We walked Pelisa to school at 7:30 AM our first morning in Masele. We were surrounded and followed by a crowd of children, and that day Pelisa was the coolest girl in school. Pelisa showed us the different classrooms. The adolescent boys catcalled at us in a crowd, but were shy when approached individually. The principal arrived and took us into his office, where we had a friendly but awkward conversation.As white, foreign, and especially American, we stood out in Masele. Television has had much influence on these people, and so many throughout the world. We were respected and held in awe, almost, and some people asked us if we know movie stars, or just assumed that we do. America and the American way of life portrayed on television is influential, and I think unhealthy. The combination of television and the history of apartheid gave us a position of power and respect that was strange to us.
As women's studies students, none of us wanted our culture and position to be seen as superior, but this seemed inevitable. But the complexity is that apartheid both created inequality and racially-based social roles, but the resistance and revolution against apartheid built a strength and pride that every South African we met embodied. Even in the removed village of Masele, everyone was politically aware - much more so than most Americans. The amazing post-apartheid optimisim, hope, and possibility is battling the regressive effects of globalization and capitalism.
