Ubuntu:
I am because you are.
This cryptic piece of South African (Xhosa) wisdom was Nelson
Mandela’s credo--an ultimate expression of our shared humanity, or as Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. called it, “Our inescapable web of mutuality.” Upon his release from nearly 3 decades of
imprisonment, Nelson Mandela is said to have looked into his captor’s eyes and,
rather than spew hatred or vengeance, stated simply, “Ubuntu.” This was a moment beyond forgiveness; it was
a moment of acceptance. Mandela wasn’t
in jail alone—his captors, the just and unjust, the free and oppressed were all
with him in that small cell…WE were with him.
This profound South African idea became Mandela’s political and
spiritual platform. While all South
Africans know the idea, is it transferable to the political leadership of their
amazing, fragile and unique country? I believe it was easier to accept this
idea when Mandiba (Mandela’s ancestral clan name) was alive. His spirit permeates Cape Town at every turn. We had the opportunity to take the emotional journey to the infamous Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned for the majority of his exile.
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| The Mandela museum on the Cape Town waterfront where we boarded the boat to Robben Island |
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| Cape Town (Table Mt.) from the boat to Robben Island |
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| Robben Island became the symbol of oppression during Apartheid |
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| Nelson Mandela's Cell |
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| Nelson Mandela's "home" for so long... |
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| These hallways were filled with the voices of the brutal prison guards of Robben Island. |
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| Prison courtyard for brief outdoor trips. |
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Our guide and former fellow inmate of Nelson Mandela's.
An HONOR to connect him with Nate. |
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| Pile of rocks started by Nelson Mandela and added to by former prisoners of Robben Island Prison |
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| Nelson Mandela's view of Cape Town from Robben Island. |
Since South Africa’s beloved Tata’s (Father)
death, the question looms over this country like a mystical cloud: Was Ubuntu connected to the man or the
country? Evidence for both sides were
apparent throughout our visit. The joy
and welcoming smiles of the people we came in contact with suggest Ubuntu is
more of a reflex than en edict. The
shocking and obvious economic disparity when you drive past elite mansions and
depraved townships in a span of 5 minutes suggests Ubuntu may just be an idea,
not a reality. This contradiction is
complicated and troubling. It is also
disrespectful to assume we have the answers as we watch from the outside. One of the clearest lessons I have learned on
this sabbatical is: We, the United
Sates, do not have all of the answers.
Our success as a country has fooled us into believing we need to offer
our answers to each different community we encounter—as though the world is our
“audience” watching our “show.” I love
America and I love being American, but I believe we can gain more by asking questions when we encounter ”different”
rather than assume we have the answers.
In the countries I have visited in Asia and Africa there exists a
profound respect for the wisdom of age.
The stories of grandparents and great grandparents are revered. Africa is an “old” continent filled with
ancient stories, ancient countries, and ancient histories—perhaps the “young”
USA can listen, learn and benefit from the “old” grandparent of Africa?
One such lesson came to me from an 85 year
old black cab driver in Cape Town who had lived most of his life under the
oppressive regime of Apartheid: “You
Americans need to be easier on our white South Africans. It’s easy to blame them for Apartheid. You have this thing called Civil Rights in
the US, right? Has everything working out
perfectly with that? Are black Americans
treated the same as white Americans?
Give us time, give us time.” I left the cab
wiser that day. This was not the first
cab (bus, car, tuk-tuk, boat, taxi) driver who taught me valuable inside lessons—in fact, I highly suggest
engaging drivers in dialogue during international travels—that’s where the
people’s truth lives. Patiently observe,
ask questions, don’t assume and smile a lot—these are crucial commonalities I have
experienced to be successful. As you might
imagine, these are important truths to bring back to the ship. Ubuntu is also our theme for this SAS
voyage. As many of you know, this is the
central building block in the foundation of the Anne Frank Project. Seeing it, hearing it, feeling it in action,
in all of its complexities is rewarding and a privledge.
As usual, I turned to the theater to assist me in unpacking this
giant box called post-Apartheid South Africa.
As usual, I found it. At each new
port SAS organizes welcome events with local universities. The University of Cape Town thankfully hosted
our welcome at a local theatre where a new play was being performed: Missing by John Kani. John Kani is an international theatre legend who’s
work with South African playwright Athol Fugard is celebrated in every world
theater text read today. Not only were
we to see the premier of John Kani’s latest play, but John Kani himself was
starring in it! A treat that fell from
the heavens! I’ve always said that if you’re
curious about history, have a time machine and limited time, go to the
Theater—you will learn everything you need to know about that particular
society in 2 hours? John Kani prepared us for South Africa beautifully: A new play about a family navigating their
post-apartheid lives, an inspired performance by a legend of world theater and
an intimate post-show discussion for my students...an inspired discussion where
Mr. Kani shared more about his philosophies of life than his performance in the
play; a discussion where my students
actively understood the wisdom of age and storytelling. A discussion filled with tools for practicing Ubuntu.
April 1994 was an explosive month in Africa. In South Africa the dark curtain of Apartheid
was raised. In Rwanda the dark curtain
of Genocide smothered the country. It is
hard to imagine such complete opposite events happening
simultaneously. Experiencing the
reconciliation process in both countries was an honor and a struggle. Twenty years later each country has its own
story, its own process, its own journey filled with success and failure. It is a remarkably humbling experience to feel both processes in person. The tension between the spoken and unspoken
is palpable in both countries. The sense
of faith in god as the ultimate decision maker calms the most fiery of
opposition. The division and distance
between the people and the government is both hotly disputed and peacefully
accepted. Beyond all philosophical disagreements there is a stubbornly collective agreement that
all hope begins with Education and that the future is truly in the hands of each country’s children—what will their story be? That will be South Africa…That will be
Rwanda.
I reflect back on cab driver wisdom:
Take a moment and review the previous paragraphs but replace
“South Africa” and “Rwanda” with the “United States of America.” I have been doing this for the past few moths
and encourage my students to do the same—not to diminish our patriotism but to
heighten our awareness that Democracy is
a work in progress for every community, country and society wrestling with
the idea of freedom. No one country has
mastered Democracy. A universal recipe
for Democracy does not exist. This
reflection process encourages me to erase “them” from my vocabulary and always
insist that is “we” and “us” who are struggling to find what Democracy
means. To consider U.S. democracy without
South African or Rwandan democracy is, well, undemocratic.
Patiently observe, ask questions,
don’t assume and smile a lot.
Previous to the voyage I had scheduled 3-days of meetings in
Kigali, Rwanda with education stakeholders to present the use of
Drama-Based Education in their national curriculum.
These meetings were organized with new friends I met from the Global
Engagement Institute, an organization with a long history of importing
innovative education and training models to post conflict countries—they have
an office in Rwanda. So, while Maria and
Nate climbed mountains in Cape Town, I flew to Kigali to proposed the AFP Model for
story-building to representatives from the U.S. Embassy, Rwanda National Research
and Documentation Center on Genocide, Rwanda National Commission for the Fight
Against Genocide, National University of Rwanda, Inema Arts Center and the
Wellspring Foundation for Education (and others). I
am pleased to report the work of AFP and our Drama-Based Education model was
received with open arms, open hearts and open minds. There is an immediate desire to begin
training Rwandan teachers and supplying them with the tools and vocabulary to
implement drama-based education in their classrooms. We are presently creating the nuts and bolts
for this programming—needless to say we are thrilled with this new step for AFP
and look forward to complimenting Rwanda’s national curriculum—perhaps we will
begin to give back to a country that has given us so much…Anne Frank smiles
upon AFP again.
Yes, we went on a safari too:
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Cape Town
South Africa's Soweto Gospel Choir will complete this post.
They sang this tribute to Mandela in a Pretoria market 2 days after his death...
Ubuntu. |
