South Africa loves MJ

Last night, I had just clicked "send" on my final brief for my legal writing class, and called a taxi so I could join my friends in the Melville section of Jo'Burg. After waiting 20 minutes in the blustery cold, my cabbie, a young Masters student at Wits, pulled up in front of my dorm. After a brief discussion about law and politics in the U.S. and South Africa, my cabbie's phone began lighting up with text messages and phone calls.

"No way. Don't tell me that! It isn't true," he said forcefully to the person on the other line. He hung up, looked at me, and cleared his throat. "Michael Jackson died."

WHAT????

He jammed his finger on all the radio buttons until he found a talk radio station. "CNN has not yet confirmed, but other news outlets have reported that Michael Jackson has died."

OMG. WHAT? Dead? As in -- DEAD?! I was speechless. My cabbie and I listened to the radio, silently, hearing all of the calls of condolences and MJ song dedications. We missed our turn. We didn't care. I didn't believe it. So I said to myself: "I won't believe it until CNN confirms it."

The driver and I parted ways, he looking solemn and I feeling a bit deflated, but still in denial. Michael Jackson didn't die -- he's the freaking King of Pop! So I went into the bar where I met up with my friends, who were already drinking and having a great time. And I didn't know whether to say anything about it, so I didn't for a while.

Until a good friend of mine from the States texted me: "Michael Jackson died of a heart attack." Say what? Heart attack? Damn. And then -- another text: "Michael Jackson is dead. :(" That was from my professor, our program coordinator. So, I looked to the South African-born, Mississippi-raised friend of mine and whispered: "Not to be a downer, or anything, but Michael Jackson died tonight."

And as word spread, both through my group of friends and throughout the clubs in Melville, the voices became a little lower; everyone began to talk a little slower and the hush of sobriety seemed to blanket my adopted home. It wasn't silent or even quiet, mind you, but there was a heaviness that lay upon all our shoulders, and likely on our hearts. But life goes on, and we all continued our celebrations: of life, of love, of an old chapter's end and a new chapter's beginning, of friendship and camraderie among people from all walks of life. And it seemed a fitting tribute to a man whose music and performances seemed to celebrate those very things.

But the point that the events of last night really drove home is that, all our superficial differences aside, we are all mortal, and we all share in our common humanity. That's a theme Michael Jackson often highlighted in his work, and we are all better for the message that his music conveyed. I hope that he will be remembered for the gift he was to world, rather than for the poor choices he made as a man. Because we are all human, and none of us is immune from the trials and tribulations of life. I think we recognized that last night -- in South Africa, in America -- worldwide. For all the things people may say that Michael Jackson was, I think that after the response to his death, we can all agree that he was indeed one thing: a uniter.

When I arrived back at my dormitory (around 5am), I passed my security guard, who was listening to the radio news coverage of Michael Jackson's death and shaking her head. "He had so so many problems and so so much heartache. That must have been what caused his heart to give out. Your heart can only take but so much." I reflected on her words as I lay in bed. And I fell asleep thinking: "May he finally rest in peace."

**South Africa/Michael Jackson factoid: Michael Jackson's last live performance on tour was in 1999 in Durban. South Africans have been proudly touting this fact all day, as well as the speculation that he had been watching the South African soccer team play Brazil before he died. South Africa loves them some MJ. So do I.**