“When people think of South Africa, two things come to mind. On the one hand, apartheid, which was neither more nor less than the most racist and oppressive regime in the Western world in recent years. And, on the other hand, Nelson Mandela as a happy ending, and that is not an exact thing. Talking about something different is almost impossible and so it is difficult to move forward,” confesses Eve Fairbanks shortly before beginning her interview with La Vanguardia.
The American writer traveled to Magaluf a few weeks ago to participate in the Expanded Literature Festival (FLEM), where she spoke about her book The Heirs (Península/Periscopi), recognized with the prestigious PEN/Galbraith award. Fairbanks had never visited this island city before, although she is surprised that “every third store has a sign related to partying or sex. But I understand that there is more than this. Sometimes, we stay with what we see at first glance but we do not delve further. And only with clichés you cannot understand a place. The same goes for South Africa,” she notes.
In its pages, the journalist paints a close portrait of the racial fracture of the country in which she has lived for thirteen years. She analyzes what day-to-day life is like in the African republic and the challenges faced by those who have inherited its painful history. She does it hand in hand with Dipuo, one of the activists whose fight brought down apartheid; her daughter Malaika, who survives in a world she doesn’t feel like she’s a part of; and Christo, one of the last white South Africans recruited to fight for the survival of the old regime.
Three realities that “most foreigners are unaware of. When a traveler comes here on vacation, he hopes to find a united country, in which all races finally live in peace and harmony. But the reality is that, even though thirty years have passed, both black and white citizens are disappointed. Some people hope that the fact that everyone feels this way will create political unity. But things are not that easy and all this comes from afar.”
In its pages, the author tries to analyze the reason for this situation. “Mandela could have been a hero in his time, but many blame him for pandering too much to the white minority for fear of a mass exodus and for burdening the rest with heavy expectations. Black citizens were convinced that they would end up reaching the standard of living as their compatriots, and that was not the case. On the other hand, white people feel a heavy burden from their ancestors that they do not always know how to deal with and that can lead to a racist regression that is not unrelated to what is taking place in some countries in Europe and the United States.
Despite the criticism, Fairbanks admits that the role played by the political leader “was not easy, although it may seem that way now if we look at it with the eyes of 2023. I have heard many times that a system of supremacism like that would have ended up falling due to its own weight. It’s easy to say, but in the end he was the one who stepped forward. Of course, the movies have sold him to us as an extremely kind person. And, perhaps, it was behind closed doors. But he was a man with much more character than they draw him to be.”
What the writer does not get used to is “someone telling me that under apartheid many things were better. And even less so if these words come from the mouth of an African-American. I have heard it on more than one occasion. As a journalist , I try to get people to explain their versions to me and I analyze the context. I have had long conversations to try to understand, but it is still difficult for me today. The truncated dreams surpass reality. I think that behind that confession there are several layers of pain, sorrow and confusion.”
