy their existence matter imperfectly their governments their citizens belief By believing blacks inferior whites Afrikaners themselves apart Western civilization So South Africa under present government capitalist outpost Western civilization pragmatic world geopolitics simple communism naive defense where leave Krause fellow Afri kaner ideologues If civil comes would TV pictures blacks killing whites bring U S Afrikaners Or would American public another bloody tribal conflict Africa involved The revolution imminent Krause might awake nights worrying about question could spoil digestion occasionally With newsletter I conclude fellowship I grateful trustees members Institute opportunity Africa wonderful experiences I months I thank Peter Institute staff especially Administrative Assistant Louise Cunningham support I questions about Africa I began fellowship I remaining Harare freelance journalist answers loads questions I intrigued Africa For problems hopeless It newest oldest place mankind history should ignored Regards owOden Quinn Received Hanover