Multicultural Africa on My Mind

The other day at the library, I picked up a new novel to read called, Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin. Parkin is white, was born and raised in Zambia and has lived and worked all over Africa, including in Rwanda where this novel, her first, takes place.

Baking Cakes is set in post genocide Rwanda in an international community of aide workers, CIA agents, university professors and a prostitute or two. Angel Tungaraza lives there too and has set up a bustling cake business, making cakes for people's special occasions. The whole premise sounds absurd, and yet the book is entrenched in the painful realities of a country torn apart by violence and disease.

Besides the fact that I never really think of how life continues after the dust of war clears, I also never think about the individual lives doing the cleaning. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who falls into this trap of ignorance. This book (which I have not finished yet) is giving me an entirely new perspective of the day to day lives of people who call Rwanda home. From the author herself to the fictional character Mr. Akimoto, the Japanese, karaoke-loving, United Nations worker who loves Angel's cakes, I am seeing an entirely new face of Africa

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And then Meltingpot reader Farah, sends me a link to this new movie, based on a true story called Skin. The film is about a White South African couple who gives birth to a "black" daughter while apartheid was still law. Apparently the couple wasn't as "white" as they thought they were. The movie, which follows the daughter's struggles of finding her place in South Africa's racial caste system, looks amazing and makes Imitation of Life look like a Disney fairytale. I hope it finds a United States distributor. (Thanks Farah for the tip.)

So all this to say, Africa has been on my mind lately, with all of its own unique meltingpot issues. What do you think? Is the African meltingpot even spicier than ours? Do any of our issues overlap?

I'll tell you how the book turns out. In the meantime, enjoy the weekend.

Peace.

The Black Man in the Pool

Now I know I should be the last person to be jumping up and down pointing at the TV screen yelling, "There's a black man on the team!" when the Americans won the 4X100 freestyle relay this past weekend in Beijing. But there I was. A former competitive swimmer myself who always hated it when all those folks in Wisconsin would watch my swim races in shock and awe.

Maybe it's because I grew up as one of a scant few colored swimmers in Milwaukee with even fewer professional swimmers to emulate, but I am thrilled for Cullen Jones and his superfast self! But more importantly, I'm giving thanks for the next generation of Black, brown and "Other" swimmers who have somebody who looks like them, going for gold in the water. Not that I have anything against Michael Phelps, but come on, how about some love for brother man.

Peace.