Johannesburg, Joburg, Jobourg, Jozi, the city of gold.
The skyline makes me think of Chicago: many skyscrapers, older and newer ones.
Inside there are the very old buildings and neighbourhoods and the new ones, Wimpie bars included.
The black population mainly in the centre and in the townships. The white people in burglarproof houses with swiming pool in a district like Melville, green and clean.
Museums full of images and texts on this mythical person Nelson Mandela, museums full with this Apartheid story, having lasted for about 50 years.
The Newton MuseumAfrica is without any doubt most worth while to visit. A lot of history, a lot about Apartheid and Mandela, presented in a modern way. I enjoyed the department of cartoons. There I found out that South Africans are capable to mock themselves. Isn't this the beginning of all wisdom?
In the books it is said that black people have the political power and white people have the economic one. High time for the black people to discover and use their own power.
Over and out.
vrijdag 28 februari 2014
Part of the game
Young people, having parents with enough money, might think it normal to go into projects like American Field Service (AFS). You pay and then you can go wherever you want to participate and to learn.
Older people having had a wonderful career, with a life behind them full of learning, working, helping other people, sometimes get in such a project too. You won’t find a lot of them. They think they will be needed somewhere, like in a school in South Africa, Hluhluwe.
They think people managing projects in foreign countries will have a clear insight in how things work in a country, what politics mean, how the economy flourishes or doesn’t, what social life means and how blacks and whites in this country behave, among each other, in group, at home and when they are somewhere else. As the work will be in education, they think that this staff will know a lot about the school, the primary school of Phumlani.
For these older people it may be weird and difficult to discover they have to find out themselves. It is incredible to believe that the project has no project.
But they get going.
They find out that English is the first public language and that it may be important to do some language activities with the learners. They find out there are pretty many children who can't read of write, even at the age of 13 years old. So they start some remedial teaching. EMPOWERMENT is the motto.
They feel good when some materials and tools are available. And Live4Now has some.
They can’t believe that the school is being visited by a lot of white people, week after week, to be there to help. You can't deny medical help and information are indispensable. But giving presents to the school that will never be used, like some computers, sounds odd.
Why do white people choose schools like this? Do they think charity will empower the black people? Do they think presents will empower them?
Do they think when the children tell their misery in front of a European audience, and with cameras clicking and hands clapping, it’s the right thing to do?
They feel good when some materials and tools are available. And Live4Now has some.
They can’t believe that the school is being visited by a lot of white people, week after week, to be there to help. You can't deny medical help and information are indispensable. But giving presents to the school that will never be used, like some computers, sounds odd.
Why do white people choose schools like this? Do they think charity will empower the black people? Do they think presents will empower them?
Do they think when the children tell their misery in front of a European audience, and with cameras clicking and hands clapping, it’s the right thing to do?
Giving words to their sadness and misery, yes. Of course. When people can tell something about this, they are relieved. Clapping hands, and clicking cameras, no. ‘But it is part of the game,’ one of the teachers said. The game of begging and keeping people dependent.
As a conclusion we can say that the people themselves should use their power. In case some help is given, only structural help related to bigger organisations, preferably official and public, not private, seems to be the better choice.
As a conclusion we can say that the people themselves should use their power. In case some help is given, only structural help related to bigger organisations, preferably official and public, not private, seems to be the better choice.
donderdag 20 februari 2014
The Phumlani primary school and volunteering after 4 weeks
What has
been reached after 4 weeks of volunteering?
Having
arrived with an open mind and ready for surprises of any kind, and thinking the
school needed an English teacher, it seemed that there was no real need for such
a person in this primary school.
So I
decided to observe some lessons before I knew what to do. I also took over some
lessons of the teacher, in which I was not very good. There was no real co-operation,
and I didn’t come to do someone else’s job. I should do something else.
Because it
was the habit, I took up the after school activities with the support of the staff
members of Live4Now, as well as for the lower as for the higher grades. As I
chose for empowerment of the learners, all activities had some elements of
language learning. I tried to put in elements of the four language skills,
being listening, speaking, reading,
writing. It’s amazing how strong these children are in the auditive and
imitation skills: they really can realize a perfect pronunciation and
intonation of the sentence, even without
understanding it. But that is how we all learn a language: you imitate and by
repetition of the actions and contexts, the meaning reveals itself by the time.
In one of
the lessons I had given, I let the children read one by one, and so I
discovered those who couldn’t read. So I proposed to do something for them. We have
been doing some remedial teaching in two groups and I suppose there was an
opening to continue this indispensible intervention.
I also did
some lessons with the strongest learners, hoping that they could get something
more. This formula didn’t last for a very long time. I don’t know if this was a
success.
As I
offered a lot of spoken language, especially by visual and auditive impulses, I
may have contributed to the knowledge of English. We also did a
lot of rhymes and nonsense limericks and ended up with fun in the seventh
grade, in a loud voice and with a lot of funny gestures:
'What noise is this, on the roof?
It's an elephant, cycling around.
It's an elephant, chic and elegant,
with a tail here and one behind.'
'What do I see? At the tree.
It's an giraffe, eating leaves.
What do I see at the tree?
It's a giraffe, an another giraffe, and another giraffe,
with buckets of water.
They carry them to the sea’.
In my heart
I also hope that I encouraged the teachers in this school who do this work every
day.
woensdag 19 februari 2014
What about the rainbow nation?
Bram Vermeulen, not the singer, but a South Africa commentator wrote a book in Dutch in 2009: Help, ik ben blank geworden.
Being
published in 2009 the book gives recent information on the South African
situation. Most of the information is embedded in personal experiences of the
author. He says about himself that he ‘became
one of the black people, studied a lot about the country, learnt the Zulu
language’.
Most
striking for me – I thought I had already noticed it here – is the clear
separation between black and white. You can see it in the where, the how, the
what. White people live and work in other places. White people have different
functions. Most of the time white people are in dominant positions. White
people drive a car, black people walk.
Twenty
years after 1994, liberation of Mandela, that is what Vermeulen also writes,
there is no much change. Too little change. Articles in the international press
on the occasion of Mandela’s death confirm this. At some universities a movement
like September National Imbizo wants
the blacks to learn how to empower themselves.
In big
cities there is a lot of rage, fear and hate. Twenty years after 1994 Vermeulen
writes about rage. Rage of the blacks because the Dutch invaded their country
in the 17th century, rage of the Dutch and the blacks because the English
invaded their country in the 19th century, rage of the poor against the rich.
Fear goes
together with rage and hate and violence and crime. Violence and crime in all social
groups. The higher the social group, the worse the crime is. The more precious
things are, the harder the fights are. There is gold and platina. Money, gold,
women, everything you can have a trade in and people can be killed for. It
happens throughout the world and in some towns more than in other ones.
I could
summarize and say that it could be a matter of haves and have nots. I have the impression that have often equals white, and have not often equals black.
In this
surrounding I already see publicity for the coming elections. Among pictures of
male candidates I also saw one woman. I have the impression that African women
can be strong and clever enough to be a member of the government, even to become
a president.
dinsdag 18 februari 2014
Food in South Africa, Kwazulu-Natal, Hluhluwe
Lovelier fruit than in South Africa doesn’t exist. Here you can eat the nicest, juiciest and sweetest pineapples, mangoes, apples, grapes, papayas and plums.
As there is
a lot of sun and as long as the climate changes enough rain, everything can
grow without much effort. Also trees and flowers are there. And a multitude of
butterflies in yellow, red, black, white, purple, blue, orange, green. It makes
you think of the rainbow. In this rainbow nation.
The rosé wine
with picturesque names like Cape Good Hope, the red and white wine, grown in
the country are excellent. When it goes together with food like meat on the braai,
you are lucky.
When they do the braai, pap is an aside. It looks like mashed
potatoes, but is actually maizena and water. The mixture becomes rather solid
and is eaten with a spicy sauce on it. Some people wait until it’s cold and
stiff and they eat it later on, in cubes rolled in sugar.
I didn’t
taste the biltong - dried meat being a delicacy.
When living
with white people in a lodge, the food is very British indeed. Cereals, milk,
toast and jam. Hot food varies but with a strong European accent.
zondag 16 februari 2014
Beauties of South Africa
In South Africa I like the Zulu people.
These people are tough. They often
have to cope with difficulties and they succeed in it. They know when things
will be difficult or heavy, but they do it.
Most African people are eternal
optimists. And so are they. Optimistic about the day of tomorrow.
I like the children in the Phumlani school, I like the teachers there, I like
the personnel at the Wildebees ecolodge. In a way they are more sensible than the
white people I’ve met. White people – included myself – have that varnish of
politeness, sometimes even inhibition. They haven’t. It’s nice when there is a
little fly on my nose and a kid takes it off. It’s nice when they help me to
put everything ready for the lesson and clear things up afterwards. It’s nice
when I give a compliment to the most difficult teacher who gives me a little
bracelet the day after. I hope all this doesn’t happen because I am a white
foreigner.
Do I like nature? Yes, I do. I like the nyala and the impala. Also monkeys. But I prefer
being on a distance from snakes, crocodiles, rhino’s, giraffes, hippos, leopards and
buffaloes. I am not keen on gekkos or lizards in my room. Neither spiders. Nor
big beetles. But there I would like a frog that after being kissed changes into the
most handsome and clever man in the world. It happens once in a hundred year.
I am fond of the silence, in the
morning, in the evening, at night and even sometimes during the day. I am
terribly fond of the sounds of the birds and other animals awakening at dawn.
It starts with one sound of one animal and by the time it grows till you can
hear a real concert.
I like the clear sky at night, with
a sharp moon and the multitude of stars on a dark background.
I like the heat and the sweat,
especially when there is a good swim or shower afterwards.
Next stops will be the Cape province
or Congo.
dinsdag 11 februari 2014
Be wise: condomise
Dear reader,
In 2008, more than half (55%) of all South Africans infected with HIV reside in the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.
There are several challenges in educating today’s youth in South Africa. The drop-out rate is exceptionally high, particularly for girls who are forced to care for parents with AIDS and manage the household. How a child performs in school can be an indicator of their overall well-being and children not enrolled in school are more vulnerable to neglect and abuse. Senior schools charge fees and all schools require uniforms, which orphans cannot afford.
An encouraging finding is that more South Africans are aware of their HIV status. This is largely due to the success of the National HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign. Females are substantially more aware of their HIV status than males due to the additional effect of the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme.
Impressed by what I heard about the children in Phumlani primary school - a lot of classes are full of orphans, as their parents died of aids. You can read some data underneath.
After this report, I wil concentrate on more pleasant aspects of my stay in Hluhluwe.
Yours affectionately.
After this report, I wil concentrate on more pleasant aspects of my stay in Hluhluwe.
Yours affectionately.
HIV/AIDS in South Africa is a prominent
health concern; South Africa is believed to have more people with HIV/AIDS than
any other country in the world.
Although new infections among mature age groups
in South Africa remain high, new infections among teenagers seem to be on the
decline. HIV/AIDS prevalence figures in the 15–19 year age group for 2005, 2006
and 2007 were 16%, 14% and 13% respectively.
The Human Sciences Research Council, a South
African institution, estimates 10.9% of all South Africans have HIV/AIDS. Additionally,
the Central Intelligence Agency estimates that 310,000 individuals died in
South Africa from HIV/AIDS in the year 2009.
More than 30% of young adults and more than 80%
of older adults know the truth about HIV/AIDS.
In 2008, more than half (55%) of all South Africans infected with HIV reside in the KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces.
The four main HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns in
South Africa are Khomanani (funded
by the government), LoveLife (primarily
privately funded), Soul City (a television drama for adults) and Soul Buddyz (a television series for teenagers).
There are several challenges in educating today’s youth in South Africa. The drop-out rate is exceptionally high, particularly for girls who are forced to care for parents with AIDS and manage the household. How a child performs in school can be an indicator of their overall well-being and children not enrolled in school are more vulnerable to neglect and abuse. Senior schools charge fees and all schools require uniforms, which orphans cannot afford.
ASAP (African Solutions to African Problems)
provides access to pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary education in
order to yield healthy, self-reliant young adults who contribute back to the
community. Our trained child care workers monitor the children’s
attendance and progress and advocate for child rights in school, conducting
strategic planning meetings with the Department of Education.
An encouraging finding is that more South Africans are aware of their HIV status. This is largely due to the success of the National HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) campaign. Females are substantially more aware of their HIV status than males due to the additional effect of the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme.
Some people believe the country is on the
right track with regard to the provision of ARV treatment resulting in a
substantial increase in survival among people living with HIV. The successful
national HIV counselling and testing (HCT) campaign and also increased coverage
of PMTCT programmes among women should be sustained.
zondag 9 februari 2014
Empowering the school
Starting the second half of my stay
in Hluhluwe, I feel home now. I know enough to feel confident.
Being a child of the sixties – some know
what that means – I have the intention of empowering the school. This means I
will try to initiate a process of collaboration and discussion, so that the
school could grow to self-support, to independency, to self-confidence and
pride.
The first step in this process is
self-reflection to create awareness. Throughout this process the school will
develop its skills. Until they clearly know what their needs are and how they
can fulfil them themselves. Future need for charity should be eliminated.
The process of empowering should take
place on different levels:
-
The
school as an organization // characteristics on a good organization
-
The
management of the school // characteristics
of good management
-
The
teachers // vision on teaching, pedagogical and didactic principles (contents,
methods)
-
The
learners // characteristics of a good learner // final goals
-
The
parents // mainly support for the learner = motivation to attend the school and
fulfil the duties
-
....
Today we have the opportunity to attend a performance by the children of the school and produced by 'Star for life'. This South African organization works on prevention of aids, still a huge problem in this country. It also provides schools with computers f.e.
Mainly Swedish firms are sponsoring the project and a Swedish delegation will be present tomorrow.
Mainly Swedish firms are sponsoring the project and a Swedish delegation will be present tomorrow.
I saw the children rehearse and being fond of dancing, I am really eager to see the performance. Moving, dancing, visual and auditive things, they are strong in it, these Zulu-children. We can only look at it with a kind of nostalgia, as many of us have lost this refined use of the senses.
And we go on working, Melissa, Elton and me.
Punishment and what to do
Dear reader,
I hope you're ready for the second and last part concerning punishment. Here we go.
I hope you're ready for the second and last part concerning punishment. Here we go.
1.
Report (Unicef – South Africa)
The Statistics SA General Household Survey 2011, which involved 30,000
households between July and September 2011, found that 17% of students in South Africa had experienced
corporal punishment at school.
A survey by Statistics SA revealed
that the use of corporal punishment in schools declined overall between 2009
and 2010, from 17% of students experiencing corporal punishment in 2009 to 14%
in 2010.
The National Schools Violence Study,
undertaken by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention and published in 2008
found that 70.1% of primary school learners reported that they were physically
beaten, caned or spanked by an educator or principal when they had done something wrong. Almost
half of primary school children (47.3%) reported being spanked, caned or hit at
home.
The most severe forms were
experienced by children from low income environments, in both the home and school. Schools from
high income areas were generally not using corporal punishment.
2. Opinions
I think it should be used as a form
of discipline, just don't overdo it.
.... You
should give a few chances and use other forms of correction and if that doesn't
work then spanking is fine. And NO it should not be illegal. Now granted
there are always going to be a few idiots who take it to the extreme and
actually abuse a child and in that case they should be punished, but your
common everyday swat should be allowed.
It should be illegal NOT to
discipline your children
I...The ones that spank have good
kids - not because they spank specifically, but because they actually tell
their kids NO and have a punishnment when the child doesn't listen.
I think there should be clear legislation on when spanking becomes physical abuse, but sometimes a good whack on the butt is a necessary evil.
I think there should be clear legislation on when spanking becomes physical abuse, but sometimes a good whack on the butt is a necessary evil.
There are so many alternatives to
spanking for misbehavior; there really shouldn’t be a need for it.
It usually is an expression of the
adult’s rage and desire to express that rage, rather than a way to discipline a
child. ... You need to fit the punishment to the "crime" for it
to be effective, and to spank a child for everything is useless. It only
teaches them more violence.
3. Why physical punishment is not acceptable (Prevention & Education
Manual-Childline SA)
- It teaches children that hurting
others is okay.
- It breaks down the relationship
between parent and child or teacher and child.
- It may damage children physically.
- It opens the door to physical abuse.
- It is not effective in the long term
4. Alternatives to Corporal Punishment
- Praise also encourages them to learn
self-discipline.
- Lead by example.
- Don’t threaten or shout at children.
- Be respectful
- Negotiate a compromise. Children
learn by doing
- Help them to set their own ideals
and vision.
- Help them gain their self-esteem by
acknowledging increased responsibility in behavior and attitude.
- Identify unacceptable behaviours
with teens and ask them to assist in identifying appropriate consequences.
5. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Children have the right to:
- SURVIVAL: the right to life and
health.
- PROTECTION: the right to be safe and
cared for.
- DEVELOPMENT: the right to an education,
recreation, cultural activities, and play.
- PARTICIPATION: the right to
participate responsibility in decisions affecting them, according to their age
and maturity.
Thanks to Wikipedia.
dinsdag 4 februari 2014
Punishment
A traditional Zulu saying runs as follows: 'You don’t build a family through a stick.'
This might open a discussion on punishment, especially corporal punishment, in African culture.
Many people - everywhere in the world - still approve of it and use it, mostly because everybody did and does it. The belief is strong that it is the only way of teaching discipline to children and other people.
Staying in the lodge I had the the luxury of watching a recent movie directed by Quinten Tarantino 'Django Unchained'. It deals with slavery in the South of the United States. It shows the oppression and especially the physical pain of slaves. White people were/are different !!!
By co-incidence Django the slave is freed. He starts looking for his wife, a slave in another place.
The movie is full of revenge and the story ends with the explosion of the property of the big landowner. Tarantino is specialized in magnifying killing, shooting, exploding, .... and makes his images with a lot of blood, pleasure and humour. At the same time he teaches us a lesson:
Oppression and pain lead to violence. Violence generates violence.
Looking up more information on punishemnt in the African culture, I disovered it is a real topic of research and discussion. I will elaborate some ideas in the course of this week.
To conclude this message, I present part of the Code for Quality Education in Basic Education recently published by the Republic of South Africa:
As a TEACHER, in line with the Code of
Professional Ethics (SACE)
• teach, to advance the education and the development
of learners as individuals;
I promise to:
• respect
the dignity and rights of all persons without prejudice;
• develop loyalty to, and respect for the profession;
• be punctual, enthusiastic, well prepared for lessons
and of sober mind and body;
• improve my own knowledge and skills base to be more
effective;
• maintain good communication between teachers and
learners; among teachers themselves; and between teachers and parents;
• provide information to parents on their children's
progress on a regular basis;
• eliminate
unprofessional behaviour, such as teacher-pupil relationships,
drunkenness, the use of drugs, assault, sexual harassment and other
infringements; and
• to make myself available for extra-mural activities.
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