Day Two: Ahhh This is a Global Conference!!!!!

Elena Capaldi `14.  So having finally found my bearings today on the second day of the conference, like Esther posted, I now have noticed the nuances of attanding an international conference. While yesterday, i was simply overwhelmed hearing English accents in the same minute as a participant speaking Zulu, I now appreciate (and am less overwhelmed) by the diverse number of people here!

This afternoon, for example, I caught a break outside sitting on a beautiful lawn and munching on a spicy vegetable sandwich. For some reason, it finally clicked in my brain that I am eating something totally new, from people totally different from me, in a land I’ve never been. The simple act of eating this meal reminded me of all the different foods I’ve seen and heard about in South Africa. The advertisements for the local dish Bunny Chow (a rice and meat stew dish), Pap and Wor (similar to mashed potatoes and sausage), and Wine Gums (chewy candies that tast like varieties of wine), connect the participants from all countries to their experiences at the conference. This can be seen around noon in the patio outside the convention center, when one can walk around and witness tables of various delegates munching on both traditional and “western” foods. In this way, one can pick out the Europeans, the Africans, and other ethnicities by what they are eating.

When we attended the cocktail reception last night at Durban’s beautiful City Hall, this was emphasized even more. Once again delegates could be seen sipping on South African brand drinks and bowls of curried stews. Delegates, while networking and discussing the negotiations of the day, were clearly enjoying the local offerings and hospitalities at the reception, as traditional dancing and signing by groups occured both in the City Hall and outside on the streets to welcome the participants.

This cultural aspect of the negotiations, while fun and interesting, causes one to question to some degree the intentions of the conference. At the cocktail reception, for instance, the delegates, YOUNGOS, RINGOS, NGOs and other participants were clearly interested in schmoozing. Perhaps this was a way to let off steam after a prolonged day of discussing the agenda for the COP in the plenary, but one can not help but notice that South Africa’s culture was more on display than the issue that this whole conference is about—CLIMATE CHANGE. While the host cities’ hospitality is put on display at every COP, not just in durban,  this fact left me scratching my head.

 Is this a sign that continued “cultural” events will take presidence over the negotiations? Will excessive networking between groups cause increased global effort towards addressing climate change or turn this conference into a real world “Twitter” page only??? As the negotiations progress (or stall) this emphasis on showcasing “best of south Africa” should be analyzed as well.