The tale of two cities: A mirror to black African governance

Let’s (St)roll There: A Tale of Two Cities - Streets.mn

Editor’s note: “Let’s (St)roll There” is an occasional series about ways to get to unusual or out-of-the-way places by foot, bus, train or bike. Or, in this case, to spend a day exploring two cities entirely without a car. In 2013, I began a tradition of spending my March 20th birthday in St. Paul. As a lifelong Minneapolis resident, I was inherently skeptical of voluntarily “crossing the river” into that unknown, mysterious city. When I started…

The tale of two cities: A mirror to black African governance

By Edward BOATENG Cape Town and Johannesburg—two cities, one nation, and a tale that mirrors both the triumph and tragedy of Black African governance. Between April 20 and May 1, I returned to South Africa after nearly a decade away. My last visit to Johannesburg was in 2015, and to Cape Town in 2018. Time had passed, but what I saw on this trip offered clarity that was impossible to ignore. The contrast between these two cities had become stark…