Whirlwind Weekend...And South Africa Reflections

This will be a two part post. First, I'll tell you a little bit about my last weekend in South Africa, which was quite full. Then, I'll reflect a bit on time here and look forward to the next few days of travel.

First, though, it gives me great pleasure to congratulate the Chastain Park Tidal Waves for winning the Atlanta Swimming Association Championship! Go Tidal Waves!!!

This weekend started very early Friday morning, at 4:30, when I awoke to head to the Cathedral with Bruce. Why so early, you ask? Because Desmond Tutu was presiding at the 7:15 Said Eucharist, and he'd agreed to meet with me for a bit before the service. Background: While he was Archbishop, Tutu always presided over the 7:15 Friday mass. Now, in his "retirement," he presides over that service whenever he is in town. So, about 7:00 I met Archbishop Tutu in the vestry, and was able to speak with him for about ten minutes. In the end, I mostly just listened to him! To those of you who attended the UNC commencement: he was just as funny in person as he was in front of 40,000 people. He talked a bit about his current work, and asked me about my research. In the end, I was too shy to ask for a picture (dumb, I know!), but I'll always remember meeting the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, advocate for social justice, and comedian Tutu.

Then, I joined several of my UNC friends in town for the 7:15 service, over which Tutu presided. Afterwards, he invited the entire UNC contingent to join him for breakfast with several other regulars. Thankfully, Russell Martin, a rising UNC sophomore, wasn't too shy to ask for a picture, so there is proof I met Desmond!

After the wonderful morning, I headed out for a weekend worship retreat. There, we investigated such topics as "The Challenge and Potential of Liturgy Today," "Jewish Sources of Christian Worship," and "Composing an Intercession and Prayers of the People." The retreat was very informative, and offered me the opportunity to interact with lay leaders and priests. I also was able to spend a good bit of time with the Bishop of a neighboring Diocese.

On Sunday, I awoke early to head off to St. Cyprians, Retreat (a place, not the worship retreat). Retreat is a lower middle-class "coloured" township, and I attended their 7:30 and 9:45 services. They were interesting for my research, since St. Cyp's (as it's known) does a very good job of blending the traditional APB liturgy with a jazz worship band and songs of praise. In the service, the preacher was a guest who spoke about HIV/AIDS. Right now I'm too short on time to write more observations, but St. Cyp's was a great experience.

After the service, I was invited to Sunday lunch by one of the members of the Parish Council at St. Cyprian's, Sean. I joined him and his family for lunch, which was delicious and very informative. Then, another member of the congregation invited me to a later Sunday lunch (Sunday lunch is a BIG deal here…that's the British influence still present), and so I headed over there. The second lunch was interesting because the host was the first person I've met who was an outspoken member of the DA (the minority opposition party in South Africa that actually controls the government of the Western Cape). I learned a great deal more about the politics and current situation in South Africa and coloured townships through speaking with him.

Then, I had an hour off before heading out to a Christ Church, Kenilworth, which I spoke about in my last major update (on Tuesday). It was very interesting; evangelical, but not in the same way that Uganda was evangelical at all.

Today, Monday, I headed out to Constantia (a wealthy suburb of Cape Town) to meet with a very important rector and leading liturgist in the Church there, and then rushed back to the Diocesan headquarters to meet with the Director of the Gender Desk for the Diocese and the Province.

As you can see, my last few days have been quite busy with research-related activities. With that said, I learned a great deal about the city through the interactions with other attendees at the retreat, through my two Sunday lunches, and through interviews today with Keith and Cheryl. Perhaps even more interesting, I'm beginning to really understand the unique challenges, opportunities, and methods of this Diocese. As Cheryl put it: "you've been to the right places, asked the right questions, and I don't think I can tell you much more." That's a pretty reassuring statement to hear on the second-to-last day of research.

However, as I begin to understand the Diocese, I've felt more and more confused about Cape Town and about South Africa. Unlike Uganda (or DC last summer), I have grown less comfortable here through my 17 days. The incredible contrast between the extravagance of places like Century City (a very, very fancy mall in town) and the near desperation of places like Langa or Guguletu is very difficult to comprehend. It's a place that has incredible cultural racism and I've visited places that suffering incredibly, but it is also a place of racially integrated relationships and workplaces, of hope, and with a positive future.

In the end, it's hard to believe that I've finished my research in Uganda and Cape Town. With that said, though, I'm definitely weary (in a good way). It's been 34 long days, with full weeks that I approached with lots of vigor. As a result, yesterday and today I could tell that I wasn't quite as sharp, energetic, or engaged as I had been a week ago or in Uganda. My first few days in England will be in London, where I'll just sightsee, visit friends, and rest to "re-charge" the batteries.

Looking ahead, I'll fly out of Cape Town Tuesday evening bound for Doha, Qatar (in the Middle East). I'll arrive early in the morning, and then I'll visit the city for the day before catching a flight in the late afternoon bound for London.

Will