UBuntu Trek
DAVID MACGREGOR of the East London Daily Dispatch writes about one South African woman's search for the spirit of ubuntu.
Its tenacious survival, particularly among the poor, reminds us that we do not live by economic indicators alone and humanity can still transcend the limitations imposed by our material conditions.
A SOUTH African woman has discovered the true meaning of ubuntu after she left East London late last year with just R100 in her pocket.
Over the past four months, 34- year-old Sonja Kruse’s once-in-a- lifetime walkabout has taken her to townships and townhouses in her quest to discover if ubuntu – the philosophy of sharing – is alive and well in South Africa.
“Poorer people often think because I am white I need more pampering, but when I tell them I am jobless, without a car and homeless, they open up to me.”
Kruse said she was “in awe of the capacity of people to give and love” despite every-day realities like crime, unemployment and other social ills.
“I have stayed in townships with Rastafarians and on farms with Broederbonders … gay people, straights, whole families, poor people, millionaires, Moravian villagers and students have all given me a place to stay. The overwhelming response from the Rainbow Nation has been so positive.”
Speaking to the Dispatch from a “tickey box” in Kimberley in the Northern Cape, Kruse said the most important thing she had learned about ubuntu was “we are all connected”. “It is also important to come with respect, an open ear and an open heart.”
Getting around on foot, in township taxis and private vehicles, Kruse has also hitchhiked. “Most people only look at the negatives in life … they do not even know or notice the warmth and wealth South Africans have to give.”
Down to her “last R7” on the West Coast a month ago, Kruse now has R118 in her pocket – despite never asking for money.
“Some people insist on giving me money, even when I tell them I do not want it. I do not like to hang onto money … it has a bad energy and vibration.”
Preferring to share what she is given, Kruse said a highlight of her trip was sitting under a tree with a stranger in Knysna, eating the bread and polony she had just bought.
“He was a young unemployed bricklayer who had nothing. He did not know where his next meal would come from, but he still shared the food with four other strangers who stopped and said they were also hungry. It was very inspiring … the generosity of strangers is phenomenal.”
Planning to meet people from every culture in SA, Kruse said she hoped to spend time in all the remaining provinces over the next eight months.
She plans to write a book on ubuntu at the end of her trip and then revisit all those she met – driving a “camper van” – to personally give them each a copy.
“I have only ever been rejected once and that was near Barrydale when I asked a woman if she knew of anyone who could take me in for the night.
“She said ‘no’ and I fell on the ground in despair … two days later she offered me coffee.”
By DAVID MACGREGOR
Daily Dispatch, Port Alfred Bureau
l You can follow Kruse’s adventure on www.letterdash.com/skruse
