'Bending the Rules' is a colourful collection of anecdotes from Rafique Gangat’s extraordinary life. South Africa’s first diplomat of colour, Gangat first worked for Foreign Affairs under the NP and then for the ANC government, straddling the transition.This book documents Gangat’s battles against bigotry and prejudice, but also includes a healthy dose of sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll: illicit liaisons across the colour bar, experiments with dagga, and ground-breaking ventures in music and radio.
Оглавление
Rafique Gangat. Bending the Rules
OMO AND AMEEN
POLITICAL AWAKENING
MULTINATIONAL CRICKET
WANDERERS CRICKET GROUND
BLACK HEN, WHITE EGGS
A FANCY-DRESS BALL
SMOKING GRASS FOR SANITY’S SAKE
DAVE FROM DALLAS
TSOTSIS AND KARMA
WAR ON COMMUNISM
BETUS BAND
LAYING THE GROUND FOR GRACELAND
FUSION BEFORE ITS TIME
OUTWARD BOUND LESOTHO
CONSIDERING DIPLOMACY
SETTLING DOWN
RADIO LOTUS
FOREIGN AFFAIRS PRETORIA (CADET)
BEVERLY HILLS (VICE CONSUL)
ONE SHOT PRONGHORN ANTELOPE HUNT
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
FOREIGN AFFAIRS CAPE TOWN (SPOKESPERSON)
KARACHI (CONSUL GENERAL)
ABU DHABI AND NELSON MANDELA
JOE MODISE
THE NEW SOUTH AFRICA LANDS IN DUBAI
CHANGING POLITICS OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
AMANDIYA
A “SULMAN” IN CAIRO
SPICING THE STEW AT BIVACK
NAZARETH
SMOOTHING THE WAY
THE WANDERERS REVISITED
PHOTO SECTION
GLOSSARY
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Отрывок из книги
Bending the Rules
From De Klerk to Mandela: stories of a pioneering diplomat
.....
“I quit university and I shall explain my reasons tonight.” I put the phone down before he could utter another word.
Then I sat on a bench designated for non-whites, waiting for the train to arrive, where I would be seated in a non-white coach. As it was mid-winter and bitterly cold, I hesitantly approached the kiosk, which had a “Whites Only” sign above it, to beg for a cup of coffee. Even though I was prepared to pay double the rate, the white attendant said, “Fuck off, coolie!”
