I have been spending some time thinking about how best to share the insights contained in the e-mail I received from the woman volunteering at the clinic where I will working (see my post from 12/2) in Durban. Her name is Rachel, and I actually think that I’ll let her words speak for themselves – annotating and adding my thoughts where I feel it necessary. Her letter seems to be written for her own sake as much as for mine; she uses the opportunity of my initial letter to her as a way to set some of the things that she’s been thinking about during her year in SA to paper.
On disparities in the distribution of wealth:
“Although SA is the wealthiest country in Africa and the cost of living here is relatively high (I was surprised by the price of goods in the supermarkets and shops when I arrived) there is also a huge amount of poverty, most of which goes unseen by those who have the most money. Rich South Africans seem almost oblivious to the poverty that surrounds them, seem not to notice that the R300 they spend on a meal in a restaurant is more than millions of poor South Africans have to live on for an entire month.”
I have been reading a great deal about these disparities in wealth, and this seems to be a very well documented state of affairs, but I am particularly struck by the fact that she perceives ignorance to this situation on the part of wealthy South Africans.
On life in Durban (which is in the province of KwaZulu Natal (KZN):
“But then from an HIV/AIDS perspective KZN also represents a unique opportunity or a mammoth challenge depending on how you look at it. The province has the highest HIV prevalence rates in SA and modern Zulu culture (as well as some general South African culural norms) presents a number of obstacles to reversing this trend, not least massive gender inequality which manifests itself in scary levels of domestic violence and rape, women's inability to control their own sexual and reproductive health through negotiating the use of condoms in sexual relationships, and women's dependence on transactional sex with their boyfriends to guarantee physical, financial and food security for themselves and their children...but also people here have multiple concurrent sexual partners, the incidence of teenage pregnancy is relatively high, sexual debut usually occurs at a crazily young age, and there is a general aversion to condom use with a preference for skin-on-skin and even 'dry' sex.”
All I can say in response to the gravity of this paragraph is that I am very clearly in for a crash course in public health when I arrive.
On crime and security:
“This is a big issue in SA. I have never felt so caged as I did during my first week in SA. As you get used to the fact that you cannot go where you want when you want, you also have to deal with (mainly white) South African paranoia. I hope I've learnt to strike a balance between putting myself at risk and actually being able to go out and do things during my time here. I've gone from extreme caution when I first arrived, to being quite relaxed about security issues, to becoming more aware of security issues without letting them impede my movements too much. I'm certain I do more, go more places and take more risks than most white South Africans but it is calculated risk – I try not to carry more cash than I need and certainly don’t put more than a few rand in my bag (it's safer to split cash between your pockets), park my car where there are car guards, don’t leave anything valuable in the car and try not to expect the car to be there when I get back etc. There is crime in the UK but it was really liberating to get back to the UK, even just for a couple of weeks, and not have to deal with crime and security issues on this level every day.”
In this paragraph she strikes on the issue I am most concerned about in these weeks before my departure. I have never before spent time in a place where I haven’t felt relatively in control of my surroundings. Rachel notes that she has undergone several transformations about the way she has dealt internally with this situation during the past year - but no matter how small, a calculated risk is a risk nonetheless. Will I be able to enjoy my time in SA if I am constantly fearful of what danger may or may not be around the next corner.
On race:
“Skin colour and race still impact on almost all aspects of life in SA. For the first time in my life I was told I could not do certain things or go certain places because of the colour of my skin and that took a lot of getting used to. When I arrived, white South Africans told me that it would be assumed I was a white South African woman so I would have to act accordingly, ie. not go places that white South African women do not go! I think it is possible to work around some of these constraints (I go downtown even though very few other white people do) but I’m often conscious of the reaction I get from other people around me – black South Africans just do not expect white girls to be wandering around downtown!”
Again, Rachel focuses on how different life is for her as a white woman in SA when compared to her like in the UK. While I know that some of these issues won’t impact me as greatly because I am a man, I will most certainly be treated as a white South African – not as an American – and will have to act accordingly.
Sorry for the grim post; as excited as I am about my departure, there are also some very serious issues that I would be remiss not to consider and discuss. I also don’t want you to get the impression that everything that Rachel wrote to me was about the negative aspects of SA - she also shared a great deal about the beauty and diversity of the culture and scenery. But I guess I should save that for another moment, as this post has gotten a bit unwieldy. Thanks so much for hanging in there and reading through to the end.
I hope you have been enjoying my first bunch of posts, and I’d really love to hear any feedback you may have. My e-mail address, for those who don’t have it, is in my profile.
Peace out.
b
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