South Africa

I went to the UCLA Festival of Books today and one of the sponsors was the South African Tourism Board. I went by their booth.

I have been to South Africa twice. Cape Town is my favorite city in the world. This is a picture of me after hiking to the top of Lion's Head in the middle of Cape Town.



So, at the booth, there was not a single picture, word, document or otherwise which showed anything but lions and safaris. I have been to South Africa twice and I have not seen a lion or been on a safari (our van was chased by an ostrich, however).

I don't know why, but the booth offended me, as someone who loves the people and the vibe of South Africa. It was like the people and the cities did not even matter and the country only served as a gateway to a giant zoo.