What is it about transition societies? No matter how far away they are from each other or how different their culture and history, they have much the same problems: inequality, crime, corruption, a single dominant party, health crises, poor education systems and pervasive nostalgia for the old regimes.
Russia’s transition from Communism and South Africa’s transition from Apartheid prove the point. In this short essay for the South African Mail and Guardian, I argue that the two countries are like twins separated at birth.
Dear South Africa,
When I first arrived here, amid your familiar gaggle of beggars and black BMWs, I thought: “Have I landed in Moscow by mistake?” After several years of living away from Mother Russia, it felt like a homecoming. You and my country are like twins separated at birth, with one crucial difference — Russia never experienced apartheid.
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