POSTCARD OF THE WEEK II: South Africa

I received this card at least a year ago, but it is still one of my favorites, because postcards from anywhere in Africa are pretty rare. In fact, I only have gotten one other card from Africa in the nearly two years I’ve been collecting. This one was sent to me by Verdigris.

I honestly had not heard very much about the Zulu tribe before getting this card, but it looks to be a group steeped in some cool traditions (I mean…I totally wish I could train to be a witch doctor!). I usually picture South Africa as post-Apartheid Johannesburg, with country clubs, suburbs, and traces of post-British imperialism. I see images like in the postcard above and my mind goes to Kenya, Zambia, and Angola before it goes to South Africa.

Then I got to thinking how I used to associate African tribal villages as being poor and backwards. I’m embarrassed to admit I used to think this way. I blame my middle-class American hegemonic upbringing for this. Now I think of life in a small, isolated village as probably a peaceful way to live, as long as food and water were in constant supply (which I know isn’t true in many cases). Think about it: you don’t have to worry about the NASDAQ crashing and wiping out your 401K, you don’t have to endure the mindless drivel that is 99% of pop culture these days, and you’re probably going to be very close with the entire village, so basically it’s like an extended family. You don’t necessarily need a 250K Masters Degree and a six-figure salary to live a satisfying life.

Perhaps people like the Zulu have their priorities in order more than Americans do. I can’t confirm this as I have no experience with Zulu culture, nor have I even even known a member of the Zulu tribe, but when you’re in a small, traditional tribe, your priorities are more likely about to be survival, safety, and living. Last week I was accosted by a group of thirteen years olds who hollered ‘selfie with stranger!’ and took off before I could realize that they placed being ‘cool’ above ‘not getting kidnapped’ in their priority order. Technology has warped us beyond our basic instincts, and it’s really getting bizarre.

Will I get to visit the Zulu tribe one day? Not sure. It’s not like I can take a Delta flight to the middle of the Serengeti. But if I could, would I? Absolutely!