Medicine in South Africa

I have been feeling fairly ill since I came back from the Wild Coast and now starting to recover. This morning I took a nice stroll on the beach with the sun rising over the pink sky and blue ocean. It appears like the swell is setting in for the winter so it's time to find me a shorty wetsuit for surf. The knee is less swollen today and can also eliminate the limp from my walking. I wanted to point out the insane difference between generic medicine and brand name perscriptions. I had gone to a 24 pharmacist that asked whether I wanted the generic Cipro and I said of course. The price of the brand name was 3 times that of the generic medication. Ridiculous! It's also blows me away how generics in HIV/AIDs medication is so difficult to allow into South Africa even though a health crisis is happening right on the ground. Big Pharma has much strength to allow these drugs to come through to South Africa as much as it does to create barriers from its entrance. Afterall, once they allow one country to have ARVs (HIV medication) into the country with ease, then Big Pharma will also need let all the other countries be assisted from this deadly virus, and knock a bit off profits as it actually needs to compete (no more monopoly for you). Who would want this to happen...

Facing the Truth

Yesterday I attended a talk by Shannon Walsh from McGill University, Education, presented by the Centre for Civil Society. Shannon has been doing an ethnographic study on youth and the use of video. She used youth from Khayelitsha (township area) to develop a project about AIDS in their lives using the production of a documentary. She states that video was "transformed into a tool "for activist, pedagogical research and social change". She also saw the shift of power dynamics when conducting research. Instead of the orthodox foreign "privilege" researcher asking the questions, the students from an underprivileged area (township) were responsible in conducting the surveys in private elite high schools and township schools. It is a way of "researching up" or looking at research conducted by the actual participants. At the end she found the group gaining confidence and creating a documentary to share with their community. I wish Shannon all the luck with her research.

Umtentu, Transkei (Wild Coast), South Africa

Finally at the beach, Umtentu
Originally uploaded by make_change.

Happy Easter to you all! I just came back from a trip in to an area in South Africa called the South Coast in the Eastern Cape called the Transkei. They call the Transkei the Wild Coast and its roads and remoteness proves to be just as wild as it states. On the Friday night, we stayed at a backpackers called Uma Valley Lodge. The lodge is run by Bernice, a woman with four dogs and a rustic, hippy type of hostel. The next day we left Port Edward, bought food at the local grocery store, then drove 3 1/2 hours through the unpaved roads to Umtentu. The drive is not for the faint at heart. The tracks ran up and down through the gorge's rocky and muddy trails. While you drive through the trails, you will find several empty soccer fields (soccer posts made with 3 wood sticks) and then schools powered by solar panels. The drive also had kids running out the the car yelling "sweets! sweets!" or pounding rocks in the large pot holes through the route. At the end of the drive you arrive at Umtentu and a lodge hiding in the bush overlooking the ocean, gorge and the marine-protected esturary. There was only the four of us and three hikers at the huts where we stayed. The next morning was beautiful and sunny so up the gorge we went on canoes. I have never paddled between two massive gorges before with the sound of baboons and kingfisher birds chirping away. Only downside was when I slammed my knee on the rock while I was jumping into the river to swim and the knee is bruised for the rest of the trip. I have some kind of bacteria that is making my stomach churn so I'm on the antibiotic Cipro to fend it off. Click on the photo to see a few other shots from the Transkei.

Typing away about Mozambique

Not the most exciting weekend as it was mainly composed of me sitting in front of my laptop either reading journal articles I had downloaded or highlighting photocopies from other pile of paper. I'm still trying to finish the first of my 20+ page papers on post-colonialism in Mozambique from 1975-1982. Why you ask? Well, I suppose if I want to work in the country I should probably understand a bit about its history. It would probably be a bit ethnocentric to just take my assumptions from a Lonely Planet guidebook. It's been an interesting read though and found out more about Africa than I knew. from 1956-1965, 32 African states had gained independence from European colonial powers. Some of those tried to adopt a socialist form of government where decision making was based on consensus and community. In Mozambique, however, historical causes such as ethnic conflict, separation by the Portuguese armies, hiding from forced labour, had made many people to live in dispersed 3-4 household groupings all throughout the country. So Mozambique had less of the typical village or community type structure than other African states.

This weekend had been mainly overcast. Apparently, this is how it feels when the autumn comes about. On Friday, I did go for a long walk on the beach passed this decrepit whaling station and collected 30+ kare shells on the beach. These are those smooth shells that people put on their hemp necklace. I couldn't believe how many were in front of me. Back to work...

Ben Cashdan - White Gold

This week had a chance to view a short documentary called White Gold produced by Johannesburg's Ben Cashdan. This film was about the exploitation of the Lesotho Highlands and the dams being produced to provide water to cities in South Africa. It displays the project according to its devastating effects to the environment, the displacement of indigenous people and the benefits only filtering to the rich. The other issue is the poor maintenance of the water pipes leading to South Africa as they have leaks all the way down to the cities. He's got other great docs on water privatization and apartheid. See if you can get your hands on it.

Africa's development

Today was my last day of class for this first quarter and I am left with one week to complete my two essays. Today's class had an engaging debate about Africa's development and whether "concessionary" corporations will continue to help or impede the growth of this continent. Some tough questions were brought up on about the bargaining power of this transnational corporations and if nations can use their negotiating power to make sound decisions and partnerships with these companies and see the benefits reek to the people. In my opinion, it seems that this negotiating power has much to do with understanding the strategies of business and obtaining this information and knowledge. If Africa is looking to see a capitalist society with an African elite, then maybe investment should be placed in nurturing the business leaders who believe in this culture. However, once we see these business leaders become government, there is also a need to nurture an active civil society who will be willing to fight for democracy, accountability and transparency from the government and see the state act in the interests of better lifes for communities. But what can be done now while we watch our universities and technical schools create this base of educated individuals? Do you sit in the sidelines and watch business exploit opportunities of cheap labour and tax avoidance? I suppose it can come down to a socially responsible business as well as a socially responsible person. I suppose leaders can grow to understand their power to help others will have greater intrinsic values versus the power of profit. I'm still on the fence about that. But individuals can also become socially responsible by seeing their value as shareholders for some of these companies that supposedly are pressured by their shareholders to produce bigger dividends. Choosing to invest and use the services of socially responsible companies and encouraging others to do the same can be the start. If you like some street action, try to look further and show interest into why social movements and protests are increasing all around the world and gasp, participate in one yourself. Again, I've made it here to South Africa to not just sit on the sidelines but take a small step in a better direction, and you, as caring optimistic individuals, will also take strives to see the small changes you can make in your own lives.

The Weekend Move

Nothing to special to report for the weekend except that the move was successful and I'm very happy with the ceiling fan and clean tub in the new place. It's an interesting place with the landlady living in the basement of the house with her crazy white dog, her grandson living at the top of the house, and next door, another "granny flat" with some older woman. This type of housing complex seems to be very common all over the Bluff especially now that real estate & development is up 200% in South Africa. There is construction happening everywhere. I still have a small window view of the sea from my desk but otherwise my glass sliding doors face into the grassy patch that connects all three buildings. I had a small walk around the Bluff and found this elementary school with this gorgeous view of Durban and its industrial harbour. This morning I woke up at 6:30am and had a drive down to town at Addington beach (sandy break) and had some lovely rolling sets come with a beautiful sunny sky. Good way to start the morning.

Celeste Designs in Mozambique

Celeste Designs in Mozambique
Originally uploaded by make_change.

While I was living in Mozambique in 2004, I befriended a very talented Celeste, singer and clothing designer, who has just sent me a photo of one of her original designs. If interested, email: mbona_cambaza@yahoo.com.br.

Drakensburg pose

Drakensburg pose
Originally uploaded by make_change.

I just posted some photos online from the past two months here in South Africa. This is probably the only photo I have of myself since the rest of my batch are shots of animals, beaches, and waves. I have also been collecting some video of these places which will make for a nice travel video. Today, I am packing all my things up to move down the street to a new flat. I am also having a braii in front of Garvies to ring in the weekend. This weekend, I'll probably be working on my two papers on the Marxism, the Washington Consensus and Mozambique. Have a great weekend!

Time of the Writer 2006

This was an international writer's festival that took place at my university last week March 20 to 25, 2006. I had the chance to attend the Wednesday evening talk on Writers crossing borders. This evening started off with Dennis Brutus from South Africa, an activist now working at the University of Pittsburgh. If you want to hear the most passionate speech about struggle of apartheid from one who was arrested and incarcerated on Robben Island with the likes of Nelson Mandela and Govan Mbeki (Thabo Mbeki's father), keep your eye out for Mr. Brutus. He spoke about South Africa today, where he sees the "elite transition" of a minority ruling over the country... once being white South Africans, now being a small group of black South Africans. His thoughts are provocative is bluntly looking at a government which may have ended South Africa's apartheid in the early 90s, but has also introduced a new "global apartheid" of banks and corporations through the IMF/WB pushing for the repayment of the apartheid regime's debt. These are banks in London and New York which are asking for repayment by the people of South Africa for a government that used the money to purchase arms and weapons to see the death of its people. When Mr. Brutus stood before the Supreme Court in New York a few weeks ago for the reparations for the victims of apartheid, the government of South Africa stood before the same court and refused this case to move forward. How does a government decide to deny its people the compensation from an atrocious past? Amazing speaker and makes you question whether those who have fought for the struggle have actually ended up selling out at the end.

The other two writers Abdelkader Benali from Netherlands/Morocco and Patrice Nganang from Cameroon spoke about their new books related to their images of their past. Benali's book is about a young Moroccan boy growing up in Holland and Nganang's book about a Cameroon pub from the eye's of a dog. Interersting stuff!

A Poverty of the Mind - NYTimes

There is a March 26, 2006 opted article in the New York Times by Orlando Patterson on his interpretation on why poverty exists in the United States particularly among African-American males. He believes that cultures evolve and that to an extent may have much to do with media's portrayal of successful stars and this pride and peer pressure that falls among this certain group. Check the article out.

Drakensburg Waterfalls & Lesotho

Last night, I came back from a two day trip of an amazing view of another part of South Africa called the Drakensburg. It is this amazing range of mountains with a completely flat top and green covering all around the 'burg. The deep crevices show where there were once rivers flowing from the top and all the lines of sedimentary rock that layer up like a cake. Tomorrow, I'll upload the photos from the trip. We drove up through Sani Pass, which can only be taken with 4x4. Our friend, Max, just had his Jeep shipped out from the UK so up we went on this trek. At the top of the mountain part where we reached, you arrive at the border of Lesotho which consisted of a flock of mountain goat, some decrepit gate and a building that said "Customs" and inside were 5 men all hovering the small fireplace. Oh yes, it was very chilly at the top at 2870M and what is at the top of the mountain: the highest PUB in Southern Africa!!! excellent.

We stayed at the Sani Pass backpackers and pitched tents for the evening. There were loads of people from Belgium, Canada, South Africa, Austria and others at the place. Since we stayed in tents it only costs 45R. We had a braii (bbq) with morrocan flavoured chicken and lamb sausages. The next morning, went over to the Sani Pass Hotel and at the back of the hotel, is a 15 minute trail walk to this waterfall where you can abseil or swim under the water fall. After a nice morning picnic on the river, we drove 3 hours back home to Durban.

strange creatures...

I forgot to mention how my Human Rights Day went... well, uneventful as I type away at this opinion editorial that I need to hand in on Friday... until the afternoon. I went out surfing in the morning for about 30 minutes just because it was such a nice day and the sand banks have made it a very easy paddle out for my lazy surfing day. I went back to my reading of this book called "Looting Africa" by my professor Patrick Bond where it speaks about whether these white ribbon, celebrity campaigns have been a waste of valuable resources to more geniunely active social movements like the ones happening right here in South Africa. There are protests on the privatization of water as even in the South African constitution, it is the basic right for all citizens to have access to this natural source of life. With privitization, those who are not able to pay the high costs of water (large portion of one's salary for the poor) get their water disconnected or have alternatives like pre-paid meters (shuts off if can't pay), or installation of ventilated pit latrines or worst, shallow sewers where the thin pipes are designed so that the women must follow "Maintenance Procedures" of cleaning the clogged pipes from feces. What right to water? Water privatization is already not working as is the example of Argentina and Paris' Suez. The have been inadequate in providing the service of water to the people.

Okay, after some deep reading (1 hour), decided for a second surf at low tide and once out on the break, my body is feeling sharp but mild stings from something in the water. The other boys in the water said it was fireweed and that I should suck it up. Um. no, it's stinging all over my leg and arms! So I paddled back in after 15 minutes and jogged over to the KwikSpar for some lunch. In the evening, John and Candice, my neighbors were having a braii (BBQ) so though that I would join them for some boerwors (yummy sausages) and steaks. So, I'm holding out my half-bitten boerwors in a hot-dog bun when something hits my head and on to part my arm and bun. I look at my arm and it looks like a very long stickbug I could shake off, but oh no, it was a GECKO on my boerwors! I screamed and tried to shake it off with one big swing. John who is South African said that he had never seen a gecko jump off the wall for food before. insane and why me. I gave the rest of my bun to Dude.

Strelitzia - Bird of Paradise

I thought that I would post a few things that have been a part of my life in the last few months. The Strelitzia or Bird of Paradise plants are the raddest exotic plants that I have ever seen (besides the hibiscus). So unusual in shape and not rare by any means in Durban. You see them everywhere yet I'm completely drawn by how exotic it is by shape and nature. (I'll try to post the photo if it didn't take so long to upload!). A new used bike so that I can cycle to the grocery store and back. Yessss... and Dude, this pooch that is in permanent retirement home at the Bluff. He is a great study buddy that sleeps on his mat and begs for food anytime he gets the change. I'll keep trying to load the photo but in the meanwhile, use your imagination. [update: looks like the upload works afterall!]

Corruption - what does it mean back home?

This is the latest article from Adbusters #64 comparing corruption in the same scale where one participates in it for their mere survival versus corruption in Quebec with the Liberals favouring their friends in the Gomery Scandal and other similar stories summed up in their article. So what does that mean for Canadians? Basically, tax money that was meant to be spent on Canadian nationalism campaigns had overpriced the estimate costs and the savings were pocketed to the contractors (friends) who supported the past government. It also means that smaller crimes of bribes in order to feed one's family of 6 should be considered twice before thinking about the bigger scale bribes happening in our own backyards.

Studying all weekend...

Today, I have a 90 minute essay writing test where I need to prove that I have understood all theories up to now. I must have been in a daze when I initially read some of this material because second time looking at a few articles, I realized that I still have little comprehension of neo-Marxism and regulation theory, so I'm going to just give'r and see what piece of art comes out by 11am.

We had a visitor, Nicola, from Holland up for a few days at the house and now she is in Sodawana Bay doing some free diving. The rest of the weekend was spent a few hours surfing out front because there is a huge sandbank covering the reef. It makes it so much less scary when you know your wave pounding will not end up with scars. This Tuesday is a holiday; Human Rights Day, so I'll be propping the beach umbrella up as I try to suss out a good development economics editorial for submission for this Friday. Any ideas?

End of Development?

If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with a conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life… for fear that I should get some of his good done to me. (Thoreau 1977 328)

This was the opening quote to Arturo Escobar’s article called Imagining a Post-Development Era. I really didn’t understand this quote until pulled into this context that it was the “First World” that invented this idea of the “under-developed” in the “Third World” and that in their deep industrialized beliefs, should come upon these developing countries and help them work towards being a “civilized society” and cure them from the ailments of poverty through their “development programmes”, aid organizations, and other expertise in the name of answer. It kind of reminded me of this story about Dan who invited some people into his house who wanted to talk about morality, spirituality and the way to the light… and he shut them down with his own arguments that didn’t see their return any time soon. It’s this self-imposing power relationship that undermines an individual’s abilities to decide their own fate. In the class, there was this discussion of the “voice for the voiceless” where one argued that it’s ridiculous to think that someone from the outside could come into a community and say they can relate and be an agent to say, an impoverished community and help them see the way to their survival. Another guy asked what was the problem with helping, say a mother with 23 kids who can’t go to a line-up that is 3 days long in order to request social services. I replied that it shouldn’t be our decision to make and that it should be decided by the woman herself when she is ready to speak up for her children and that the best we, as outsiders, can do is facilitate when the woman is ready to speak up for her rights. How can I be the judge that this woman is capable or incapable? That’s the idea of analysing the idea of social movements where people from the grassroots are deciding to take a hold of their lives and fight for their children’s right to a better life. I think it has to be local participation and locally owned establishments who understand their needs and the needs of their community under their own history, culture, language and beliefs can there be a change. It’s also this aspect of sustainability, loyalty, legacy, longevity, that makes localism seem more effective for development than say, the work of outside NGOs. Perhaps if it isn't social movements, perhaps someone else can look outside the box for any ideas besides "development". Then people can take Dan's lead and show development to door never to return.

Development as Freedom

Well, I finally have some webtime to spare! I've just been busy with school work as we come up to near half-way point of the 1st quarter so all of us are scrambling to submit our first assignments and prepare for the first test of the year. I just wrapped up two presentations (one on Smith's basic supply/demand concepts and another on the post-Washington Consensus) and a paper. Now I'm a few reading packages behind so I should get on that. Right now, we are covering post-development concepts with writers like Amartya Sen (Development as Freedom) where she states that development will take place only once people are provided with "substantive freedom in enriching human life". Freedoms include the ability to combat starvation, illiteracy, numeracy, and the ability to engage in polical life, enjoy economic resources, social programs, the sight of transparency and the provision of security.

Other things: South Africa had won the Cricket ODI series 3-2 to Australia with a record 438 in 49.5 overs. Apparently this is unheard of in the game of cricket and people have gone ape wild over this victory especially happening on their home turf. I haven't seen much of the rugby take place but I know our team is the Sharks and there are loads of crazy rugby fans noted by their apparel, stickers on cars, and continuous talk about the next game. Yea, I think I can grow to enjoy both sports.

It's starting to become autumn here in Durban. Hot weather by day and a bit of a chilly breeze by night. It's beautiful though with the purple skies lighting up beyond the clouds.

Down to work

So, looks like I will be spending the weekend working on a 5 page paper and as some of my old roommates would know my habits of working on papers, I will probably be worrying about it all weekend while doing short stints of fun things but feeling completely guilty for doing fun things... then sleeping at 10pm Sunday night with papers all around by mattress to only have to wake up at around 3am Monday morning to hammer out the gist of an okay paper. So maybe I should wrap up the worrying and just do the paper this Friday and have the whole weekend free? Well, then it just wouldn't be the diga way. Have a great weekend.

by the way, I learned some Zulu phrases yesterday from an 11-year-old, Kersti. All I remember right now is Yebo! YES!! Let me know if you find any good Zulu learning websites so that I can hold conversations with random people at the bus stop or listen in on people saying, "man, that girl is crazy!" or "don't hit the monkey on the road". or "are these grapes washed?". okay.

Moving - to down the street

So goodbye to my ocean view beachfront home to just down the road in a smaller "granny flat" with a tiny ocean horizon site as they call it in S.A. The builders are full steam with renovations at the house where I am living, fully plastering and knocking out walls for new bathroom fixtures... this means I'll be hosting a huge moving away party on the 31st of March! My new place is $225 CAD per month with water/electricity included, has a small kitchen, small loungy area, bedroom, bathroom but I'm a little concerned whether there will be any appliances included (as in basic fridge, stove, etc.). We'll see at the end of the month. Good thing I can still walk down to the beach.

At the big house, we had Nontemba come in for half a day at R40 ($10 CAD) once a week to clean the rooms, bathroom, patio, and kitchen. Domestic workers are a commonplace to have at home as well as your gardener. I guess it would probably be a good idea to keep that job going for her since she will not be able to clean at the construction site and I'm not sure if she has other work or income going besides this.