We were exhausted when we got to Joburg…  a 20 hour journey with Covid restrictions everywhere and missing luggage had just taken it’s toll.  When we arrived at our AirBnb in the Newtown area we were pleasantly surprised that it was so nice!  It had a gorgeus view along one entire wall of windows that looked right out on the setting sun over the city!

But the best thing about this AirBnb was the man who owned it and his family!  We got to know Qiniso the first day and he invited us up to the rooftop penthouse for drinks.  His family was coming over and we were soon joined by two of his sisters and our education began!

Our ignorance of South African culture and history as Americans is pretty high…  I mean, we learned about Mandela and Apartheid and so on in school but in reality, it was very basic.  To actually sit with a family from the Zulu tribe and hear about these things from them was fasinating!

The family was incredibly well educated and in fact, all three of them had individually travelled to dozens of countries in the last decade and the youngest sister was a performing Jazz pianist who had even toured America!  They were business people with amazing plans and were so passionate about their goals!

When Americans picture Africa, and particularly terms like the “Zulu Tribe,” let’s be honest…  we picture it as it has been porotrayed to us on TV or in books….  half-naked black people in ornate traditional costumes dancing and drumming.  We are so ignorant and uneducated…. and frankly, this is the root of racism.   One of the other root causes is fear… Nowhere is this more evident than Africa where as a white person you are finally a minority.  You hear stories of things being unsafe, there are armed guards and fences everywhere and there is a crisp divide between white and black.   Naturally, we look and see only white and black.  But the reality is that once we get over the fear of the unknown we stop thinking “all blacks look alike” and start to recognize true diversity.  It’s always an education…

We were to surprised to learn about the different tribes of South Africa and how distinct each one is and to hear the history of this beautiful place.  South Africa has 11 different tribes each with it’s distinct cultures, traditions and history.  Perhaps South Africa best reflects this diversity through its constitution with all 11 official languages recognized by law!   The Zulu are such an amazingly friendly group of people and within a few days we were able to tell them apart easily from other tribes.  This family in particular was so inspiring because they had traveled the world but all returned to their hometown and started trying to revitalize it and educate their people.

They have already accomplished so much and the Newtown area is quickly becoming “gentrified” as we would say in the US.  We couldn’t wait to return 5 years form now and see the change…

They were also specifically trying to promote women in their area as business owners and were educating, inspiring and even helping them get funding through initiatives in the government.   Many people that leave their place of birth never go back….  but this family had returned and is making a difference!

This experience was one of our favorite moments of our journey so far and honestly, one of our biggest reasons for traveling.  When you have the opportunity to sit down over a meal or drinks with someone so different from you, with such a different history and culture, this is when learning takes place!  You realize to yourself, “I know so little!!!”  We’re like sponges here….