Weekend in Pretoria: Boers, Braais, and being back in Brooklyn

Sometimes a girl's gotta let loose.

After two weeks in sleepy Memel, where the average age is 65, we vibrant young people were craving some action.  We hit the road to Pretoria with eager smiles and a definitive plan to show South Africa's administrative capital what was up.

We were successful.

Founded in 1841 by Boers (roughly, Dutch cowboys) seeking independence from England's rule, Pretoria has a mottled past. It was the site from which apartheid would be run, and for many years served as a poster child for white supremacy.  However, with the 90's came the fall of institutionalized segregration, and today Pretoria is jubilant proof that radical change is possible. The Pretoria of the 21st century is a bustling, beautiful, multicultural metropolis, chock-a-block full of museums, markets, and universities...not to mention a bumpin' nightlife.  

Enter the Memel crew.  We quickly latched onto a couple of friendly black students in the town's centre (named Brooklyn, naturally) and asked them to show us where the good spots were.  They surveyed the six of us, rolled their eyes, and begrudgingly took us to the whitest bar in town.  

"No, NOOOO!!!!"  we cried, amongst the throng of inebriated Afrikaaners unrhythmically gyrating their way through "Come On Eileen".  "We want to go where YOU go out."  The girls laughed, "Why didn't you say so in the first place?!" and within moments we found ourselves on the black side of the square, the only white people in a packed VIP lounge, bustin' a move to some of the best beats I've ever heard.

Rochelle and I grin at each other.  Now THIS is more like it.  

Saturday morning found us to be poor company indeed, but we slugged back some joe and forged our way to the museums. Pretoria's art scene is reminiscent of D.C's...if DC had decided not to update their exhibits after 1972.  Bizarre and entertaining, I can best liken it to the Christmas window display at Bergdorf Goodman.

Strangely, the Earth's original atmosphere smelt exactly like the museum's...

Watch out Logan!  There's a giant light up crab behind you!!!

A cheetah rips the head off a monkey.  Notice the careful attention to detail.

A cobra that spits venom when you push a button?  Okay Wit, that's enough...let's get outta here.

But the real treat came later that evening, when we attended our first braai at Cindy's friends' house.  Braai is the South African term for BBQ, and no one barbeques like the Afrikaaners. 

Hors d'ouvres: biltong, gherkins, and marinated artichoke hearts

The national drink: The Springbok

Broerewors, kebabs, lamb chops, and an entire pig, I'm convinced.

Nevil - a true blooded, uber progressive Boer.  Every copper bracelet he wears represents an amazing memory of Africa.

On the car ride home the next day, I digested the weekend.  Don't get me wrong - Pretoria is a city with problems.  The crime rate is through the roof, and many institutions remain singularly race identified.  But it's also home to a growing liberal population, a place where racial equality is gaining hold and affluence is no longer only a white word.  In a country still cutting it's democratic teeth, Pretoria is a step in the right direction.  And I'm excited to see it's continued growth in the coming years.