When Baylor School junior Allen Pack found out who his host family would be in South Africa last year, he did what most students do: He turned to social media to find out what he could about Stephane Pienaar, the young man he'd be staying with.
He actually sent Stephane a friend request on Facebook before Stephane was officially informed whom he would be hosting.
Allen wanted to know all he could about Stephane - his likes and dislikes, hobbies, interests and all the other usual things one would expect. It never occurred to him to research Stephane's family history. If he had, he might have learned that Stephane's father is a national hero in South Africa. It was Allen's father, Chris, who made that discovery.
The story behind the movie title
The title of the film “Invictus” comes from the poem by the same name, written by English poet William Ernest Henley. Nelson Mandela used the poem as a source of inspiration during the darkest times of his 26 years in prison.Invictus Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul. In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds, and shall find, me un afraid. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.
Stephane's dad is Francois Pienaar, captain of the South African rugby team in 1995. It was Pienaar who South African President Nelson Mandela challenged to turn the team into a rallying point for the whole country. At the time, the predominately white team was a strong symbol of the racist apartheid system that had been in place prior to Mandela taking office.
South Africa was the host country for the rugby World Cup in 1995 and Mandela saw the games - and the rugby team - as a way to bring whites and blacks together. Pienaar, who is white, took up Mandela's challenge and helped turn the Springboks (a type of gazelle that is the team's mascot) into not only tournament champions but also a source of national pride and unity. It is a remarkable story that was retold in the 2009 film "Invictus" in which Matt Damon plays Pienaar and Morgan Freeman is Mandela; the film was directed by Clint Eastwood.
"I am quite proud of him, but he is just a dad to me," says 16-year-old Stephane. "We aren't very extravagant."
Thanks to his dad, Allen knew the "Invictus" story and the role Stephane's dad played in it before heading to South Africa, but he didn't want to bring it up. In fact, it wasn't until about four weeks into the stay that Stephane even mentioned it.
A few of his friends did say things like, 'Hey Allen, do you know who you are staying with?'" recalls the 17-year-old Allen.
He couldn't help notice, however, when people on the street would come up and thank Pienaar, who most people refer to as "Captain" out of respect, or ask for an autograph.
Allen, a boarding student at Baylor from Atlanta, spent a little more than two months living with Stephane and his family while attending Diocesan College, an all-boys school in Capetown, South Africa, that's better known as Bishops. As part of the exchange program between Bishops and Baylor, Stephane is currently at Baylor and living in a dorm with Allen. He'll be here until Dec. 2.
A tall, thin young man with a ready smile and a proper South African accent, Stephane is a sophomore at home but is taking junior-level classes at Baylor. He is also on Baylor's rowing team.
He attends classes dressed in his Bishops uniform, which consists of black slacks, a blue blazer, white shirt and a blue tie with "Bishops Rowing" on it. On the blazer's pocket is a patch with "OC," representing the Oarsman Colors.
Allen wore a similar uniform while at Bishops, though his lacked any of the badges marking any status because he hadn't earned any in his short time there.
Stephane says Bishops students distinguish themselves with the patches, which are earned, and their ties. He is required by Bishops to wear the uniform every day at Baylor and to all school events, just as he would back home, including sporting events.
"We are supposed to be ambassadors," Stephane says.
"Even their cheerleaders are guys, and they wear the school uniform at events," Allen says. "They are like lettermen, I guess, and they actually lead cheers."
"It's all very formal," Stephane admits.
After the rugby tournament win in 1995, Stephane's dad created a program called Make A Difference that identifies academically gifted students with leadership skills and helps them get an education so they can return to their communities and make changes. He also helped create a unified college sports system similar to the NCAA in this country.
Stephane, who grows quiet when the subject first comes up, finally says with a laugh that his family's history and story was used often - and with great effect - during his visit to Clemson University a couple of weeks ago. He visited the campus with Allen and the Pack family for a football game. Allen's uncle, Chuck Hodges, dropped the Pienaar name and story at every opportunity; it opened enough doors to land the group in a skybox at the football game and get the boys an introduction to Clemson President James Clement.
"My uncle made (Stephane) talk about it a lot," Allen says.
Allen half jokingly says he figures if he can't get into Clemson through normal channels, he might just use his new relationship with Clement to get him in.
"That was pretty great," Stephane says with a chuckle. "If the name works, use it, right?"
Bishops has a large exchange student program, bringing in almost three dozen students from around the world each year. As part of that, there are numerous group activities planned. One weekend, Allen says, they went on helicopter rides and on another they went on "a real African safari."
"It was a pretty awesome experience," he says.
Stephane says the two, who have become friends, have created a bucket list of things for him to see and do here, but many of them so far have involved visiting as many fast-food chains as possible.
They will visit Disney World and the Tennessee Aquarium in coming weeks, but Stephane believes he has already experienced his favorite thing about being here - football rivalry between Baylor and McCallie.
For the Baylor-McCallie football game, Stephane got so into the act, he painted his body Baylor red from head to toe and painted a big black "B" on his chest.
"Spirit Week was pretty great," he says. "If we can top that, I will be very happy."
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.
