Published: April 23, 2008 09:01 am         

THE WAY I SEE IT: The world is my classroom

There are serious advantages to traveling to the far reaches of the world. Some years ago, I was invited to attend a lengthy international conference in the Republic of South Africa. I had been to many other places on that continent, and I was looking forward to the experience. Our itinerary included every corner of that country, from Kreuger National Park in the north, to Durban, the Garden Route and Capetown on the south coasts. The vineyards in Stellenbosch are 400 years old, and the world's largest wine cellar is there.

I flew from New York aboard South African Airways, refueling in the Cape Verde Islands, and landing in Johannesburg. My first night was spent at the Protea Hotel in that city. It was a magnificent hotel and one of a national chain of the same name. They are named after the national flower of South Africa. The room was beautiful, the service flawless and the dining facilities were elegant. I met another conference attendee named Pete, a retired Marine from San Francisco, and we went to dinner together.

The dining room was paneled in dark mahogany. It had a bar, dance floor and a band playing. There were two black couples on the dance floor, several more dining and a well dressed black couple sitting at the bar. All of them were obviously enjoying themselves and oblivious to the people around them. Since Marines are known, after all, for their diplomacy, Pete walked right up to the couple at the bar and said to the dignified black gentleman, "I didn't think black people were allowed in here!"

The man laughed. He said, "You must be from America." Pete said, "Yes. We just got off the plane and I was told, back in the States, that black people were not allowed in places like this." The man laughed again and said, "Let me explain apartheid. I am a physician, and I have a private practice in Johannesburg. My wife is a medical researcher at the university. There are 60,000 black professionals living and working in South Africa. We are Ugandan, but we can't go home. Because we are educated, we pose a threat to that tyrannical government. We would probably be executed in our own country."

Pete and I were dumbfounded. The man continued. "Let me explain apartheid. In South Africa, in order to live in any city, one must have a permit. In order to get the permit, one must have a legitimate job. In order to get a job, one must have the necessary training. And, the training is free." The doctor took a sip from his drink, smiled at his wife and continued. "If you are not willing to get the education or training, to get the job, to get the permit, to live in the city, then you must live in the bush with the rest of the animals. And, they don't care what color you are. They eat people of all colors." His serious demeanor told us that he was not making a joke.

There are many lessons to be learned, and there is no better way to learn those lessons than to be taught by those closest to the situation. It was a quirk of fate that placed me in that dining room with my new friend Pete in the presence of that man and his wife. I was 12,000 miles from home. But, what better place to learn about apartheid.

Robert Evans Burnette is a Crossville Chronicle columnist. His column is published on Wednesdays.