This is perhaps the hardest blog for me to write. How does one sum up one of the most life changing experiences in a few sentences? I keep trying to pick a profound moment or experience to focus on, but it’s truly hard to settle on just one. In two weeks, I experienced more than I ever thought I would. I visited a diamond mine and a gold mine. I went on a nocturnal game drive and was no more than 15 feet away from some of the most dangerous animals on the planet. I visited the Apartheid Museum and the house where Nelson Mandela once lived. I went to some of the most successful companies in South Africa such as Coca Cola South Africa and Old Mutual. I visited an HIV/AIDS hospice. Visiting Tapalogo was a very emotional trip for me. Reading the names of the children on the memory tree who had succumbed to HIV/AIDS was heart wrenching. It was sad to think that a small child died before he or she had a chance to play at the park or watch endless hours of cartoons on Saturday mornings. I also spoke with local South Africans at every opportunity. I even struck up a conversation with a girl from Jo’burg in the bathroom at Liberty Theatre where a few of us went to see Umoja. I built relationships with other PMBA students from Georgia State University. It is hard to discuss everything that I experienced in South Africa. I am so grateful for those experiences. I know that I will be able to look back ten years from now and appreciate visiting South Africa.
Prior to visiting South Africa, I did not know what to expect. I knew it was a developed country, but I did not really think much past that. On the surface, South Africa resembles the United States. The fashions were very similar. Skinny jeans and boots were popular. (It is winter in the southern hemi!!) The popular mode of transportation in the major cities included Mercedes Benz and BMWs. The malls were just like American malls. Canal Walk in Cape Town was like Atlantic Station on steroids. (A fashionista’s dream!) At times, I did not feel like I was in another country.
It is impossible to understand business in South Africa without understanding its history. Apartheid played such a critical role in the development of all businesses in South Africa. Its effect will linger on for many generations. Despite the divisive and discriminatory effects of apartheid, many South Africans remain hopeful. Some pretend that apartheid never existed; but one cannot simply forget. I see the many parallels of the struggles of blacks in South Africa and the struggles of the blacks in the United States. I admire South Africa for trying to rectify its past wrongdoing by implementing the Black Economic Empowerment program. I hope that more than just 10 percent of corporations will be compliant in the future. They are only hurting themselves and perhaps their bottom line by not investing in such a essential program. I expect great things to emerge from South Africa in the future.
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