South Africa: on the other side of the rainbow

by Anna Charlotta Johansson

When I first came to South Africa as a student, I was surprised by the lack of interest many people had towards approaching that and those who are different. This was despite the fact that apartheid had been abolished and politicians were committed to building the new rainbow nation, where everyone would now live side by side: black or white, young or old, rich or poor, victim or perpetrator. Beautiful and brutal at the same time. Never have I heard so many people love and hate their country at the same time as in South Africa. Things don't always have to be 'either/or', they can also be 'both/and'.

"South Africa: Over the Rainbow" is my story of the modern, diversified, vibrant, financially and geopolitically important South Africa, but also the fragile, undeveloped, violent, deprived and segregated South Africa.