Part I
Disclaimer: I am fully aware that the term “Coloured” is a derogatory term with a difficult history in the United States and should not be used. However, in South Africa, “Coloured” refers to people of mixed origin including Khoisan, European, Black, Indian, Southeast Asian etc. and the Coloured people have their own culture and traditions. The term “Coloured” is frequently employed in South Africa and is seen as an ethnic and cultural classification. Therefore, for the purposes of this essay, the word “Coloured” is employed to refer to a specific South African ethnic group.
I don’t like football. I don’t watch basketball. I really don’t watch any sports until a major international event rolls around such as the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup, but then I fell in love with rugby – specifically, the Springboks, the South African national rugby team. This team has won the Rugby World Cup three times, including back-to-back wins in 2019 and 2023. What captivated me was not the sport itself, but the stories of resilience from each athlete and the beautiful representation of South Africa as a nation. From the reliable Handre Pollard to the dazzling Cheslin Kolbe and of course, the momentous captain Siya Kolisi, each player has a different testimony to share, but woven together, they make up the remarkable fabric of a united South Africa.
Before rugby, it was South Africa that captured my heart. I dug myself into this rabbit hole during the pandemic and never left. It all began when I was initially deeply invested in researching Zimbabwe and the issue of land reform in the country. I then realized that there were many similarities between Zimbabwe and South Africa and thus began looking into South Africa. The diversity is unparalleled – this incredible country boasts eleven official languages, more than that of any other country. I was fascinated by how South Africa came to be so diverse and sought out the stories of the Coloured Indian, Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaner, and Tswana peoples, to name just a few. I poured over books such as Allister Spark’s The Mind of South Africa, which traces the history of South Africa back to when the Black tribes first moved down to present-day South Africa up to the apartheid-era, as well as classic novels like Cry, My Beloved Country, and also dove into contemporary books such as Trevor Noah’s autobiography Born a Crime. I coupled my love for reading with keeping up with South African politics and watching documentaries on salient issues such as land reform; thus, I fully immersed myself in South Africa to the extent that it was possible from my study room in Danville, California.
What amazed me was the unparalleled diversity of cultures all boasting various traditions and languages. I was engrossed in the country’s history and was fascinated by the interactions by the different ethnic groups. As I stumbled upon Instagram content about South African rugby, I realized that this team embodied what I loved most about South Africa: harnessing diversity in the face of adversity to overcome the odds. This team is made up of players from every ethnic background from all over South Africa, from fancy suburbs in Cape Town to townships in the Eastern Cape and farms in Limpopo, and each brings something unique to the table. The South African rugby team, fondly referred to as the Springboks, receive far less funding than first world countries like England, France, and New Zealand – all rugby heavyweights. Given their economic situation, South Africa does not have the funding necessary to support rugby on the same level as the aforementioned countries. In a sport where logistical, medical, recruitment, coaching, and many other costs are astronomical at an elite international level, South Africa is at a heavy disadvantage. Repeatedly underestimated and undermined by the rest of the world, the Springboks refuse to let their obstacles hinder their performance and drive and most recently lifted the Webb Ellis Cup for the third time at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. The Springboks truly represent South Africa’s best.
South Africa today is a wonder – a country abounding with spell-binding sights from Table Mountain to Cape Point to the mighty Drakensberg. People flock from all corners of the world, to marvel at the spectacular beauty with which God seemed to have uniquely blessed this nation. I had the remarkable opportunity of visiting South Africa in early 2023 and no other experience compares to hiking the stunning Lion’s Head with gorgeous 360-degree views of Cape Town, one is simply left breathless in awe. However, I also encountered the effects of the major social and economic issues that have been plaguing South Africa for years. Energy is almost entirely dependent on one company, Eskom, which does not have the capacity to meet its demand, meaning that rolling blackouts occur throughout the country every single day; when I visited, the escalators in my hotel stopped working due to loadshedding. South Africa is where the first and third worlds collide. On the way from the airport to our hotel in Cape Town, I drove by Langa Township, where nearly 75,000 people live in metal shacks. I was told that shacks often catch on fire, leading to the entire row burning down, along with all prized possessions inside the shacks. Ten minutes later I arrived at the gleaming Waterfront where five-star hotels and fancy restaurants line the pier, a far cry from the township we had just passed. It is this inequality that is a stark reminder of the country’s pressing socio economic challenges. Yet in the midst of such pressing obstacles, South Africans endure and thrive. One lady I spoke with remained unbelievably optimistic for her country, refusing to emigrate and firmly trusting that her country would find a way forward. It is this very resilience that shines through the South African rugby team on and off the field.
The country has experienced seemingly insurmountable challenges in the past century. Apartheid was a period of legalized segregation from 1948 to the early 1990s, during which a white-minority government oppressed non-white racial groups, most notably Black people. Whites were given privileges while people of colour were treated as second-class citizens, if citizens at all. During a walking tour through the Central Business District of Cape Town, we passed by what was once District 6. We learned that people of colour living in District 6 in Cape Town were notoriously forced out of their homes as it became a “whites only” area. To this day, surviving victims suffer immense pain and loss from the injustice. The Apartheid period saw the consolidation of working opportunities in white-only areas so Black people were made to carry passes with them at all times and needed permits signed regularly by their employers to even be walking in the white-only areas. Mixed-race families were torn apart as some members were classified as “white” and interracial marriage was banned.
Sport was evidently impacted as well, as only white rugby players were allowed to represent South Africa. The sport was exploited as a tool of division by the Apartheid government and was seen as the “Afrikaner’s sport.” A movie scene in Invictus, a movie that highlights South Africa’s remarkable World Cup victory in 1994 that united the country, illustrates this well: a white lady visits a nearby township to pass out clothing, and one of which is a Springbok jersey; she tells the child that he is incredibly lucky to be receiving it but the child simply runs away, to which a Black woman standing nearby tells her that the child does not want anything to do with the Boks because they symbolize apartheid. It took Mandela sporting the Springbok jersey at the 1994 World Cup to rally the entire country behind the Boks; the gamble to host the World Cup on South African soil paid off as all South Africans celebrated the victory for the first time.
Rugby has continued playing a pivotal role in unifying the country. Mandela famously declared that “Sport has the power to change the world, it has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.” In 2018, Siya Kolisi was named as the first Black captain of the Springboks. Given the tumultuous history of the sport, his appointment was highly significant. He grew up in poverty in a rural township in the Eastern Cape province. He often went to bed hungry and lost his mother, grandmother, and aunt by the age of sixteen, the age at which a rugby scout landed him a scholarship at a prestigious school which gave him the opportunity to hone his skills. Kolisi has taken Mandela’s words to heart and has truly leveraged South Africa’s back-to-back wins at the 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cups to instill hope in the South African youth.
I myself, though not South African, have been moved by the Springboks, especially Kolisi’s words and love for his country. I have learned a great deal about leadership through observing Kolisi’s approach. He constantly emphasizes the importance of unity within the team while leveraging the diversity of the Springboks. His humility shines through when he consistently gives credit to the other players on the team. I love that Kolisi has not forgotten his roots. During the 2019 World Cup, Kolisi declared that the Springboks were not playing for themselves anymore, but rather, for the people back home. While watching the nail-biting semi-final match of the 2023 World Cup between England and South Africa, I could see that there was an undeniable resilience among the Springboks. Although England played far better that day, the Springboks had an indomitable resolve to win. I watched each player fight to the bitter end, and in the end they came out victorious indeed. Head coach Rassie Erasmus said it best, “In South Africa, pressure is not having a job, pressure is one of your close relatives being murdered…rugby shouldn’t be something that creates pressure, but rugby should be something that creates hope. We’ve got the privilege of giving people hope, not the burden of giving people hope.”
In a country where so many things seem to be going wrong, the back-to-back rugby victories provided rare moments of unity and hope to the entire nation. Last year, in celebration of the 2023 victory, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared a national public holiday. Video coverage from South Africa depicts thousands of Springbok supporters of all races decked out in green and gold – the official colours – dancing in the streets and embracing one another. TVs were set-up in malls for those who didn’t have access to cable at home. Kolisi graciously thanked South Africans, exclaiming that most could not afford to be at the World Cup in France or even purchase a jersey, but he sees them wearing whatever green and gold that they have and that he is playing for them. In a world strife with division and hostility, the Springboks exhibit unity across racial, socioeconomic, and religious lines. They are not perfect, they make mistakes, they have bad days, but they never fail to come together to move forward towards a common goal. It is a deceptively simple lesson that Kolisi and his team have mastered. So when I watch the Springboks play, I’m not merely watching rugby, but watching a team defy the odds, a team inspire hope, a team that reminds us that there’s more that unites us than divides us. Therefore, when the match ends, I leave triumphant; not only because the Springboks clinched the win, but because I am emboldened to make a difference in my community and emulate the example set by Captain Kolisi.
I cannot contain the joy I experience from watching the Springboks, which has led to countless conversations with my friends about why I love South Africa and more specifically South African rugby. My friendship with one of my closest friends, Lesley, was sparked by an initial conversation about the state of South Africa politically and economically in 2021 by the beach during a freshman retreat for our club. Fast forward to today and not only have we had many more discussions about South Africa and she’s listened to Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom in its entirety, but Lesley is currently in Cape Town for a month, discovering the beauty of the country with which she has also fallen in love. I have also had extensive conversations with another close friend, Alice, who has similarly grown to appreciate South Africa. She watched the 2023 Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and South Africa with me, every bit as excited and nervous as I was. She was touched by Captain Kolisi’s story and the impact he has had on the country; South Africa is now on her bucket list to visit.
To most, my love for the Springboks may seem random or even bizarre, but seeing my friends who also do not have any connections to the country appreciate them as well confirms what I believe: the Springboks represent the best of humanity and what we could become, which resonates with everyone.
Part II
I selected an autobiographical reflection for the genre of my assignment as I wanted to fully encapsulate my personal passion for South Africa which began during the pandemic. I have spent the past few years researching the country and have found many points of interest. Given the initial perplexity of most people upon hearing my love for South Africa, I thought it would be interesting and introspective to write an autobiographical reflection tracing the origins of this passion. Furthermore, there is a significant amount of freedom in writing an autobiographical reflection as one can write in a plethora of different tones. I wanted to take on a more casual tone and an autobiographical reflection provided the perfect medium to do so.
I found it difficult to format the piece because of the sheer volume of information I wanted to incorporate. Not only did I need to cover my personal journey with South Africa, but there is a great deal of historical and political context behind the significance of the South African rugby team – my specific area of interest. Ultimately, I formatted the piece by delving into my personal journey and interest as well as the trip I had taken to Cape Town at the beginning of 2023. I then moved into the history of the country which I then explained how it contributed to the importance of the success of the Springboks. The piece ended with a more personal touch where I explained the significance of the Springboks to me. However, I realized that temporality was a huge issue that I struggled with as I bounced back-and-forth between the various sections. Throughout the piece, I also embedded images because I believe that they allow the reader to visualize and better understand the ideas in the essay.
Autobiographical reflections can be written for either specific or general audiences, and I could have gone either way with this piece. Because of the numerous conversations revolving around South Africa that I had had with friends who had no personal connection to the country but thereafter became engrossed in the topic, I decided to cater to a broader audience. I believed that my conversations on a personal level could translate on a wider scale to a larger audience. I thought that what made me passionate about South Africa could also galvanize others to become passionate about the country as well. Since I sought to cater to a general audience, I tried my best to provide just enough information so that the significance of South Africa’s performance was not lost but not so much that a reader who has no knowledge of South Africa is completely lost. This was also a struggle for me as I think there are still areas in which the material is too dense and that I have included unnecessary information which only confuses the reader. Had I gone the route of targeting a more specific audience, I would have analyzed one specific World Cup performance and spent more time going into the intricacies of rugby as well as providing more historical details.