Hi Everyone!
I came across a book yesterday that contained writings from students in the Cape Town area about their experiences, thoughts, and feelings about life from their perspective. So I'm going to share some things that they wrote. Now keep in mind that these are 11th grade high school students...
"Hope is Lost" by Deshandra Dass
We live in an age of tolerance, where the dilemmas caused by previous generations are being resolved. Everything you read in the press or see on television advertises the "new" South Africa as a place where no grudges are borne and everyone has accepted that all the people of the Rainbow Nation are equal, with the same rights. There is no longer any division of people by race or culture, creed or colour. We all live in harmony in the reborn land that is South Africa...Frankly, I think it's a load of codswallop.
I can't suddenly change the way I view a person of a different colour just because we are supposed to accept the views and beliefs of that person. How can we possibly hope to change decades of racial tension and social prejudice by pretending to change the way we feel toward each other? All my life I have been surrounded by my own kind. Enclosed in that cocoon, I never had to associate with "Whiteys" or "Blacks".
But suddenly, people of colour have a say. We are allowed into places previously reserved for Whites, we have democratic views, we can go to mixed schools, we can walk around without concern for police harassment. Because Blacks now have gained more power and an equal say, the Whites hope to be forgiven for the atrocities of their ancestors. Many of us have indeed managed to forgive and actually look to the future with hope. I am not one of these. For me, a member of the Indian minority, nothing has changed.
My people arrived in this country as indentured labourers, as slaves. It took hard work and an endless struggle for them to break out of that mould. But still we have nothing to show for our efforts. Apartheid saw to it that Whites were allowed to vote and had rights which Blacks could only dream of. Discriminatory action ensured that Whites got jobs, that Whites lived comfortably while people of colour toiled in a fruitless existence. In these times Indian people were not white enought to gain any special rights or privileges. We were treated in the same way as Blacks.
In 1990, all that started changing--Nelson Mandela was released from prison. Our first democratic election took place in 1994. Blacks and Whites now had equal rights and the era of unity had begun.
Then, no one acknowledged it, everyone knew it was happening: we were reverting back to the same old system. Only this time, in the opposite way. Black people are now given the jobs. Black people now have status. And once again, the Indian minority is left in the cold. This time we are not black enough. How can I be expected to live contentedly in a country where the colour of my skin is still a hindrance in spite of the promis of equality for all?
I respect the views of the people who look into the future with hope and pride. One has to admire their optimism. But I find it increasingly difficult to lose my cynical view on life in South Africa as I daily see bigoted practices which refute everything this country is supposed to represent. I long for the day when we can drop the charade and can truly say that everyone in South Africa is treated equally. Then I will be able to say that I am genuinely proud to be a South African.
But until that day comes, I will wallow in my cynicism, waiting.
Grade 11--Westerford High, Rondebosch, Cape
When one mentions the words "New South Africa" to foreigners, they probably think that everybody gets on very well with everybody else, and that Black and White get along very well indeed. South Africa is currently being presented as a country which has undergone a complete change. But foreigners don't know what happens to some of us Blacks in this country. We are still being treated as before--we are still being called vulgar names such as "kaffir".
Nomthetho Ntshoko
Grade 11--Westerford High, Rondebosch, Cape
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Black, Colored, and White
Hi Everyone!!
Everyday, I see something and I say, "Oh, how interesting! I'm going to put it in my blog!" Or I just say to myself that I'm going to write my thoughts down in a notepad and then transfer them later over to my blog...but the sad thing is is that when it comes times to log on to my blog, something interesting else will happen! So I am sad to say everyone, that you all are not getting my true thoughts...because there is so much to put on here! But the good news is that I will like to write a book and put everything in my book....a couple of people suggested that I write a book, so that is what I may do....
Ok, so I moved in with a colored lady here...oh, let me explain that if I haven't already...a person who is considered "Black" here in SA means that are full blooded African....there is no white blood in them and they usually speak Xhosa...many of them speak English as a second language, however. Black Africans who live in this area may also be from the Zulu tribe...Let me also say that although they although they may are black, they are not all dark-skinned....many people think that Africans are all dark-skinned, when that is clearly not the case...There are also "colored" people here...it is very weird to hear someone refer to himself as colored b/c in America there is a derogatory connotation associated with this word. However, here in SA, "colored" means that a person has ancestry that is affiliated with black and white...they also speak the language Afrikaans which has a strong Dutch influence over it....many coloreds may be dark-skinned, brown-skinned, and light-skinned...some coloreds may also have some Asian features in them as well since there was an Asian influence in Cape Town back in the day. Sometimes people will come up to me and start speaking Afrikaans and I tell them I don't understand and then they begin to speak to me in English....sometimes people will still speak to me in Afrikaans, even after I tell them I don't understand! lol...I just listen anyway and pretend to understand what they are saying...White here is white and they usually speak English although some may speak Afrikaans as well.
So it is quite interesting that in America, some people may refer to African Americans as black, but here in South Africa, America's "Black" will be called "colored"!
When I'm with my host family...her name is Traci (I changed her name just for privacy interests), she likes to show me around the area....both of them are colored...her husband sometimes speaks to me in Afrikaans, but he knows I don't understand! I'll listen anyway...maybe he forgets that I just speak English (I wrote some notes about African Americans not knowing African languages, but that's another blog)....But "Traci" likes to show me around the town. She will also point out the fact that back in apartheid years, blacks and coloreds couldn't live in certain areas of the city and if they were caught living in that area, then they were arrested for trespassing, even if they could prove their citizenship....she also told me that some areas used to be occupied by coloreds and/or blacks back in the day, but those people were forced to move out of those neighborhoods so that whites could have a decent place to live in...
Also, in some areas, there are baboons!!!! lol...let me explain what I've been hearing about the baboons...they will come and rob you for your food! If they see you walking with bags in your hand, with a bookbag, or a shopping bag, they will snatch any and every bag from you and run away with it thinking that there is food in the bags...some will also break into people's houses, steal the food, and leave!! They say that if a baboon approaches you and if you are eating, then to just give your food to them b/c if you don't, they will attack you and/or fight you until you feed them!
My next blog will be more about my interactions with the students!! Please continue to pray for me everybody!! Love Karla
Everyday, I see something and I say, "Oh, how interesting! I'm going to put it in my blog!" Or I just say to myself that I'm going to write my thoughts down in a notepad and then transfer them later over to my blog...but the sad thing is is that when it comes times to log on to my blog, something interesting else will happen! So I am sad to say everyone, that you all are not getting my true thoughts...because there is so much to put on here! But the good news is that I will like to write a book and put everything in my book....a couple of people suggested that I write a book, so that is what I may do....
Ok, so I moved in with a colored lady here...oh, let me explain that if I haven't already...a person who is considered "Black" here in SA means that are full blooded African....there is no white blood in them and they usually speak Xhosa...many of them speak English as a second language, however. Black Africans who live in this area may also be from the Zulu tribe...Let me also say that although they although they may are black, they are not all dark-skinned....many people think that Africans are all dark-skinned, when that is clearly not the case...There are also "colored" people here...it is very weird to hear someone refer to himself as colored b/c in America there is a derogatory connotation associated with this word. However, here in SA, "colored" means that a person has ancestry that is affiliated with black and white...they also speak the language Afrikaans which has a strong Dutch influence over it....many coloreds may be dark-skinned, brown-skinned, and light-skinned...some coloreds may also have some Asian features in them as well since there was an Asian influence in Cape Town back in the day. Sometimes people will come up to me and start speaking Afrikaans and I tell them I don't understand and then they begin to speak to me in English....sometimes people will still speak to me in Afrikaans, even after I tell them I don't understand! lol...I just listen anyway and pretend to understand what they are saying...White here is white and they usually speak English although some may speak Afrikaans as well.
So it is quite interesting that in America, some people may refer to African Americans as black, but here in South Africa, America's "Black" will be called "colored"!
When I'm with my host family...her name is Traci (I changed her name just for privacy interests), she likes to show me around the area....both of them are colored...her husband sometimes speaks to me in Afrikaans, but he knows I don't understand! I'll listen anyway...maybe he forgets that I just speak English (I wrote some notes about African Americans not knowing African languages, but that's another blog)....But "Traci" likes to show me around the town. She will also point out the fact that back in apartheid years, blacks and coloreds couldn't live in certain areas of the city and if they were caught living in that area, then they were arrested for trespassing, even if they could prove their citizenship....she also told me that some areas used to be occupied by coloreds and/or blacks back in the day, but those people were forced to move out of those neighborhoods so that whites could have a decent place to live in...
Also, in some areas, there are baboons!!!! lol...let me explain what I've been hearing about the baboons...they will come and rob you for your food! If they see you walking with bags in your hand, with a bookbag, or a shopping bag, they will snatch any and every bag from you and run away with it thinking that there is food in the bags...some will also break into people's houses, steal the food, and leave!! They say that if a baboon approaches you and if you are eating, then to just give your food to them b/c if you don't, they will attack you and/or fight you until you feed them!
My next blog will be more about my interactions with the students!! Please continue to pray for me everybody!! Love Karla
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Black Children in Masi
So, the general area that I am staying in is Cape Town, but the actual area where I am working in is called Masiphumelele (pronounced Mah-si-poo-muh-lay-lay) or "Masi" for short....it is the area where blacks were ordered to live in during the apartheid area....that area was supposed to only house 5,000 blacks...now about 30,000 blacks live there.
So when I was at the school today, some of the kids live in the area were playing and running near me so I stopped and said hi. The kids here are adorable!! They have a lot of energy...just like the little ones back in Chicago....when they saw me, they said (in a Dutch/British accent), "Teach-uh, teach-uh!! We want sweets, we want sweets!! Do you have cheeeps?? (chips) do you have money??..lol...i was smiling and said no I don't have anything...and then i went outside and some kids were out by the garbage can area....i thought they were like playing soccer or something, I didn't really see what they were doing. And then a little girl runs up to me and says, "Teach-uh teach-uh! He's eatin dat food!!" I walked over there and the little kids were bending down playing and trying to eat the leftover edibles in the trash....I started to cry then....I've never seen anything like that...and then to make matter's worse, the food had mayo and turkey on it...they were sandwiches that we had yesterday for lunch...I told them not to eat that food and they put it down and ran off....I didn't want them to see me teary-eyed...then they wanted me to take pictures of them, so we took like 10 or so pics...oh yeah, I havent put any up yet because the memory on the computer is low and it costs more to download and upload images, so I'll put them up when I go to an internet cafe...
But for the most part, the kids in Masi act, dress, and look just like black kids back home...they listen to a lot of rap music, wear roc-a-wear clothing, and talk about the same things young blacks in America talk about...this is a little problematic for me because I was expecting see kids listening to more African music (maybe) and wearing more African clothing, but I guess not...South Africa is a very Americanized country I am beginning to see...
Oftentimes, the girls are taking care of other younger girls and a lot of them do not live with their parents....a lot of the kids live with their siblings or grandparents or something...a lot of them also want to go to college, but cannot afford to...i asked one little girl who does she live with....this girl is 6 years old...you know what she told me...she said that she lives at home with both of her parents, but both of them are unemployed and they cannot afford any money for her school fees....she said she likes school, but that she can't go....how sad!
But one thing that is unshakeable is the spirits of the people....they are very optimistic! They are always smiling...when I put the pics up of the kids, they have the biggest smiles! You cannot tell that they are going through a thing!! When they smile, that makes me smile! They have a lot of love and positive energy in their spirits....that is always good =)
So when I was at the school today, some of the kids live in the area were playing and running near me so I stopped and said hi. The kids here are adorable!! They have a lot of energy...just like the little ones back in Chicago....when they saw me, they said (in a Dutch/British accent), "Teach-uh, teach-uh!! We want sweets, we want sweets!! Do you have cheeeps?? (chips) do you have money??..lol...i was smiling and said no I don't have anything...and then i went outside and some kids were out by the garbage can area....i thought they were like playing soccer or something, I didn't really see what they were doing. And then a little girl runs up to me and says, "Teach-uh teach-uh! He's eatin dat food!!" I walked over there and the little kids were bending down playing and trying to eat the leftover edibles in the trash....I started to cry then....I've never seen anything like that...and then to make matter's worse, the food had mayo and turkey on it...they were sandwiches that we had yesterday for lunch...I told them not to eat that food and they put it down and ran off....I didn't want them to see me teary-eyed...then they wanted me to take pictures of them, so we took like 10 or so pics...oh yeah, I havent put any up yet because the memory on the computer is low and it costs more to download and upload images, so I'll put them up when I go to an internet cafe...
But for the most part, the kids in Masi act, dress, and look just like black kids back home...they listen to a lot of rap music, wear roc-a-wear clothing, and talk about the same things young blacks in America talk about...this is a little problematic for me because I was expecting see kids listening to more African music (maybe) and wearing more African clothing, but I guess not...South Africa is a very Americanized country I am beginning to see...
Oftentimes, the girls are taking care of other younger girls and a lot of them do not live with their parents....a lot of the kids live with their siblings or grandparents or something...a lot of them also want to go to college, but cannot afford to...i asked one little girl who does she live with....this girl is 6 years old...you know what she told me...she said that she lives at home with both of her parents, but both of them are unemployed and they cannot afford any money for her school fees....she said she likes school, but that she can't go....how sad!
But one thing that is unshakeable is the spirits of the people....they are very optimistic! They are always smiling...when I put the pics up of the kids, they have the biggest smiles! You cannot tell that they are going through a thing!! When they smile, that makes me smile! They have a lot of love and positive energy in their spirits....that is always good =)
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Africa vs. America
Okay, so I've been in the Motherland only for a couple of days now and I've noticed a lot of differences between Americans and Africans. So I want to discuss them in this blog.
One of the first differences is the accessibility to health services between here and there. Here, in the town that I work in---Masiphumelele or "Masi" for short, there are hardly no health services. There is only one free health clinic that is open sometimes and when a person has an illness or a disease, they only give out one type of medicine for whatever illness you may have and that medicine is supposed to be a cure-all for everything. There is no Medicare or Medicaid and there is definitely no health insurance because the majority of the people are unemployed there. In America, the majority of us have access to these things but we don't use them. I don't understand this. Even for the limited access that some Americans have, some still don't take advantage, yet people are down here with NOTHING. The people barely have the clothes on their backs and they have to survive with those clothes not getting stolen. Also many of the girls who live in Masi have probably been raped in their lives sometime or another. How sad. They said that rape and sexual assaults are so common in Masi that the women almost expect it to happen. And when you drive through the town, there are so many kids playing in the streets and seemingly having fun. But unfortunately, a lot of the kids are killed b/c they are so little and the drivers are going too fast to stop.
Another thing difference I noticed is the content of the news. Last nite (It's Tuesday 4:40 pm right now), I was watching CNN and they were covering news that was/is happening all over. No big deal. But about 30 mins had passed and I noticed that there was really no American news. The only American news was only about this BP crisis (which by the way there are BPs here but BP has ordered the gas stations here to remove the name 'BP' from the signs...but you still know it's them because of the green and yellow colors) but that was the only American news that was covered. I then realized that CNN here covers more global issues and doesn't just focus on South African news while the news in the US covers just American news. That says a lot about CNN in America!!!!
Another thing I noticed is that some natives here will have an American or English first name and then have an African or native last name. For example, somebody's name might be Susan Olegetho. The reason is is that historically (during apartheid), the whites did not want to go through the "headache" of pronouncing the tribal first name, so they were give an American/English first name. But this doesn't apply to all Africans, just some. I was talking to some of my students and asking them what their first names meant...one boy is named Sandi (pronounced Sahn-di) and he said that name meant "loud sound" because when he was born he was making a lot of noise.
Another thing is noticed is the different languages spoken. Here is the breakdown.
--English (main language spoken, though everyone speaks it with an accent)
--Afrikaans (mainly spoken by white South Africans, which has a strong British accent)
--Xhosa (pronounced Kosa which is mainly spoken by black South Africans, which has the "clicking" sound in the throat)
Well I guess that's all for the day. On the farm that Im staying on has two dogs that are always craving for attention. There is a black one named Beauty and a brown one named Scruffles....I call him Scruffie for short....every time I go to pet and rub one, the other one comes and wants me to pet him....and then the two dogs will start fighting each other because they only want me to pet one and one only!! How funny! I just walk away when they start fighting because they get rough....lol...well I guess that's it....until next time, GO BAFANA BAFANA!!! (That's the name of the South African Soccer team..everyone is always screaming it here)..
Oh yeah, my sister found my jacket! It wasn't stolen! Yea!!
One of the first differences is the accessibility to health services between here and there. Here, in the town that I work in---Masiphumelele or "Masi" for short, there are hardly no health services. There is only one free health clinic that is open sometimes and when a person has an illness or a disease, they only give out one type of medicine for whatever illness you may have and that medicine is supposed to be a cure-all for everything. There is no Medicare or Medicaid and there is definitely no health insurance because the majority of the people are unemployed there. In America, the majority of us have access to these things but we don't use them. I don't understand this. Even for the limited access that some Americans have, some still don't take advantage, yet people are down here with NOTHING. The people barely have the clothes on their backs and they have to survive with those clothes not getting stolen. Also many of the girls who live in Masi have probably been raped in their lives sometime or another. How sad. They said that rape and sexual assaults are so common in Masi that the women almost expect it to happen. And when you drive through the town, there are so many kids playing in the streets and seemingly having fun. But unfortunately, a lot of the kids are killed b/c they are so little and the drivers are going too fast to stop.
Another thing difference I noticed is the content of the news. Last nite (It's Tuesday 4:40 pm right now), I was watching CNN and they were covering news that was/is happening all over. No big deal. But about 30 mins had passed and I noticed that there was really no American news. The only American news was only about this BP crisis (which by the way there are BPs here but BP has ordered the gas stations here to remove the name 'BP' from the signs...but you still know it's them because of the green and yellow colors) but that was the only American news that was covered. I then realized that CNN here covers more global issues and doesn't just focus on South African news while the news in the US covers just American news. That says a lot about CNN in America!!!!
Another thing I noticed is that some natives here will have an American or English first name and then have an African or native last name. For example, somebody's name might be Susan Olegetho. The reason is is that historically (during apartheid), the whites did not want to go through the "headache" of pronouncing the tribal first name, so they were give an American/English first name. But this doesn't apply to all Africans, just some. I was talking to some of my students and asking them what their first names meant...one boy is named Sandi (pronounced Sahn-di) and he said that name meant "loud sound" because when he was born he was making a lot of noise.
Another thing is noticed is the different languages spoken. Here is the breakdown.
--English (main language spoken, though everyone speaks it with an accent)
--Afrikaans (mainly spoken by white South Africans, which has a strong British accent)
--Xhosa (pronounced Kosa which is mainly spoken by black South Africans, which has the "clicking" sound in the throat)
Well I guess that's all for the day. On the farm that Im staying on has two dogs that are always craving for attention. There is a black one named Beauty and a brown one named Scruffles....I call him Scruffie for short....every time I go to pet and rub one, the other one comes and wants me to pet him....and then the two dogs will start fighting each other because they only want me to pet one and one only!! How funny! I just walk away when they start fighting because they get rough....lol...well I guess that's it....until next time, GO BAFANA BAFANA!!! (That's the name of the South African Soccer team..everyone is always screaming it here)..
Oh yeah, my sister found my jacket! It wasn't stolen! Yea!!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Welcome to South Africa Karla!!
Alright everyone, I am here!
It's been a long preparation for this trip, it was a long trip, and now I am finally here! There is so much to say and I've only been here for two days now and I don't know where to start. First let me say that I flew in on Emirates Airlines and let me say that is one gorgeous, huge jet! On Friday night, we stayed over in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and it was stunning! The airport there is by far, the best airport I've ever soon! It looks like something from the movie Aladdin...lol...The flight to Dubai was 12 hours...from there is was another 10 hour flight to Cape Town....talk about tiring! But it's okay.
When I got to South Africa, I was so excited! You can see the mountains and ocean before you land..everyone on the plane was stretching their necks to see the view! Awesome!
First thing is that there is NO central heating anywhere in SA! Nowhere! It's the wintertime here...so the temp is like in the 50s and 60s....so I have to constantly bundled up! I also realized that my leather jacket was stolen out of my luggage at the airport...I know I packed it...so yeah...I'm a little mad right now...and another volunteer told me earlier today that her $700 videocamera was stolen as well...wow!
Today was pretty good though....we had an orientation and which we find out about our placements and our living arrangements...some of the volunteers are living with hosts families and others are staying in communal dorms, which is where I'm staying! It's actually pretty nice...it's like a big log cabin! There's a fire in here, couches, everything...so it's cool...the website is www.livingartsfarm.co.za....
So tomorrow (Monday), some of the volunteers are going to spend a few weeks working in a library in this village called Masiphumelele...it's a small village where all of the citizens are poor blacks...when I said that there was poverty in Chicago, I was lying....when you see this village, its surreal...many of the people there live on about $1000 a year! Many of the people there also have TB and/or HIV/AIDS...the coordinators there advised us to not bring ANYTHING! We should only bring notebooks and paper....anyway the library is called Careers Indaba and we are going to help students to explore career options, work on resumes, and practice interviews...that should be fun!
Earlier today, I met this white man and he was holding this black baby and the baby was so cute! It was a little boy. I asked the man what's the name of the baby and he said that he forgot how to pronounce it. I then asked him if the baby was his and he said, "Sort of". I had this puzzled look on my face....He said that he is temporarily adopting the baby because the mother of the baby abandoned him so that she can run off and be with her boyfriend! When he said that, the baby started crying! It was as if the baby knew what was going on! How sad!
Well anyway, I'm signing off b/c I'm tired! We're supposed to go camel riding and/or horseback riding soon!
I'll be back soon---love Karla!
It's been a long preparation for this trip, it was a long trip, and now I am finally here! There is so much to say and I've only been here for two days now and I don't know where to start. First let me say that I flew in on Emirates Airlines and let me say that is one gorgeous, huge jet! On Friday night, we stayed over in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and it was stunning! The airport there is by far, the best airport I've ever soon! It looks like something from the movie Aladdin...lol...The flight to Dubai was 12 hours...from there is was another 10 hour flight to Cape Town....talk about tiring! But it's okay.
When I got to South Africa, I was so excited! You can see the mountains and ocean before you land..everyone on the plane was stretching their necks to see the view! Awesome!
First thing is that there is NO central heating anywhere in SA! Nowhere! It's the wintertime here...so the temp is like in the 50s and 60s....so I have to constantly bundled up! I also realized that my leather jacket was stolen out of my luggage at the airport...I know I packed it...so yeah...I'm a little mad right now...and another volunteer told me earlier today that her $700 videocamera was stolen as well...wow!
Today was pretty good though....we had an orientation and which we find out about our placements and our living arrangements...some of the volunteers are living with hosts families and others are staying in communal dorms, which is where I'm staying! It's actually pretty nice...it's like a big log cabin! There's a fire in here, couches, everything...so it's cool...the website is www.livingartsfarm.co.za....
So tomorrow (Monday), some of the volunteers are going to spend a few weeks working in a library in this village called Masiphumelele...it's a small village where all of the citizens are poor blacks...when I said that there was poverty in Chicago, I was lying....when you see this village, its surreal...many of the people there live on about $1000 a year! Many of the people there also have TB and/or HIV/AIDS...the coordinators there advised us to not bring ANYTHING! We should only bring notebooks and paper....anyway the library is called Careers Indaba and we are going to help students to explore career options, work on resumes, and practice interviews...that should be fun!
Earlier today, I met this white man and he was holding this black baby and the baby was so cute! It was a little boy. I asked the man what's the name of the baby and he said that he forgot how to pronounce it. I then asked him if the baby was his and he said, "Sort of". I had this puzzled look on my face....He said that he is temporarily adopting the baby because the mother of the baby abandoned him so that she can run off and be with her boyfriend! When he said that, the baby started crying! It was as if the baby knew what was going on! How sad!
Well anyway, I'm signing off b/c I'm tired! We're supposed to go camel riding and/or horseback riding soon!
I'll be back soon---love Karla!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
I'm Off!
Alright, so here is the big sha-bang!
Im getting ready now to leave to the airport and get on my flights...I'm leaving from Chicago to New York (I've never been to NY before!)...I should be there at about 4:00...I'm going to do some sightseeing for awhile and then come back at 8:00 for a group meeting, then off to Dubai, UAE (spend the night there in a hotel) and leave Saturday morning from Dubai to Cape Town.
So it will definitely be a looooong flight.
I'm a little nervous (which I guess is a good thing), but I'm more excited and geeked than anything! This will be an experience of a lifetime!!
So, the next time I get internet service, I will log on. Talk to you all soon folks! =)
K. Rose
Im getting ready now to leave to the airport and get on my flights...I'm leaving from Chicago to New York (I've never been to NY before!)...I should be there at about 4:00...I'm going to do some sightseeing for awhile and then come back at 8:00 for a group meeting, then off to Dubai, UAE (spend the night there in a hotel) and leave Saturday morning from Dubai to Cape Town.
So it will definitely be a looooong flight.
I'm a little nervous (which I guess is a good thing), but I'm more excited and geeked than anything! This will be an experience of a lifetime!!
So, the next time I get internet service, I will log on. Talk to you all soon folks! =)
K. Rose
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Teacher Strikes in Africa
Workers Struggles: Europe & Africa
7 May 2010
Teachers in Zimbabwe continue wage struggle
As the new school term began this week, teachers are still pushing for a salary of around US$600 a month. The government recently awarded teachers and other civil servants a 10 percent increase. Currently teachers earn around US$160 a month.
The government has been making conflicting statements. Two weeks ago, Finance Minister Tendai Biti announced a pay freeze for all civil servants while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, addressing a May Day rally, said the government was still deliberating on the issue.
The Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (ZIMTA) has called on its members to report for duty, but its president, Mrs. Tendai Chikowore, said, “Whether teachers would take up their classes or not … is something else, we are just encouraging them to report for duty.”
The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe and the Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe have called for class boycotts. Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe President Lovemore Mufamb explained, “The freezing of salaries has created havoc and disharmony in the teaching profession.”
Progressive Teachers Union President Takavafira Zhou called on all civil servants to reject the pay freeze.
Burundi teachers in prolonged strike action
Teachers belonging to the Syndicat des travailleurs de l’enseignement du Burundi (STEB) began strike action back in March over non-payment of two years worth of wages amounting to US$43 million. They have been joined in their action by teachers belonging to the National Council for Personnel in Secondary Education and the Free Trade Union for Burundi Teachers.
The government has reneged on an agreement it had signed in July 2002, along with the teachers unions. President Pierre Nkurunziza has called on the teachers to return to work. The government has suspended the right to strike, using the powers of a decree from 2005 that imposed a ban on strikes in the lead-up to a general election. There are a series of elections over the next two months, leading to the presidential election on June 28.
7 May 2010
Teachers in Zimbabwe continue wage struggle
As the new school term began this week, teachers are still pushing for a salary of around US$600 a month. The government recently awarded teachers and other civil servants a 10 percent increase. Currently teachers earn around US$160 a month.
The government has been making conflicting statements. Two weeks ago, Finance Minister Tendai Biti announced a pay freeze for all civil servants while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, addressing a May Day rally, said the government was still deliberating on the issue.
The Zimbabwe Teachers’ Association (ZIMTA) has called on its members to report for duty, but its president, Mrs. Tendai Chikowore, said, “Whether teachers would take up their classes or not … is something else, we are just encouraging them to report for duty.”
The Progressive Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe and the Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe have called for class boycotts. Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe President Lovemore Mufamb explained, “The freezing of salaries has created havoc and disharmony in the teaching profession.”
Progressive Teachers Union President Takavafira Zhou called on all civil servants to reject the pay freeze.
Burundi teachers in prolonged strike action
Teachers belonging to the Syndicat des travailleurs de l’enseignement du Burundi (STEB) began strike action back in March over non-payment of two years worth of wages amounting to US$43 million. They have been joined in their action by teachers belonging to the National Council for Personnel in Secondary Education and the Free Trade Union for Burundi Teachers.
The government has reneged on an agreement it had signed in July 2002, along with the teachers unions. President Pierre Nkurunziza has called on the teachers to return to work. The government has suspended the right to strike, using the powers of a decree from 2005 that imposed a ban on strikes in the lead-up to a general election. There are a series of elections over the next two months, leading to the presidential election on June 28.
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