Mama Dee's Blog

Bra Hugh Masekela passed away today at a tender age of 78. As a South African who is now an American, I had an honor of meeting Bra Hugh here in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He was touring the United States when we asked to meet him after his show. He was gracious enough to meet with us.  Thank you Bra Hugh for memories that will last a life time. I made this short tribute to Bra Hugh. I hope you enjoy it. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel and make sure to get notifications by clicking the bell next to subscribe button.  Thank you!

I've been living in the United States for eighteen years and I worry about a day I will have to pack my bags and leave for good. I moved to the United States with my husband who had gotten a job as a software engineer. We had planned to remain in the United States for two years and eighteen years later we are still here. I asked myself, what is it about the United States that has caused me to remain here for so long. In this video, I list all the things that I love about the United States that make me think twice about leaving. America is not a perfect country by any stretch of the imagination, in many ways, she is being left behind but there are things that make America a great country still and it is always good to remember them in the midst of the troubles surrounding this country. I hope you enjoy the video, please feel free to subscribe to my youtube channel for more interesting things about USA and South Africa.

Hi All. If you follow my youtube channel you would know that I was born and raised in South Africa and very proud of it; and now live in the USA and very proud of it. But growing up wasn't always fun because I was born with a very light skin to a black family in a sea of brown and black people. Fortunately I was not the only very light skin in my family or my neighborhood but we were still a minority. You see, a lot of South Africans have beige/brown or what you would call a coffee color naturally. This is because South Africa isn't  as hot as many equatorial countries. Even so there is a great number of dark skin South Africans. So being "too" light skin puts you in an awkward position and you will see why. Race Relations In South Africa What complicates things even further is that South Africa, if you know her history, has a lot of white people and mixed people therefore the default view is that if you are lighter than most black South Africans you must be mi...

A while back I created a video on ways one can move to America. I also shared a lot of links on the video description to help you access information on how you can move to America. With green card lottery opened, everyone, regardless of race, income or gender, has an opportunity to apply for free for a chance to win a United States green card. A green card allows one to work legally in the United States and work towards citizenship if they so choose. It means you become a permanent resident of the United States. For my family this was a five year process which was very costly to my husband's company. It does not have to be costly for you and your family. Once you get it, if you are lucky, then you can sponsor your family to move to the United States, again, no obligation, just an option. I'm sharing this information to empower everything with information about the green card lottery system. It is up to a person to take advantage of the available lottery through state....

I don't go to church but I love the saying: the devil is a liar. Basically it means, one will not be deterred in pursuing their passions regardless of what others around them do; at least that is my interpretation. The devil, a.k.a. haters, gets a bad reputation but we need the devil to push forward. So, thank the devil for the success you are hopefully enjoying! I know the irony of my above statements, but think about it: would you be as determined if you did not have obstacles in your life? Maybe, maybe not! Our character shows when we are faced with adversity and not when everything is going smoothly in our lives. But without those tests (obstacles) you would never develop resistance, tenacity and the strength you need to see yourself through. So, despite our hate of the devil, it is a necessary ingredient to our success, at least most of us. Let me illustrate with an example. Can you build muscles without resistance training? I guess if you use steroids I don't know b...

We saw so many snakes the other day when we were hiking at Eno River, North Carolina. Growing up in Cape Town, South Africa I never saw many snakes, I can't even remember seeing one in Cape Town. North Carolina, on the other hand, has a lot of snakes compared to Cape Town. Here is a disclamer: I can't stand snakes, the fact that you'll never hear them coming is what scares me the most about them. Seeing these snakes reminded me of my childhood and I thought I should share my recollections growing up in South Africa. In the Eastern Cape, a largely rural part of South Africa, where I lived until the age of six I saw two snakes. I saw a black one, similar to the one in the linked video and one similar to a copperhead which is also in the linked video. I was walking with my Grandma from my Mom's house in the village when a snake crossed our foot path. My Grandma, without hesitation, beat it with her walking stick and cut it into pieces and we continued with our walk...

This blog is for those who will be visiting South Africa with minors. Beware! South Africa has very strict laws for minors traveling into South Africa without both parents. A minor is anyone 17 and under. I experienced this first hand in my last trip to South Africa where we traveled ahead of our daughter who is an adult and our son who is a minor. My daughter was traveling with my son to South Africa via Paris. They boarded the plane in the USA and arrived in Paris. When they were checking in  for their flight to Cape Town, they were told they could not fly into South Africa without written permission from both parents and a birth certificate. Mind, I'm South African- American (dual citizen) and my kids are too and we are already in South Africa. It took a miracle to let my son in. I documented the experience in my  vlog . So, if your minor child is traveling into AND out of South Africa with or without both parents, you need the following An  affidavit  ...