Preserving bloodline/culture does it still have a place in todays world?

Ow shucks, I missed you guys the last 2 weeks ey! Hope you have all been well.

2 months into the year and so much drama in the world. I am no prophet of doom or anything but its hard to ignore these things. Massive earthquakes in Argentina, Chile, China, New Zealand that I remember, Insane floods and hurricanes in Australia, floods in Brazil, uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Libya, Bahrain. And this isn’t an exhaustive list because there have been a few crazy occurances this year, those are the ones I can remember. It makes you think doesn’t it. The religious amongst us will be quick to refer to the scriptures, the skeptics amongst us will point call it coincidence. Whichever side you sit on you cant ignore the fact that our earth is responding to how we have been treating it and each other…we can change or carry on being, choice is ours!

As it tends to happen when I have some time on my hands, my mind tends to wander into depths sometimes it shouldn’t. And these last few weeks haven’t been any different. But this specific topic that has been boggling my mind isn’t anything new really, but I have been thinking about it a lot lately, must have been because of the 2 weeks I spent hanging with my pops.

This thing called culture or what some people proudly identify as preserving a bloodline, what real purpose does it serve? (funny that when I latch onto a topic I hear it everywhere, they were even discussing it on 702 last night when I was driving home).

On Monday I was having a rap to this Indian lass I know. She was telling me how chuffed she was because she had met a man and he is this that and the next, but but but, she is in limbo because her parents don’t know and they would absolutely flip if they knew. So I asked Shoot is this guy black? Oh wait is he Tamil? She replied he is Tamil. I shook my head. Now these guys are both Indian, maybe second or third generation South African Indian if not more, yet the fact that one is supposedly from a lighter skinned ‘make’ of Indian, which has other nuances which I don’t really profess to know about, it is a no no for them to inter-breed, because the one sect Gujarat’s look down on the Tamils…come now I ask!!

But its not just them we all have it. In Ghana same thing Ashanti’s and norherners. Here Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa….etc etc. There was a time where Afrikaaners and English (souties) people couldn’t mix. Ok I will go with some of the pros of trying to preserve a bloodline…wait there are no pros there but sticking with your own culture I can kind of find see why some people would want to do this. Relating to people is hard generally. Be it in a business sense or in a romantic setting. Its hard bloody work. Throw in the mix different backgrounds, be it religion, race or tribe, then you make it even more difficult. In a way I have kind of seen it happening. Like some of my friends that got involved cross culture, race whatever, struggled with their marriages, but in saying that some survived and flourished. Some of my mates who got married to spouses cut from ‘the same cloth’ seem to work out, more so than not.

Why is this? I will take Ghanaians for example, we are all generally raised very similarly. Growing up in South Africa, the expat Ghanaian families in the Eastern Cape stuck together quite a bit, so we would go visit a lot of the other families and they us and the kids were generally all the same. Parents taught instilled in us basic moral principles and respect for others and adults. Like when the adults spoke brudda man u shut the beep up. When adults were meeting the children were in the other room playing or in the garden, didn’t matter if it was the last episode of A-Team for the season, and it was almost finished, adult came, out of the TV room you would have to go and you don’t even get asked…you go!! Sisters were always with moms in the kitchen when she was doing her thing. On Saturdays and Sundays, I was mowing the lawn, washing the car, polishing pops many shoes. It wasn’t even a discussion it was how it was and that’s how it was for many of my mates growing up, so basically you have the same foundation and you understand each other to a degree. I am not saying that it was right or wrong…it just was.

But there are some such relations that fail. And that’s the thing the world isn’t the world it was when I was growing up. The Kraal mentality and tribal mentality is no more. Those days of being strong Zulus, Afrikaners or Ashantis to defend your land is no longer needed. The world has now become one big country. Next door to me lives an Afrikaans person, behind me a Zimbabwean, across the road an Indian. I go out and I meet Eastern European dancers, Brazillian air hostesses. Work with Greeks, Sothos, English people. Go to university with Ethiopeans, Jamaicans and Americans, yet because of the practices of dead people I am supposed to stick to my own, come on now?!!

Culture has its place in this world, but as a reference point as to what made you this way and the good and the bad that lead to you being as you are. Build on the good and share it with those you interact with and don’t ever repeat the mistakes of the past. This whole thing about sticking to your own holds us back in a world that is so diverse and open, I shake my head when I hear stories like I did on Monday because there are no guarantees in this world, you could find this absolutely great guy/girl from ‘the same cloth’ and you realize that this person is the biggest tool to walk this world, its all an individual thing!

I think its enough of the world being run by dead people and their practices. I am so looking forward to the day I am blessed with little one(s) that I can take to my moms and pops to school, because even though they have some old school ways (which I am slowly working out (or pointing out to) of them) they have plenty to teach a young soul! But so too do I in that the past should be remembered but you must chart your own present and future. Yes I am an Ashanti or South African …and then??!! What have I done to change the world, now to me that is so much more important than the fact that I was born a Christian In Ghana, raised in South Africa, Schooled in Cape Town and Employed in Johannesburg, WHAT HAVE I DONE AND WHO AM I AS A PERSON now that’s the stuff that matters deeply, the rest is all nice to haves!

I’m out!

Birthdays
8th Kwaku, Bibi Hinson
11th Zahir, Zihaad
12th Nonku, Garrin
14th Barbs
16th Jane
17th Nadya
18th Sarah, Lourie, Susan
22nd Kim, Kelly, Victoria, Anja, Lindsay
24th Kirsty and Patrick
25th Liesel, Seemie, Abena
26th Themba, Sarah, Brian, Yaw (me ;)35 who would have thunk??!!)

Easi now

Y

Love really clarification, Madiba, dead or alive leave him, politicians why so stoopid?

Ok, so maybe I didn’t get my point across as well as I would have liked to. Love definitely does exist, how else can you explain the bond between mother and child for example? What I don’t believe in is this whole fairytale Mills and Boon, Hollywood depiction of love, Valentines Day and all the paraphernalia that goes with this man made depiction of the emotion of love.
One of the responses I received last week, best summarises what I was trying to get at…and then some ☺ “The complication comes because we think these things need to be eternal, epic, life changing; when nature around us suggests that partnerships are usually transient, pragmatic, dynamic. But we’ve inherited from the Greeks and then later the Victorians a sense of romance and destiny that is totally at odds with the real world. Life is much more complex and interesting than that, and love shouldn’t need to confirm to some popular narrative.

A good friend of mine once said there is no normal. And I think that holds for love too. We each have different needs and tastes when it comes to what we eat, how we dress, what our interests are. So why are we always searching for one answer for what love is? It’s different for everybody…but it’s always good” – Rowan

Greetings once again my good people. Another pretty interesting week gone bye ey? There was that saga with Nelson Mandela, now boys and girls please let me express my views on this…like everyone else has ☺ People what more do we want from this man? With most respect… the man could have died about 6 months ago and our lives would not have been altered much, so what does knowing whether he is alive or dead matter? The man has done his bit. He was a ‘terrorist’, a ‘freedom fighter’, a prisoner, a president, the ‘father of our nation’ a ‘sellout’. Whatever your perception of him is, to me he was a man who served 27 years in jail because he was tired of being told he was worse than an animal in his own country. Instead of coming out with resentment and anger, he chose to don the number 6 jersey of the captain of the game that was the ‘emblem’ of the oppressor. What that choice did in my mind was tell the people of this land that if even I can forgive, who are you to be angry?! My good people there is nothing more we can ask from or of this man. He is done. He is 92 let him rest, he owes us no more. He owed us nothing to begin with, yet he still gave us the best years of his life in an insanely small cage, he came out and spearheaded a peaceful transition of power. He helped lay a platform where all of us can prosper if we are willing to work for it.

The goings on of last week was soo ridiculously poorly handled. I mean am I an idiot? The word routine means something that happens regularly not so? So has there been such a large prominent visitor turnout or media frenzy around any of his other ‘routine checkups’ ever? Well not to my knowledge, so why lie to me? Just call a spade a spade. Man is ill, he has a respiratory infection say something don’t just keep quiet or people like us will start saying dude, maybe he actually did die 3 weeks ago and they are only slowly bringing it out now because they have sorted out all the logistics in the background…blah blah!! Epic fail

An even bigger epic fail is the mayor of Gauteng I think it was going on air and saying that there is no issue with the billing process. Dude, people are getting charged 10s of thousands for a month or 2’s usage…even if there its just 10 or 20 people, there is an issue, you come out say there is a glitch somewhere and we are investigating it thoroughly, please bear with us, who can fault you? But instead you want to play tough guy? Why I ask why? But I guess I am no politician.

The sad thing about SA politics is that its still very racially polarized. Sad but true. Cope which was the hope of the people is imploding because of power hungry people. These 2 Shilowa and Lekota should be ashamed of themselves. This self same power hunger, corruption and internal politicking that they saw in the ANC that lead them to form COPE is exactly the image they are portraying of their party to the people of SA. I go to the Western Cape quite a bit and it looks like it works, well it works in the Southern Suburbs, town and Camps Bay, Sea Point etc. how it is in the Pleins and Gugs etc. I know not, but then again on second thoughts come to think of it, areas like Sandton, Sunninghill has massive potholes in it, rates bills are incorrect, traffic lights are out for weeks…months, policing is ill-focused, last Friday I think it was, I got stopped twice in the space of 20 minutes, I mean really?!

We have local government elections coming up soon, the ruling party has failed many people repeatedly. Clearly incompetent people are kept in office. People who steal get moved to new posts. People who challenge the status quo are sidelined. How will the people vote? Well I know, the fact is that most blacks will vote for the ANC, and most whites will vote for the DA. I know I am not revealing anything that is groundbreaking, but what I wonder is when we will reach a place where we will exercise our vote based on the ability of the party to deliver. Don’t get me wrong, the ANC has delivered to and for many, but it has also failed many more. If I look at RDP houses for example, many people believe that houses built by the government pre 1993 was of better quality and their lives were of a better standard. What this country needs is an opposition that represents the people, I guess like our sports teams.

Ok im waffling! Bottom line we need a political landscape where people can choose based on ability to deliver not because of racial or emotional affiliation else we could end up like Zim or Egypt or all of our African countries who breed dictators who believe they know best for the people of the land.

Birthdays
31st Che, Refiloe R
1st Feb Kirstin, Leila, Nezaam
2nd Zaahid, Cam, Rahael

And im out have a good weekend all

Y