Douglas Foster writes a thoughtful profile of South African President Jacob Zuma in the latest Atlantic.
Increasing numbers of ANC members and rural supporters have latched on to him in the belief that with his humble background, Zuma will make good on the party’s 1994 promise of a “better life for all.” Party strategists argue that he could turn out to be a unifying figure more like Mandela than like Mugabe, and that he is the best hope for reassuring the vast majority of black South Africans that the party of liberation has not forsaken them.
Foster had the good luck to start his interviews back when the chattering class thought that Zuma was out of the Presidential game. The view one gets seems less varnished than more recent interviews.
Foster also offers a more sympathetic profile than you usually see in the Western press, one that strikes me as more balanced and optimistic than the usual fare. But I’m no South Africanist. Dissenting opinions from readers on what Mr. Foster has to say?
3 Responses
I liked the balanced tone in the article, although I would reserve judgment on Zuma the president for now. He is not clean, but most leaders aren't. I wait to see what he does domestically (land redistribution, education and jobs) and regionally (tackling Africa's governance problems – beginning with next door Zim)
Maybe, but I'm less optimistic than Foster. Seems to me that one thing Zuma MUST do is distribute state services to wider areas and not just to ANC-supporting districts (see excellent work by UCSD grad student Sarah Knoeson for more on that).
Interesting article,being a black South African, I am probably biased, but think on balance it is a reasonable take.
It still astounds me to see how literally white people take the singing of 'Umshini Wam' , 'Bring me my machine gun'. The author got the emotions right Quote "The enthusiasm seemed weirdly nostalgic, a pining for a time when revolutionary change appeared about to burst, fully realized, into being", but then as per usual privileged his personal judgement immediately after.
For most black South Africans, the revolution continues, political freedom without economic freedom is not a long-term solution. Struggle songs are a way of remembering that the works is not done