Roundtable session on the book entitled “Ye Shall Bowl on Grass”

On Tuesday March 27th, 2012 the Ibrahim Abu-Lughod Institute of International Studies hosted Mr. Rafique Gangat, former first colored diplomat for South Africa for a roundtable discussion on his latest book Ye Shall Bowl on Grass.  During his discussion, Mr. Rafique shed light on the book which is a series of 30 stories each of which has something to say about what happened in South Africa. He also spoke of his experience as a diplomat.

Mr. Rafique began with illustrating how he became the first colored  diplomat of South Africa. In South Africa there are four different races: the White, the Black, the colored race which is a mixture of White and Black, and the Asian; all living segregated in four different places. Thus diplomacy was something for the White race,  yet Mr. Gangat had friends from all races and was able to became the first colored diplomat of South Africa in Palestine. His diplomacy journey ended in Palestine, he came to Palestine in 2003 to make a change and he quoted Nelson Mandela who has said on many occasions, “We believe our freedom has no meaning if others are not free”  meaning the Palestinians.  He narrated some of the short stories in his book which depicts apartheid form his own experience. The title of the book Ye Shall Bowl on Grass is a reference to the game Cricket in South Africa.  Mr. Gangat use to play the game and in South Africa different races played separately, for instance the Black race only played against  the Black, and the White against the Whites, they were not allowed to play against one another.  Nonetheless, in the late 1970’s , due to high pressure, the government finally allowed different races to play against each other and the first time ever in South Africa races played against each other Mr. Gangat played in that game.