“Poverty is not the real problem of the modern world. For we have the knowledge and the resources which would enable us to overcome poverty. The real problem- the thing which creates misery, wars and hatred among men- is the division of mankind into rich and poor. We can see this division at two levels. Within nation states there are a few individuals who have great wealth and whose wealth gives them great power; but the vast majority of the people suffer every degree of poverty and deprivation… And looking at the world as a collection of nation states, we see the same pattern repeated. There are a few wealthy nations which dominate the whole world economically, and therefore politically; and a mass of smaller and poor nations whose destiny, it appears, is to be dominated.” -Mwalimu Julius Nyerere (former president of Tanzania)
- Xolani Primary
We have found over the past few months that one of the only ways South Africa can overcome this economic domination is by somehow improving its extremely poor education system. The divide between township schools and white primary schools is vast and getting deeper each year. Teachers fail to show up for class and are extremely under-qualified, leading to incredibly low test scores and subsequently low university acceptance rates. A few weeks ago I showed up at Xolani Primary School ready to speak to the sixth graders about HIV but when we arrived the Principal asked us to ‘watch the first grade class’ instead. At the time I was actually really excited to spend the day with six year olds, but I soon realized how sad it was that their teacher just didn’t show up. The New York Times recently published an article about Cape Town’s education system: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/world/africa/20safrica.html?_r=1&hpw
- luckily taking photos keeps first graders very happy
One of the major benefits of the Marquette program is our access to prominent speakers such as Linda Biehl (Amy Biehl’s mother), Frank van der Velde (mayor of Cape Town from 91-93), Mary Burton (TRC Commissioner) and most recently, Molly Blank. Molly is an American who received a Fulbright Scholarship to come and film a documentary on South Africa’s education system in 2005. It is titled Testing Hope and follows four secondary school students from Nyanga through the process of studying for and completing the Matric exam (similar to the SAT). The film is incredibly informative and an accurate depiction of daily township life..check it out! (It should be in the Marquette library) While on the subject of documentaries, I just went the Cape Town Film Festival and saw Skin which is the true story of Sandra Laing’s struggle during Apartheid. She was born in the 1950s to white parents but classified as coloured due to her dark skin tone- It is playing at the Milwaukee Film Festival on Friday October 2nd and I would definitely recommend seeing it. (bring tissues)
- table mountain in the background
Ilitha Labantu recently sponsored a very successful Awareness Walk down NY1 which is the main road in Gugulethu. We wanted to have a day dedicated to the prevention of domestic violence and involve the community in an active outcry for the end to child abuse and gender discrimination. I had the opportunity to design flyers for the event as well as to write sponsor letters and press releases. We invited learners from each school in Gugulethu to participate in the march and recruited community members to join us as well. After a few kilometers of singing under the sun we ended up at the Sports Complex with music, face painting, and games for the students as well as speakers from Cape Town Child Welfare. Many kids here do not understand abuse and the right steps to take if neglected so Ilitha Labantu has been doing all in its power to promote community awareness and activism.
Needless to say we are still having an amazing time here in Cape Town! With only eight weeks left I am soaking up every moment and doing as much as I possibly can. Our Kimberly House family is absolutely wonderful and each day is a new adventure..tie-dye parties, endless kitchen dancing, and bar golf are just a few of the most recent bonding activities..
- braai in hermanus
- Ryan and James looking their finest
pat's a wonderful instructor, we almost won!
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