mandela movie and new political organization

After watching "Mandela:  Long Walk to Freedom" last night Jennifer and I were blown away by how accurate and vivid the imagery of South Africa and the race relations was portrayed.  The violence and struggle for political freedom has changed forms, but the sociopolitical landscape remains largely unchanged since Mandela was elected.  The pervasive attitude towards race has changed much, but there are still many ignorant people of all races.  In addition, economic conditions for white, black, and people of color have not changed much.  The poorest settlements are nearly 100% black and most do not have any running water.  Currently, there are large protests taking place to improve sanitation in the settlements.  In Khayelitsha there are currently ten households sharing a single porto-potty.  It is incredibly sad to drive by these settlements on our way to and from great adventures in South Africa.

One important realization that Jennifer and I have come to is that the settlements are a constructed reality--that they do not have to exist.  They were created in a system that was designed to make living situations so horrible that black Africans would move into the interior of South Africa.  Of course the interior of South Africa is not arable and there are no chances for employment--besides the mines of course, which have a continual supply of very cheap labor.  So, after twenty years of political freedom there has been little progress in addressing rampant poverty in the settlements. 

An interesting movement to watch is the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) who are currently vying for a majority vote in the Cape Flats.  The EFF stands in support of gaining more land for settlement and improving sanitary conditions within the settlements.  The EFF is running as opposition to the African National Congress (ANC), which was Nelson Mandela's party.  Corruption within the ANC and opposition to leftist proposals, the ANC is leans way left and can identify as communist, by the Democratic Alliance (DA) have thwarted much of the progress.  In other words, change is possible, but the political gridlock and corruption prevent progress from occurring.  For this reason I think the introduction of a third party and truly the second black party in South Africa will prove very interesting to watch.  The DA is the white party within South Africa and leans right. 

Here is the website for the EFF:  http://www.economicfreedomfighters.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7SKQZYdZ1c

Despite Malema's beret we hope he continues nonviolent protests, such as the Poo Protests, in which human faeces is dumped in front of government buildings, on major highways, and at the international airport, in an effort to draw attention to the horrid sanitary conditions within the settlements.

Hopefully positive change will continue--economic repression is still rife within South Africa--yet I believe these protests would never have been allowed to happen twenty years ago.  Democracy isn't always pretty, but it does mean progress towards a mutual understanding.

This is my first socially focused blog post, but I think it comes at an apt time as we reflect on the socioeconomic landscape that was changed so much for the good by Mandela.