(d)urban(a)

The International Language of Kentucky Fried Chicken

So I've been absolutely taken by a KFC commercial that has been running on the four SABC stations here - it takes place in a rural township where a young boy who has a bald head ("BICing it" to a shine is a popular style here for both men and women) is literally treated like a napkin by his male elders.  Every time they finish a meal, the older men call the boy over to rub his head, proclaiming upon rubbing it that he will possess many cows in the future.  In other words, they try to hide their use of him as a napkin under the guise of phrenologically examining his head to tell him of his future wealth.  Here the practice of examining the head and the form of wealth they portend for him (through livestock) references relatively traditional conceptions of understanding and affluence.

Soon the boy is hiding from these male elders to keep them from rubbing their greasy hands on his head.  Finally he sees a billboard (unseen to the viewer) and marches off with a purpose.  He returns with two "Streetwise Combos" from the local KFC for himself and his grandfather.  Just as the grandfather is about to rub the boy's head, he jams a finger in his mouth.  Cut to a black screen which proclaims, "finger licking good."

I think what I marvel most about this commercial is how a trademarked expression that has reached cliche status in the United States can connect to this markedly different cultural interaction.  There is something very particular and interesting about the combination of the "traditional" and globalizing market forces that happens here in South Africa.  If you walk down the rows of stalls in the informal markets in downtown Durban (especially as you near the African market, a place where my presence is most definitely not welcome) you will see a stand hawking designer imposter purses next to one carrying small packets and re-used bottles filled with mutis, a word that refers to various kinds of traditional, spiritual materials used for a variety of physical and social problems.

I can't help but laugh every time I see that commercial - mostly out of the boy's performance of torture and finally joy at his ability to outsmart his elders.  I'm thinking it's time for fried chicken for dinner...

Watching the South African 2009 Election Debates

South African Broadcasting Channel 2 has been airing election debates each Sunday evening.  This eighth debate in the series is focusing on the "youth" and so representatives from the youth leagues of each invited party (four total - for some reason the newest party, Congress of the People, which was formed late last year and features major ANC defectors don't have a rep) are speaking to questions posed by three moderators (including one from the Institute for Security Studies).  The four parties present (African National Congress, Inthaka Freedom Party, Democratic Alliance, and Freedom Front Plus) represent an extreme spectrum of interests:  the FFP party, for example, represents Afrikaner separatists who advocate a "separate but equal" South Africa reminiscent of the Apartheid era.  They capitalize on the "diversity"/"multiculturalism" elements of SA's constitution to preserve Afrikaner culture (especially over the issue of the "Englishization" of historically Afrikaans-only tertiary universities).  At the same time, they refuse to accept the elements of the constitution which are designed to right the deeply ingrained inequalities of the country's racist past.  They take particular interest in challenging Black Economic Empowerment policies which are similar to the American concept of "affirmative action."  Their argument in a nutshell:  in 1994 we all became equal, so let's just have formal equality for all now.  I watched a televised rally of theirs earlier yesterday and quite frankly, it scared me (and I was only reading the subtitles).

It's hard to characterize this debate entirely, but a few observations:

• It's nice to see moderators actively challenging what representatives are saying, including pointing out inconsistencies in their statements to past party practices.
• The ANC, as the most dominant party tends to have to field the majority of criticism (and often, understandably so) - taking the most heat in this debate over the past statements of the ANC youth leader Malema.  He has made at least two gaffes since I've been here:  primarily ad hominem attacks that are unproductive and generally baseless.
• My favorite part of the debates isn't listening to the representatives but reading the SMS comments running on the screen below.  They range from critically thoughtful to outright hilarious takes on the parties and their positions.  And, of course, just as I make this observation they have disappeared from the screen before I can transcribe one.

The representatives are making their final statements which is my cue to wrap it up as well.