The declining diplomatic relationship between the United States and South Africa makes for a complex and self-introspective experience for American students in Johannesburg.
- The Trump administration prompts many American students to question their identity in the global context.
- American students living in Johannesburg have found the experience thought-provoking.
- Many of the students do not see themselves as ambassadors of their nation.
With one post on X on February 3, the bilateral relationship between the United States of America (USA) and South Africa was fractured.
US President Donald Trump posted an accusation claiming that the South African government is engaging in discriminatory behaviour towards white South Africans and turning a blind eye to the “human rights violations” occurring in the country.
Trump went on to announce his plan to withhold all funding from the nation – a promise he has fulfilled while making further untruthful claims about South Africa.
Despite the future of the bilateral relationship between the United States and South Africa being unknown, tourism and education continue to bring Americans to the country.
Wits Vuvuzela spoke to some American students living and studying in Johannesburg to get a sense of how they feel being American in Johannesburg in this unprecedented time.
Sahar Carter, a Californian native pursuing their master’s degree in creative writing, said, “I personally don’t see myself as an ambassador of my nation.
“My criticism of the US also spurred me wanting [sic] to come to South Africa.”
Carter’s Johannesburg experience during this time has birthed a desire in her to explore the specifics of her African roots.
“I do feel like since being here I’ve felt emboldened to become an ambassador for black Americans, I guess I feel very defensive about my culture,” they said.
Carter’s defensiveness also stems from their realisation of a perception from some South Africans, expressed especially on social media platforms, about African Americans being ignorant and stupid.
They attribute the sentiment to Africa’s misrepresentation in American media and the fact that the average American interacts with ‘censored’ media.
“ We don’t easily have ways of hearing about the rest of the world that doesn’t filter through specifically American media,” said Carter.
American students from a joint exchange program between Pitzer College in California and Wits University under the University’s Centre for Diversity studies also shared their thoughts.
Feven Aklilu , an American student of Ethiopian descent, opened up about her experience of never truly feeling American until she was confronted with the reality of the state of her nation while living in Johannesburg.
“Being in this space and trying to figure that out has made it very glaringly apparent that as much as I view myself separate from America and its problems and the consequences it brings, I’m still a living manifestation of that when I’m here and there’s a weird sense of not wanting to interact with that,” she said.
Another member of the programme, Laine May says she finds that South Africans become more receptive to connecting once they figure out their respective political standings.
“Conversations open up once they realise, oh you’re not that kind of American or whatever the current idea of what an American is.”
Laine says that she doesn’t feel sad about actively disassociating from her American identity, but finds sadness in the idea that being American is now associated with the qualities of its current administration.
She also felt disheartened after taking note of the way the United States is still romanticised in educational spaces in Southern Africa and how that contributes to Africa’s “brain drain”.
“As an American, I wish the American dream was something that was real for me and is a possibility for these children that want something bigger than they have now,” she said.
Despite these sentiments, the consensus among the American students interviewed was that they enjoy living in Johannesburg and that this experience is one that will change their perspectives as American students for life.
FEATURED IMAGE: An illustration of the flags of the United States and South Africa slightly overlapping, with the Johannesburg skyline at the bottom. Graphic: Sechaba Molete
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