Wake up

I am heading into the home stretch, so to speak, of my time here in South Africa but the lessons just keep on coming. The next 3 weeks are so packed full that my head is already spinning. Talk about ending on a high note.

Before I get deep into my latest learning experience, I want to clarify some things. When I would tell people that I was spending the summer in Cape Town, there were a select few who sort of chuckle and say, “Oh, so not the real Africa, huh?” Many a pompous, uninformed person – despite high levels of education – incorrectly classified this country as something of a “fake” experience of Africa. (For all of you who are faithfully reading this blog, you know this wasn’t any one of you, but nevertheless, I wanted to share this. Now that you are informed as well as what life is really like here in SA, as least from my perspective and experience, you can shake your head at these naïve statements like I do.) I never quite knew what these comments meant, but I can assume they meant that SA, filled with its paved roads, electricity, internet access, and democratic ideals didn’t quite fit in with most of the African continent. In other words, it was a “soft” experience of what Africa is truly like. Many call it “Baby Africa.”

Ha. Wake up.

While this country has no doubt made remarkable progress in the world of democracy, and does in fact have many modern comforts that are still absent in many African nations, it is very much real Africa (whatever that means). Here’s my take: all of America is not the same – rural West Virginia does not exactly look like the bustling metropolis of lower Manhattan but they’re both very much America, right? In fact, the contrast of the two is exactly what defines America. In my humble opinion – unfortunately not yet having been to other parts of Africa (cursed poor graduate student, gah) – the African continent is also diverse in the same way that different parts of the US are. Egypt and Benin are both African but are very different in many aspects. Madagascar and Morocco are also both African. Chad and South Africa. You get the idea. If everyone thinks of Africa as looking like the “development pornography” (as per my boss’s wife’s perfectly cynical description) that we see plastered across many forms of American media, then they are sorely ignorant. Wake up. Africa is chaos. It’s a world of juxtapositions, with people who have no running water or electricity but have cell phones that allow them to call someone hundreds of miles away. Governments operate each and every day, passing legislation but never even reaching their far away constituents. Million dollar houses sit in Camps Bay, perched on the edge of the world while millions of people are crammed into shacks that are shabbier than most backyard tool sheds in America in the townships of South Africa.

Before you accuse me of spouting off liberal anger, I must clarify that I’m not bitter, nor truly angry at those who are so unaware. I recognize that it is not entirely an individual’s fault of his or her misinterpretation of this country (and others in Africa, for that matter). However, I merely want to point out that these misinterpretations exist, and that is precisely why so many injustices continue, even in a place as modern as South Africa. This is not meant to be cynical and cold, but I want to be sure to provide you readers, as I have so fortunately discovered myself, that even in what we assume to be one of the most progressive states, corruption, injustice, and conflict is still very real. Just because I have internet and a grocery store doesn’t mean life is perfect.

You’re probably wondering where this all is coming from. Call it the natural end-of-experience reflection. Maybe it’s from my bittersweet feelings of my impending departure. Maybe it’s my desire to accurately describe – at least through my eyes and my humble opinion – of what life here is like, or at least what I’ve seen. Nevertheless, this is all coming from my interaction with the kindest, most genuine people I’ve ever met. Life in South Africa is very real, and that is apparent by the number of people and organizations that exist trying to make this a better place.

Yesterday, my colleague Richard and I attended the monthly meeting of the Western Cape Network for Community Peace and Development. This network consists of about 30 member organizations – all local or regional – that work in the fields of peace promotion, justice, and youth. Many organizations work to create positive alternatives to violence for kids, particularly in the form of fostering community dialogue and awareness through sport and theater. Other organizations deal with trauma issues and health issues (especially HIV/AIDS). It was one of the most inspiring experiences I’ve ever had. Before we went to the meeting, Richard told me that many of the other members were very excited to meet me, as many of them had seen my resume (possibly during my internship search, it had been passed around by people I had contacted) and had been eager to have me work for them. I was beyond flattered that these incredible practitioners wanted to work with me. The meeting was held at the German Consulate downtown. The Consulate, particularly their cultural division, is very engaged in the non-profit community of Cape Town (there is a large population of Germans living here) and I found their representative to be friendly and engaging. The office was on the 19^th floor of a building, filled with modern furniture and tight security (they took our fingerprints before entering, and assured this rights-conscious American that it would be wiped from their system in 24 hours, as it was merely a security measure). There were about 20 people in attendance, and I found everyone to be welcoming and motivated. A number of new organizations were in the process of applying to be members and made presentations to the group. The applicants were very diverse, from a youth group that focused on nonviolence to a theater group that performed playback theater in order to promote storytelling and community dialogue, to an organization focused on HIV/AIDS education and foster parent assistance. After the presentations, the member organizations voted as to whether or not they wanted to accept the applicants (all were in favor). The meeting continued with discussions about current initiatives, new projects that the network wanted to work on, and general conversation about the state of life in South Africa. One of the discussions focused on the issue of foreigners coming in for research and internship purposes, and developing a set of guidelines or a sort of orientation program so as to make sure that cultural awareness occurred AND good practices were in place. Many organizations, while open to having foreigners come work for them, have had problems in the past of people not behaving appropriately when engaging with the local community. For example, there have been instances where researchers came in and interviewed ex-combatants, and then left to publish research findings without getting consent or properly crediting those who had helped them! A horrible practice, I was appalled that people who had been in my shoes had behaved in such a way. In coming here, my goal was not only to learn about working at NGO and on the ground, but also to offer my own skills and knowledge to help people as much as I could. It’s so sad to think that others have a completely different agenda. A woman, originally born in England but has been living and working in Cape Town for five years, talked about the difficulty of entering this country, both from a cultural perspective as well as a professional perspective. The issue of gaining trust and legitimacy is huge, as there is a very fine line between helping organizations and imposing outside practices. We talked a lot about how to educate visitors as to both bring their expertise to work as well as how to appropriately take away important lessons and skills from this environment. As someone who has been through this experience, I offered to help in any way I could in spite of the fact that I’ll be leaving the country in a few weeks. They were all excited and glad that I offered to participate, and assured me that they would love to have my help, even though it would be mostly through email. The meeting in general was a wonderful experience and I met many incredible people who I hope to keep up with. As a number of current collaborations are in the works, next week Richard and I will visit the offices of 2 different organizations to exchange some materials. Both are located in 2 different townships and I’m eager to see how these grassroots organizations, literally embedded in the community, operate.

After the meeting, Richard offered to take me to his favorite fish and chips place in all of Cape Town. (By the way, Fridays in the professional world in Cape Town – especially the NGO community – are very low key days, usually with people leaving the office early. Taking advantage of this cultural norm of sorts, we decided to follow tradition and head out for lunch, anticipating returning to work after to only check email and phones and then head home for the weekend.) The fish and chips place is a dumpy looking shack of sorts, out near some warehouses and shipping area in Hout Bay, a gorgeous enclave on the Western side of the peninsula. At the restaurant, you sit outside on picnic tables with 360 degree views of mountains and ocean. It was incredible. And Richard was right – it was the best fish and chips I’ve ever had. Doused with plenty of vinegar and salt, and costing a mere R34 (about $4), it was absolutely delicious. But besides the food, the company was even better. Richard shared with me much about his childhood and what life was like in South Africa during apartheid. As a liberal white South African, he had an absolutely incredible insight: he was in the South African police force for about 20 years! I was completely unaware of this until yesterday and was fascinated that my fellow peace freak had been an employee of the apartheid government. He was posted for most of his service at the airport, before private security companies were in charge, as well as the head of the crimes unit at Camps Bay, the wealthy seaside community. He grew up all over South Africa, and has been in Cape Town for quite a while now. He shared many stories with me of the exciting and volatile time during the 1980s-1990s as the apartheid regime came to an end. He described the isolation that he and only one other fellow policeman felt during that time, as they were quite vocal about the injustices perpetrated by the government. I’m amazed that he was never forced out of his post. I guess the government decided they had bigger fish to fry. He is very wise and insightful, and listened to my many (sometimes naïve) questions. We discussed mostly how South Africa is not as perfect as many think. Looking around, you’d have to be blind not to see the blatant racial divides that still exist in many communities, though the outright racism has certainly disappeared (or is well hidden). The gap between the wealthy (mostly white) and the poor (mostly black) communities here is staggering. Despite the new government and constitution and all the progress this country has undeniably made, corruption, injustice, and poverty are still very much a problem. While I admire those who have worked so hard to make South Africa the progressive place it is today, I am struck by how hard life still is for so many.

So now you see where my whole rant came from. South Africa is indeed a wonderful place of progress and democracy. But it is by no means perfect. And it is in fact, as real as Africa can ever get.