Reasons to believe in SA

I  find it depressing that so many people in this country are negative about it. It took an e-mail from a fellow Catholic to lift my spirits and waft into my life like a breath of fresh air.

I had never heard of Bryon John. But I know now that he is a young marketer with such positive passion and enthusiasm that if I was in charge of some big brand somewhere, I would hire him in a heartbeat.

This is what he wrote:

“I am a South African by birth and have lived here my whole life. I am not a celebrity nor do I work for either the government or Fifa. I am also not a professional musician or videographer, but I have put together a song and music video that will hopefully make a small difference.

“I would just like to share this message with the whole world, and if it makes a positive impact for just one person, then all the work is worth it.

“I love my country because of the people. Sure, the weather is awesome, the beauty is unparalleled, but it is the people that make this country what it is. Unfortunately, you will not see them making headlines in the media, or taking up space in the columns of the newspapers. They are the people I meet every day at work, at the shops or at a braai, at social events, at the sports stadium or through friends of friends or through family friends. These encounters happen daily. They are pockets of people of all different colours and race who are not ruled by the limitations of their exterior or cultural differences.

“This is the South Africa I know. I need only surf online through the photo gallery of all my Facebook friends to see what a richly diverse and amazing country I live in and what the world might never see.”

Byron acknowledges that South Africa has very serious problems.

“My family and I — yes, too many South Africans — have been sadly affected by crime…but I am truly lucky to be living in South Africa. Despite the daily dose of pessimism…I am honoured to be living with such resilient and amazing people. We are a tough nation, and because of adversity, we really know how to enjoy ourselves.”

A resilient nation will conquer the obstacles and, Byron predicts, host a great World Cup, no matter what the sceptics believe.

“This World Cup is somewhat clouded across the media spectrum by a dark sense of fear and insecurity painted by foreign prophets of doom, and, worse still, by too many South Africans. Yes, the mood is a bit ‘tense’ here in South Africa, but it is only part of what is actually happening on the ground. Everyone is getting excited and I have a good feeling [that] the success of this next awesome chapter in our history will exceed many expectations.”

So Byron’s message to South Africans is this:

“Be positive. Be ‘champions’ for our country. We have faced adversity. All of us. No country has gone through or is going through what we are enduring as a country right now. ‘Show them!’ that we are amazing people…not because we want to be, but because we are. Our foreign friends from all over the world are coming soon, not only to encounter our celebrities and politicians, our flag, or our Table Mountain…but they are coming to meet us! We must wow each person that comes here. It is a history-making opportunity that we can all affect.”

And his message to tourists:

“When I went to visit London, Ireland and Italy some time back, the advice I got was simple: ‘Stay together in groups, never go off on your own or go looking for trouble either. Be careful when people offer you things. Get information from the proper officials before accepting anything from anybody. Don’t trust too quickly. Watch your money and never leave your belongings lying around for people to be tempted.’

“This is the exact same advice I’m giving you when you come to South Africa.”

Byron has uploaded a song on YouTube which he hopes will show “what an awesome country this place is because of its people”. He hopes that visitors “will encounter a taste of the hospitality and friendship that makes this country so awesome”.

Now, I suppose there will be those cynics who will claim that Byron is looking at the world through rose-coloured glasses and has his head in the sand, ignoring the crime and corruption that is going on around him.

I don’t believe he is. I believe he is simply looking at what he can and can’t do to change things, and I reckon if there was less bitterness and more Byron Johns around, this country would be an even better place.