Hello Cape Town, Goodbye CGE

Week 16

Dan and Emma

Our week in Cape Town has been filled with activities, so much so that we barely have time to think about how our time together is drawing to an end. The schedule has included trips to sites like Robben Island, where prisoners such as Jacob Zuma, Walter Sisulu, and Nelson Mandela were held during the apartheid regime, as well as visits with speakers such as Rev. Xola Skosana at the Way of Life Church, ANC freedom fighter and activist Tim Jenkin, and Pastor Alan Storey at the Central Methodist Mission. However, one day that really stood out to us and brought together many of the themes that our group has been exploring since Johannesburg, was Tuesday, which included the “slave route tour” and the visit to the Slave Lodge and the District 6 Museum.

At the Slave Lodge Museum of slavery, our guide and heritage activist Lucy helped us to explore how Cape Town engages with its history. The lodge itself was built in 1679 as a holding space for slaves that were being shipped from locations such as Madagascar and India. In Lucy’s opinion, the history of slavery in Cape Town has not been dealt with appropriately. For example, the spot where slaves used to be auctioned is marked by a faded plaque that is barely noticeable, and the upper floor of the museum inexplicably filled with cutlery and china, pretty antiques that have nothing to do with the slavery narrative. Meanwhile, Afrikaner monuments dot the city as large solid men striking victorious poses. This is what people see as they walk through the streets. Interestingly, in Windhoek, we noticed a similar tension. German and Afrikaner monuments are spread throughout the city, and even the street names retain their German titles. Slowly, the government is making changes, but then, there is a balance that must be struck: Is it more important to improve conditions in hospitals or to build a multi-million dollar museum to commemorate the apartheid era? Looking further back, during our time in Johannesburg, we experienced the contrast between Freedom Park and the Voortrekker Monument. These costly and competing memorials are another example of the issue of reconciling history. As students we are not sure we can provide answers as to the best way to remember the complex histories of countries like South Africa and Namibia, but this does not mean that the task is impossible. The District Six museum stands as an example of how community members can use their history to empower themselves in the present.

District Six was named the Sixth Municipal District of Cape Town in 1867, and although it was originally a mixed community of freed slaves, immigrants, and tradesmen, by the beginning of the twentieth century the process of forced removal had begun. In 1982, 60, 000 people were forced to move to desolate areas called the Cape Flats, and their houses in District Six were razed by bulldozers. Although the real-estate is desirable, the group “Hands off District 6” managed to put enough pressure on the government and contractors so that the land would remain barren. Today, the message has changed to that of “Hands On District 6.” Former community members have been leading the successful charge to have housing rebuilt for former residents if they so choose to come back.

The District Six Museum was established in December of 1994 with the intention of shedding light on the traumatic forced removals. Yet, in many ways, the museum functions as much as a memorial as an informational center. The space, once a church, prominently features testimonials of residents as well as a portion of a giant cloth on which thousands of memories are scrawled. When one walks in the door a large pole with street signs fixated to it is the first thing in sight, forcing visitors to understand the fact that these places, which once existed, no longer do. Activists like Lucy would probably like to see other aspects of South African history reclaimed in a similar way, in a way that gives strength to people who were once oppressed. Reconciliation is a process that is far from complete, but if government and community members can work to remember history in such a productive way, an important step will be made. Of course, this idea is not only applicable in the Southern African context, and while we students are sad to be ending this experience, we are also looking forward to applying our experiences to improve our respective homes.

Week 15

Week 15

Jodie and Laura

Last week marked our last week in Windhoek. We were able to celebrate and reflect on what we have learned and the different experience we have had during the presentation of our integrative projects. Our integrative projects were twenty-minute presentations given by us students in both individuals and groups and presented in a creative format of our choosing. We decided to write a little bit about what each of us did so that you can get an idea as to what some of the projects were.

Laura: My creative project was an audiocast that discussed white privilege. White privilege can be interpreted in a number of ways. But here is my understanding of it: Life is like a big bookshelf. The rights and civil liberties of my white forefathers have given me the ability to reach the top shelf. Sometimes its still a reach but I have a step stool that often times I don’t realize I’m standing on. While certain objects on that top shelf are still difficult for me to grasp, I am in the position to grab them if I have the skill to do so. That is white privilege.

I worked with Faye Terry and Leah Greenberg. While we trued to interview a number of Namibians who we believed would give us diverse perspectives, I feel we brought some preconceived notions into our interviews. We assumed that the Namibians we spoke with had heard of white privilege and had at least witnessed it in their own lives. While some did, others did not. We did discover, however, that those we interviewed saw privilege in areas we had never really thought about before. One example of this is tribal based privilege. This meaning privilege given to those of one tribe and denied to another.

I suppose at the end of the day we learned this: privilege of some sort or another exists around the world. It is only once we acknowledge our own privileges that we are truly able to confront justices in this world.

Jodie: I decided to work alone for my creative project, and after much consideration as what to do I decided that I wanted to do a series of progressive monologues showing my change in outlook on certain things. I started with a one entitled, “My Racism” which was a story from when I was in High School and I had some very racist thoughts. I then did a monologue that looked at my view on development and how what I used to think is beginning to change, especially since being here as shown me what my so called aide is really doing. The final monologue was about my view on Christianity. I have never really questioned my beliefs until this trip. Writing my monologues was very hard because I had to try and put words to my emotions of what I had learned over the semester.

Overall the feeling that I had was that I didn’t know where my place was, but I knew that I had one. I also knew that I had grown and changed in many ways. The thing that I value most from my integrative project is that it gave me a look into what has been going on in my head and heart. I was able to vocalize my changing and growth, which really helped me. I had not realized everything that I had learned this past semester until I started this project and I am grateful for it!

Both of us can’t believe how fast the semester went by and everything that we did this semester. It will be a part of our hearts and minds for years to come.

Wake Up and Wrap Up

Stephanie and Mia

Week 14

We have finally reached week 14 out of just a 16-week program, and it feels strange to be here. We spent this week wrapping up each of our classes with nothing but our integrative projects left before we venture to Cape Town. Cleaning schedules for check-out are beginning to be posted and we have even started to think about the strange concepts of doing laundry and packing all of our things. The weirdest part about this week is that even though we are wrapping up, the program doesn’t feel over: and that’s because it really isn’t.

Wrap-up week was more eye-opening than I think many of us expected it to be. It really reiterated the importance of taking back all that we have learned to the states. The lessons we learned throughout our time here are not all specific to Namibia, but have opened our eyes to concepts that we should keep with us and apply back in the States and Guatemala.

One of the extremely interesting activities we participated in during the course of the week was the presentation of our poster projects in development class. The idea of the project was to take two seemingly different social issues and research and present how the two issues impact and affect each other. For example, two people in our groups chose HIV/AIDS and education and presented a poster on their finding of how HIV/AIDS impacts the education system and children going to school, alongside how going to school and getting an education impacts HIV/AIDS. We found, through the projects that the impact on one to the other is huge. Education policies on HIV/AIDS are moving forward, and becoming better. What really surprised us was how children having HIV/AIDS effects their education. The projects showed that children who are infected have a difficult time in the classroom because the teachers have a difficult time getting past the infection. They become hyper-paranoid about becoming infected and as a result become anxious, and go to less class. The cycle continues and the education of the children suffers as a result. In the end, education and HIV/AIDS are inexplicably linked, and in a way that betters the situation. We wonder what can break the cycle, if they both affect each other in negative ways. Do we move forward by “solving” HIV/AIDS or “solving” problems in education? Where do we begin? And where does the cycle end? . It is difficult to look at the issue from a foreign perspective because we don’t know what our role should be. It is hard to think about doing nothing but at the same time we have to wonder if it is our place to step in, and furthermore if there is anything that we could do that would make a positive aspect. All in all, the poster presentations were very informative and interesting in a way that we didn’t expect, and they made us think analytically about the effects that social issues have on Namibia, Southern Africa, and the world. Everyone chose really interesting topics and the group ended up getting so into the presentations that we used up all of our class time on this activity alone.

Completing the poster presentations allowed us to broaden our mind to how various topics, from global warming to gender to Pentecostalism and more, impact each other in more ways than one may realize. Many of the topics we discussed with each other allowed us to view a topic we had already known something about with the added chance of hearing about them through a new lens. It brought together many subjects and showed the interesting chains of how various social issues feed off of one another, or impact each other in a variety of additional ways.

We have learned so much through the course of the semester that even though wrap up week should be exciting, it’s a bit sad. This trip has broadened our minds in ways that none of us even expected, and has left us with a thirst for more. We have learned about so many issues facing Namibian society today, and now we have been shown how they all fit together. Our knowledge has circled back so that everything makes sense, and yet at the same time most of us are more confused than ever. We will continue to wonder what the long-term effects of colonization are and how to move forward. We continue to question what it means to want to help develop southern Africa and still not step past cultural boundaries. We continue to question what race and racism means in a place like Namibia, and even back home. But, fortunately, we have learned that being confused is okay; and that reaching this point simply means that we have successfully fought through the barriers of false assumptions and superficial understanding and opened up doors and our minds to more learning in the future. I think it’s fair to say that we will all be sure to take this newfound knowledge back to the States and continue to expand on it in the future.

Yo-ho, Yo-Ho a Farmer’s Life for Me!

Week 13
Steph and Katelyn

In Development class this week (11/11/11!!), we headed out to an organic farm about half an hour outside of Windhoek. Upon arriving on the farm, we were given a warm welcome from Manjo Smith, the owner, who gave us all cups of coffee with milk still warm from the cows about fifty yards away. The coffee was meant to wake us all up for the exciting and extremely informative day we had ahead of us!

Next, Manjo gave us a tour of the farm and explained some of the organic farming processes. These processes include using compost rather than store-bought fertilizers for the soil and not using any kind of pesticides on the plants but instead natural microorganisms. Organic farming also involves planting many different kinds of crops to retain biodiversity and allowing the animals to have as much space as possible and not pumping the animals with any kind of hormones as can be the case on some large farms. The purpose is to keep everything as natural and as healthy as possible (Photo 1: Manjo’s dog had a lot of puppies, and Steph loved them all!)

Organic farming is often criticized for being non-sustainable as many believe it is not possible to provide the world enough food without the use of pesticides and monoculture commercial farming. It is argued that science and technology have made food cheaper and more easily accessible. Science has created “improved” seeds and fertilizers that allow plants to keep away pests while growing at a faster rate. Science-based and genetic engineering, as opposed to organic, farming may be a more realistic way to put an end to world hunger. Organic farming slows down the process of food delivery as it takes longer to grow and requires more human maintenance.

Manjo argues, however, that there is already enough food in the world, and that the real problem is the distribution and the politics behind it. Additionally, monoculture commercial farming has its own issues, including inviting in diseases and pests that can destroy an entire single crop population because of the lack of biodiversity. Thus, the more farmers spray, the more they need to spray, according to the film The Future of Food* that Manjo showed us. Additionally, the film mentioned the health effects of pesticides, such as skin irritations and increased allergies, and that they cannot always be washed off as recent technology has allowed for the creation of pesticides through genetic engineering that exist in all of the cells in the crop. Thus, all of the successive generations of the crop then have this pesticide. This creates never-ending health problems as we do not yet know the health implications of some of these pesticides (Photo 2: Getting out hands dirty by putting our newfound knowledge into practice).

Moreover, the prices of organically grown food in some areas of the world (such as the U.S.) are priced higher than the sprayed foods. We asked what Manjo thought of this. She suggested that our perception of food is misguided and we should be spending less money on vacations, gas, entertainment, etc, and more on the food that we put inside our bodies. She also pointed out that the U.S. government, for example, subsidizes the sprayed food, bringing the cost down. If the demand for organically grown food was there, the government could potentially begin to subsidize it, and bring the prices down. The key to organic farming is consumer demand. Organics have not caught on in Namibia yet, and therefore the demand lies mostly with visiting Germans who have a history of farming organically, according to Manjo.

In Namibia, however, the issue isn’t solely cost but also other factors. One of these factors is the lack of awareness of the benefits of organic farming and its purposes. Not all people have access to this information. Additionally, the organic markets are often located within wealthier neighborhoods, making it difficult for some to be aware of their existence. Also, the foods sold at the organic markets are often geared toward German diets as opposed to “traditional” Namibian cuisine.

In areas of the world where organic food prices are higher, cost is the dominant factor in organic’s popularity or lack thereof. In the U.S for example, non-organic and monoculture products are subsidized by the government, making them significantly cheaper than the alternative. Because of this, in stores where these products are sold side-by-side with organic foods, the healthier options appear vastly more expensive. Some people, especially those with families to feed, then often tend to purchase the cheaper products that are available in bulk in order to feed more people for less. It is also customary in the fast-paced culture of the U.S for some people to prefer to eat what’s quick, easy, and filling rather than what’s healthy and safer for consumption. In order to promote an affordable, healthy eating lifestyle, people have to be aware of where their food comes from, ask questions, and make their demand known for non-sprayed food. Perhaps if we could more effectively educate the masses on the risks of mass produced food, we could increase the demand for organic food causing the government to subsidize it and bring down the high costs.

What might be the most effective ways to inform others about the benefits of organic farming? A quandary exists regarding how to spread organic farming on a wider scale. The problem in places such as the US is that there isn’t a high enough demand for organic food in the market, and therefore the government won’t subsidize it. However, if the government doesn’t subsidize it, the prices will remain too high for the average consumer to want to purchase it over the cheaper alternative, keeping the demand down. It is possible that the government has to make the first step. By increasing advertisement and knowledge of the benefits of organic farming versus the negative consequences of the alternative as well as subsidizing the costs, demand would rapidly begin to increase as more people would strive to live this new healthy, affordable lifestyle (Photo 3: Manjo Smith teaching us the organic tricks of the trade out in the vegetable fields!).

In both Namibia and the US, awareness seems to be the most predominant reason organic farming is not as popular as it could be. Many people remain under the assumption that organic farming isn’t as sustainable as it is made out to be, and that in places where people are suffering from hunger it is unrealistic. However, in the long run, organic farming is not only healthier and more easily accessible, but also financially cheaper in many situations: as farmers can reuse their seeds from their previous crops as opposed to have to constantly purchase patented seeds and pesticides from overseas. Many are also completely unaware of health benefits that eating organic has over eating scientifically altered produce. Spreading awareness would ultimately help the organic farm industry grow as people learned the importance of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

*Koons, Deborah. The Future of Food. Lily Films, 2004. Film.

Mountainous Questions

Emma Russell and Jodie Buchanan

Week 12 (The South)

This past week we embarked on our final community trip before we depart for Cape Town in. On this trip to Southern Namibia the focus was on our development class; specifically community-based natural resource management and “sustainable” development. We stayed at various campsites, some run by the community and others by the private sector. We also paid a visit to the heart of a community initiative to sell Namibian crafts and painted the walls of a secondary school under renovation along with some of its students. Overall, it was an incredible three days that were full of fun and, as true of any development class, full of questions. While we ruminated over the pros and cons of Namibia’s community-based natural resource management initiatives, our reflections on the trip also fostered some bigger questions that have seemed to permeate the entirety of our experiences with CGE thus far.

The paramount question on our minds that kept resurfacing throughout the weekend was the concept of definition, as in who ultimately defines the things that inform the way development occurs, and the way we live in general. This has been a recurring theme throughout the program as we study things like globalization, colonization, need, and identity. However, this weekend we were able to put it into direct context with what we were experiencing. For example, we first discussed how even defining “sustainable” in terms of development could have such a variety of meanings; it depends on the lens of the individual and what is valued under certain circumstances. For example, at the Brukkaros Community Campsite and the school we visited in Berseba, it was evident that the emphasis was placed on advances that would help to preserve community and education. However, we also visited the Gibeon Folk Arts Center which not only centered on sustaining community, but also on preserving culture through art and the livelihood of the artists who worked there. Our final stop was the Gondwana Kalahari Anib Lodge where the focus was primarily on environment and resources (as it was situated in a National Park) as well as economy through tourism. These different perspectives encouraged us to discern what is most crucial to be sustainable and how that influences the overall development for Namibia in particular.

Another matter that arose yet again on this trip was the land issue troubling Namibia. This is a conflict that has emerged a number of times in several of our classes and it involves the question of whether a redistribution of lands to native Namibian tribes is an appropriate and necessary step towards reconciliation in a post-colonial era. However, as was revealed to us on this trip, the dilemma goes much deeper than it’s already complex nature. When considering this, we were faced again with the concepts of definition and perspective. Who best decides how to respect the land? During our time in the South we did witness action to respect the land by conserving it and its resources; that is, in fact, exactly what the Gondwana Kalahari Anib Lodge intended to do. However, we had to wonder if the best way to respect the land is indeed to return it to those who it was wrongfully taken from under the colonial and apartheid regimes. We concluded that it depends on whom you ask and we were certainly in no position to decide (Photo 1: atop Brukkaros Mountain).

Finally, the enigma of definition took on a more subjective arrangement when we considered the ideal of success. While we have often viewed this throughout the course in terms of broad scale national development markers, we came to realize it could be as personal as selling a craft, painting a school, or climbing a mountain. For example, at the Gibeon Folk Arts Center we spoke with the five craftswomen who head up the entire project. In speaking with them we learned that they only see about 5% of the profits gained by their crafts, further remarking that it is just “not enough”. If one were to consider this from an economic perspective he/she would most likely classify this project as being unsuccessful because the women are not making enough profit for themselves to completely sustain the livelihoods of themselves and their families. However, if one were to define success in terms of employment and empowerment, this is no doubt a highly successful project (Photo 2: Painting the School with Students from Berseba).

At the school we painted in Berseba with the kids, we learned from Petrus, a former educator at the school and chairperson of the Brukkaros Community Campsite, that it had been shut down due to an inability to pay for the astronomical water bill. To the members of the Berseba Community, success was not immediately defined by the number of students going to top universities or the number of championships won in the local sports league, but rather by acquiring basic necessities and getting their buildings in top shape for reopening once those needs are attained.

To us over these three days success came in many forms. It came with climbing several kilometers to the top of Brukkaros Mountain, the mountain that our campsite was built into in Berseba. It was a treacherous hike but the breathtaking view from the top was the most success many of us have felt in some time. Success also came not with the answers we did not formulate, but rather the questions we so genuinely acknowledged on our trip. We look forward to the future of our trip, which will surely only bring more questions such as these, but hopefully continue to provide us with the tools and knowledge necessary to productively and justly consider them (Photo 3: View from Atop).

Occupying Our Last Weeks in Windhoek

Week 11
Dylan and Leah

After three weeks spent in the North and on various trips throughout Southern Africa, our first week back was a bit of a reality check for all of us. This was a rather slow week, with no big trips or events planned. This lull in activity, combined with a long stretch of being out of touch with friends, family, and current events left many of us feeling a bit homesick and isolated from all that is happening at home. For most of us, celebrating Halloween without the pumpkins, fall colors, enthusiasm of friends, and traditions from home, was a very different atmosphere. Similarly, missing out on important events such as the World Series, death of Gaddafi, presidential campaigns, and various other news stories made us realize just how much has been continuing on without us. Simultaneously, the individuals in CGE realized how little time they have left here in Windhoek. While the amount of time we have been here makes us miss our respective homes, it has also given us a new appreciation for the places, people and other details we have become accustomed to about the city in which we have spent the last 2 months.

Along with the various snippets of good and bad news received from friends and family, many of us have been very interested in the Occupy movement going on across the United States, and the world. For many of us, catching up on this movement created a strong sense of solidarity and an interesting new perspective on being an American abroad. Most of our studies here have investigated our role as foreigners in Namibia, and what responsibilities (if any) we have here. However, feelings of solidarity and excitement about the movement at home made many of us for the first time question what our role as Americans abroad ought to be. The discovery of a very small but growing “Occupy Namibia” movement presented an interesting fusion of the solidarity movement in the US and a movement based on issues specific to Namibia that we have been learning about all semester. While we are technically prevented from becoming politically engaged with local protests as CGE students, we have been able to see our role here through a new lens; we are proud of how this aspect of American culture has come to Namibia and simultaneously has remained uniquely Namibian.

For our history class this week, an American named Lily Asrat who has been working in Namibia for several years visited us and was able to provide an interesting perspective on the interconnectedness of American and Namibian history. Through a brief American history lesson, in which many of us were embarrassingly rusty, we discussed the parallels between slavery and Apartheid histories. From there, she was able to engage our class in a very open dialogue about race, racism and inequality in the United States. This discussion also allowed us to reflect on our role specifically as Americans abroad, rather than just as foreigners in Namibia. In many ways we were embarrassed by how fundamentally similar our histories were, and how difficult it is to criticize a system that not only parallels events in our own history, but also one that our government supported in the past. This week gave us the time to reflect on our role as Americans abroad, and to begin assessing how our comfort in this role has changed throughout our time here, with both proud and more shameful moments.