Q&A on Tanz trip
Q Yo Des, ya blog says you went around the region, let us have a Q n A
1) how safe is it
2) did they treat you guys different because you black, and they are used to wandering devils
3) what natural beauty hit you the most
4) what was it like speaking Setswana ko Botswana
5) did you find residual Zulus, spoils of the Mfecane anywhere
6) cost-wise, can crap car do the trip too
maybe more later
A Quick answers to your relevant questions:
1) It's definitely safer than SA! we slept in the car 5 of the 10 nights that we spent away! I would basically just stop and park at the nearest, safest looking spot and we'd crash...no one ever bothered us, except that in Zim we had to pay for it (you pay for absolutely everything there), to be in a SECURE yard, in front of a police station.
2) funny, ha ha! I thought they treated us differently cos we were either of lighter complexion (in certain areas like Zambia), or we spoke better English (in areas like Zim/Malawi), or plainly because we were from SA, and generally expected to have more money (Zim, Zambia, Mozambique). Otherwise the people of Tanzania LOVE their language (of love), Kiswahili, and they don't wanna ever speak English...we heard to learn a few phrases to keep up.
3) MALAWI...that was the most amazing, and unexpected. we sort of stumbled upon a Nkhatha Bay...heaven! Got there at night, didn't see sh*t till the morning...what an amazing sight!
4) Botswana was ok, except that we lost our drums (animal skin, djembes), and the cops there don't play! They don't take bribes (unlike in Zim and ALL borders). It's always belittling speaking Tswana in Botswana...but also, we had been away so long we were desperate to speak our own language, so it wasn't so bad. It was great to be able to communicate cos we were in trouble, I had hit a cow, and you know how much those people value their livestock!
5) Not really...I mean certain of the African Nguni languages sound a bit like Zulu, but NO.
6) let me put it this way...if I were traveling alone, I may as well have taken a flight! The border fees are HIGH like a motha! excluding the bribes to get the car across without a letter from the SAPS confirming that it's NOT STOLEN! We f**ked up that car (Audi A4, 1995), had 2 punctures, hit a cow, and just general wear and tear. we're still paying today.
1) how safe is it
2) did they treat you guys different because you black, and they are used to wandering devils
3) what natural beauty hit you the most
4) what was it like speaking Setswana ko Botswana
5) did you find residual Zulus, spoils of the Mfecane anywhere
6) cost-wise, can crap car do the trip too
maybe more later
A Quick answers to your relevant questions:
1) It's definitely safer than SA! we slept in the car 5 of the 10 nights that we spent away! I would basically just stop and park at the nearest, safest looking spot and we'd crash...no one ever bothered us, except that in Zim we had to pay for it (you pay for absolutely everything there), to be in a SECURE yard, in front of a police station.
2) funny, ha ha! I thought they treated us differently cos we were either of lighter complexion (in certain areas like Zambia), or we spoke better English (in areas like Zim/Malawi), or plainly because we were from SA, and generally expected to have more money (Zim, Zambia, Mozambique). Otherwise the people of Tanzania LOVE their language (of love), Kiswahili, and they don't wanna ever speak English...we heard to learn a few phrases to keep up.
3) MALAWI...that was the most amazing, and unexpected. we sort of stumbled upon a Nkhatha Bay...heaven! Got there at night, didn't see sh*t till the morning...what an amazing sight!
4) Botswana was ok, except that we lost our drums (animal skin, djembes), and the cops there don't play! They don't take bribes (unlike in Zim and ALL borders). It's always belittling speaking Tswana in Botswana...but also, we had been away so long we were desperate to speak our own language, so it wasn't so bad. It was great to be able to communicate cos we were in trouble, I had hit a cow, and you know how much those people value their livestock!
5) Not really...I mean certain of the African Nguni languages sound a bit like Zulu, but NO.
6) let me put it this way...if I were traveling alone, I may as well have taken a flight! The border fees are HIGH like a motha! excluding the bribes to get the car across without a letter from the SAPS confirming that it's NOT STOLEN! We f**ked up that car (Audi A4, 1995), had 2 punctures, hit a cow, and just general wear and tear. we're still paying today.
posted by desbo043 at Sunday, May 20, 2007
2 Comments:
I enjoyed your recollection of your trip, it was a beautiful read but i would like to correct you on one thing in your Q&A. Why would people treat you differently in Zimbabwe because they have the perception that you speak better English? I would like to let you know that we Zimbabweans do not consider you South Africans as better at speaking the Queen`s English. As a matter of fact, the perception is quite the opposite, Zimbabweans have always had the impression that black South Africans have challenges speaking English.Suffice to say that speaking English better is not a sign of superiority whatsoever but it is to correct your assertion that people would treat you differently due to that. however, you may be talking about accents as South Africans have a different accent when speaking English but that does not entail a greater ability at all.
Better than most South Africans, I can vouch for a well spoken English language amongst middle class Zimbabweans. But I'm obviously recalling momentsd spent with the average citizen, whom we interacted with more often than the classy. I have friends and colleagues from Zim, all of whom are more articulate than i could ever hope to be, so I know exactly what you're referring to. However, these are, expectedly, NOT the kinds of people I engaged with during my short time there. Thanks for your comment though. Peace
Post a Comment
<< Home