The Joburg Fiasco

During a recent trip to Joburg, I realized how much I appreciate Botswana and Batswana. We took a bus to Joburg to see our friends Tshepiso and Mike compete in a dance competition. We rented a van and found a cute little B and B to stay in. We got in the first night quite late, and the next morning we were greeted with a wonderful breakfast. And it was mostly downhill from there. The competition was in Soweto, a township about half an hour away. We went at 11am to find out what time Tshepi and Mike were dancing. They said they didn’t know, but most likely after lunch. We decided to take the time to see the Apartheid Museum, which we were told was in the area. Tshepi’s aunt graciously offered to drive us.

We’d heard to Apartheid Museum was fantastic, definitely not to be missed; very interactive and a learning experience. We ended up at the Hector Pieterson Museum, entirely on the Soweto uprising. It was poorly set up and outdated. We made the best of it and learned something.

We returned to the competition around 1pm and the program said that it was to end at 4pm. Didn’t happen. We sat and waited, and waited, and waited. We bought some supper from the concession at 7pm, because we were told that we weren’t able to leave the area after dark, too dangerous. So we drank more tea in the bleachers and waited. Finally, at 10:30pm, Tshepi and Mike danced. As Canadians who are used to schedules being kept, it was definitely a lesson in patience! We were glad we finally got to see our friends dance, they were fantastic. If there was more support in Botswana for the arts, I’m sure they would be able to do it professionally.

My time in Joburg made me appreciate how relaxed things are in Botswana. It’s not crowded and rushed, and the people are much friendlier. It has become familiar, like an old friend. I was relieved to return on Sunday. In August, I’m also looking forward to getting to know the new and exciting South Africa, starting with Cape Town.