This is a letter I wrote to a South African newspaper after I received sweet “Thank you” notes from students from a class I had presented to about South Africa. It was really a neat experience and I felt like sharing it with the whole world. So read and enjoy.

 

Dear Editor,

 

I am a South African from KwaZakhele doing a master’s program at St Cloud State University in Minnesota in the United States. I am 23 years of age and I have been here for about a year and three months now.  I was asked to share my experiences of growing up in South Africa by a professor in two of her classes. I was also asked to share a little of history and culture of our beautiful nation. I went to speak to the classes about South Africa. It was really a great experience sharing a bit of myself with people who might not really understand what “Africa” much less South Africa is about. Weeks after the presentation the professor asked for my address to send me something. What I received was Thank You notes from the students I spoke with. They all had taken so much from the little presentation I gave about South Africa and they told me about the uniqueness of our nation. The students were re-telling me of all the things that make them want to visit South Africa. The students took particular interest with South Africa’s inclusive constitution, our three capitals, being known as the rainbow nation, the eleven official languages, same-sex marriage and host of other uniquely South African qualities. I was touched and so humbled by these Thank You notes. These students see a South Africa that even we South Africans sometimes forget (especially us abroad). We forget that South Africa is a place of hope, beauty and humility. A nation born of struggle and came through victoriously. Yes, we have a troubled not so distant past, but we are trying to look beyond that. We are trying to heal and move forward. As we move closer to the first year anniversary of the xenophobic attacks that took place in our beautiful land in May 2008. Let us think of the pain and suffering of our brothers and sisters from the neighboring African states. Lets us remember the wise words Nelson Mandela shared with us in 1994 that “Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world”. We all have our role to play, no matter how small, to create a country we can all be proud of. How I love you South Africa.

 

St Cloud, MN, United States of America

Lwando Scott

 

ps. The letter was published in The Herald on May 8th 2009. Here is a link http://www.epherald.co.za/opinion/letters/article.aspx?id=418417 .