Perspectives Of Apartheid South Africa

About the Book

"Perspectives of Apartheid South Africa: One Man's Journey" is an amalgam of self-introspective reflections and history, including interviews with South African heads of state. This unique narrative offers a personal glimpse into author Benjamin Scott’s travels to the continent, first in 1986 as a spectator traveling with coaches for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team and, then, in 1990. On the latter trip, undertaken at the behest of the South African government, he hoped to establish a liaison between African-American and South African entrepreneurs. His goal was to galvanize a country which he believed could, potentially, provide an economic blueprint for South Africa and the world. A member of the Defense Department, armed with Q clearance, he hoped that his objective could be accomplished most effectively through open debate, conceptualization, and mutual cooperation between the then ruling White minority and the disenfranchised Black majority. Basic necessities, adequate education, healthcare, and housing were woefully lacking. Such deprivation was the product of fear. Ben could have been a prime target, himself; but armed with the power of faith in the South African people and the diplomatic skills to turn swords into ideas, he witnessed hatred and misconception transform into receptiveness and compromise. Though his efforts at home in the United States did not bear fruit, his ultimate fulfillment came in striving to improve conditions in South Africa, a country he deeply believed in and loved.

About the Author

Synopsis "Perspectives of Apartheid South Africa: One Man's Journey" is an amalgam of self-introspective reflections and history, including interviews with South African heads of state. This unique narrative offers a personal glimpse into author Benjamin Scott’s travels to the continent, first in 1986 as a spectator traveling with a coach for the 1988 U.S. Olympic team and, then, in 1990. On the latter trip, undertaken at the behest of the South African government, he hoped to establish a liaison between African-American and South African entrepreneurs. His goal was to galvanize a country which he believed could, potentially, provide an economic blueprint for South Africa and the world. A member of the Defense Department, armed with Q clearance, he hoped that his objective could be accomplished most effectively through open debate, conceptualization, and mutual cooperation between the then ruling White minority and the disenfranchised Black majority. Basic necessities, adequate education, healthcare, and housing were woefully lacking. Such deprivation was the product of fear. Ben could have been a prime target, himself; but armed with the power of faith in the South African people and the diplomatic skills to turn swords into ideas, he witnessed hatred and misconception transform into receptiveness and compromise. Though his efforts at home in the United States did not bear fruit, his ultimate fulfillment came in striving to improve conditions in South Africa, a country he deeply believed in and loved.