Initium
More winning. Tyla traveled to Los Angeles to pick up her Grammy, the first win in the category of African performance. I am listening to her single Water as I write this. It's one of those that make your shoulders rhythm. The host, Trevor Noah, also won the Emmy for The Daily Show three weeks ago.
Now it's on Bafana Bafana to beat Nigeria tomorrow night at 7pm.
What I like about the Apple Music app is that it automatically selects the next song in the same genre. I am on Drake's Nice For What now. It's not my personal preference, but my shoulders are still rhythming.
Nice for what? Perhaps similar thoughts are going through the minds of the youths playing pretend at Wilgenhof. I remember reading about the initiation at Paarl Boys' High in Corné Krige's autobiography. Writing that he had his first experience with authority placed in the wrong hands in high school, paraphrasing. A taste of the dragon when you're still young can be constructive.
"The sovereign individual, awake and attending to his or her conscience, is the force that prevents the group, as the necessary structure guiding normative social relations, from becoming blind and deadly." Beyond Order 12, more rules for life. Rule V, do not do what you hate.
The best initiation experience I had was in the week before inter-schools. The ritual wasn't exclusive and brought our team together. Given it was handled by 19-year-olds, it could've gone wrong quickly. If done right, it becomes an experience you will never forget. Done wrong, it unfortunately rings identity politics. Which is the most useless product politics has given us in recent years. It is as unproductive as a first-year student on a Thursday morning. Reading all the online opinions of old boys and the university's management reminds me of the US election using identity politics as a shield to hide from the challenges of a polarized, woke nation.
Initiation coupled with dogmatic beliefs breeds exclusivity, especially between young, confused men. And old confused men.
Nations were formed based on culture and to separate us from them. Norms, language, customs, and religion form our cultures, but patriotism involves compromise, and nationalism and authoritarianism don't.
Nice for what?
Because can you imagine how windgat Zizi Kodwa will be if Bafana Bafana wins? Our best dressed Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture.
Ending this off with Tina Turner's way of the world.
GO BAFANA!
Photo by diana kereselidze on Unsplash