This is Part II of our conversation with Dan Forti.
Today is also the 95th birthday of Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa.
We open with Dan's thoughts on Mr. Mandela and his life.
Here in the United States we hear and read a lot of news stories
(often conflicting) that give dire reports of Nelson Mandela’s health. How are the people of South Africa reacting
to his illness?
First,
it is natural and appropriate that Mandela’s decline in health is a focus of
the world’s attention. Mandela is a remarkable individual and was paramount as
a lawyer, liberation leader, armed revolutionary, symbolic figurehead,
reconciler, President, elder statesman, and mediator both within and outside of
South Africa. I am trying to recall some quasi-scientific study conducted
earlier this year or last year (if I remember correctly) that attempted to
assess the world’s most influential individuals across the entire history of
mankind: Mandela, ranked 18th or 19th, was the only
living individual on a list that contained the likes of Jesus, Da Vinci,
Gandhi, and Buddha, among other historic figures. So it is by no means a
surprise that he remains a fixture of the world’s eyes.
Having
said this, I think the media (both inside and outside of South Africa) fail to
accurately capture the realities of the situation. First and foremost, Mandela
is 94, and is an elder statesmen who has lived a long and challenging life.
This fact alone contextualizes his decline in health – few individuals, under
any circumstances, are able to live until 94. Mandela also suffered severe damage
to his eyes and back during his 26+ years on Robben Island, and has been in and
out of the hospital over the past few years. Mandela’s last public appearance
in South Africa was during the 2010 World Cup, and has all but remained out of
the spotlight since then. As a result, his decline in health cannot honestly be
described as any sort of surprise or shock.
My
personal opinion of the situation is that the majority of South Africans have
already come to terms with his eventual passing. What the media seems to be
perpetuating now, unfortunately, is an expropriation of his name for increased
viewership. What they should be focusing on instead is an acceptance of the
realities of his health and a much larger celebration of and reflection upon
his legacy and values, which have undoubtedly transformed humankind for the
better.
What is life like in South Africa right now? What were the easiest and what were the
hardest things about attempting to assimilate into the society?
Life
in South Africa is quite similar to life everywhere else: there are positives
and negatives, opportunities and challenges, and the complexities, hypocrisies,
and inspirations that make this world so special. Durban, a beach city most
similarly equated to San Diego, is obviously a world away from NYC. It's a much
slower and more relaxed lifestyle, and although the country’s third largest
city, is most certainly not metropolitan. What is similar to New York, however,
is the infusion of cultures and peoples. Durban is located in the heart of the
Kwazulu-Natal Province and is the heart of the traditional Zulu Kingdom (the
Zulu’s are South Africa’s most populous ethnic group); Durban was also a key
British harbor during the early colonial years, and thus retains many British
aspects; perhaps most interestingly, Durban has one of the largest metropolitan
population of Indians outside of the Indian subcontinent (millions of Indian
immigrants were brought to Durban during the 19th century as indentured
servants on the region’s sugar cane plantations, and was also the place where
Mahatma Gandhi began practicing law). Mix all of these together, thrown in
South Africa’s unique political/socio-economic history and the influences of
today’s globalized society, and I personally believe it’s among the most
fascinating places.
In
terms of assimilation, I’m not convinced I’ll ever fully assimilate. I like to
believe that I will always retain some blend of the USA in my life, even if
that has obviously become secondary to my personality here in SA. The fact that
English is the prevalent language throughout the country made the transition to
life in Durban very straightforward. And given South Africa’s reality as
perhaps the most developed country on the continent, I have not been forced to
sacrifice too many of the trappings of home while living here.
Do you ever feel lonely, and if so, what do you do about it?
I’m
lucky to have a great group of friends and colleagues here in Durban, so
loneliness does not often factor into my day to day. However, there is no
escaping the realities that I am very far from my family and friends back in
the States, and this is an ever-present challenge of life here. I’m also lucky
to have an incredible group of people in my life back in the US who remain
supportive of me and are always there to remind me that home isn’t too far away
(especially with Skype, Facetime, and Facebook). Most importantly, my parents
keep me grounded and are always there for me, no matter what time of day or
night.
I know that something like 11 different languages are spoken in South
Africa, are you learning any of them?
True,
South Africa does have 11 official languages, an acknowledgement of the
plurality of communities that make up the country. Unfortunately I have not had
any successes in learning any of the languages besides English. The dominant
language outside of English in Durban is Zulu. I’ve taken a few Zulu lessons
before and understand basic greetings, vocabulary, and sentence structure.
However given that my working language is English and that the vast majority of
individuals in the area speak English, there has not been the necessary
language immersion to facilitate this process.
Are you reading any good books right now? What influences your choice of reading?
I
have to admit that I am not reading as many books as I’d ideally like. Given
that one of my primary responsibilities at work is to constantly monitor
political situations throughout the world, I find myself reading something like
50+ news articles a day. As a result, my motivation for extracurricular reading
isn’t too high. However, I have found my reading tastes gradually shift towards
African literature. I’m incredibly thankful for my Kindle, which allows me to
sift through Amazon’s massive collections instead of exclusively relying upon
the surprisingly limited shelves of bookstores here in SA. I do have a few great books lined up. I’m
currently working my way through the professional autobiography of Nigeria’s
Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, which is turning out to be a fascinating
but extrmely technical overview into national economic policymaking. The next
two books on my list are Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah and Teju Cole’s Open
City.
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Bunny Chow
Photo from: http://honestcooking.com/lamb-and-potato-bunny-chows/
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What are your favorite local food choices?
Thankfully
Durban is a culinary hotspot. My absolute favorite local dish is called the
bunny-chow. Born out of Indian-South Africans’ experiences as indentured
servants in Durban, the bunny-chow is simply a meat or vegetable curry served
inside of a hollowed-out loaf of bread. The bunny-chow is eaten without
silverware, but instead, by using the bread bowl as utensils to dip, scoop, and
eat the curry. The curries in Durban are unbelievable and the bunny chow is one
of the experiences I can’t wait to bring home with me!
