Outsmarting Apartheid : An Oral History of South Africa's Cultural and Educational Exchange with the United States, 1960–1999

For almost forty years, under the watchful eye of the apartheid regime, some three thousand South Africans participated in cultural and educational exchange with the United States. Exposure to American democracy brought hope during a time when social and political change seemed unlikely. In the end the process silently triumphed over the resistance of authorities, and many of the individuals who participated in the program later participated in South Africa's first democratic elections, in 1994, and now occupy key positions in academia, the media, parliament, and the judiciary. In Outsmarting Apartheid , Daniel Whitman, former Program Development Officer at the US Embassy in Pretoria, interviews the South Africans and Americans who administered, advanced, and benefited from government-funded exchange. The result is a detailed account of the workings and effectiveness of the US Information Agency and a demonstration of the value of "soft power" in easing democratic transition in a troubled area. Brahms, from Malmesbury to Carnegie Hall / Franklin Larey "Education was my weapon" / Sindiwe Magona Market theatre co-founder discovers the American stage / Malcolm Purkey Dance, too, can change a society / Adrienne Sichel "Do you sell stamps or don't you?" : (breaking the cultural boycott) / Brooks Spector Persona non grata becomes a professor / David Coplan Scrambled eggs and science teaching in Pretoria / Mary Beth Gosende "A gill of all trades" / Gill Jacot Guillarmod Fulbrights, the TRC, and an M.A. in Washington / Monica Joyi A breach of racial divides in training military leaders / Edna van Harte An educational advisor wouldn't take no for an answer / Carol Wilson A South African magistrate and the American correctional system / Siraj Desai "The people's judge" / Willem Heath Fulbright scholar, Yale professor, member of Parliament / Wilmot James "Steve, I can't tell you how meaningful that day was for me" / Steve McDonald A journey to Parliament via the United States / Sej Motau Bridging political divides / Dan and Jenny Neser Operation Crossroads Africa and lifelong learning / Eshaam Palmer Abuse no more / Sheila Goodgall Our man in Pretoria : three tours in South Africa / Robert Gosende ACAO under apartheid, PAO under democracy / Tom Hull The boss said he could stand up to anybody / Frank Sassman Walking in another's shoes / Klaas Skosana "Breaching the walls on a park bench" / Jerry Vogel Anyone's medical doctor of choice / Gilbert Lawrence A life of firsts, the science of joints and cartilage / Shirley Motaung Degrees of the universe / Karel Nel A spouse brings South Africans together / Bonnie Brown We all invited all / Timothy Carney Social work and the Cleveland International Program / Victor Daniels "This is the kind of dialogue we need" / Robert C. Heath Discovering american freedom with Operation Crossroads Africa / Wallace Mgoqi Bringing head start to South Africa / Virginia Petersen "Just give him a chance", and she did / Ruth Spector Editor's final note / Dan Whitman. For almost forty years, under the watchful eye of the apartheid regime, some three thousand South Africans participated in cultural and educational exchange with the United States. Exposure to American democracy brought hope during a time when social and political change seemed unlikely. In the end the process silently triumphed over the resistance of authorities, and many of the individuals who participated in the program later participated in South Africa’s first democratic elections, in 1994, and now occupy key positions in academia, the media, parliament, and the judiciary. In this book, Daniel Whitman, former Program Development Officer at the US Embassy in Pretoria, interviews the South Africans and Americans who administered, advanced, and benefited from government-funded exchange. The result is a detailed account of the workings and effectiveness of the US Information Agency and a demonstration of the value of “soft power” in easing democratic transition in a troubled area