This morning we had a guest lecturer, a man named Steven. I wish that I had a picture of him, because he might be one of the most inspiring people I've ever met. Steven was born into a life of politics, apartheid, racism and oppression. His father was exiled from South Africa before Steven was even born due to his connections with the ANC (African National Congress- the political party trying to fight apartheid in South Africa) and some political demonstrations. As a result, Steven's entire childhood consisted of hiding, running, changing identities, and trying to fight injustice. He even told us that when he was growing up his house was bombed twice. Steven's life has been a whirlwind of amazing feats, both educational and political. I wish I even knew the right way to describe him and his views, and all that comes to mind is enlightening. He has such a clear view of where his country's been- the causes, struggles, and triumphs- as well as where they are now and where they need to go. For the sake of South Africa, I hope that Steven runs for a political office when, as he likes to say, he "grows up".
I found Steven's points/opinions on AIDS especially interesting. I feel like people from the US (myself included) just don't understand how HIV is spreading. We say to ourselves, "come on, how hard is it to use a condom?" or "why don't you just get tested?". We're so quick to judge, because we see our society as having AIDS somewhat under 'control'. Of course we don't sit and actually think that maybe South African culture isn't like our own. Maybe they do things differently. Well, they certainly do... and who are we to judge? Steven explained that condoms just weren't commonly used back when the AIDS pandemic broke out. People rejected the idea, they didn't think that you could connect with another person if there was a piece of plastic separating you. That's an easy idea for us to scoff at- but how many things in our lives do we do (or not do) to make a good experience even better? *I'll give you a hint- you probably don't NEED 350 cable channels or that extra brownie.* In addition, South Africa's president at the time, Thabo Mbeki, refused to deal with the AIDS crisis. He, with the help of his director of health, spread faulty information to their people. He said that HIV didn't cause AIDS, that it couldn't be spread sexually, and even that it was a hoax instead of a real disease. Since the government was doing nothing to help, old tribal remedies started to be used. It was often thought that having sex with a virgin could cure a person of AIDS. And I'm sure you can imagine how that turned out.
Through all of this, Steven maintains the idea that what's missing is education. He stresses it strongly- we need to educate younger generations, before their parents and others of older generations can "poison" them with misinformation. Link AIDS to its other awful effects, he says- remind people that it can lead to TB, pneumonia, and other diseases. Make AIDS a health issue, not a sexual (and therefore often taboo) issue. That's how things are going to change, he says. Steven really is an amazing person and I feel so lucky to have met him.
After Steven's lecture it was time to head to Robben Island. Honestly, I was not feeling great and Aaron could tell. I knew that he was hoping I'd skip the tour and head home to rest (a thought which I do appreciate), but I just couldn't do it. This trip literally means everything to me, and I just couldn't let myself miss an experience that I might never have again. So we made an unspoken compromise- I went to Robben Island with the group but now I'm in bed blogging instead of at the bar for Nate's birthday. I think it was the right decision.
Robben Island was interesting. We saw where Nelson Mandela was held, and where all of the prisoners lived.
It was another place that was just overflowing with history, and the air was just think with it. Even though my cough syrup-filled haze I could almost feel the presence of some of the continents more influential leaders. I honestly don't have a ton to say about the trip- it was cold, and I didn't feel well. But I certainly don't regret my choice to go. The island itself was really cool- there were more penguins there too :) They're funny little guys.
On another note, there's something that I just sort of need to ponder about. Aaron has always told us about how after coming back from South Africa and seeing all of the hungry people, he just can't throw away food; there is always someone who needs it. All of us have been trying to be conscious of that fact, and tonight when we got back from dinner Jesse noticed our leftover pizza from the night before in the fridge. He knew that we were never going to eat it, and on the way home we'd seen a homeless family setting up their "house" for the night outside of one of the shops. Jesse mentioned to me that he felt like we should bring it to them, and I agreed. So we bagged up the extra food and headed down the street. We got to the family, and Jesse offered them the bag of food. I don't know what we expected her reaction to be, but it wasn't quite how we had imagined. It seemed as though she was greatful- she reached out and shook both of our hands, and introduced us to her family. Then, however, she started speaking very quickly and through a thick accent (we couldn't really understand much) about us coming back tomorrow and bringing other stuff that she needed. We didn't really know what to do- so Jesse just kind of said "well we hope this food is helpful", and we walked off.
Well, as we were walking away another man ran up to us. Again, he introduced himself, (it must be a cultural thing- I feel like people are constantly telling me their names) and then quickly asked what we were doing with that woman, he sleeps on the other side of the building from her. I quickly told him that we had dropped off some food for everyone, and that I hoped it was helpful. The man was not at all pleased. He started yelling at us, "No! Why did you only bring one? She will not share!" This is just not what I had expected to happen. I was starting to get a little frightened, but luckily we were able to walk quickly and the man didn't follow us to the next street.
Again, I don't know what I expected to happen. I don't know if what we did was a good idea or not. It seemed like it at the time. When people see a need, they generally respond to it. That's my belief, possibly because deep down I really am an optimist. And when Jesse suggested bringing the food to that family, I thought it was the right thing to do. Maybe I thought that the woman would be thankful, and that would be it. Maybe I thought that we would walk away feeling good about ourselves (its selfish, but its true). Why was I so upset when the woman started telling me about her other needs? Wasn't us bringing her food our food enough? And what about the man that followed us, does he think that we just run around with enough food for everyone? The answer, of course, isn't simple. We live in a world where some people have, and some people do not. But what makes one group more "deserving" than the other? Of course that woman asked for more. How on earth can I expect her to be happy and completely satisfied with 2 half-eaten pizzas? She's living on the street, her children sleeping under a tarp. Of course that man was upset that I didn't have a pizza for him. What made that woman more deserving of avoiding starvation than him? He is in just as great of a need.
This is just the first of many situations like this that I'm going to be placed into. We always think that we're read, that we understand... but really, we have no idea. I'm almost certain that I am going to leave the township next week a new person. Let's just hope I'm a person who still believes that everything happens for a reason... or else how am I ever going to make sense out of all of this?
1 comment:
Elisa-
This is a concept that I have struggled with a lot with my experiences at OFYP and it is refreshing to read that someone else sees the other side of this matter as well. I can't wait to have these conversations with you when you get back!
KOK
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