My heart belongs to Africa
Mpho Mokwape | Friday September 19, 2014 15:40
I always believed that my heart belonged to Botswana and only Botswana, but that paradigm dissipated the day I stepped into Grahamstown, a multi-cultural town situated about 110 kilometres northeast of Port Elizabeth, a week and a half ago.
The rugged town with its distinct Victorian architecture nestled on the shoreline of the Eastern Cape with its Xhosa and Zulu-speakers, is a marvel to explore.
My Botswana-centric paradigm was so great that even getting to Grahamstown was a challenge. Yes, I had been to South Africa before, but only by private car and only as far as Johannesburg and Mafikeng.
This time, I had to fly for the first time, an act that some people live and die without experiencing!
All manner of dread-inducing thoughts were running through my mind prior to that morning of September 2. I had heard stories of people throwing up as a result of being aviation “newbies” and as I took my seat on the flight from Gaborone to OR Tambo, I prayed heartily that I would not join this statistic.
I was leaving my beloved Botswana to attend the Highway Africa Media conference, a high profile and strongly attended annual event held at the Rhodes University campus. The event brings together media captains, experts and journalists from across the continent and beyond to discuss trends and the profession’s future.
Before the conference, Barclays Africa had organised a three-day training workshop on Data-Driven Journalism, which was so engaging that we had very little glimpses of the quaint town we had landed in.
However, by the end of my stay, Grahamstown had stolen my heart making me contemplate going back one day to stay for good and wave my wonderful Botswana goodbye. While the town is the largest in the Makana Local Municipality and is also the seat of the municipal council, it boasts a crime rate far lower than other parts of South Africa. Grahamstown took my breath away with its picturesque landscapes and upon going further into town, I discovered why it is referred to as a “student town”. On nearly every corner is housed a school; “School of Arts”, “School of Business”, “School of Media” and many others. Students lugging backpacks roam the streets, their youthfulness contrasting starkly with the Old World feel of the town.
A colleague in Botswana tells me a little history about the town I am slowly falling in love with.
“Grahamstown is first and foremost a student town. At the top end of the high street is one of the country’s major centres of learning, Rhodes University, which has 70 major buildings on a 195-hectare campus with approximately 3,200 students and 1800 staff.
“The presence of the university has had significant impact on this small town and during term times the pubs and bars are full with students. It is a pleasant enough place to wander around and there are a number of interesting little shops along the high street.” Although I scarcely had enough time to properly explore the town, on a free Saturday between the Data Journalism workshop and the Highway Africa conference, Barclays treated a group of journalists including myself to a trip of a lifetime. We went for a boat cruise and game drive 45-kilometres outside Grahamstown, first passing Port Alfred before catching a boat to the River Side Game Farm. Later, we had a short excursion on the beach even though the chilly weather limited the variety of fun to be had.
Grahamstown, despite its unpredictable weather, has now changed my thinking and beliefs. Where I used to say, Botswana is my home for life, I now say my heart belongs to Africa. I’m now set on exploring our beautiful continent.