Kaitlin Geiger-Bardswich

On Friday, Caroline and I visited The United Church of Canada’s partner, Surplus People Project (SPP). Their office is located close to the B&B where we stayed, so first Herschelle Milford, the Executive Director, picked us up and brought us to the office. Katherine Zavala from International Development Exchange (IDEX) based in San Francisco also joined us, as IDEX recently made a grant to SPP and were there to do a site visit.

Herschelle Milford, Director of SPP

The office was very nice, with an amazing view of Table Mountain. We met a few of those who work for SPP, and then Ricado Jacobs (also with SPP) arrived to take us on our exposure visit up the Cape, to meet some of the farmers that SPP work with. Ricado told us that 42% of South Africans are food insecure, and the majority of these are women. SPP does both advocacy and practical assistance for farmers in this situation. They don’t necessarily have a relationship with individual farms, but they more engage with them and advocate on their behalf over a specific issue, such as water.

Proof I was there!

First, Ricado took us to Citrusdel, in Cederberg municipality, where two members of a farmworkers’ forum were meeting with municipality officials over the lack of water on their farm. Petrus, the chairperson of the forum – which has The Right to Agrarian Reform for Food Sovereignty Campaign – was there, along with other SPP employees, to advocate on behalf of Wilhelm, a small-scale farmer, who does not have access to enough water to keep his farm viable.

Wilhelm, a small-scale farmer

After the meeting (hopefully Wilhem will have water by Monday, today), Wilhelm took us to his farm to show us the conditions he was facing. All of these small-scale farmers are working land that is owned by white farm owners. And these white owners are not ensuring that there is adequate water for the farmers. Additionally, South Africa has one of the most advanced constitutions in the world. However, this does not mean that the rights outlined in the Constitution are upheld. The right to an acceptable standard of living is enumerated in the South African Constitution, as is the right of access to water.  After seeing Wilhelm’s farm, it was clear that the government did not uphold this right, and was obviously also not being held accountable.

Wilhelm showing us the seriously low water supply on the farm

We travelled on to a second farm, where we met Gert. Gert is part of a seasonal workers’ union. It is a women’s union, called Sikhula Sonke; this means that men can be part of the union, but they cannot take a leadership role. All of the farmers we met on Friday talked about the importance they place on not using fertilizers or other types of poisons. However, they obviously have no control if the white farm owner chooses to fertilize other parts of the farm. This happened to Gert. There are citrus trees right beside his house and his plot of farming land, and these were recently fertilized by the land owner. His 3-month old daughter was in hospital, and Gert believed it was because of complications caused after these fertilizers were sprayed.

Gert (left) with Petrus at Gert’s vegetable garden

Gert took us to his vegetable garden and proudly showed us the different crops he was growing. Right now, he grows just enough to support his family, but he hopes to expand his farm so that he can also make some profit by selling produce in the market.

A kinda grainy photo of Caroline, Katherine, and I with Gert and Petrus

Petrus then took us to his farm, where we finally met some women farmers. Petrus’s work as chairperson of the Forum is a volunteer position, making his wife, who farms the land, the breadwinner of the family. This situation, however, illustrates the sexism that is still rampant in South Africa (and elsewhere around the world). If Petrus was farming the land, the farm owner would have provided a toilet for him. But because it is a woman who is farming the land, there was no toilet. Petrus had to construct a makeshift toilet for his wife, because of this, and he said that he hopes to make it nicer in the future.

Farmers with harvested beans

Petrus also took us to the back of his farm, to see the pigpens. Many of the pigs seemed pretty interested in us. Methinks they just thought we had food.

Pigs!

As it was getting late in the afternoon, we then drove south back to Cape Town, traveling to a plot of land that’s been occupied by farmers for 27 years. There are approximately 300 people who live there. Land is often occupied by people who want to live on it, but rarely by those who want to farm it (some of the farmers live there, but some do not; some also just leave one person there at night to guard the farm). As the land there is not that fertile, the farms are mainly animal farms. We saw pigs, cows, geese, chickens, and goats.

At the Occupy site, we met Patrick and Rosaline of Itemba (“Hope”) Progressive Farmers. They explained why and how they were occupying the land. In South Africa, the law says that if someone constructs a structure on a piece of land that they are occupying, and it remains there for 48 hours, the government then has the responsibility, if it wants to evict the tenants, to find alternative accommodation for them. The government is currently in talks with the farmers there to move them to other, better land.

Some people will be left behind. Because the land is not their land, they have no say in who can live or farm there with them. And some pedophiles and criminals have latched on to the site. But since they are not part of the association of Itemba Progressive Farmers, they will not be part of the group that is moved to the other site. Patrick also told us that there were a couple of farmers who had jobs outside of that farm, some making more than $60,000 a year. It was unclear why they were also occupying the land.

Patrick of Itemba Progressive Farmers

We visited several farmers’ plots, and met both male and female farmers who had been farming the land for various lengths of time.

One of the “occupied” farms

After having visited Occupy Calgary and Occupy London over the past 2 weeks, it was really interesting to see this other type of Occupy movement. It truly felt like an example of the 99% confronting the 1%.

This farmer has been here for 27 years

Cows belonging to the same farmer

Caroline and I went back to our B&B for our last evening in Cape Town, getting ready for the work we’d have to do in Durban!

I know I’m seriously behind in this blogging, but in my defence, the place we’re staying in Durban has very limited Internet access. We’re getting WIFI tomorrow, so I’ll be able to update more then. In the meantime, here’s some more lovely photos.

So, I left off on Thursday. That day, Caroline and I went on a tour that took us down the Cape and all the way to Cape Point. It was a beautiful day – nice and sunny. A perfect day in South Africa. Our first stop was “seal island” (or seal rock, really, as someone else said), which we visited by boat. I was very excited to see some seals after spotting a couple of them in the harbour of Cape Town the day before. And it was pretty awesome. There were so many of them, some sunning themselves on the rocks, some swimming alongside the boat, and some timing their jumps into the ocean just as a wave crested. Brilliant.

The seals!

From there, we drove to Simon’s Town and then onto Boulder’s Beach, where a group of African penguins (known as the Jackass penguin. And no, I’m not making that up) have a colony. They were so cute!! Waddling around, all adorable. I think I could’ve watched them for a few hours, and I took WAY too many photos. But I’ll spare you – here’s just two of them. It’s the first time I’ve seen penguins in their natural habitat, and it was pretty spectacular.

Super cute penguins

Lazing around on the beach

Back in the bus, we spotted our first family of baboons! Our driver had told us it was likely we would see them, and that they are dangerous. I already knew this, having been on safari in Kenya and Tanzania. In fact, baboons border on being evil. They will grab your bag, dumping out the contents to find food. And they’re really quite bold. In Kenya, a baboon attempted to enter the bus I was on; luckily, all the girls screamed and it quickly rethought its journey.

Yawning….

They’re not as evil as hippos, mind you. Those things will kill you even if they’re not hungry. Kinda like humans, I guess… Anyway, I digress.

He looks like he owns the place! 

It was nearly time for lunch at this point, but before we could eat, we had to cycle 7 km, nearly reaching Cape Point. Caroline and I had not been told about this portion of the tour (the tour was just recommended by the B&B where we were staying), so we were not exactly dressed appropriately for athletics. Think sundresses and sandals. My shoes were especially not suitable for this type of thing – I’m just glad I only lost one shoe once and was able to go back and get it!

Look Ma, I made it!!

But despite our lack of proper footwear, and my having not ridden a bicycle for years, we made it all the way!! I was proud of us. 🙂

This really did not reassure me. Was there a REASON we should be praying for our driver?!?

We made it to our destination and had a very filling lunch. We were quite jealous of the group from India beside us, who had an amazingly-smelling hot Indian lunch. We asked if they wanted to train, but they smartly declined.

Caroline lying on the bottom jawbone of a whale after lunch

Next, we actually made it to Cape Point and walked up to the lighthouse on top of it. This was some of the most beautiful scenery I’d seen yet in the Cape.

Gorgeous Cape Point

Caroline and I at Cape Point, with the Cape of Good Hope behind us

From there, we travelled down to the Cape of Good Hope. Another stunning location!

Me at the Cape of Good Hope

It was a great, full, touristy day. Snoozing on the way back to our B&B, we were ready for the big day we’d have on Friday, visiting Surplus People Project.

Yesterday, Caroline and I went to Robben Island. Robben Island (meaning “seal island”) is the island that housed the infamous Apartheid-era prison, where former president Nelson Mandela, former president  Kgalema Motlanthe and current president Jacob Zuma all served sentences, along with many other political prisoners.

A pirate ship we spotted while waiting to go to Robben Island

Once we arrived on Robben Island, we took a bus tour to see various sites, like the leper cemetery from the 1800s, the lime quarry where Mandela worked, and various WWII buildings. After the bus tour, we toured the main prison, where we were led by a former prisoner.

The main prison on Robben Island

We also met a former warden, who was fascinating. He’s a friend of Mandela’s and he told an amazing story about Winnie Mandela coming to Robben Island and smuggling one of their grandchildren over. Children and infants weren’t allowed on the island, so he (the warden) told her that she had to leave the child with one of the other visitors while she saw Mandela. Mandela himself asked him if he could just see the baby though the window, but he said no because he could’ve been fired for that. Later, Winnie also begged him to let Mandela see the baby, but he refused. He then saw his superior and told him what Mandela wanted; his superior said that as long as Winnie didn’t know, he could make it happen. So the warden went over to Winnie and told her that Mandela wanted to see her about one more thing (he needed to tell her about applying to visit at Christmas) so she should leave the baby with him. It was the first time he’d ever held a black child, he said. He locked the door behind Winnie, then went around to the other side and called Mandela over. Outside the visitor’s room, he handed the baby to Mandela, who got to hold him for a few minutes and kiss his cheeks. Winnie, meanwhile, was knocking on the door on the other side, having found it locked. The warden took the baby back, went over to Winnie’s side, and opened the door and gave the baby back to Winnie. She went back to the mainland and told the press that she had smuggled the baby over to the Island but that Mandela had not been allowed to see him.

Wow. I was very touched by this small act of rebellion against the Apartheid government, by a man who had a lot to lose if he was caught. He could’ve been charged with treason, as was the case with guards who were kind and seen to sympathize with the prisoners. It’s amazing that both former guards/wardens and former prisoners now live and work on the Island.

A former warden (left) and former prisoner

Inside the prison, we visited the different blocks. Block A is where the new prisoners were kept. Block B was where the political prisoners were kept, like Mandela, and block C housed the prisoners who broke prison rules. Blocks D & E housed other prisoners, like the coloured and Asian prisoners (the rest of the prisoners were Black male prisoners, many political and some criminals, who were used to try to break the political prisoners. Other prisons around the country housed the white political prisoners and women prisoners).

Nelson Mandela’s former cell. He was imprisoned here for 18 years

It’s funny, being on Robben Island was much less creepy than being in Alcatraz (I think it was the fresh coats of paint), but it made me think a lot about the terrorism & rule of law course I took at LSE. Mandela was considered a terrorist 40 or 50 years ago. My maternal grandmother’s uncle was in the IRA in 1910s and 1920s Ireland. He fought for independence for his country, and would’ve been considered a terrorist, and still would’ve been considered that, had they not won. Ireland is now an independent republic with good relations with Britain, and members of that early IRA (not the one that developed in Northern Ireland) are considered heroes and freedom fighters. The same happened with Mandela and other members of the ANC and its armed wing. But Mandela actually participated in bombing campaigns. He carried out violent dissent. So why is he now considered a national hero – a man who stood up against the evil of Apartheid – all around the world, when those fighting for their rights in Palestine are continually being labelled evil terrorists? Will there be a time, 50 years from now, when they’ll also be considered freedom fighters and heroes around the world, for fighting for equality and human rights? Does using violence to achieve peace make that peace any less real, or worthwhile, or valid? I don’t have the answers to these questions…does anyone else? 🙂

The bush in the corner is where Mandela hid his manuscript of “Long Walk to Freedom”

My Aunt Margaret (who’s one of my inspirations and has taught me a lot about human rights and social justice) took me to my first political meeting when I was a year old, in 1987. It was an anti-Apartheid meeting and I’ve thought of that as technically being the starting point of my passion for social justice. Yesterday was such an amazing day to experience the history of this country that, in a way, lit a fire in me and made me question and try to understand how people can be so cruel to other human beings.

Inside one of the group bunkers

After Robben Island, I wandered a bit more around the Waterfront. It’s so beautiful – and I saw a seal!! I love seals.

Nobel Square, depicting the late Chief Albert Luthuli, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and former presidents Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk

Today was a great day, traveling down the Cape. I saw penguins, seals, ostrich and baboons on the way! More on that tomorrow. G’night!

An awesome local band. I got them to sign their CD for me.

My first full day in Cape Town was very relaxed and fun, but also steeped in the history of Apartheid. I’m here in Cape Town with Caroline Foster, Young Adult and Network Coordinator at KAIROS: Canadian Ecumencial Justice Initiatives. We started off wandering around the V & A Waterfront and perusing some of the craft stalls.

V & A Waterfront

Then we wandered over to Greenmarket Square, which had some amazing artwork. I bought a gorgeous painting of a local village scene in Kwazulu-Natal, but haggling at these markets always seriously stresses me out!!

Caroline at Greenmarket Square

A bill was passed in the South African parliament yesterday that is quite controversial and would basically enable corruption by making certain issues “state secrets” and “matters of national security,” preventing investigative journalism. It’s been all over the papers here. The BBC also had an article on it.

A church near Greenmarket square, stating their opinion on the bill

We then explored St George Cathedral, at the top of Government Avenue.

African Madonna and Child statue at St George Cathedral

COP 17 Poster in St George Cathedram

The Cathedral also had an exhibit on Apartheid, which was very interesting. I was surprised to see a member of The United Church of Canada’s Partner Council in one of the photos on display. Farid Esack, the only Muslim member of our Partner Council, was in Toronto in September and delivered a thought-provoking and challenging lecture at Beit Zatoun, partially on the similarities between South African Apartheid and the current situation in Israel/Palestine. And now that I’m here in South Africa, seeing and experiencing the history of Apartheid, I totally understand why individuals and organizations use the term Israeli Apartheid.

Too tired to actually write so will update this tomorrow, but here’s some photos of Langa and Khayelitsha townships in Cape Town.

This very nearly made me vegetarian – sheep heads

Boys in Langa playing checkers

I love the girl going to town on the drums for a song and dance at the local kindergarten

A woman walking by solar-powered houses in Langa

A typical shack in Langa

Langa

Girls skipping rope outside “the world’s smallest hotel” in Khayelitsha, Ms. Vicky’s

Ok, so now I’m definitely vegetarian

Leaving Khayelitsha

Update: The township tour was really great, but it was also very weird. When I was on safari in Kenya and Tanzania, we visited a Masai village, and one of the girls said she felt like we were in a human zoo. And that’s kinda how I felt that day. I expected that that might be an issue when I booked it, but at the same time, I didn’t want to go to Cape Town and just see the touristy parts of the city, and not the residual effects of Apartheid.

I asked our tour guide, who was from Langa township, how the residents felt about these tours. And he said that, in the past, there were issues with these tours because people from outside the townships gave them. But now, local residents, like him, gave the tours, so the money goes back into the community and gives local residents jobs. And I get that, and that’s great, but at the same time, I feel like, if I was in their position, I would feel like some of my dignity was taken from me. Maybe that’s not a politically incorrect thing to say, but when Toronto started tour buses and they went through U of T campus, I felt a bit like, “Observe the students in their natural habitats” and that was just when people were on buses, not actually wandering through my community. So yeah, it felt weird, but I felt extremely lucky to see another side of Cape Town.

The tour took us to two townships – Langa, the oldest township in Cape Town, with 100,000 residents, and Khayelitsha, the biggest township with over 1 million inhabitants. We visited local residents in different types of accommodation (hostel living, shacks, and government housing), and visited a local pub where we tried some beer. It was very sweet – but still good, and was apparently based on Irish poutine (essentially moonshine), which was interesting because I’m Irish. I’ve never had poutine, but I think I had some form of moonshine in Rwanda. Anyway….

We also visited a local kindergarten, as you can see from the photos. The kids were SO cute and they danced and sang for us. I brought some pencils, erasers and postcards of Canadian animals for the kids, so I gave them to the teachers to share amongst the kids, which they seemed to like. I was happy with that, because I’m never really sure about giving things like that, from a justice perspective. And then I made the mistake of picking up and hugging a little girl who came up to me with her arms outstretched. 🙂 That then resulted in a mob of kids surrounding me, all wanting to be hugged and picked up, and my tour group had already left the kindergarten, so they had to wait for me. I felt bad not being able to give every single kid a bug hug, because I had to leave, but I managed to at least group hug most of them. And they were so cute – I hope I brought a tiny bit of excitement to their day.

I also got talking to one of the women on the tour who was from South Africa. I told her that I worked for the UCC, on poverty, ecology, and advocacy, and that I’d done a lot of work on human rights issues, particularly in Africa. She told me that she could tell – that she saw that I looked at the township through a different lens, and was less shocked by the things I saw, compared to other people. At first I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing – because I work in this field, I sometimes worry about getting desensitized to the issues I work on. For example, I rarely cry when I watch documentaries or movies based on real-life atrocities (I do sometimes, or at least I tear up), but the end scene of Homeward Bound always does me in. I know, pathetic. But I think she meant that comment a bit differently – that I don’t look at poverty issues with horror, but with a justice lens, and see the individual people and their lives rather than “people living in poverty.” At least I hope that’s what she meant.

And lastly, a BIG shout out to my good friend Sarah and her husband Jon, who had a baby boy, Jacob Michael, on November 21. Can’t wait to see him when I get back!! Love to the three of you! xxx