My Swiss friend who has been here for six months was shocked to find out on his visit to the South Western Free State(Gariep) that traditional Boere would drink and share the same humour with the Griquas(Afrikaans-speaking Coloureds) more easily than they would with an English-speaking white. He found out pretty soon that it was culture and not colour that the Boere there were defensive about.

One other observation. His comments have to be seen in the light of Dutch debate about integration vs multiculturalism. In countries like the Netherlands there was a hands-off approach to immigrants for a long time. That is now seen as a mistake after the murder of Theo van Gogh. Immigrants are now forced to learn Dutch, and even watch videos of gay men kissing, bear breasted women cavorting on a beach. The inference is, if you don’t like this, if you don’t want to be Dutch, then don’t come. Vermeulen is arguing that after his visit to SA he now thinks this is a mistake. That people should be left alone to practise their own culture. Odd if your from a multi-cultural country like the USA no doubt.

South Africa is the only country in the world with more race hang-ups than the United States.

The only thing I can think he means is that Obama is Westernised, and he wanted to Africanise?

I agree with comments Sophia. My impression is that things have progressed somewhat as well. I also think it helps when you have the kind of interests that you guys have.

I have not spoken to these friends about this recently, so I the situation might have changed for them in the mean time.

Another recent anecdote: A black gay friend of mine who has a boyfriend in Cape Town has said to me that he felt scared of black South Africans. That he feels more at ease in white society. What an identity mindfield!

“He would arrange social meetings, and then never get invited again. (This used to be a common complaint of my white progressive friends in South Africa – that they could not make real black friends.)”

I do think things have changed somewhat, especially among the younger generations. We have finally managed to form some good interracial friendships here in Cape Town as well as Jo’burg. These friendships are based on similar interests, not on an urge for black and white to mingle, so things have progressed rather spontaneously.

For the younger generations that were/are educated in Model C schools, integration isn’t such an issue.

But as older Saffas who still had to attend all-white state schools, we’ve been lucky: we’ve been able to work in environments where integration and meeting new people come naturally. In the (older) South African society, I guess that still doesn’t happen a lot.