Who am I?Lee Bryan, Atlanta,

Georgia, USA Why am I here?

Rex and Rosemary What am I going to talk about?

America as I know it. Mostly the American South!

AlabamaNew Orleans, Louisiana

Places I have lived: Wichita, KansasChicago, IllinoisAtlanta, Georgia

ALABAMA• Sweet Home, Alabama!• Montgomery, Capital of the Confederacy• Dixieland! Land of Cotton. Old times

there are not forgotten.• Cotton, Peanuts, Soy Beans• George Wallace, Rednecks, and the KKK• The Civil Rights Movement

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA

• Mardi Gras!• The French Quarter! French Creole

influence.• Cajun people, Cajun food… filé

gumbo, jambalaya, Éttoufé, red beans and rice

•A city below sea level at the mouth of the mighty Mississippi River

WICHITA, KANSAS•The Wizard of Oz“Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

•Smallville (Superman)

•Heart of the Midwest, Geographical center of the Country

•Flat, wheat fields as far as the eye can see…

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS• On the shores of

Lake Michigan• “The Windy City”• Snow and Cold• America’s 4th largest city• Big, Midwestern City with 80% of the benefits of NYC, but only 20% of

the problems!• Oprah!

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

• Population: over 4 million • “Gone with the Wind” • CNN Headquarters• Coca-Cola Headquarters• Delta Airlines• The 1996 Summer Olympic Games• Martin Luther King, Jr., President

Jimmy Carter

THE SOUTH

•How our political history is similar to what’s going on in

South Africa today.•Things that make us unique.

Our history of racial struggles

• The Civil War (The War of Northern Aggression), 1861-1865

• Reconstruction• Governor George Wallace on the steps of the

University of Alabama, barring the first black student.

• “Segregation now, segregation forever.”• Church bombings, Hoses for riot control in

Birmingham.• The Civil Rights Act, 1965• Affirmative Action

Things that make the South unique

• Food: Grits, boiled peanuts, Barbeque • Drinks: Sweet Ice Tea, A Mint Julep,

Jack Daniels, Southern Comfort• Sports: Football, NASCAR racing,

deer hunting, fishing, beaches• Hot weather, Magnolia trees, Azalea

bushes, Dogwood trees, Kudzu, Palmetto trees

Football!!!“It’s not a matter of life and death… it’s much more important than that.”

As many as 10,000 people gather 2 hours before a game to witness the team’s arrival at the stadium

Marching bands and Cheerleaders get the crowd going…

87,000 people going crazy…

Even little old ladies are passionate about their football…

Hurricanes…The price you pay for living in paradise.

September 16, 2004, 3am local time.

Hurricane Ivan.The view from space.

The Day After

In Conclusion…

Contrast between life back home and life in

South Africa

• Similarities: A lot of similarities! You’re not Third World

• Differences:Everyone’s obsession with crime (for good reason)The working classes and ‘being waited on’ (cheap labor)

Thank you South Africa!