We are the world, we are the childern!

Zulu Phrase of the Day:

Igama lami... - My name is...

Classroom Update:

The first part of Healing Our Differences covered in our seminar with Dr. Webster have come alive and complemented our experiences nicely. Though Airhihenbuwa does not solely focus on Durban or even South Africa, we have been able to see his ideas manifest here in a real and powerful way. The chapter on youth (Chapter 6: Omon- The Cultural Meanings of Childhood and Youth Identity) has been so relevant to our experiences thus far. Our understanding of what it means to grow up in Durban is constantly expanding as we continue to meet and engage with UKZN students and other young people in Durban.

Airhihenbuwa started the chapter by talking about the process of naming children and its importance in many African cultures. Think for a second about your own name and how your parents or relatives decided on it. Although the three of us have a first or middle name of a relative, we discussed in class that it is not very common for US Americans to know the meaning behind their name. It is often the case that names in the US are chosen for how they sound, and not necessarily what they mean. However, here in KZN and in Zulu culture, naming is a very different process. Most of the people we have met so far know the meaning behind their name, as well as a story that led to the choosing of that name. For example, one boy at Streetwise explained that his name meant “hush” or “quiet,” because as a baby, he did not cry. Others have names that mean “powerful” or “alive” because of illnesses they battled as infants. Naming, as we’ve come to understand it in the Zulu and KZN contexts, is quite different from the culture in the US.

Our last post focused on family in Zulu culture, particularly our experiences with Delani’s family; our conversation on youth helped make other aspects clear. Amongst Zulus, there is no word or concept for half brother, half sister, step-mother or step-father. A distinction can obviously be made, but it is not a part of the culture to really consider a half-sibling any different from a full sibling. In addition, traditionally cousins on the father’s side are regarded as siblings, though this may or may not play out currently. The nuclear family as we understand it has a different structure, and includes many more siblings, and multiple mothers or fathers in many cases. Talking to students here at UKZN and hearing them say “One of my mothers…” made this point clear. Airhihenbuwa also makes the point that children are often called “male/female child” as opposed to son or daughter, because the latter terms have a way of isolating the parent-child relationship, where the former allows other family members (grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.) take part in raising and nurturing.

Lwazi and his daughter... Her name means "beautiful"!


Out and About:

An important aspect of the Building Bridges program involves community engagement and its supplementation by academic instruction. This past week we began our work at an orphanage. The orphanage, called “Streetwise”, is a refuge for young boys in the Durban that live on the street, and it is run by the Durban Methodist Church. The stated aims of “Streetwise” include:

• Offer Humanitarian aid to the children living on the streets of South Africa, pending reconciliation with their families.
  
• Assess the needs and circumstances of the children, tracing their families and affecting reconciliation with families where possible,
  
• Offer life skills and social skills training to facilitate re-integration into the community.
  
• Address the educational needs of the children by providing bridging education and placing them into mainstream schools wherever possible.
  
• Impact on National Policy regarding the rights of street children.
  
• Referring children to other services as and when necessary.
  
• Liaising and networking with other relevant organizations

Arriving at about 8:00 a.m. we were greeted by about 25 young boys, aged seven to fourteen, and very soon after we were kicking the ball around the soccer field. We eventually got a game together, and were totally ‘schooled’ by the boys in the game of soccer. The contrast of the boys’ graceful, organized play on the one hand, and our sloppy, freewheeling antics on the other was impossible not to notice. But it was all in good fun and we learned several great tricks from the boys, that we plan to employ on some unsuspecting soccer contender in the states. Snacks were served throughout the day, and a lunch was prepared at about 11:30. All day we simply were absorbed into the playworld of boys, who whisked us through games of dominoes, pool, basketball, volleyball, and soccer, and also played for us their favorite songs of South African House music, taught us the “happening” dances, and the creative ways that the youth greet one another. Because “Streetwise” has addressed some of the most basic needs of these boys, they are free to just be boys. Their sheer energy for life is infectious. Sometimes some of the boys, such as our little buddy “Cipho”, would break out into song with voices that are so beautiful you just wouldn’t believe. It is exciting to have this opportunity to connect with Durban-area youth in ways that are for the most part structured by the youths themselves, and to appreciate the way that zulu culture is lived by the young. And of course we are learning so much from the “Streetwise” child care workers who dedicate their lives to the plight of youth. We will have more for you as we continue this experience.

Here is the link to “Streetwise” where you can find a lot of great info on the place: http://www.street-wise.co.za/about.htm

Basketball game in Umlazi Township... Notice John, in flight.

The Project:

Half of our trip is over and while we have completed a lot of tasks and managed to have tons of fun, the next two weeks will be focused and jam packed. Next week we'll be making contacts with the Student Government to design a dual-university fundraiser that seeks to support a local organization. When the program continues next year, our US students will have the opportunity to volunteer, as a part of their service learning requirement, to work with the organization we pick. Also, provided the amount of time we have, we might try to sponsor an event on campus in the next two weeks. Of course, this would include collaborations with South African students and possibly the other international students on campus.

In addition to our work at UKZN, we will continue to volunteer with StreetWise two days a week and take our class. This weekend we will be enjoying our homestays in Umlazi. A few of Garey's graduated peer-educators are finding us hosts and we are working to plan a Day of Action event in the township. On Friday of last week we did a small driving tour of Umlazi and got a quick look at three schools. When we go back this Friday we're all interested and excited to meet the youth that attend those schools.

The passion that we've gained during the first two weeks will greatly help us stay on task for the rest of our time. There's a lot of work that needs to get done. At times it's incredible how the time has flown and yet we still have so much time to enjoy what we're doing. This week we've been invited to a number of dinners and BBQs, including a meeting with a US consulate. These happenings will provide us with the downtime and fun needed to keep us going!


UKZN Campus

A monkey!