by Mary Jo
Last week I wrote about our safari to Botswana, which was a great getaway with pampering and fine food and lovely, hospitable people. But even though tales of Tarzan and amazing wildlife loom large in our imagination, safaris and elephants are only a tiny portion of the vast, ancient, and diverse continent of Africa.
Which is why today I want to talk a bit about modern Africa. In particular, I want to talk about Johannesburg, a world class city and one of Africa's major hubs. We spent almost a week in "Jozi," partly because it was the launching point for our Botswana safari, partly we have friends in the city, and also because I had the pleasure of speaking at the annual conference of ROSA , the Romance writers Organization of South Africa.
So much of our perceptions of foreign countries comes from what we see on the news. Unfortunately, around the world the news mantra is "If it bleeds, it leads," and I have vivid memories of some of the horrors that took place in South Africa as the nation struggled for justice and equality.
But while we stayed in Joburg, the TV news channels had major coverage of a police shooting in Charlotte, North Carolina. That story, while tragic and real, is not the whole story of America any more than South African violence is the story of South Africa. The country has a complex history and 11 official languages, and I won't even try to describe the nation's history. But its diversity is celebrated on September 24th, Heritage Day, which took place while we were visiting.
Jozi has a very specific history since the city was founded in 1886 when large gold deposits were discovered in the Witwatersrand hills. The city grew rapidly (though no one is sure which Johannes the city is named after. <G>) Like Denver, it's a mile high city, and is about the only major city in the world that isn't located on the ocean, a large river, or a lake. (At left, Gandhi Square with a statue of Ghandhi, who lived many years in South Africa and developed his political ideals there.)
The elevation gives it one of the world's best climates, with lots of sunshine and moderate temperatures. (I know some of these facts because we took the very interesting Red Bus tour of the city, which had excellent commentary which was apparently GPS based because the narration could say things like, "To your left you'll see Witwatersrand University" no matter what the traffic was like.
The northern suburbs were planted with ten million trees to make the city the largest urban forest in the world. (A view of the northern suburbs at right, from the Westcliff Hotel.)
I can't begin to do justice to this brief portrait of a vibrant city with energy and creativity. It has a lively press, too--I was quite taken by this headline about water rats. (Turns out that the area is in drought and water rats are people who use more than their share of water.)
Less than an hour from the city is the "Cradle of Humankind," a wonderful new museum located in an area of limestone caves where some of the most ancient early human remains have been found. Africa is indeed the home of humankind, and the museum is a delight. I'd love to go back and see more someday.
Our first nights, we stayed in the Saxon Hotel, a gorgeous place full of African art such as the mask shown here. It was also the place where Nelson Mandela wrote his memoir, Long Walk to Freedom. I had a total fan girl moment when I learned that!
ROSA
As I mentioned, we have friends who live in Joburg and they were wonderful tour guides. The culmination of my visit was joining the members of ROSA for their annual conference. The group is small compared to the romance writing groups in the US or Australia or New Zealand, but I was impressed by the professionalism of its members, and the way we all participate in a world wide romance community. (American editors and agents took pitches via Skype from ROSA members.)
Here's a picture of me at ROSA with fellow authors Joss Wood, Rebecca Crowley, and Rae Rivers. The picture below is of my author friend Alissa Cantrell, and Romy Sommer, who was not only the conference chair but a RITA finalist this year for her contemporary romance, Not a Fairy Tale.
Romance is universal--and so are romance writers!
Mary Jo