Essay

I was recently asked to adapt some of my blog posts into an essay that discusses the HIV/AIDS situation in South Africa, as well as some of my experiences here. The essay is primarily based off an earlier post, where I discuss the disconnect between understanding and action with regards to the continuing HIV pandemic. In that post, I promised a follow up where I would discuss the causes for this disconnect, but never made that addition to my blog. So in the essay is also the long-ago promised investigation into the causes of the disconnect between thought and behavior here.

Please feel free to read or download the essay by clicking the link below:

essay.pdf (PDF document)

Lots More Photos

It's long overdue, but I have finally posted lots more photos. The dearth of photos has been due to two things. One, forgetting my camera in Durban over Christmas vacation. And two, the slow upload speed over the cellphone connection. But both problems have been remedied at this point. Amazingly, I managed to recover my camera four months after I left it in a backpackers in Durban. As for the internet speed, I believe the local cellphone tower was upgraded, because now I get a 3G connection (which is amazing for a rural village anywhere in the world, much less Africa).

My parents came to visit in April, and we spent a little over two weeks traveling around the eastern part of South Africa. Just a brief overview of our trips:

• One night in my village, ga-Mathabatha, staying with Agnes (the head of my organization)
• Over to Graskop and Sabie
• A four night backpacking trip from Sabie over to Graskop (not really backpacking, as we got to stay in outstanding little huts along the way)
• Into Kruger, the amazing game park here
• South, around Swaziland (staying at a guesthouse on a pig farm along the way)
• Two nights in St. Lucia, an estuary game park along the coast
• One night in Durban, with a breathtaking view of the Indian Ocean from our room
• Up to the Drakensberg mountain range, where we stayed in the Royal Natal park
• And finally, returning to Pretoria before my parents headed off

My parents brought many books and other niceties for me to enjoy, but one of the best was my nicer camera, which I had originally decided to leave at home. So along the way, I was able to make up for the lack of photos and captured some of the beautiful places and things we saw. And I have selected a few the highlight places along our journey, and have posted 27 new photos! You can see them by going to:

Album: Traveling South Africa with my parents
http://picasaweb.google.com/nathanntg/TravelingSouthAfricaWithMyParents

A Moment in Africa

South Africa hardly resembles the traditional images that come to mind when you think of Africa… the rolling savannahs and desserts, the tropical rain forest areas. In fact, the majority of the places I have visited thus far remind me more of home then of what I would envision when thinking of Africa. My site is nestled up against a mountain, which looks very much like New Mexico. Many of the open areas resemble the deserts of California. And as you climb into the mountains, such as the Drakensberg Range, you see rock formations that resemble Arizona and mountain lakes that bring back memories of Colorado.
Yet, every once and a while, there will be a view or a moment that resembles some traditional notion of what we expected South Africa to be like. Whether it is a stunning sunrise or the breathtaking moment when a herd of elephants crosses the road on all sides of our car. And when with other volunteers, we will pull out our cameras and comment that it truly looks like Africa. So I wanted to share one of those moments, when it was unequivocally a moment in Africa.

Three close friends and I were visiting Kruger National Park. Just to give a little background, Kruger is one of the largest game reserves in the world. It is about the size of Wales (and is now growing as fences between it and neighboring private reserves and other international reserves are being torn down). It is home to a vast variety of animal and plant life, scattered through out three major eco-zones and many sub eco-zones. Spending a day driving around Kruger, one will often pass from zone to zone and suddenly see a very different environment outside the window. Most of our time is spent driving around, looking for animals. But there are also well maintained rest camps, where you can stop for food or to stay the night.

So upon spotting a turn off for a baobab tree, we decided to go off and explore. The trees are stunning in size, and in formation, with extremely thick trunks (usually about 23ft wide). The trunks are used to store water (up to 32,000 gallons), allowing it to survive through the periods of intense drought. The one in Kruger did not appear to be in the greatest health, but gathering at the base, we were able to appreciate the magnificent size and stature of the tree.

We continued on the curvy dirt road, hoping to make our way back to the main paved road. Coming around a corner, we saw a feline approaching us. And three cars in the opposite direction crowding in to try and get a view of the animal who was walking straight towards our car. We had the good fortune to be the only car coming from our direction, so we had a stunning view. It was a mother leopard, and shortly after, we saw her little cub following behind in a shy manner. Although she seemed quite unfazed by the gathering cars, the cub would run off into the tall grass on the side of the road to hide every so often. The mother would stop and look back impatiently, waiting as the cub got its courage together to walk a little further along the road. You could even here it cry out – little meows emanating from the deep grass, where it hid. The pair walked right by our car, reaching distance from the window and continued on down the road. Simply said, we were awe struck. It had a beautiful body, dotted by rosettes of black spots on a whitish golden background. Its movements were quiet and full of grace. And interestingly, since then, I have learned that it is second most effective predator in Kruger (only outdone by the African Hunting Dog).

The leopard spotting completed the Big Five for us (well, three of us). We’d already seen lions, elephants, African Buffalo and a few rhinoceroses. And of course, we’d also seen giraffes, hippos, baboons, zebras, all sorts of gazelles and amazing birds of all varieties. While wandering the roads of Kruger, the amazing sights and beautiful landscape offer a strong reminder of the fact that we are living in Africa – in some ways, it is not so foreign feeling as we often think, but at the same time, there are some special, beautiful moments that are unique to Africa.

Photos (taken by my friends Abby and Megan)

See More Photos

Xenophobic Attacks

I have not updated my blog in sometime, and in light of the recent news coverage concerning South Africa, I thought it might be appropriate to make a short post updating people on the situation here. And I promise a longer, more personal post in the coming few days.

South Africa has been prominent in the world news over the last few weeks. And, as is often the case when an African country gets global media attention, it is the result of violence and unrest. There has been an ongoing set of attacks being carried out against African foreigners living in South Africa. The attacks are taking place in some of the worst-off Townships, where people are deprived of wealth, employment and opportunity. Motivated by a sense of jealousy and a strong feeling of xenophobic, the South Africans living in the areas have raided and chased off foreigners from other African countries, such as Mozambique, Zimbabwe, etc. The perpetrators claim that these foreigners are stealing housing, economic support and jobs that should instead go to South African locals.

The attacks have primarily be concentrated around Johannesburg and the rest of the Gauteng province, but in the last week, they have begun to spread to other poor townships in the North West province, the KwaZulu-Natal province and the Mpumalanga province.

The media here (and, to some extend, abroad) have been filled with graphic images and disturbing accounts of the extreme violence, including machete attacks and ‘necklacing’ (putting someone inside a tire, pouring gas on them and then igniting them). It is remarkably discouraging to hear these stories and see the awful violence that is surging, which has many parallels with the rebellious violence that existed during the end of the Apartheid era. Overall, over 42 people have been killed and at least twenty thousand people have been displaced. Huge refugee camps have been setup at police stations in Johannesburg and daily buses carry thousands of people returning to their home country, with the few things they can salvage from their home before being chased away.

The police have been attempting to control the situation, arresting over 400 people. Last night, in an attempt to bring around an end to the violence, president Mbeki authorized the army to assist the police in quelling the aggression and violence. They are expected to be deployed to the troubled areas today. Ideally, there presence might help bring about an end to the violence and scare people back into a peaceful state. But I fear the situation could just as easily escalate. The deployment of the army can result in increased unease and increased tension, as happened when the Apartheid government start placing larger forces in Townships.

I think that so much of this situation reflects peoples disappointment or sense of betrayal by the ANC government (African National Congress, which took over when Apartheid fell). The ANC made large promises about how South Africa would improve in terms of infrastructure, education and opportunity. And in many ways, the country has come a great distance – good water is available to more people, almost everyone has electricity and the economy has grown greatly. But in the excitement of a Black-led South Africa, the ANC promised more then it was possible to deliver. Combine that with an economic downturn, increased inflation, power outages and a huge influx of immigrants from Zimbabwe (fleeing Robert Mugabe) and from Mozambique, it is easy to see how tension has been continually increasing. The people most affected by these things turn to violence as a way to seek resolution, as that was what people were taught during the Apartheid era. Violence helped end that situation, so people have turned to it again, hoping that it will fix the current situation.

Of course, instead of helping, it is furthering the economic crisis here, driving down the South African Rand, discouraging incoming tourists and jeopardizing the 2010 World Cup (the first to ever be held in Sub-Saharan Africa) – all that, on top of the fact that tens of thousands of people are being displaced, hundreds are being injured and several more killed, where there possessions and shops are being looted. It is a remarkably grim and depressing situation, for a country that has so far achieved reasonable stability and good growth, following such a dark history and colonization.

How does this situation affect me? Beyond what I read in the news, there is little affect. And, to the best of my knowledge, this is true for all the Peace Corps volunteers. Volunteers are not placed in the townships surrounding Johannesburg, because of their already violent nature. Most rural communities do not even have a large foreign population. And on top of that, Americans do not really fall into the same competitive category in which other Africans are viewed. So, as it stands, the situation remains relatively safe for us volunteers. Peace Corps is monitoring the situation, informing us of new developments and, if needed, they will take appropriate steps to help ensure our safety.

For those interested in reading more about the situation, I would suggest:

• Mbeki gives nod to army from the Mail & Guardian online – A recent news article from one of the best papers here, describing the current situation and the recent approval of army action.
• Blog post by Abby – A fellow volunteers post describing the situation and echoing some of my sentiments about how disheartening the situation is.

Sore Legs

Yesterday, after leaving at seven in the morning, I returned home at five in the afternoon (it was a long day of travel, one of those potential risks of deciding to commute long distances on a Sunday). I spent the weekend in the mountain town of Sabie in the Mpumalanga province, where the Longtom Ultra Marathon was held. I made a post about the event earlier, which briefly described the event.

Just to recap a little of the history: a few Peace Corps volunteers started the KLM foundation about five years ago. The foundation selects bright children from rural villages and then helps fund their education at one of the top private secondary schools in the area (for more details, I encourage you to view their website). The program partners with the Longtom Ultra Marathon, and gives current volunteers an opportunity to do fundraising and then to come participate in the race and spend time with fellow volunteers. Although the original founders have returned home, the KLM foundation continues to exist and new volunteers have taken on the task of organizing the race weekend.

First off, I would like to express my gratitude to all those who contributed on my behalf. I was surprised by (and am very appreciative of) how much people managed to give; it far exceeded what I was expecting from a little blog post. Letters and little gifts will be in the mail soon… Second, I was very impressed by the larger participation of our group. Over seventy volunteers came to Longtom and as a whole, we raised over $20,000, which is the best year yet.

For the weekend, all seventy of us stayed at the Sabie Backpackers, so there was lots of socializing and catching up with people who I haven’t seen since training ended back in September. Saturday morning, we got transport to the race start points. Two people in our group were actually running the Ultra Marathon (56km or 34.7 miles), while the rest of us were either walking or running the half marathon (the usual 21.1km or 13 miles). Of course, the mileage isn’t really sufficient to give an accurate picture of how challenging the ultra marathon is. It is important to remember that the Longtom run takes place on a mountain. So the first 21 miles are running up the mountain pass, climbing from 3,280 feet in Sabie to the top of the pass which is 7,053 feet above sea level. The lucky half-marathon people got to start at the top of the pass and just do the downhill section into Lydenburg (elevation 4,527 feet).

Having not trained (or really done anything physical for the last three months), I intended to walk and take in the stunning view. So sporting my hiking boots and cargo shorts, I started out at a slow pace in the back of the group, chatting with some fellow volunteers. But then I realized I should try to push myself a little, so I slowly picked up the pace and began walking faster. And that started getting endorphins flowing, which are bad news… Around 14km to go, I suddenly found myself jogging (not a good thing to do in hiking boots). And jogged for what amounted to a little more then half the race, even doing most of the long uphill section. I managed to finish in 2 hours 35 minutes, which I was pleased with. But best of all, I just felt so good for the rest of the day. My body clearly needed the exercise and to be pushed. I was tired, but just felt really positive and very alive. Hopefully that feeling will be enough to motivate me to train and run the whole half-marathon next year.

Of course, waking up yesterday and trying to move wasn’t as positive an experience. My calves burned and still today I feel quite sore. But the good feeling remains.

Thanks again to all those who donated to the KLM foundation! I think it is an outstanding program and a great way to create change by encouraging education and creating opportunities for children.

Unfortunate Events

The last two weekends have proved to be unfortunate for my organization. And I figure that is worthy of a quick blog post, and an introduction to crime in South Africa.

South Africa is not the safest country. Crime here is remarkably high, in fact, and has been one of the most difficult things to get used to. Until recently, all I heard was stories about crime that seemed pretty far removed and was generally isolated to the big cities. Walking around Durban, Pretoria or even Polokwane (a relatively small city and the safest provincial capital in South Africa), you see houses and businesses surrounded with high walls, which are topped with electrified razor wire. Many police carry machine guns. Malls and banks have security personnel who like they are ready to go into war (bullet proof vests, multiple guns, even some grenades). Just to get into the bank, you have to go through a special double-doored system that means that one door is always closed and locked. Most impressive is seeing the armored cars, which look more like tanks and are often escorted by a small tactical team with automatic weapons.

Many of the Peace Corps volunteers here have experienced minor crime in the city, such as wallets or cell phones disappearing, especially at hostels. In Polokwane, I have only heard about a few attempts at pick-pocketing. A number of people have also been mugged, often around Pretoria. And there are a few more unfortunate instances.

Hearing these stories has been disappointing and scary. South Africa, as a country trying to grow economically and move forward, is being held back by crime and continual perpetuation of fear within the culture. It raises important questions about what the country's biggest priority should be, in terms of development.

As to causes of the crime, people have written books on the subject, but I will just mention one short theory I have heard repeatedly. As the end of apartheid approached, people began preparing for a revolution and adopting more violent tactics. This involved training and arming people. Once the government shift was complete, people who learned to fight found that they were not getting the money or influence that the government-shift so often promised. And so people applied their skill set to crime to support themselves. This is especially exacerbated with the decreased sense of ownership in the government and public services (a sentiment that was promoted during the apartheid government, as a way of undermining their authority), leading people to feel comfortable destroying or taking.

Until two weeks ago, the crime here was pretty distant from my life. Although villages are generally safer than the cities, mine felt particularly safe. Many houses get left unlocked and there is a strong sense of community. I was warned about walking alone in one neighborhood of the village, but everywhere else, I have felt comfortable and safe, both during the day and at night.

But when I returned to my organization last Monday, I found the door to Knowledge's (my supervisor) office smashed open. The safe in his office had been broken open, with almost $5,000 missing (a huge amount, by local standards). In addition, two computers were missing, one from his office and one from the administration office (with this came the loss of a lot of important information and records). Police came and did a search for fingerprints, but they don't inspire much confidence. The break-in was the talk of the village, with everyone speculating that it was an inside job and talking about how unfortunate it was. But I was also impressed with the attitude of the people at the organization, who seemed undeterred in their everyday efforts.

This week, when I came to my organization, and heard that the home of Agnes had been broken into. She is the 68 year old woman who started our organization, and continues to run it. She was at home Sunday night, and her adult son was out. Four men showed up with guns, threatening to take her eleven-year-old adopted son if they were not allowed into her house. She of course let them in, and they proceeded to take, money, a laptop that belongs to the organization, her bank card and her car. She has not come into the organization since, but I hear she is doing well.

There is something tragic about seeing the people who are trying the hardest to help the community targeted by crime. Although the situation hasn't changed my personal sense of safety, it has changed my view of the village. And overall, along with other recent events, has changed my larger view of South Africa. I think much needs to be done here in terms of addressing underlying safety and crime issues and promoting a sense of ownership and investment before larger development issues can be tackled. And as a result, I think this brings up questions regarding what the role of Peace Corps volunteers within the country... but that is a subject for another day.

Just to close with some (dark) statistics:

• "According to a survey for the period 1998–2000 compiled by the United Nations, South Africa was ranked second for assault and murder (by all means) per capita, in addition to being ranked second for rape and first for rapes per capita. Total crime per capita is tenth out of the sixty countries in the data set." - from Wikipedia, statistics from NationMaster: South African Crime Statistics.
   
• "Interpol figures showed that, in 2002, South Africa experienced 114.8 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, the world's highest murder-rate and around five times higher than that of the second-highest country, Brazil. As of 1998, South Africa led the world, although by a smaller margin, in reported murders and robberies. A 2001 report by the Institute for Security Studies concluded that 'South Africa has high but manageable levels of property crime but an extraordinarily high level of violent crime. It is South Africa's high level of violent crime which sets the country apart from other crime ridden societies.'" - from Wikipedia

The goal of the statistics is not to depress or scare, but rather to backup my experiential descriptions with evidence.

Six Months

Just this week I realized that I have now been living in Africa for six months. It is amazing how quickly the time is going by here. First off, I figured it is a good excuse to post some long overdue photos:

http://picasaweb.google.com/nathanntg/PeaceCorpsSite

There are photos from when I walked to a hill that overlooks my village and a few showing my room, which I recently reorganized in an attempt to make it more personal and homey. That meant better organizing my stuff (so that everything wasn't sitting in piles on the floor) and getting a map and tablecloth.

The other day I was reminded of a fun story, which I had forgotten about. On the way to our first in-service training, back in December, I stopped by the site of another volunteer for a day. His site happens to be walking distance from a small-scale game reserve, so he and I headed over to the fence in hopes of seeing giraffes. Walking along the fence, we found a semblance of a gate (more like a place where you could crawl under the fence). My friend has been told by locals in the village that you could enter the game reserve there, so headed in. Maybe not the safest idea, in case there was some huge predators, but we walked along the dirt road and ended up seeing a huge family of ostriches (a male and a female, and about eight or nine little babies). So we sat a safe distance away and just watched as the meandered along, taking no notice of us, and picking through the grass for food. There was something very special about getting to sit and watch that.