SOUTH AFRICA MUST TAKE ITS PLACE ONE DAY IN THE WORLD STAGE: JULY 2012

Sometimes one cannot always discuss South Africa without making reference to the rest of the African continent. This is so because the rest of the world, sometimes rightly or wrongly, will attribute certain behavioral patterns to Africans with no care whatsoever whether you are from the South, East or anywhere else in Africa.

I was taken aback by two issues on the recent trip I had to the East. This was in South Korea and in Vietnam.

The first striking thing was the absence of Africans, everywhere I went in these countries, even in the markets where you might think African traders would be present. The assumption they make there is that if you are black, you are American.

It was quite clear that in these countries they do not receive any significant number of Black South Africans, I guess they would not know where our white compatriots come from, in fact, they might be surprised if they come from Africa at all.

The surprise they had, was not derogatory like in the west, where people think wild animals still roam the streets in Africa.

I was particularly shocked by all this in Korea (they don't call it South Korea) because as late as few months ago, a Korean telecoms company wanted to buy a significant interest in Telkom.

Whilst this was a shock, it pointed to immense unexplored opportunities by South Africans to go to markets they are not in, if they have something to offer.

The second shock was an identity one.

As far as Easterners are concerned there is only East and West in the world. Since, as an African, I am not from the East I am therefore from the West.

When people continuously tell you that " we don't do things like you do in the west" you get tired of telling them that you are an African and not from the West in the sense of what they say.

For the first time, I asked myself, if I keep arguing that I am an African but continue to behave, in all manners like somebody from the west, what makes me different in their eyes? Is our being African reduced only to looks and the texture of our hair?

It's about time that South Africa take up their rightful place in the world stage and assert. My only concern is that we are so absorbed and consumed  by our internal petty issues that we forget that there is space waiting for us in the world stage to be occupied but we have to go out there and take it.