ACTSA; Beshlie goes to Africa.: 8: SWAPOL

So what's it all about then?

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Well hello there. My name is Beshlie and I work for the Marine Management Organisation as a Marine Officer. I joined Prospect, the recognised trade union for marine officers, and soon became involved in union matters, including the young professionals network. I took on the role of environment rep and international development advocate because it is a subject I feel strongly about and thought it would be an opportunity to influence decisions affecting all MMO staff and have a positive influence outside the organisation. I have been working with management, fellow reps and Prospect officers on creating MMO’s sustainable development action plan, which ties in with the bargaining for international development project; the environment and people are very much linked in my mind. As a consequence, I applied for a two week trip to South Africa with ACTSA, an organisation described as the successor to the anti-apartheid organisation. Guess what.... I'm going and this blog will tell you about it. Eventually!

Friday, 3 September 2010

8: SWAPOL

Today we visited community program instigated by SWAPOL; Swaziland for Positive Living. SWAPOL was established in 2001 by five H.I.V positive women after they had experienced stigma and discrimination from family and community members. Currently SWAPOL has over 1000 members; people living with H.I.V /AIDS ion over 30 communities. SWAPOL's mission is to provide support to improve the quality of life for those suffering.

It was fabulous to see community projects in action. Our first stop was a project which focused on the propagation and nurturing of seedlings and seems to be run mostly by women. The man who took us on the tour explained that the seeds are tended by HIV positive women in the community, who visit once or twice a day to water the plants; mostly beetroot, spinach and cabbage. The project was born from the advice that people suffering from H.I.V should eat a balanced diet. Not only do these ladies grow seedlings, but they also make and sell a type of vaseline, which contains Aloe and is in demand for skin complaints. It was really positive to see the impact the scheme was having on people.

The second stop of the day was to a children's ''feeding station''; where children with difficult family situations can go and play and eat. This is again run by women suffering with H.I.V and is for children suffering with H.I.V. We were welcomed by a chorus sung by the children; awfully they had to sing it twice, as we were being briefed of giving out food. I didn't participate in that, instead, I sat quietly outside the room, waiting for the kids to approach me. A lovely young girl came and sat with me. I played with a toddler. The children were all brilliantly fun and were happy to get stuck into running rings around us all. It would be selfish of me to feel sad for these children, as they were all so happy; most are too young to understand the troubles they will face as they grow old, if they grow old. Mother to child transmission of H.I.V is the most common form of infection in Swaziland. They were happy and normal children and poverty and health did not come into the equation for me; just big inquisitive eyes and infectious giggles, from most anyway. I felt very bad for scaring one small man; I think I am the first white person he had ever seen as he kept looking and pointing, then crying and hiding his face. Poor thing; apparently, those who have seen pale people before have seen them when the give injections, so I guess the little lad was quite justified in his fear.

I realised again today that I'm a little different from the rest of the group; I noticed the ticks on the animals that were freely mingling about. I knew what they were. I don't have any.

And I got my suitcase back, but, to be honest, I don't think I would have noticed if it had not. After seeing so many children living in such poverty, my bag makes me feel a bit uneasy. Nice to have some deodorant though I guess. We ended the day with the worst meal I have ever eaten; steak (animal indeterminate) which took over an hour and a half to prepare. I think I may be poorly tomorrow.

2 comments:

Grandpa Pool4 September 2010 at 09:23
Very proud of you! You have seen more of South Africa in a few days than I saw in 4 weeks. What interesting people you have been able to talk to. We look forward to reading your blogs.
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Patricia Pool4 September 2010 at 09:29
What a great chance you have had to see the real situation in South Africa and Swaziland. You must broadcast it as widely as possible when you return. I thought I knew a lot about the situation there but you have opened my eyes, particularly to the regime in Swaziland. Look forward to your next blogs. X
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Secondary Links

The Nomntu Project

The Nomutu project is run by a friend of mine's family. It provides educational, social and practical support to those suffering from poverty, abuse, HIV/AIDS in small communities in the Eastern Cape. They do good work. Support them if you can!

Artists For a New South Africa

Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA) is a nonprofit organisation working in the U.S. and South Africa to combat HIV/AIDS, assist children orphaned by the disease, advance human and civil rights, educate and empower youth, and build bonds between our nations through arts, culture, and our shared pursuit of social justice.

Music you might like

Johnny Clegg: Johnny Clegg is one of South Africa’s most celebrated sons. He is a singer, a songwriter, a dancer, anthropologist and a musical activist whose infectious crossover music, a vibrant blend of Western pop and African Zulu rhythms, has exploded onto the international scene and broken through all the barriers in his own country.

Listen on Myspace here.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo: So good were they that after a time they were forbidden to enter the competitions but welcomed, of course, to entertain at them.

Listen on Myspace here. (Yes, they are the ones from Paul simon's Graceland album).

Putumayo world Music - South Africa. Listen to previews through Real/Media Player. These guys are great, as they support NGO's and non profit organisations. For info click here.

Soul Brothers; Initially formed in KwaZulu Natal, the group have remained the slickest and most successful proponents of the mbaqanga sound which dominated South African urban music for over three decades.

Listen on We7 here.

Xavier Rudd and Izintaba: Album Koonyun Sun. Xavier is from australia, Izintaba from South Africa. I won't give you a review, just get it. It's ace. Particularly track 4.

Listen on Myspace here.

South Africa Fact File

For more information click here.

South Africa, officially called the Republic of South Africa, is the southernmost country of continental Africa, bordered in the north-west by Namibia; in the north by Botswana and Zimbabwe; in the north-east by Mozambique and Swaziland; in the east and south by the Indian Ocean; and in the west by the Atlantic Ocean. The independent country of Lesotho forms an enclave in the eastern part of the country. South Africa has an area of 1,219,090 sq km (470,693 sq mi). The administrative capital of South Africa is Pretoria, the legislative capital is Cape Town, and the judicial capital is Bloemfontein.

Government

In February 1990 South Africa’s white minority government lifted the ban on anti-apartheid political organizations and freed African National Congress (ANC) leader Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners. The government and the black liberation movement, led primarily by the ANC, then entered into negotiations to dismantle apartheid and open the way to political democracy in South Africa.

Religion, Language and Culture

Religion

About 68 per cent of the people of South Africa are Christians, mainly Protestant. Most Afrikaners belong to the Dutch Reformed Church, and most South African whites who speak English as their first language belong to the Anglican, Congregational, Methodist, or Roman Catholic Churches. Blacks are also members of these denominations; in addition, many of them adhere to so-called independent Churches, which combine elements of Christianity and traditional African religions. A significant minority of blacks also follow traditional beliefs. Of the non-Christian religions in South Africa Hindus comprise 1.3 per cent and Muslims 1.1 per cent. South Africa also has a Jewish community of some 67,600 people, although a number of Jews have emigrated to Israel in the past 25 years.

Language

There are 11 official languages in South Africa: Afrikaans (6.2 million), English (3.5 million), Ndebele (588,000), Northern Sotho (3,840,000), Southern Sotho (2,704,000), Swati (1,019,000), Tsonga (1,646,000), Tswana (2,822,000), Venda (666,000), Xhosa (6,858,000), and Zulu (10,700,000). Afrikaans and English are the languages of record. The former, a variant of the Dutch language, is the first language of almost all Afrikaners and many Coloured people. English is used as the primary language by many whites and is also spoken by many Asians and blacks. To most blacks, however, a Bantu language (see Niger-Congo Languages) or Khoisan (Click) language is their first language. In addition to English, many Asians also speak a language of India. Fanagolo, a Zulu-based pidgin, is spoken by several thousand mainly as a lingua franca among mining communities. A group of Afrikaner intellectuals, concerned that Afrikaans is being marginalized in South Africa, met at Hammanskraal in May 2000, to launch the Group of 63, which seeks special constitutional protection for Afrikaans and other minority languages. Members include the South African writer Breyten Breytenbach. It is the first time since early last century that Afrikaners from such a diverse political spectrum have united on a cultural project.

Culture

The historical segregation of racial and ethnic groups in South Africa has resulted in distinct cultural developments. Within the white population English and European cultures have re-emerged as dominant influences, especially with the erosion of the Afrikaner-created apartheid system, and the end of the international isolation it caused. The historical distinction between the more religious and nationalistic Afrikaners and the more cosmopolitan English speakers is diminishing, especially among young people.

Among blacks, urban and rural cultures continue to differ. Urban black culture is multi-ethnic and increasingly draws on international influences, such as those of African-Americans. These influences have increased since the end of international sanctions against South Africa, which restricted artists from other countries from performing in South Africa. In the major urban areas the end of apartheid has brought about more interracial cultural activities. Generational differences within both the white and black populations also play a role in cultural expressions. In rural areas black cultural activities tend to emphasize the traditions of particular ethnic groups. Traditional Afrikaner culture is also strongest in rural areas. In recent years a new sense of self-pride has developed in the Coloured community and has found expression in writing, theatre, and music.

In 1993 the two sides agreed to hold the first multiracial elections in South Africa’s history in April 1994. A Transitional Executive Council was formed to supervise the elections, which would put in place new national and provincial governments. After difficult negotiations amid rising violence, much of it politically linked, an interim constitution was approved to serve as the country’s law until a permanent one could be written and adopted by the new parliament. The negotiators agreed that the new government would be one of “national unity”, in which minority parties with at least 5 per cent of the vote would be represented. However, the minority parties would not be able to exercise veto power over the decisions of the majority governing party.

ACTSA; Beshlie goes to Africa.

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So what's it all about then?

Friday, 3 September 2010

8: SWAPOL

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