Imran Khan's freudian slip

In the Newsweek magazine of 11 Feb 2008, Imran Khan gave an interview which was published in "the last word" on the back page. In it he discusses Pakistan's descent into bloodshed and chaos. I just couldn't ignore the many similarities with a country I hold dear...

To quote "...There's an economic meltdown taking place. There are blackouts. Factories are closing. Unemployment is increasing. There's a huge fiscal deficit. A trade deficit. A wheat deficit. This has never happened before...I cannot understand it. Last year was the bloodiest year in Pakistan's history.."

and it's just there at the end where you need to replace Pakistan with South Africa to have a great summary of what the beloved country is going through.

Since coming back to Ireland after 3 weeks in South Africa, over Christmas, an amount of dread has been growing in my heart. Dread for the people and country I love so much.

I feel that because people in South Africa are in a certain sense trapped in the situation (everyone's mom and granny isn't quite as movable as the young people already overseas) and because South Africans always feel that they have lived through worse times, unbelievably, a false realism and optimism still prevails despite overwhelming facts to the contrary. Facts that point to the imminent decline of another wealthy african state to below-the-breadline corrupt africa.

And sure, the rest of the world is in an imminent economic recession and not even China is gonna live up to its potential this year, but the rest of the world is not becoming a suburban warzone. That is happening to only a handful of countries. Iran, Pakistan, Kenya, South Africa and the like.

This is breaking my heart. It's not I-told-you-so revenge typing. It's a tired sadness. I don't know how to think about South Africa anymore. I so wish to go back one day, live in a rural community, start a school, build solar panels for the poor. But, seriously? Is that dream even worth harbouring anymore? Or am I just leading people astray through my own false optimism? While safely tucked away in Ireland where I can happily walk wherever I like after dark it's easy to dream happy dreams about africa.

Good gracious, even God had the common sense to tell Joseph to flee to Egypt when he realised that his son's life was in danger.

But some small shard of hope still wishes, trusts, prays that sometime in the future our country can heal, and grow. I just don't think that time is now. There are too many angry and hungry young people seeking revenge for their own miserable lives in Godforsaken countries, seeking refuge in our country. These tsotsis are above the law and they know it. They now rule the country.

Cry, the beloved country.

What a soppy, miserable post. No need to comment, I just needed to get it off my chest. I needed to publish my own reality check. It makes it more real.