When I saw the massive, high end malls in Pretoria I had a lot of mixed feelings part of me felt happy to see familiar sights and knowing that Africans were able to shop and enjoy the money they have to buy the things they want and not just need. Then I also felt shocked that this luxury is here on the same continent so close to the poorest of the poor Gucci is still open for business.
More importantly I wondered how the Nigerians I was with felt when they saw such a thing knowing how their upbringing was mired in desperate poverty. Here is a few responses a got after much pleading for insight, but truly it seems they don't think much about this dichotomy between living in excess and without. One said "It made me hate my country." To fully understand this you have to know a bit about Nigeria, it's oil wealth and the political corruption, but even without the history lesson though you can see that it breeds a bit of contempt because he knows his country has the money but it is not being used for these things that improve the lives of the masses. That begs the question are shopping malls a sign of improved quality of life? For some perhaps most obviously those of us raised in the mini mall-Walmart-shopping center madness that is America you may be inclined to say no or not necessarily. That was my first reaction, "no don't just replicate America!" Then my other friend spoke he had just arrived from Nigeria only 7 months earlier and it was his first time living anywhere else. His background is more typical orphaned losing both his parents by age 15 they did invest what they could to make their children's future bright nd with that and the help of his sisters nd brother in laws he was able to finish college obtaining a bachelors degree. When I talked to him about the vast differences in South Africa compared to his home his immediate response was "Everyplace should be like this, everywhere, everyone should be able to live like this, enjoying life, able to buy what they want with their money, in Nigeria even if you have money you can't get some things." After further discussion we came to the point that it means freedom, maybe it's in a hellish form of a mall; the lazy escalators, sensory overload neon signs can make one nauseated at times make available certain freedoms that simply don't exist otherwise. Now wouldn't it be great if we could learn to develop ourselves in true freedom and break free from materialism having the freedom to buy what we choose but remembering what is really worth our time and money will never be found in a store.
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