But what's the country's name?

1985, A boarding house in Athens, Greece. I was spending a few days there en route to London after a few years in Israel. Sharing my lodgings were three super Egyptian guys who were headed back to Cairo from a holiday in Turkey. Our conversation was struck up when they saw my snorkling gear - and we launched into an animated discussion of the joys of snorkling in the various places we'd been to, including the Red Sea.

After some hours one of them asked me if I was in any particular hurry to get to London.
"No," I replied expectantly, sensing some possible adventure.
"Then," he beamed, "you will come back to Egypt with us!"
His friends concurred enthusiastically. "You will LOVE Egypt! We will show you everything!" They all talked at once - what we would do, what we would see......Clearly, they loved their country and were very proud of it. My heart leapt. What an opportunity! Then it sank.

"I would love to, but I can't. I am a South African, travelling on a South African passport."They looked at me blankly.
"So?"
"We are not allowed into Egypt..."
"Why not?"

I was surprized. I'd expected an immediate resentment, but they looked genuinely puzzled.

"Because we have a policy called Apartheid and we are banned from many countries, including Egypt."

It made no impression on them.

"What is this .... this thing you said? Why are you banned?"
I gave them a brief, unemotional, overview of what it was about.
"But how can such a thing be? What is your country's name?"
"South Africa."
"Yes, I understand, but what is the country's name?"
"South Africa." No recognition. "The Republic of South Africa. That is the country's name."

They shook their heads. Southern Africa was just a remote region to them. Relief flooded over me. I liked them. I had been dreading the usual reaction to the mention of my homeland.

"But what if we say we invited you? " They perked up.
I shook my head regretfully. "I'm afraid it won't help. I am sorry. Truly, truly sorry. I would love to come with you, but ...... Well, things are beginning to change. Perhaps one day it will be different."

Things certainly did change. The magical words "Nelson Mandela" filled the globe and everybody's hearts.

My daughter was born in mid-1994, a child of the new nation. She learns about Apartheid in history. ("What was it like in the Olden Days? Were you a part of all that?")

I guess my Egyptian friends know where we are now. Sadly, I never did get to see Egypt.

For more information about Apartheid, go to www.apartheidmuseum.org/supplements/