Thirty years after the first free elections, South Africa is heading towards the vote at the end of May, which could reserve some surprises. «There are still too many disparities in the country», testifies the Scalabrinian Filippo Ferraro
When they arrived in South Africa we began to breathe that “wind of freedom” for which generations of blacks had fought and paid a high price. Since then the Scalabrinian missionaries, who arrived in Cape Town in July 1994, have accompanied the arduous journey of reconciliation and progress in terms of rights and opportunities, equality and social peace which is not yet finished. On the contrary! «Thirty years later – Father Filippo Ferraro tells us – many achievements written on paper have not translated into better living conditions, especially for the black population or for the most disadvantaged sections of society, such as migrants for example».
Originally from Bassano del Grappa, 50 years old, Father Filippo arrived in Cape Town in 2014, where he is chaplain to the Italians and director of the Study Center of the Scalabrinian missionaries: a place of excellence not only for research activities, but also for work of advocacy dedicated in particular to migratory issues which represent a litmus test to re-read many situations and many fault lines that continue to cross the multifaceted South African society. “The most difficult thing is to say who the South African is today, in a country where eleven official languages are recognized and there is an extraordinary, but also extremely complex and sometimes conflictual, mix of peoples.”
The Scalabrinian missionaries themselves arrived in Cape Town at the invitation of the then Archbishop Henry Lawrence to follow the Portuguese and Italian communities and to take care of the pastoral care of the people of the port, coming from all over the world. And to do it starting from the rectory and the church of Holy Cross, in District Six, the most multi-ethnic neighborhood of Cape Town which was razed to the ground in 1996 by the regime ofapartheid, incapable of “managing” that mixed and cosmopolitan, intercultural and interreligious community according to the crazy criteria of racial segregation. “Archbishop Lawrence wanted us right there so that our presence would be significant alongside displaced people who had lost everything, their homes and their families.”
The first missionaries, after all, were also migrants, children of migrants: Brazilians by passport, they bore names that betrayed their Italian origins, such as Father Mario Zambiasi, Father Sergio Durigon and Father Mario Tessarotto. «The latter is particularly responsible for the creation of the Scalabrini Center for refugees and asylum seekers right in the heart of Cape Town and the Lawrence House for minors in difficulty – points out Father Filippo -. He was a pioneer capable of looking forward in a time of emergency due in particular to the arrival of thousands of Angolan refugees who needed everything.”
Since then the migratory phenomenon – which has also marked the entire history of South Africa – has further expanded due to ever new arrivals: on the one hand, workers from Mozambique and neighboring countries employed and often exploited especially in the mines; on the other, refugees from various wars and crisis situations in other regions of the continent, from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Somalia, up to West Africa, and so on.
South Africa is truly a “rainbow country” not only for its numerous ethnic groups but also for the varied foreign presence: more than 3 million people out of a population of 60 million. Around 320 thousand are refugees or asylum seekers. In many circumstances, however, especially in recent years, the card of xenophobic hatred has been played dangerously by various political exponents, fueling tensions and sometimes even fomenting violence and clashes resulting in deaths and injuries.
«South Africa is a land of contradictions, a land that has suffered a lot and in which the presence of migrants is a sensitive issue – analyzes Father Filippo -. There is widespread social unrest: the economic situation is precarious, unemployment is rampant, there are too many inequalities, the education and healthcare systems do not work adequately and the infrastructure is lacking. But instead of taking responsibility and finding solutions to the problems, some political factions have manipulated anti-foreigner sentiment. Here we are talking about Afro-phobia, and it is not a question of race. The discussion on migration has been greatly exploited at a political level, especially before elections or important events.”
In fact, the presence of migrants and the demands they raise have often brought out more clearly the fragilities of a system that has truly failed to create equal opportunities for all and mitigate inequalities. South Africa remains the most unequal country in the world, with the gap wider than a very small one elite (often white) very rich and a large portion of the population (almost always black) who continues to live in immense township in conditions of serious poverty and without services. Furthermore, to aggravate the situation in these years of less than enlightened governments and hostage of the different currents of the African National Congress (ANC) – Nelson Mandela’s party today marked by deep divisions – widespread corruption must be added.
«In this pre-election period I hear conflicting comments – says Father Filippo -: many of disappointment and disillusionment, but also of hope. Everyone expects the ANC’s one-party dominance to be reduced. The party has always had very high numbers and therefore an absolute majority in Parliament, even if it dropped a bit in the last elections. This prevented having a real political debate. If it falls below the 50% threshold, as many expect, then new scenarios will open up. They will not necessarily immediately bring prosperity for everyone, but some issues can no longer be ignored. Unfortunately, in recent years, the party’s problems and disputes have become the country’s problems and disputes. All the currents wanted their share of power and this meant that the reforms that needed to be made were never completed.”
“Even today it is difficult to talk about equal opportunities”, insists the missionary, touching on a crucial point also for the future of South Africa, which wants to remain a beacon country for the entire continent. «First of all there are no equal opportunities in access to education. In my opinion, it is the most critical issue. In these thirty years of democracy, not enough has been invested in primary education. And this also increases economic inequalities and the gap between those who are well off and those who can afford almost nothing. It also contributes to accentuating attitudes of intolerance, friction and division in South African society.”
And the reconciliation process? «A lot was done in the first years, but then it was not adequately carried out in a widespread manner and where it was really needed. South African society continues to be traumatised. Even today I talk to people of a certain age, for whom, despite these thirty years of democracy, it is as if nothing has ever changed. But also for the younger generations, who have not lived through the times ofapartheid, it is not an automatic process, it requires accompaniment and requires maturity. Unfortunately it is not easy if the level of education remains low and if there are no people trained to carry it out competently. Even within the Church it is not obvious to talk about reconciliation. We are afraid of uncovering old and new wounds and setting off a “bomb” that we are then unable to manage. But it would be foolish and anachronistic to think of erasing them with a swipe of the sponge. I don’t know how much longer it will take, but I am convinced that we must start again first and foremost with education.”