Kids, Premiers, and AIDS

Today we interacted with the children from Saint Anthony’s school in Langa. We visited three preschool classrooms where we helped the students do their basic activities to stimulate their minds such as using puzzles, clay, Legos, and drawing. We then walked down the street to a grade school consisting of children ranging from ages eight to thirteen. We observed the classrooms and noticed how disciplined the children were. They had lunch and we got to interact with them. They were playing soccer, running around, eating, and at the end of their lunch break they performed a few acappella songs for us. It was mind blowing how they were able to self conduct such a beautiful and powerful sound.

Afterwards, we did both a walking and bus tour through the township of Langa and we were able to observe a day in the daily routines of the residents of Langa. Professor Toni Sylvester first, pointed out the older areas of Langa where houses were built as far back as 1923, and then he proceeded to take us to an area of the township that is in the process of being renovated and upgraded supplying older homes with necessities such as plumbing and electricity. It was wonderful to see that this kind of progress has been taking place, however, at the same time it was shocking to see how drastic the differences in quality of life were from one block to the next. Professor Summers and Meg said that, though this drastic difference was still prevalent today, it is much less than they had observed in previous visits to the township. This gives us great hope for the people of Langa. While on the bus tour we also made a quick stop to see the local shaman and all of his traditional remedies ranging from dried lizards to horse tails.

By this time we were all starving and had the wonderful opportunity of going to eat lunch at Peter Marais’ house. He was the former Mayor of the City of Cape Town, and the first coloured Premier of the Western Cape. While we ate an amazing home cooked meal in a garden by his pool, we listened to his life story and opinions on the many issues facing South Africa and the world. This was a great opportunity for us to pose every imaginable question we have been brewing up since the start of the spring semester and to have them answered by an individual, who lived through the apartheid government, was a colleague of Nelson Mandela’s, and fought relentlessly for his people through the government.

Following his intense lecture we briefly drove through the campus of the University of the Western Cape while Toni provided a brief a history and tour of the university, providing important information as to the significant role the institution is playing in educating a diverse population of South Africans and study abroad students. We then traveled to the AIDS Hospice that Mr. Peter Marais was instrumental in helping to open. We toured the facility and learned about the patients. It was very touching and emotional to see these individuals suffering from their terminally ill disease whether their sickness was Tuberculosis (TB), AIDS, or cancer. The day ended with a decompression dinner at a local establishment.

This first grouping of pictures are of the Marist students and the various schools they visited













A woman in the township of Langa---selling products and trying to make a living




Another talented woman selling her goods and providing some entertainment


Picture commissioned by Mr. Marais for the AIDS/HIV Hospice


Picture of the entrance of the AIDS/HIV Hospice



Picture of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Marais & the group

Church, the Township experience, and GreenPoint Market

Today, on this misty Sunday morning in South Africa, we made our first trip to a township where we attended a church service in the township of Langa. The service incorporated a large amount of singing and dancing, which made it seem very community oriented. Most of the service was in the Xhosa language; however there were a few sections during the service that were in English. Even though there was a language barrier, we felt that the congregation was more than accommodating to us. Through out the whole mass we all saw the true meaning of “Cape Town Time” where you can show up an hour before or after the designated time as parishioners came through the duration of the mass.

In the Catholic Faith, every mass has allocated time for the priest to stand and give his homily. During this mass the priest gave us a homily that our group took to heart. He spoke about how the mouth is 10 centimeters from the brain and the heart is 10 centimeters from the stomach. So if you put poison in your mouth, you poison your stomach. In the same way if you poison your mind – with propaganda and false information – you poison your heart. In this way, he was responding to the xenophobic incidents in South Africa and the unnecessary spurs of violence against immigrants. The priest was very articulate and conveyed his message well. The mass allowed us to interact with locals, both during the mass and after as we spoke with them about our goals and theirs, in South Africa. We even played with some of the local children afterwards (Robbie pretended he was NBA star LeBron James and played basketball outside the church).

After church, we took a brief bus tour of Langa, which is the oldest township in South Africa. Langa was originally an all black township, which consisted of some small houses, but also contained a great deal of shacks. What was so interesting was that just across the freeway there was an originally coloured township that was created with much better conditions and housing structures, however grave social problems exist in this township that does not appear to be problematic in Langa, namely a high percentage of drug abuse and gang violence. We also drove through the township of Gugulethu where conditions appear to be improving, but there are still many shacks and high rates of unemployment. The government also appears to have a misunderstanding of the appropriate political, social, and economic priorities that are necessary to address community issues. While the township experience is plagued with many social issues, the government created a monument in memory of seven political activists that were killed during a political protest that cost 9 million rand. Although, this is a generous memorial, the money could have been used to build affordable housing for people living in the townships or create and support programs that educate or spur job growth.

Our last stop of the day was at the Greenpoint Market. The market was extremely large and consisted of countless shops selling handmade goods, such as jewelry, carvings, bags, and art. The market is located next to a location of the 2010 World Cup, which is in turn taking up some room for vendors. We all had a great time bartering for souvenirs and talking with the vendors.

Hiking, Ostriches, and Lighthouses

Today was our second full day of our journey here in South Africa. The tour emphasized the geography and scenic views of the Cape Peninsula. We toured the Cape Peninsula National Park of Cape Town. On that journey we stopped at the Cape of Good Hope and Boulders Beach. The Cape of Good Hope is home to more than 250 species of birds. These species consist of baboons, zebras, elands, red hartebeests, ostriches, and the pretty bontebok.

After taking several photographs at the Cape of Good Hope our group decided to hike from the Cape of Good Hope, which is the south western most part of the Cape Peninsula to a lighthouse on top of a mountain. Some of our colleagues contemplated whether to hike the long journey or not, however, when everyone decided to do it, there was a great sense of accomplishment and it proved to be worthwhile and enjoyable venture. Along the way we saw beautiful views of the ocean and came within 10 feet of ostriches. We were scared, but it was a once in a lifetime experience. When we got to the top of the lighthouse after the long hike, we observed a breathtaking view and saw a sign with major cities of the world and their distance from the Cape: Singapore, New York, Paris, Sydney, London, and others. On the way back down we stopped in the nearby restaurant overlooking the ocean for a South African lunch, where they served seafood and ostrich as well as other exotic dishes.

Next we arrived at Boulders Beach and watched African Penguins interact in a protected closed environment. The penguins were in mating season, so we observed them making some strange noises and cuddling with each other. We learned that the penguins are able to live in the warmth because of their pink glands above their eyes that expands and produces a chemical enzyme that releases chemicals to cool down their bodies during the warm months. The reasoning behind their black and white coloring is mainly for camouflage from predators. The white coloring on their stomachs is to blend in with the sky so that predators from below cannot notice them, and the black is to blend with the ocean floor against the predators from above. Of the 1.5 million African Penguin population that was estimated in 1910, only about 10% remained at the end of the 20^th century. From just two breeding pairs in 1982 the penguin colonies have grown to more than 3,000 in recent years. We found the idea of African penguins interesting and exciting. After a long day of hiking and taking in the scenery everyone was exhausted but satisfied with the long trek.

Walking Tour, Table Mountain, and Robben Island

On Friday morning, May 23, 2008, our group started with a walking tour of Cape Town’s city center and the central business district. One area, which we thought was very interesting, was our walk through the Company Gardens on Government Avenue. On the tour we learned that the Company Gardens are of significant value to South Africa’s history and culture. It is an area that has served many purposes overtime; namely, it has served as a place to memorialize individuals who have played a large role in the development of South Africa. Surrounding the Community Gardens were two high schools, several government buildings, Cape Town University Art Display Center, a public research Library, and an Anglican church. Inside the church, we learned that on display was the first-ever made AIDS quilt. Each square was made for individuals affected by AIDS and it tells the personal story of each person, in hopes of providing inspiration, optimism, and a message “to not give up” on the battle to combat the AIDS/HIV virus. This quilt sparked a movement, which gained international recognition and started a national tour of a similar AIDS quilt that travels throughout the United States. Marist College, just over two years ago become a site for the quilt’s tour and hosted the quilt in the college’s Rotunda for a week. This innovative project was heart felt by our group, but it became even more significant when Professor Toni Sylvester (our tour guide) informed the group that he and a colleague had created the quilt in the church, and had helped to spur a global movement that recognized an issue that affects the world.

Next we traveled up, by gondola, to Tabletop Mountain to view the city of Cape Town from the highest vantage point. The panoramic view was simply breathtaking; there are no other words to describe the experience. The misty clouds hovered just below us giving the experience a very serene feeling. We also met a creature named ‘Dassie’ which was similar to a groundhog atop the mountain along with various birds and saw some distinct vegetation. We got to experience firsthand the beauty and natural and diverse landscape in South Africa. This is something we look forward to exploring further as our adventure continues!

Last, at the end of the afternoon we took a boat to Robben Island, which is where Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in captivity. When we arrived at the prison we were given a tour by a wonderful man who was imprisoned on the island during the same time as Mandela. We could see and almost felt the same feelings our tour guide must have experienced as he told his stories about the time he spent on the island. The tour guide’s reliving of his experiences on Robben Island made our tour intimate and was a very moving part of our day. The guide spoke of the tough living conditions and the social inequalities that persisted on the island. He spoke of the presence of the apartheid system that classified even prisoners based on the color of their skin. Staying in accordance with the South Africa apartheid policies, in prison coloureds, blacks, and Indians were differentiated and necessities such as food portions and access to health care were imbalanced with blacks being lowest on the totem pole. The apartheid persisted in prisoners to create tensions between the various groups, causing one group to dislike the other because of the unfair treatment and amenities that were provided. This was also a way to stop the groups from uniting, learning and speaking about their political ideas for reform. Despite all of their best efforts, our tour guide told us that the political leaders in captivity still found ways to come together and talk about their ideas, developing concepts such as reconciliation that was later used as the foundation for the movement that ended Apartheid. The first hand account made us all feel so much stronger about our purpose for coming to Africa, and have left us in awe at the courage of those who began the healing of a torn country.

Robben Island Prison


Picture of AIDS Quilt- By Toni Sylvester


Pictured Dan, Kristen, Robbie, Amanda, Marwa, Alanna, Victoria, Julianne, and Chelsea

The Marist contingent arrives in Cape Town, South Africa

At 9:30pm (South African time) the Marist contingent arrived in Cape Town, South Africa after a day of traveling. The group immediately checked into the Lady Hamilton Hotel and sought out on a journey to explore the social and cultural capital of Cape Town by enjoying food on Long Street, which is located in one of South Africa's must vibrant communities.

Stay tuned for more substantive blogs as the group travels throughout the country.

Marist Students depart for Cape Town, South Africa

Today, Wednesday May 21, a contingent of Marist students and their faculty members will depart for Cape Town, South Africa. Upon arrival students will meet with Professor Toni Sylvester, Assistant Professor of Community Psychology to decompress after their long journey from the United States and to discuss the state of South Africa.


Picture of the City of Cape Town, South Africa.



Picture of the countryside Cape Town, South Africa.

Photos were taken during a spring 2007 visit to South Africa by Marist students.

Students Prepare to learn and serve in South Africa

This year Marist students will depart for South Africa on May 21st for an academic trip with an emphasis on social responsibility. Throughout the semester students have been attending lectures and have written several papers. While in South Africa, they will attend many lectures given by South African scholars, visit historic sites, and engage in field research for their individual projects/research papers.

The interesting aspect of this trip is that while it is academically focused, it will allow students the opportunity to conduct community service work in one of the many poor townships. Students will divide themselves into three groups and will work for several days on three separate community service projects. The projects will vary depending on the needs of the community and our partner organizations while in South Africa. Marist will partner with "Heal the Hood," Resources Aimed at the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (RAPCAN), and the Township of Vrygond.

In addition to the community service work in the township of Vrygond, the group will travel to Johannesburg and continue to assist needy communities. On Friday, June 6, the group will spend its morning paying tribute to Marist College's founding and the principles that guide the educational experience at Marist by celebrating Champagnat Day at St. David's Marist Inanda. The afternoon will be spent in the community by volunteering with an organization called "Acres of Love" which provides comprehensive care and a home to orphan children who have been abandoned or affected with AIDS or HIV. Acres of Love is guided by the principles of love, hope, and a forever home.

This trip will allow students the opportunity to understand issues facing South Africans and South Africa. At the conclusion of the trip, students should be able to plug their South African experience into the big picture: an understanding of the social and economic differences that exist in the global world. Issues of social justice, equality, wealth, politics, culture, and history are paramount to this experience abroad.

Stay tuned for daily post and pictures by students.

South Africa Course meets!

Hello all, the spring semester has begun and the current group of students are thrilled about the opportunity to study abroad in South Africa at the end of the term. Last week, the students met with Ryan and Carlo Audagnotti from an organization called Arces of Love. Acres is an organization that is dedicated to providing "care, love and hope for abandoned and HIV positive babies and children." The organization has opened several orphanages/homes from children in South Africa. This week we will meet with Nox Mafu, ABD from The New School about growing up in South Africa during the apartheid regime. We look forward to posting our blog this May-June while on our adventure in South Africa.

Marist College South Africa Spring Attachment offered Spring 2008

Hello all, the Marist study abroad short term spring attachment trip to South Africa has been approved to be offered during the spring 2008 semester. Courses offered for this program will be POSC260: Comparative Politics of Africa, HIST297 ST: Modern South Africa, and CSCU292: South African Culture. In the event that you have any questions or would like more details please feel free to contact the program director, Eddie Summers at 845-575-3239 or Jerre Thorton at 845-575-3330.

Reflection on the South African experience.

Forthcoming this weekend will be a brief reflection by Professor Eddie Summers on the South African experience. He will discuss the politics of policy in South Africa and the need for greater support both financially and socially for developing countries.

Pictures

More pictures from our adventures in South Africa. Some display the beauty of South Africa, while others show how most Black South Africans live on a daily basis. These pictures were taken to show the large disparities that exist in South Africa but also to bring attention to the issue of poverty more broadly as it relates to developing Countries. Some of the photos are extremely shocking, especially given that South Africa is one of the most developed nations on the continent of Africa yet it still faces many social inequalities.

Shocking billboard--- the benefits associated with being of a lighter complexion seems not only to exist in the United States but also in South Africa.



The market-- Vendors are celebrating their culture through music.


Soweto Township



A traditional Zulu lunch


Township of Langa


Beautiful view from the mountain in Cape Town



Helping teach the youth of Langa---Evan (standing), Matt, Megan (white Shirt), Eddie Summers (blue sweater), and Marissa (far right corner)

More Pictures

Here's more pictures from our trip to South Africa.

Pictures of family in the village of Vrygrond






Heal the Hood's community work---using Hip Hop as a tool to prevent crime and youth violence.


Students in the township of Langa singing their school's song
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Students in Langa


The darker side of a developing country---- townships/informal housing

AIDS/HIV Policy in RSA paper excerpt

Introduction

HIV/AIDS policy has received criticism from all sides and remains a contested subject in South Africa. There is no debate regarding the poignancy of the matter, rather, it lies in the epistemological stance of those who control policy making in the country and the direction policy is to head in the future. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has reached inconceivable levels. To understand how and why South Africa has fallen into this dire state is to examine the political conditions that allow for it.

Further into the paper--a talk about government and the disease.

The problems that surround the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa seem endless. It is inaccurate to use politics and policy as the sole measure of the conditions of epidemic because they are much further reaching. South Africa is a country that is still embedded in an ideological shift from past to present. Many of the social conditions that were prescribed by the apartheid government have been shaken from a legal standpoint, however, much of the same conditions exist in a social context. It will take more time to completely eradicate the apartheid ideologies of the past for the social reality of the future in South Africa. “Some apartheid-era politicians celebrate AIDS as a disease that would decimate the Black population, while scientists developed chemical and biological weapons for use on black political leaders” (Butler 604). One of the major hurdles to over come is this racist attribute of HIV/AIDS however conquering may be easier said than done for the many reasons indicated.

The government has not set forth a position that allows for the proper culmination of both the medical science approach and the behavioral approach. Absent from a great deal of the publications of HIV/AIDS research in Africa is how to correctly address the problem. It is self evident that the current policies are inefficient and less than effective but there is no evidence that suggests that a switch to the medical science approach will be the correct method of action. The research conducted has yielded to the more scientific approach but it is through experience in the country that demands a more dynamic advance on the problem of HIV/AIDS. It is simply not enough to forge ahead with anti-retroviral drugs and expect them to “cure” South Africa of its problems. The social behaviors themselves must change but they must not do so at the expense of the individual. Political leaders such as Mbeki and Tshabalala-Msimang should consider admitting their failures and allow for a blending of both ideological perspectives. It required a South African Constitutional Court ruling to insure the use of anti-retroviral drugs in facilities that are capable of administering the drugs. The benefits of ARVs are unquestionable and the legislative branch should not serve as the government implementation device.

The effects of HIV/AIDS will be hard felt in South Africa. The death caused by HIV/AIDS has created millions of orphaned children and the numbers are expected to climb in the continent as a whole. Other debilitating socio-economic effects will soon be felt:

“While broadly in agreement about the factors likely to reduce growth – a higher death rate among the economically active, a decrease in the capital and human resources available for production and investment, a fall in the rate of savings, declining disposable incomes, and reduced domestic consumption – economist do no agree about the likely magnitudes. (Butler 608)

Given these imperative problems associated with an unchecked epidemic, how HIV/AIDS will play politically in the upcoming Presidential elections has yet to be seen. There is great pressure from both internal and international sources to address the problem in a more passable manner.

“This pressure is complimented by on going international forces, ranging from calls for the South African government to express political commitment to fighting the epidemic to developments at the World Trade Organization meeting in September 2003. These developments expanded the opportunities for poor countries facing health problems to access cheaper drugs through the parallel importation of generic drugs.” (Willan 115)

In a book called, The End of Poverty: Economic possibility for Our Time by Jeffery D. Sachs, Sachs assesses the conditions of disease in Africa from first hand experience. He questions the link between the disease and poverty; whether poverty is a result of HIV/AIDS or HIV/AIDS is the cause poverty. Sachs questions how much the ‘rich world’ should invest in the ‘poor world’s’ health institutions. And he asks why the disparity in life expectancy between the two worlds? It is questions such as these that need to be answered in order to adequately deal with the epidemic. However, it is most important to draw attention to the issue and elevate the political commitment HIV/AIDS research and development. In the chapter entitled The Voiceless Dying he recalls a phone call with Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland. She said,

“If you want to get someone’s attention about the health crisis in Africa, ‘show them the money.’ Help them to understand the economic costs of the disease pandemic, as well as the economics of disease control. Above all, propose practical solutions based on rigorous emphasis on economic costs and benefits” (Sachs 203).

The experience of being in a country where disease, poverty, unemployment, malnutrition and unequal access to every and all resources places a greater demand for action in the mind of the visitor. HIV/AIDS is certainly a growing concern for the country of South Africa and solutions must be derived before the severity of the situation is completely realized. “The only certainty is that HIV/AIDS is an unmitigated tragedy and a developmental disaster throughout Africa…” (Sachs 200).

Excerpt was taken from Joel Van Wagenen's paper on AIDS/HIV policy in the Republic of South Africa.