The Pickup

Picking up Cornell

As a partial answer to the most asked question of the summer, we are reading this particular book because so many of the concerns described in it continue to resonate in our daily news headlines. Globalization, immigration, and economic and social inequality are not merely topical issues; they are among the world’s largest unresolved problems.

Cornell is striving to be a part of their solutions.

Last month President Skorton testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology about Cornell’s efforts to increase its global presence.  He told them: “any cooperation across borders can play an important role in promoting cross-cultural understanding, and that real and substantial benefits accrue to the U.S. and to the process of innovation -- the driver of our global economic competitiveness."

Cornell has a long history of "internationalization."  Thousands of international students study in Ithaca every year. Review the International Students & Scholars Office Annual Statistical Reports to see where they come from, and look at Cornell Abroad to see where Cornell students are studying around the world. There is also The Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies with its descriptions of numerous interdisciplinary programs, projects, institutes and initiatives. To get a sense of just how much is happening; check out the Cornell International Institute for Food, Agriculture and Development’s list of Related International Resources at Cornell.

Cornell is a transnational university. Cornell is committed to cross-cultural understanding, social engagement, and diversity. Ezra Cornell’s famous words are not just the university’s motto. They are a call to action. He did found an institution where any student could find instruction in any subject. Or read a book on any subject--and this year, this book.

You’ve read it. You're thinking about it. Now do something with that knowledge.

Film of The Pickup, coming 2009?

Another posting from Ariela Rutkin-Becker:

A portion of you probably just got excited, thinking that you could get
away with watching the movie instead of reading the NSRP book- until you saw the expected release date, when you will, most likely, be a junior. A bit too late to start the New Student Reading Project.

A portion of you probably called my bluff immediately.  After all,
Gordimer’s writing style in and of itself is enough to make converting The Pickup into a screenplay, into a Herculean feat. And would the plot work to create a full-length film? I’m not sure.

But- they seem to turn everything into movies these days. Hypothetically, if The Pickup were to become a movie, who could we see playing Julie? Ibrahim? What would their theme songs be- different for each one?

I imagine The Table at the EL-AY cafe having its own theme song, an avant garde creation penned by “the poet laureate.” And I bet that, due to Gordimer’s anti-apartheid activism in her country, she would be sure to suggest native, socially-conscious groups such as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and the solo singer/poet Abdullah Ibrahim-  coincidentally enough, a combination of Abdu’s two names in the novel.

If this music provides you with your very own theme music as you journey through Gordimer’s world, then be sure to check out the ever-popular Dave Matthews Band and Paul Simon- both of whom have been influenced by (or, in the former’s case, is a native of) South Africa.

Product Placement

When Abdu discusses his country with the members of The Table, he states, "Where I  come from--no capitalist economy, no socialist economy.  Nothing...Feudal." (p. 22)  He tells Julie, "Nothing much to see...It's very dry--dust, dusty. Sand."

But when Julie and Ibrahim arrive in his country, the first things that she sees from the window of their taxi are "decaying...industrial buildings, vehicle repair shops and tarpaulined nooks under Coca-Cola signs" and the "cubist shapes of buildings pierced by the index fingers of minarets." (p. 110)

Later when they return to this city, they pass by a McDonald's and alley-way bazaars where one could purchase "Nike boots, cellphones, TV consoles, hi-fi and video equipment." (p. 203)

Globalization has brought about an interesting mixture of cultures and attitudes. All the world is one big market for our things. It seems strange that Julie sees a Coke advertisement before she even sees a mosque. And what do suppose is on the menu at that Arabian McDonald's?

Soundtrack for The Pickup

When Abdu first visits Julie’s place he looks through her pile of CDs and discovers a common interest.

“They found they did share something: an enthusiasm for Salif Keita, Youssou N’Dour and Rhythm & Blues, and listened to her recordings on her system, of which he highly approved.  You like to drive a second-hand car but you have first-class equipment for music.” (p.20)

A few pages later their “pub-crawls’ and club hopping included bars “with ikon posters  BOB MARLEY LIVES   HUGH MASEKELA   BRENDA FASSIE IS BACK  stuck to the walls.”

Popping these names into ITunes and YouTube allows us to create our own Pickup soundtracks.  Listen to Youssou N'Dour's song "Immigres" or his duet with Neneh Cherry, "7 Seconds."  (There is also his live duet with Peter Gabriel singing, "Biko," a song about the famous anti-apartheid activist.)

And check out the two versions of the Salif Keita's "Madan." There's the made in Mali version, and then there this "naughty" version that you probably did not see on MTV or anywhere else:

It's The Pickup as a music video.  Sort of.

For those of you interested in finding out more, you can visit the Music of South Africa and the detailed South African Music web sites.  And here at Cornell we have both a Music Library and an Africana Library to explore.

Lingua Franca

While we are discussing language and syntax, let me share my thoughts on the short, choppy sentences we are having so much trouble reading.  I think that they are written in English, but it is English as a foreign language.  They seem to be the words and constructions of a non-native speaker.  This is literally true when Abdu talks, but in general we are made to feel uncomfortable with our own language.  It is both familiar and foreign to us all at the same time, it is not quite what we expect to read or hear.

Language is part of our identity.  We are what we speak.  And what we can understand.

Let's put this in context.  Gordimer, a South African, is writing in English, but English is one of eleven official languages used in the country: Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga.

At The Languages of South Africa web site we learn that: 

"English is generally understood across the country, being the language of business, politics and the media, and the country's lingua franca. But it only ranks joint fifth out of 11 as a home language...As a home language, English is spoken by 10% of the population - one in three of which are not white. South Africa's Asian people, most of whom are Indian in origin, are largely English-speaking, although many also retain their languages of origin. There is also a significant group of Chinese South Africans, also largely English-speaking but who also retain their languages of origin as well."

On the very first page of the book we hear Julie being cursed in a language she does not fully understand. A friend offers a polite translation a few pages later.  And when she first walks into the garage she encounters a "white man speaking Afrikaans to the black man at the machine."

Think of the complexity of this multlingual and multicultural environment. Think of the difficulties in communication and understanding.  As a for instance, I leave you with the following set of instructions:  Inserting Tshivenda diacritic symbols into MS Word.