In the guts of a story
In the guts of a story, in the making-of for a story in which one sees faces that charge per pixel and weight words, are buried many times the best moments. In print you can not give substance added to explain how, though often more illuminating question the answer. On Wednesday elmundo.es published in an article on South African Historical Memory. (I put down the link to whoever wants to read. I thought it was really interesting that here the land is returned stolen from a hundred years ago by the racist apartheid regime).
Well, The article began by saying so: "A long line of women and men waiting on the third floor of number 73 Stand Street Street. Well, I will start a little earlier this time history. “Desplomado, snoring. Are 10:15 morning. I try not to make noise, I take the pen on the table and put my name, Name and signature, as I did when I was here last time (as it will no). All very quietly so as not to wake. Call the elevator and when the doors open man, the security guard of a public building where they are settled land claims, continues with his head on his shoulder removed and still achieve a final hear snoring ". This article could have started and that was part of the making-of post.
"On the second floor there is a long queue of women and men looking impoverished queuing in a dark room. Have a gesture between tired and frightened. I look, I look. There is no white in that room claims. It is this territory to white, are the targets which in most cases stayed with mestizos and black land, although the prohibition of coexistence between races affected all. I do not know who to turn and I walk ten meters in an office asking. To my left there are four tables bureaucratic and clerical time in the hands lazily.
-Sorry, "I can ask a question?
-Yes, course.
-Look, I'ma journalist and I am doing a report on this project of Go ...
At that moment a woman enters, which occupied the first table entry, screaming and telling me that I skipped the queue. The girl I spoke face looks I've taken a problem and Sgt officer tells me to accompany him. I go with it, women make up the man who was on the table and asks me "what do?”. And explain it before the end of me says "not here, should talk to my boss, Communications Department. Third floor. Suba I call and notice that you are calling him ".
I called all. All they told me that I called in two days with an answer, I seek someone. No one called in two weeks and decided to go to find them on the street.
A, that is beginning to have some corn on how things work here, up to the third floor with absolute certainty that there will be nobody there who knows a word of my story. This was. As if it were a script I get a girl who chews gum, constantly talk on the phone and explain what happened just tells me:
-"Here no one has called the second floor. Scroll down to see what they say ".
-“No, not necessary. I want to talk to Franz Zottl. Tell him I am a journalist ".
-"Why?”
-"I do not want to fall back to the second floor. Please, can contact Mr Zottl ".
-(After thinking for a while and call two replica wrong numbers)
-"Wait here, Mr Zottl says she comes ", I said the gay secretary who chew gum and talk on the phone with laughter.
Mr Zottl office was a small room, the latest in a vast empty floor where tables and papers piled on the floor were all that seemed to indicate that it was an abandoned. His office was directly a bin. The man is charming, I copy information, gets me 2000 documents by explaining examples of the process pentdrive, answered all my questions, makes perfect work.
-"I would like to speak to a manager", tell.
-"I'm going to warn".
Franz gets up and goes to a big office, near you.
-“Beverly, a Spanish journalist wants to talk ".
-"Today I am exhausted, I am not well, tell him to speak next week ", listen. (It was a Thursday and 10: 40 hours).
-"In 15 days Release ", I confess a little embarrassed Franz.
I ended up talking to Beverly by email and had to return one day to the office, I ended up taking the valuable information. The last thing I said Franz is "the process is somewhat stagnant. There are people who spent years waiting. We are far from meeting people ... "I think, watching the operation of the office, it is a miracle that only one person who has recovered their land. They have done many. I ask Franz finally I find the contact of a family relocated. In the Bureau of Reclamation lands managed to anyone but me gave me a list of seven mobile associations or other related government offices. I called all. All they told me that I called in two days with an answer, I seek someone. No one called in two weeks and decided to go to find them on the street.
Then, after a visit to District Six, a suburb of Cape Town in which there have been some relocations, I go to the District Six Museum to interview someone who lived the dismantling of houses from the bulldozers of apartheid. On another visit last year I knew that some of those who work there were slum dwellers. I get to the director, that from the beginning has strange behavior.
-"What I can help?”
-"Would I count as was the dismantling of District Six and make a photo if possible?”
-"A second, I have a call ".
(Will, again five minutes)
-"He said that it would be possible to give an interview and take a photo. It will also serve to promote this beautiful museum, repeat.
-"Excuse me, come in a minute ", reply me, while not looking for papers, talk with a young assistant and almost never look at me.
(Appears again five minutes later turn around and start)
-"Excuse, It would be possible for us to do a short interview..
-"I'm sick of doing interviews journalists do I earn money with my words and I gain nothing", reply.
-"I do not pay anyone to interview. I have not ever and I'm not going to start doing now ".
-"But it does make money"
-"It's part of my job to ask people, but I will not pay for interview. If you want perfect answer me, but I'm going home ".
Then the guy, it is clear that no money aflojaré has the perfect solution:
-"You need to ask permission in the number 15 of this street, the office in charge of cultural issues. Then they study the proposal and respond ".
-"Do not worry, I'm not interested ".
There is only one photo in the article in The World, last, the District Six Museum (I made while waiting for the man decided to ask me for money to promote its museum). As I said, the guts of a story that teaches a little sluggish but advancing South Africa. South Africa in which photographs and sometimes words are worth money.
Article Link elmundo.es historical memory:
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/03/23/internacional/1300900324.html
Comments (3)
home
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This is the part of Africa we do not like, What if?
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Javier
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Not that I do not like. So, many times, but understand that is another way of understanding life, outside of the topics that condemn them to be fun in its chaos and hunger (topic that I like and do not share). Working with a Western mentality here is complicated. We must change the chip and understand that there is now a culture of, outside that is fun sometimes, important change. Is not the same come on holiday to see the Africa that everyone has dreamed of and that is up dear, to turn off the camera and check the myriad of problems that face. These are not nice, mainly for them.
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rose anna
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