Measuring the strength of a nation’s brand is a lot more complicated than that of a consumer product.
So in 2005, world-renowned government adviser Simon Anholt developed the Nation Brands Index as a way to measure the image of the world’s nations. The Anholt-GfK Roper Nation Brands Index, as it is now called (since he joined forces with GfK Roper Public Affairs & Corporate Communications), ranks 50 countries in six dimensions — exports, governance, culture and heritage, people, tourism and investment and immigration.
This is based on the perceptions of citizens of 20 developed and developing countries. Each of the 50 nations is evaluated by up to 10 000 people in what Anholt terms is “one of the largest research programmes ever carried out”.
“It’s a major global study, which, since 2005, has been polling a sample equivalent to around 60% of the world’s population and has now collected around 143-billion data points about how ordinary people around the world view other countries,” he said. “It tells me that most people in the world rank South Africa about 36th or 37th out of the 50 countries in the study, and its scores are rising very gradually.”
To be precise, in 2011 South Africa moved up one spot and is now ranked 36th out of the 50 countries in the index.
Gradual though South Africa’s rise may be, Miller Matola, chief executive of Brand South Africa, which is tasked with projecting a positive image of the country, does not take it lightly. He said it was one of the reasons South Africa was entering 2012 in a “position of strength”.
“We take the Nation Brand Index seriously. We’ve gained one place there and, if you look at it, we are starting to make gains in areas we traditionally battled with, namely investment and immigration. This looks at the extent to which people would see us as a destination to move to. Increasingly people are saying ‘We’d move to South Africa’. This is a good indicator of the nation’s ability to attract international talent and scarce skills.
“Traditionally we were known for heritage, culture and tourism, and [we are] doing well in those areas, but the [index] shows a significant shift in how we are looked at now from the outside.”
Matola said the 2010 World Cup may have played a role. “It has done a great marketing job for South Africa, dispelling negative perceptions about issues like race and security.
“When people talk about other country brands, the attitude they bring to the fore is not necessarily human. For example, they talk about ‘German engineering’. When people talk about South Africa, it’s about the tenacity of the people and their hospitality and so on, and that’s what makes a great brand, one that is built on people.”
Matola admitted that issues such as education, security and the increasing divide between rich and poor posed challenges to building the nation’s brand.
But Anholt cautioned: “Countries are judged by what they do and what they make, and above all by their contribution to humanity and to the planet, not by what they say about themselves.”
And, of course, what others say and think about a country.
The Mail & Guardian spoke to six people who moved to South Africa and who gave us their views about the state of our nation.
We asked them if they thought South Africa was really an African country; whether they thought South Africans were happy with themselves; what they’d change about the country; and whether it was the right move to come here.
Jean Buassa (47)
From the Democratic Republic of the Congo — nine years in South Africa. French teacher at an upmarket Johannesburg school
“Yes, it is an African country, but it has ambiguities in terms of race and gender issues. There are more women working here than men, which is good. You not only see women in the kitchen but you see them holding middle-class jobs.
“Racially, the spectre of apartheid is still there in black people’s minds. The issue of those who have and those who do not is leading to a dangerous situation.
“You have an African elite that has taken over and is oppressing their own fellow African brothers and South Africans who do not have, making the slogan ‘a better life for all’ a void slogan. When you have a country where most people are not educated past matric, they can’t buy into such a slogan.
“South Africans are not happy with themselves. When I walk around and talk to people on the streets or taxi drivers, some say they would prefer to go back to apartheid. While human rights have improved, the society is not equal economically because of greedy people.
“I would love change. If you go to other African countries, you would never see a door shut for security reasons. You can walk in and share a meal with a person. Here, it’s all about individualism. Although you speak of ubuntu, you don’t find it in people. I know you have a sad history but that is over.
“As Africans, we have our own leaders and they need to change how they regard their own communities. They need to be the light in their communities. For example, the Protection of State Information Bill will take away the rights of communities to say what they feel is not right about the country and will destroy your democracy.
“I am happy about living in South Africa. I have discovered another African country, with riches, wealth and wonderful people. But there are also people that are not open to the rest of Africa and the world. They need to share their knowledge and expertise but not in the manner of a superpower or an imperialist.”
Wellington Chabora (47)
From Zimbabwe — 10 years in South Africa. Beggar in Rosebank, Johannesburg
“I went blind at the age of six but went on to complete my education in Zimbabwe. With the economic crisis there, I could no longer look after my family so I came to South Africa. My nephew, Pardon Chabora, holds my hand and guides me between the rows of traffic. We have been living in harsh countries and the government here has helped us. It is good in how it treats foreigners.
“While some South Africans have caused trouble for expatriates, in general, people have been accepting. This makes South Africa an African country. But sometimes foreigners make problems for themselves, when they steal. This creates problems for everyone and gives their community a bad name.
“People here need to stop killing each other. The fear and violence is not healthy. The youth are also a serious problem. They do not work hard. In Zimbabwe, they are committed to working. But here they are lazy. All they want to do is spend their days drinking [he laughs] — and when they have no money they commit a crime. It’s very bad for the future. Only if they can get jobs will the problem be solved.
“I left home because you can’t stay at home while you are hungry. I have managed to put all my children through school from what I get at the traffic lights. Last year my last daughter got her A-levels. She is an exceptionally hard worker and wants to go to university but she cannot find the funds. If she can get a degree, I want her to work in Zimbabwe because that is our home.”
Katrin Starzmann (32)
From Germany — nine years in South Africa. Runs an immigration consultancy
“I live in Cape Town, which is very westernised in terms of the city itself and the people living in it. But in terms of how the government and official bodies operate, I think it’s still ‘Africanised’. I think people in places like Johannesburg are very different from Cape Town.
“I find that in Cape Town there is a very small black middle class while in Johannesburg there is a very broad middle class. Cape Town is still very divided [with] white people in higher positions and black people working in lower positions and [it] has no middle class in that sense. So … I think it’s still a Third World country, divided between poor and rich, and the infrastructure and support delivered to poorer people is very Third World.
“I’m from Germany and, if I compare the people here with the people there, I’d say the people there [in Germany] are very unhappy and moaning a lot, and blaming a lot on the government. They are generally unhappier than the people here. South Africans are generally happier, more outspoken, smile more, laugh a bit more, are happy with what they have and don’t always blame others for the position they’re in.
“I’m hoping that the education system will be changed and that people living in townships get the right support in their daily lives in terms of security and education, because that’s the future of South Africa.
“I’m very happy here and I like the diversity of the country. I like living here — I like the way of life and I like the outdoors here. I also like the people and I find them very inspiring.”
David Kibuuka (32)
From Uganda — 20 years in South Africa. Comedian
“If the definition of an African country is one that slides into chaos, then South Africa has the potential. The problem is that we’re letting standards slide slowly. Where one generation sticks to 100% of the rules, the next lets the standards slip. Then 95% is the new 100. This is the way to spiral down.
“Right now there are positive signs, like getting rid of Julius Malema — he has no respect for anything. Then again, firebrands keep people on their toes, so we need them. Only in three or four years will we know if South Africa is African.
“South Africans always think the grass is greener somewhere else. It’s such a wonderful place but if you check a map it’s so isolated. Everything is across an ocean and to the north is deepest, darkest Africa. It’s too expensive and too far to see anything except our backyard. We don’t have a context because we do not travel. We’re stuck here.
“This has created a nation of people who always look at the glass as half empty. It’s only half full when there are sports tournaments going on, and only when we win. South Africans are good at making themselves depressed.
“To change things I would make governance less party-politics based. We really need to depoliticise our service delivery, all our positions tend to be political appointments and everything tends to be political. You can’t even order a mild Nando’s chicken without people making race accusations. South Africans need to move forward.
“I came from deepest, darkest Africa. This is the land of opportunity; anything can happen — if you can stay alive.”
Pauline Lau (57)
From China — 26 years in South Africa. Housewife, also does dressmaking and designing
“I think South Africa is in between Africa and Europe because it’s very multicultural. You get all kinds of cultures here, and each one has their own societies, celebrates their own festivals, has their own kind of foods, has their own fairs. It’s a very colourful country.
“It’s quite advanced compared to some countries, but it can’t compare to countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, which are really advanced. But I think, generally, if you say you want to be too advanced, you have to pay a price for that.
“People who have money are happy. Others, I think are not doing so well because of different circumstances, not living it up like the others who have nice cars and houses. I think these people are not happy.
“I think the government needs to pull up its socks — South Africa also belongs to Brics [an international political organisation of leading emerging economies made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa] now, so they must learn from other Brics countries how to go forward, how they generate so much money for their countries.
“Lots of people need help because of the past but we must first have money then we can help them. The government must also put the right people in the right jobs, because people are in jobs in which they don’t know how to generate more financial value for the country.
“Also people must learn how to improve themselves. Sometimes because of the past they say they need somebody to help them. But sometimes we can’t depend on that; we have to help ourselves first. To help yourself is to educate yourself and to learn what’s right.
“So far I’m happy here because I have my family here. If I was single, maybe I’d like to live somewhere else but because my family is here I’m happy here. Also, I must say this is a beautiful country — the air, the skies, the scenery and the people are generally very friendly here — I think that’s nice about this country.”
Francis B Nyamnjoh (50)
From Cameroon – six years in South Africa. Professor of anthropology at the University of Cape Town
“I think South Africa is an African country that is not simple and straightforward in terms of indicators of African-ness. It is a country that has a long history of encounters with the West and East and those encounters are reflected in its configuration. With its rainbow character, it diminishes South Africa to want to deny the various influences in its life. It’s an African country, one that is informed by traditions and experiences from around the world.
“I think South Africans aspire to be happy but whether they arrive at that is difficult to establish because clearly you find a lot of mitigating factors. Happiness is not going to be easy to come by if there are lots of social factors and demands on you as an individual, like the need to feel comfortable politically.
“There is an acute and urgent need to make South Africa a much more egalitarian society in terms of material comforts. There is bleeding poverty in this country and I always joke that at least in Cameroon the state can afford to ignore you with impunity. But in South Africa they cannot — the simple reason is because the majority of people in Cameroon still have access to land to till for urban gardens and for subsistence farming in rural areas, and the fact that you have that and can still depend on networks like family members who work in cities is a major factor in making Cameroonians less dependent on the state.
“In South Africa you cannot ignore the state. The state has an urgent mission to deliver because people don’t have the land to scratch for a living.
“I am happy with my decision to come here. I believe that South Africa is a part of Africa that needs expertise from different parts of the continent.
“I left the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa about six years ago and could have gone anywhere in the world, but I decided to come here because I believe we all have to make a contribution towards the challenges which face South Africa and Africa collectively.”
Interviews by Fatima AsmalMotala, Sipho Kings McDermott & Kwanele Sosibo