Reflections on South Africa

South Africa, South Africa

I remember when I first got home from Fiji – funnily enough, I was sitting exactly where I am now, overlooking the lake at my mother’s beautiful house in Perth. I’d been gone 18 months, and my life had completely changed: I’d spent the last few months under curfew, writing about a coup, watching a country go through turmoil. Even before that, my eyes were open to a whole host of things I never learned in school.

But, in hindsight, what I remember most about coming home from Fiji was being…well, a little annoying. Fiji this, and Fiji that – what, you didn’t hear about the coup? How could you not have heard about the coup? I’m sure anyone who had spent a chunk of time overseas - or been forced into a corner at a cocktail party by some Greenpeace activist – can relate: you think that what you’ve been through is THE MOST INTERESTING THING IN THE WORLD AND EVERYONE MUST STOP, STAND AND LISTEN. I couldn’t believe that there was a world in Toronto turning at the same time as mine was. And, for several weeks, I was probably one of the most annoying people in the T. dot.

So, that said, now that I’m back on Canadian soil I want to insure that I’m not that person, the one at the cocktail party people are avoiding. I want to make sure that when I talk about South Africa – because for me, this is not an experience that I’m going to tidy away in a drawer – it is with the same passion I felt two weeks ago when I ran through that hailstorm, the peach pit lodged in my throat, the image of that little baby girl dying in Baragwana Hopsital.

Now that I’m home – and I’m happy to be home, happy to be moving onto the next phase with Cotlands, happy to be with my family and friends again – what can I say about my time in South Africa? I look back at my blog and there are cringe-worthy moments. The thing about writing a blog is that once it is out there, it is out there. You can go in and edit it, erase it, but as a writer I consider that tantamount to going back on your word. When you write something you need to stand by it. As I look back on my blog entries from my time in South Africa I have to stand by what I’ve said. So, in keeping with that I’ll try to sum up with a little ditty called:

“Top Ten Things I Know Now From My Time in Africa”

1. We need to hear more about AIDS in Africa.

Let’s face facts: For a crisis that is killing a continent, we really aren’t bombarded with stories. Why? Stephanie Nolen has a theory. The talented Globe and Mail journalist who has brought AIDS in Africa onto our front pages, was recently nominated for the Giller Prize for her book “28: Stories of AIDS in Africa.” She told me that she is one of only TWO Canadian journalists who are stationed there to cover the whole continent. That isn’t a typo: two Canadian journalist for all of Africa - one French journalist, and Stephanie. Talk about a long order. So, she has to cover soaring inflation in Zimbabwe, food programs in Malawi, conflicts in Sudan or DRC and, of course, many other stories not least of which is AIDS in Africa. She doesn’t just deserve a Giller she deserves some kind of medal. Stephanie has won the National Newspaper Award twice. The first time she won (for her work in Africa) she got to the podium and told the crowd, ‘Guys, there are LOTS of stories to cover in Africa. Come on over.’ She repeated the same thing when she got up on the podium the next year. There are lots of Brits covering Africa, but why aren’t there more Canadian journalists? Why don’t we demand more stories? Why are we bombarded with the fine details of Britney’s latest court appearance when important news – and not simply news from Africa – is filtered out? I could go on and on, but I do believe this audience is intelligent enough to draw their own conclusions.

2. South Africa is caught between the First World and the Third World.

Without doubt or hesitation, I can say South Africa is a paradox: first world meets third world, driving fast towards the future while simultaneously stuck in reverse, a place where you can drive as little as one hour and see it all: rich and poor, dense urban spaces and wide African plains, where in one instant you can feel safe and a split second later feel as though you’re in grave danger. But, all things considering, when you think a little about South Africa’s history, their juxtaposition isn't surprising. I’m a child of the 80’s and have a stellar memory. Who doesn’t remember: “I Ain’t Gonna Play Sun City?” Two decades ago we were still protesting apartheid; Nelson Mandela only walked a free man in the early nineties, then overwhelming swept to power in 1994, changing South Africa forever. If you think about where this country has been in the last century, let alone the last twenty years, South Africa is a remarkable country. Apartheid ended without a bang, which most experts say is the most amazing thing about South Africa. No civil war, no bloodshed. Sorry about all that – you know, the segregation and the secret killings and the years of imprisonment – we’re really sorry, but let's move on. Let's prosper. Which leads to me to…

3. Nelson Mandela is a God.

Mandela. What a classy, classy guy. Can you imagine being holed up on Robbin Island in a tiny cell for the better part of your life? Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years imprisoned – this little island off of Cape Town, where you can see Table Top Mountain. Then, when he finally walked free (after several years of house arrest) he declared a commitment to peace and reconciliation. I don’t know about you, but if I’d spent nearly three decades in prison I wouldn’t be so forgiving. But Mandela is a different breed of species.

A lot of modern-day South Africa can be attributed to Mandela. The big criticism of him is that he didn't stay in office long enough. Give me a break - what more can one person give to his country? While I was in South Africa many people said to me they fear what will happen when Mandela finally dies – that he is the glue that helps keep the nation together. I’m not convinced of that. Besides, rugby seems to have done the trick. Which leads me to…

3. Never underestimate the power of sport.

Being in South Africa for the Rugby World Cup was something else altogether. Not only the win – that was big – or the days and days following, the headlines, the thousands of people who got up at 5 am on a Tuesday to get to the airport in Jo’burg to welcome the team back (begging the question: how high is the unemployment rate?). There was something all warm and fuzzy about the Spingboks taking the World Cup this time. They won back in ’95, and Mandela used that win as an opportunity to talk about bringing the country together – but this time it really did bring the country together. Back in ’95 Rugby was a white man’s sport; today, it is South Africa’s sport, their win, their glory. Go Boks!

4. Apartheid Then/Apartheid Now

This isn’t a history lesson – we all know apartheid was a system of racial segregation that ended in the early nineties, culminating with the first democratic elections in 1994 where Mandela swept to power. We know horrible things happened during apartheid: the Soweto uprising in 1976, where soldiers fired on unarmed students, the killing of Steven Biko and other anti-apartheid leaders, segregation, violence…the list goes on and on. In the last few years of apartheid rule the country was in a constant state of emergency – international embargos, protests, and a few bad men trying to hold onto power, while a few good men – like F.W. de Klerk – having the strength and vision to end apartheid.

But today there is a new apartheid. Many of the economic inequalities remain. South Africa has one of the largest discrepancies – lots and lots of poverty, and few people at the top. There is a growing middle class (black and white), but one of the lasting legacies of apartheid is AIDS. Fact of the matter is that though you can say the disease isn’t colorblind, it hits rich and poor, the majority of those living with HIV or AIDS is black and poor. That’s a fact.

I also found, from the interviews I conducted – and please, let me finish my thought before you leap down my throat – that certain things were better under apartheid rule, health care and education being top of the list. No one is arguing South Africa would be BETTER under apartheid; no one would return to that horrific time. However, according to several health care workers I interviewed, under apartheid the Chris Hani Baragwana hospital in Soweto was top-notch– new graduates in medicine, nursing, occupational therapy lined up to work there. Now? Most graduates are scrambling to emigrate and Baragwana hospital is overcrowded and dilapidated. I’m not a fan of hospitals – who is – but I could smell death in every corner at Bara and it gave me the shivers.

This rambling point leads me to one conclusion: AIDS in South Africa’s new apartheid.

5. Good government is a right, not a privilege.

In 2000 the International AIDS conference was held in Durban, South Africa. While the world’s medical and scientific community discussed the crisis, President Thabo Mbeki invited a number if AIDS dissidents to a closed panel where, according to a reporter who snuck in, they advocated HIV testing be legally banned and one dissident denied that he’d seen any evidence of an AIDS catastrophe in South Africa.

When Mbeki came to address the conference, he reiterated his belief that HIV doesn’t cause the AIDS virus, causing hundreds to walk out on his speech. He also sent a letter to a number of world leaders where he likened the mainstream AIDS research community to supporters of apartheid. A lot of the diplomats who got the letter thought it was a hoax. All of this led to mainstream AIDS scientists and activists to sign the Durban Declaration affirming that HIV causes AIDS.

Flash-forward to 2007 (and read some of my previous posts): Mbeki still stands behind his current health minister who advocated a diet of garlic, ginger and beetroot as the main staples for fighting HIV. Even though there has been an “official” roll-out of antiretrovirals, many people don’t have access to them. The health system is chaotic. Rural areas don’t have clinics, so they don’t even have access to a doctor unless they walk for a day or more (or are lucky enough to be around if a mobile medical units pops by). Those who are HIV infected –and who know their status, because most people don’t - often don’t have fridges to store the ARVs, if they even have them. That’s even if they know their status or have disclosed.

And, this isn’t simply about AIDS. South Africa’s crime rate is out of control. They are prepping and planning for the 2010 Soccer World Cup and the running joke is that a group of German tourists are going to show up one day, be mobbed and mugged the next, and be on a plane home before seeing a match – vowing never to return to South Africa. Not a funny joke, is it? Some stats say a rape happens every thirty seconds in South Africa. You drive through neighborhoods in Jo'burg and it is one barbed wire fence after another, and even those don't keep the thiefs out.

For all its economic prosperity, all mineral resources, its fantastic tourism and all that lies ahead, South Africa has a few messes to clean up and they need a good leader who recognizes that his people are dying, that his people are afraid to walk the streets at night, and do something about it. Enough said.

6. Never underestimate the power of culture and stigma.

I was very fortunate to get to know many people over my time in South Africa and one was a brilliant, engaging man named Archie who worked at our hotel. Hotel jobs are coveted – they pay well so the hotels can afford to pick and choose and hire charming and engaging staff. Archie and I had so many interesting discussions about AIDS. Archie has many strong views about how to stem the crisis and one of his favorite sayings is “Disclose, disclose, disclose!” Disclosure is a huge issue in South Africa: being brave enough to go and get tested, then disclose your status to your friends and family. Very few people do it. HIV positive nursing women will breastfeed, when they have been told not to because they will pass on the disease to their newborn, because they are afraid of disclosing to their family; truck drivers will spread the disease to their wife (that they picked up from a prostitute on the road) or their girlfriend because they don’t want to disclose their status and how they got it. One woman I met refused to even admit she was HIV positive, even though both her children are on ARV medication, because she was afraid of her boyfriend leaving her.

Sigh.

Culture plays a huge part, so does stigma. Cotlands has a wonderful outreach and counseling program, and they address this face on. But still…things don’t change. One of the women I met in outreach is 4-months pregnant again; her three-year old daughter has only recently turned a corner and responded to ARVs. This woman wouldn’t answer the nurse’s question when asked: Is the father of this new baby HIV positive??? So, not only is this woman potentially passing on her status to her unborn child, but it is possible she’s infected someone else. And this woman has been involved with Cotlands for two years, been educated with all the programs Cotlands offers, and she still went and got pregnant again.

What’s the answer? I don’t know.

7. Because of all this.

South Africa needs leaders who will stand up and say: I know someone who died of AIDS! We all need to talk about AIDS! Nelson Mandela rocked the nation a few years ago when he held a press conference and announced his son had died of AIDS. It was groundbreaking, because no one talked about AIDS. You see, in spite of the millions of people infected in this wonderful country, very few die of AIDS. They die of pneumonia, or TB or a really bad infection. But not AIDS. Until you tear down the stigma wall, until you have government leaders who are pushing the agenda forward – and pushing it hard – you’re going to stay on that treadmill, never moving forward. I got into a debate with a colleague of my husbands who said that South Africa has prospered under Mbeki, the economy is strong blah blah blah. I asked him how strong that economy would be in two, four, ten years when the entire working population – the 25-45 year olds – has been wiped out by AIDS. He told me I was being overly dramatic. I don’t think I was.

8. And….

We need to do more. A lot of the South Africans I met told me they need to do more, but I think we need to do more. We need to pay attention to what is going on in this country and on this continent, because there are many other nations – Botswana, Namibia, Zaire etc… – that are dying. I know I could go on and on (and I have) but consider this:

• Throughout Africa, there are more child-led households than you want to imagine, children whose parents have died and are forced to raise themselves and their siblings. If you want to help one of these children there are several organizations out there – one that I met last year is Save the Children www.savethechildren.org but Canada’s World Vision can steer you in the right direction www.worldvision.ca
• The task of raising so many of Africa’s children has fallen on grandmothers. Try to imagine your granny, 70 years old with her subscription to Reader’s Digest (had to get a plug in there), suddenly being responsible for raising seven children, including babies? The Stephen Lewis Foundation has made this a central part of their platform and you can donate or get involved with their granny programs in all parts of Africa. www.stephenlewisfoundation.org. Remember my story about Rose and her house? One house for a granny costs about $330 dollars. Consider passing a hat around your workplace. I can send you a two-pager I’m working on that describes Cotlands, and can send you information about Adopt A Granny. Email me directly at erinpp@rogers.com. I was overwhelmed by how this one act - a new house - changed the lives of not only Rose but her grandchildren. $330 to change 8 lives? That's a bargain.
• The only way that organizations like Cotlands, or the Stephen Lewis Foundation, or any of the countless other s(I discovered there are over 30,000 Non-Profit organizations in South Africa alone – how scary is that?) can grow and help more children is through funding. It is a simple dollars and cents issue. You can make a donation online at www.cotlands.org. Cash. No amount is too small. If you can charge $20 to your credit card today, that’s twenty bucks more than they had yesterday.

9. And also....

South Africa is truly one of the most incredible places I’ve been. I’ve been fortunate enough to see the good and the bad, to experience the paradox. I’ve watched a family of elephants rumble past my Landrover and woken to the sound of wild baboons outside my front door; I’ve felt like the whitest girl on the planet on a home visit in Soweto. And I hope in the years to come I will continue to learn more, to experience more.

And one more thing….

10. Though I love him, and Shawshank Redemption is one of my favourite films of all time, I’m not so sure about Morgan Freeman playing Nelson Mandela. Not so sure about anyone playing Mandela. It’s like playing God. Oh, that’s right – Morgan’s already done that role. Time to move onto bigger and better things. Any bets on whether Peter Gabriel does the soundtrack? Ok, I'll shut up now...

Thanks for reading everyone.