Home of
hundred-mile smile. That was name of a portrait I found painted by Stephen Bennett. It was a glorious painting, quite captivating. A young woman from Botswana, her skin luxuriously dark, smiles disarmingly at photographer who captures her. Mr Bennett has super-imposed streaks of colour over her, not disguising her but enhancing her. Every shadow ripples with colour. Her smile hardly seems static, her eyes are alive.The moment I saw painting, I knew that it symbolised home for me. Although smiling woman in painting was from Botswana and I am from South Africa, her face struck me. When I think of people smiling in South Africa, I think of them smiling like that woman. Where their eyes light up, creasing, and smile seems to come from their very soul.
I recall stopping at an intersection in Johannesburg recently. Unemployment is rife in South Africa and this has given birth to an extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit. You can buy anything at robots (traffic lights) – from a cooldrink, to rubbish bags, to a mobile phone hands-free kit. Within seconds, 6 “businessmen”, their wares draped around their necks and overflowing from their pockets and carrier bags, bombarded me.
“Hello pretty girl! Look at all these – why not buy one from me today? Special price for a special lady!” My first assailant, wearing a red baseball cap, American-style. Young, probably only a year or two younger than me. A twinkle in his eye, and dozens of hands-free kits in his hands.
“But I have an Ericsson, not a Nokia. I’m sorry.” It’s a standard reply I give, being from a British background, used to being evasive in order to avoid offending people. I make eye contact to be polite, but not so much as to encourage him.
