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The Cafe de Move-on Blues: In Search of the New South Africa
Longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize,2019
'Hope writes with extraordinary exuberance and invention.' - Literary Review
In White Boy Running , Christopher Hope explored how it felt and looked to grow up in a country gripped by an 'absurd, racist insanity'.
In The Cafe de Move-on Blues , on a road trip thirty years later, Christopher goes in search of today's South Africa; post-apartheid, but also post the dashed hopes and dreams of Mandela, of a future when race and colour would not count.
He finds a country still in the grip of a ruling party intent only on caring for itself, to the exclusion of all others; a country where racial divides are deeper than ever. As the old imperial idols of Cecil Rhodes and Paul Kruger are literally pulled from their pedestals in a mass yearning to destroy the past, Hope ponders the
W hat next?
Framed as a travelogue, this is a darkly comic, powerful and moving portrait of South Africa - an elegy to a living nation, which is still mad and absurd.
'Hope writes with extraordinary exuberance and invention.' - Literary Review
In White Boy Running , Christopher Hope explored how it felt and looked to grow up in a country gripped by an 'absurd, racist insanity'.
In The Cafe de Move-on Blues , on a road trip thirty years later, Christopher goes in search of today's South Africa; post-apartheid, but also post the dashed hopes and dreams of Mandela, of a future when race and colour would not count.
He finds a country still in the grip of a ruling party intent only on caring for itself, to the exclusion of all others; a country where racial divides are deeper than ever. As the old imperial idols of Cecil Rhodes and Paul Kruger are literally pulled from their pedestals in a mass yearning to destroy the past, Hope ponders the
W hat next?
Framed as a travelogue, this is a darkly comic, powerful and moving portrait of South Africa - an elegy to a living nation, which is still mad and absurd.
- GenresSouth Africa
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 3, 2018
9 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Hope
62 books12 followersHe studied at universities of Witwatersrand and Natal. He is an author of poems and novels, also published autobiography, biography of Robert Mugabe, dictator of Zimbabwe, and travel book Moscow! Moscow!, which he got prestige PEN Award. Debut novel A Separate Development (1981), satire on apartheid system, forbidden in South Africa, got the David Higham Prize for Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 30, 2018
I was curious to see the manner in which Christopher Hope would approach the "new South Africa" based on the student protests that started with #FeesMustFall and launched into the defacing of statues and a demand for their removal, starting with the statue of Rhodes at the University of Cape Town. These protests also led to more violent methods in the course of which libraries and university buildings were burnt. To say that I was disappointed with Hope's book is putting it mildly. Whilst Hope was born and spent his youth in South Africa, he has not been a permanent resident since 1975, when he went into exile. So, though he was horrified by one student's indication that he is a foreigner to South Africa, this is, by now, rather true. He is one of the 'privileged' whites that 'left', but who still claims connection and understanding from afar. Unlike other writers who went into exile, Hope has not returned to live permanently in the country he seems to feel he understands so well.
Hope mentions that he has "always been suspicious of large generalisations" and yet throughout the book he is guilty of exactly this fault. His sweeping statements about English speaking South Africans and their adulation or implicit support of Cecil John Rhodes lacks nuance as it encompasses his generalised subjective perception which includes his own gendered, economic, class and racial position. Much is criticised, but little is offered as alternative. His own writing further eking out the apparent racial divide, one he sees as having come full circle. What is missing is the realisation that the racial divide, racism if preferred, contains within it the greater issues of economics, religion, gender and class. Hope's narrative, even when dealing with the history he does discuss, lacks depth or insight, but it does depress as a pretence at engagement.
The book could have been edited more carefully as there is a lot of unwarranted verbatim repetition of statements. About half-way through the book became bitty and more personally nostalgic and the opening thread for the argument became muted. Overall the book is flimsy.
Hope mentions that he has "always been suspicious of large generalisations" and yet throughout the book he is guilty of exactly this fault. His sweeping statements about English speaking South Africans and their adulation or implicit support of Cecil John Rhodes lacks nuance as it encompasses his generalised subjective perception which includes his own gendered, economic, class and racial position. Much is criticised, but little is offered as alternative. His own writing further eking out the apparent racial divide, one he sees as having come full circle. What is missing is the realisation that the racial divide, racism if preferred, contains within it the greater issues of economics, religion, gender and class. Hope's narrative, even when dealing with the history he does discuss, lacks depth or insight, but it does depress as a pretence at engagement.
The book could have been edited more carefully as there is a lot of unwarranted verbatim repetition of statements. About half-way through the book became bitty and more personally nostalgic and the opening thread for the argument became muted. Overall the book is flimsy.
November 12, 2021
Very thoughtful analysis of South Africa today. Challenging and provocative by the power of mere description. Verdict: Liberation not achieved. The “new” South Africa is much the same as the old, just with different actors.
January 20, 2021
25 years on, it can be difficult to appreciate just how impressive the first democratic elections in South Africa were. Not only did it mark conclusively the end of an apartheid system that had at times seemed insurmountable, but they did not spark the bloody race war that many feared.
Largely, this was due to the compromises made by Nelson Mandela - though many now say he sold out - and his vision of a South Africa where all would be welcome, regardless of skin colour.
Christopher Hope’s journey round his native land, however, suggests that for many that vision has now died as the hope of 1994 gave way to the scale of the problems facing the country.
He takes as his starting point the “Statue Wars” that started with the campaign to remove Cecil Rhodes’ statue from outside the University of Cape Town.
Through interviews with some on the extreme left, it is clear that there is a movement that says South Africa is for Africans and whites must clear off, give them back their land and return to Europe, atoning for the sins of colonisers like Rhodes and Jan Van Riebeeck.
On the other hand, he visits Orania, a weird Afrikaner settlement populated entirely by whites and the rescued statues of apartheid leaders like Hendrik Verwoerd.
Both sides espouse the sort of racial essentialism and the belief that races need to be kept separate that Verwoerd, the architect of apartheid, would have sympathised with.
So much for the rainbow nation, though it is little surprise that sections of the black population would be extremely angry at the failure of the ANC to achieve significant advances and then look to take that anger out on the still greatly privileged white population.
The irony, Hope notes, is that neither of these groups are the original inhabitants of that part of the world. That distinction belongs to the Khoi/San people, the “bushmen” as they were once known.
They have mostly died out now, but if you go back far enough, those demanding the return of “their” land from the white colonialists are themselves immigrants and colonialists of a sort
Largely, this was due to the compromises made by Nelson Mandela - though many now say he sold out - and his vision of a South Africa where all would be welcome, regardless of skin colour.
Christopher Hope’s journey round his native land, however, suggests that for many that vision has now died as the hope of 1994 gave way to the scale of the problems facing the country.
He takes as his starting point the “Statue Wars” that started with the campaign to remove Cecil Rhodes’ statue from outside the University of Cape Town.
Through interviews with some on the extreme left, it is clear that there is a movement that says South Africa is for Africans and whites must clear off, give them back their land and return to Europe, atoning for the sins of colonisers like Rhodes and Jan Van Riebeeck.
On the other hand, he visits Orania, a weird Afrikaner settlement populated entirely by whites and the rescued statues of apartheid leaders like Hendrik Verwoerd.
Both sides espouse the sort of racial essentialism and the belief that races need to be kept separate that Verwoerd, the architect of apartheid, would have sympathised with.
So much for the rainbow nation, though it is little surprise that sections of the black population would be extremely angry at the failure of the ANC to achieve significant advances and then look to take that anger out on the still greatly privileged white population.
The irony, Hope notes, is that neither of these groups are the original inhabitants of that part of the world. That distinction belongs to the Khoi/San people, the “bushmen” as they were once known.
They have mostly died out now, but if you go back far enough, those demanding the return of “their” land from the white colonialists are themselves immigrants and colonialists of a sort
August 30, 2020
I am an avid reader, not an avid writer of reviews. At times, a good book, a well-written book, gets me out of my shell. Christopher Hope, has written just such a book. As a former resident of South Africa, I can live into all situations that the author went trough and cared to describe.
South Africa as a country and as far as the residents are concerned, would be rich fodder and inspiration for a competent psychiatrist. What damage can past actions cause to future generations ?
You need look no further than South Africa.
What is the difference between " legal " or institutional racism and casual, daily, but just as enthusiastically practiced racism ? ( Particularly, as for the latter, there is no need for it...). Politics of course comes into it - inevitably the " issue " of ones outer shell, the skin, too. You have an explosive mix, that gives rich inspiration for generations to come, as well as being a source of despair.
Christopher Hope offers no solutions, why should he ? He simply describes the situation at present and contrasts it with the past. There are now almost 60 million people living in that country - they need to come up with a solution.
Politics have failed South Africa miserably. The end of official Apartheid has solved nothing. Time to despatch politics and to judge people by the colour of their skin.Time also to discard empty slogans and meaningless phrases.
Christopher Hope, has once again written an outstanding book on a subject he cares about and knows well.
South Africa as a country and as far as the residents are concerned, would be rich fodder and inspiration for a competent psychiatrist. What damage can past actions cause to future generations ?
You need look no further than South Africa.
What is the difference between " legal " or institutional racism and casual, daily, but just as enthusiastically practiced racism ? ( Particularly, as for the latter, there is no need for it...). Politics of course comes into it - inevitably the " issue " of ones outer shell, the skin, too. You have an explosive mix, that gives rich inspiration for generations to come, as well as being a source of despair.
Christopher Hope offers no solutions, why should he ? He simply describes the situation at present and contrasts it with the past. There are now almost 60 million people living in that country - they need to come up with a solution.
Politics have failed South Africa miserably. The end of official Apartheid has solved nothing. Time to despatch politics and to judge people by the colour of their skin.Time also to discard empty slogans and meaningless phrases.
Christopher Hope, has once again written an outstanding book on a subject he cares about and knows well.
April 17, 2019
I have mixed feelings about this book. I was really looking forward to reading it after reading White Boy Running, which was exceptional. This book fails to live up to that title. It is ostensibly about the new South Africa but focuses on the so-called statue wars, where statues are removed, vandalized or destroyed. I felt that Hope focussed too much on the negative aspects of Cecil Rhodes, which he carried on unceasingly throughout the book. While Rhodes was a seminal figure, if he didn't exist others would have done or achieved what he did and achieved.
Overall, I found this book highly depressing. The level of ignorance and nihilism found in the country is astonishing, and if I was a White person living there I would be seriously considering my options. On the reading of this book, there is no future for Whites, or for the country itself. As Alan Paton wrote all those years ago, "Cry the Beloved Country."
Overall, I found this book highly depressing. The level of ignorance and nihilism found in the country is astonishing, and if I was a White person living there I would be seriously considering my options. On the reading of this book, there is no future for Whites, or for the country itself. As Alan Paton wrote all those years ago, "Cry the Beloved Country."
March 21, 2020
I enjoyed the authors take on his trip around the current South Africa and his historical and political views on what he discovered along the way. I didn’t particularly like his constant references to the toppling of all the statues and damage done, and found rather too much repetition in this regard. I don’t have any desire to return to the country after living there for 55 years, and this account confirmed why I haven’t.
December 30, 2023
Absolutely brilliant! Should be compulsory reading for anyone who thinks apartheid was a good idea.
I wish I had read it years ago - I might have persuaded the rest of my family still there to migrate now while they had the chance. Too late now! I am SO glad I migrated as I did in 1972. So much of this book resonated with me. On every page I found myself nodding vigorously in agreement with everything Hope says. I won't be giving away my precious copy!
I wish I had read it years ago - I might have persuaded the rest of my family still there to migrate now while they had the chance. Too late now! I am SO glad I migrated as I did in 1972. So much of this book resonated with me. On every page I found myself nodding vigorously in agreement with everything Hope says. I won't be giving away my precious copy!
February 22, 2020
Chistopher Hope discretely unveils the hidden and often horrid historic identities of South African communities and their festering wounds, while simultaneously discovering and celebrating the country's sophisticated beauty and innate potential.
February 9, 2020
An interesting analysis of the current iconoclasm taking place in South Africa. He uses the symbols of all the various statues and monuments being torn down -and these include not only the symbols of apartheid rule and white, capitalist, Eurocentric domination, but also other more disturbing symbols of a much deeper history - as a metaphor to describe the strangeness of South African society today. He alludes to some disturbing outcomes of iconoclasm in other parts of the world, in other times. I found his journey, his monument examples, and the story he had to tell, disturbing. He writes really well; I rushed through the book and will need to go back and read it again at a more leisurely pace. I was concerned that some of his views are quite cynical, and some are perhaps ill-informed (he is, after all, like me - white, Eurocentric and he cannot escape that). But in the main he treats all parties the same, fairly, open-heartedly. His story made me sad. He talks of South Africans as self-deluded and I cannot but conclude that we are all self-deluded, and that it is not going to end well. I guess only time will tell. A thought-provoking read, Mr Hope. Thank you.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews