Last weekend, I went out with a couple of friends to see the Durban nightlife. We ended making new friends and going to another part of north Durban, umhlanga. we also hit the Fashion TV night club while we were there. What was struck me about the place was that it was like a completely different country in the other side of the city. mainly white people and it just felt like we were somewhere else. South Africa is the most unequal country in the world, ahead of Brazil.

the polarization of the SA society is a major issue that the country faces today. this can be partially attributed to the legacy of apartheid in the country. the elite white vs the common african. whilst a few african have become successful, most still are at the bottom. many factors play into the dual economy. SA is a third world country with first world features. the roadways and the PRIVATE health care system are excellent. however, there still is much work to be done with employment, poverty and (for me) most especially education. the passing/completion rate of the population from elementary school to obtaining a college degree is dismal.

one big issue in the city of Durban is the government spending on locations to make Durban a "world-class" city. this is also affected by the efforts geared towards the 2010 World Cup. the city government has focused on building a new airport, multi-billion dollar stadium, africa's biggest water park which hold one of the top five biggest aquariums in the world, a big casino complex, the development of a new CBD in the more posh area among other things. another one is how the city government wants to tear down a local market and build a new shopping mall *the market pics are on facebook and there is one picture of a wall containing flyers of protests by the traders* many of these "developments" are very controversial with the city locals. one very dubious project is a elephant statue in the middle of the highway worth more than 2 million SA rand. really, elephant statues?

so the feelings of the locals are that, if you can spend so much on these places, what about the people of the city? and all the issues that affect them and how about working toward depolarizing the economy? much work to be done, no doubt. but i think the city's priorities are skewed. if they really want to build a world class city, i believe they have to start at the bottom. not to mention, the crime rate in Durban due to the inequality. the image that the city gov't wants to portray of durban is of a western city. and that is not the real Africa. I am loving examining the real Africa and they are trying to focus on bringing in tourists, which they think will help boost the local economy.

things like this has sparked numerous protests around the countries vs local governments. not to mention the announced 25% increase in electricity bills by April, effectively a 50% increase by 2012. i think the city government are focusing on outsiders seeing durban as a touristy destination. but they really should address the needs of the people. also, building all these new "attractions" and the growth of the city will affect the people currently living in areas and displace them. even some tours of Durban only bring tourists to one gift market because they say the other markets are too dangerous. while the group of 15 american students walked around all the markets. its an interesting topic and something we have been looking the past two weeks. we also had a glimpse on the education issue this past week.

apologies if this was so haphazardly put together, my internet time is limited and just had to type this out. this next week we are heading to the rural areas where we will be spending a few days with a rural african family. the language barrier will also be a challenge. I am planning to blog about durban food soon and towards the end of the next week we will be heading to a game reserve and see animals! i will be out of touch for about 10 days hope everyone is doing well!!

p.s. its been a month here!