What an inspiring way to start a day--a breakfast discussion of Desmond Tutu’s No Future Without Forgiveness led by Dr. Bonnie Smith. As we would witness during the day (and throughout the previous days for that matter), the people of this amazing country are managing to overcome a terrible page in history called apartheid and countless other calamities such as the AIDS pandemic to find hope and joy instead of hate, hopelessness and despair.
Because schools were closed today due to Ascension Day, and despite the light rain and occasional fog drifting in off the ocean, we enjoyed a variety of morning activities, including reading, journaling, quiet reflection, hiking, and sightseeing in the local village. Later in the day, we traveled to a squatter settlement on the eastern side of the peninsula and worked with the children’s club. With HIV infection rates estimated at over 50% in the settlement, we were anticipating a hopeless situation, but instead we were greeted by singing, smiling children of all ages. The children sang songs, the students sang songs, and then everyone played a variety of games from the hokey pokey to soccer.
Our evening concluded with a presentation by Edgar Carrolisen, Cape Metropolitan Council and pastor of Gleemoor Baptist Church in Cape Town, and Reverend Clive Jacobs of Cape Town. Early in the apartheid era, the families of both men were forced to move from “white” areas in downtown Cape Town to a township on the edge of the city that would eventually come to be known as Cape Flats. However, rather than accept their circumstances, both men became activists in the fight against apartheid and ultimately instrumental in its fall. They are both now active in social justice issues. For example, Edgar emphasized the strong link between poverty and HIV/AIDS, and detailed how he has instituted a number of innovative social entrepreneurship initiatives at his church intended to help his fellow citizens climb out of the poverty trap. Such initiatives include a Youth Entrepreneurship program, a Grameen-inspired Microfinance Program , and future plans for an outdoor marketplace to help citizens market their wares and handicrafts.
Considering the conversations and discussions among our travel team today, it is appropriate to return to Desmond Tutu and conclude with a quote from his book that we are seeing
“proof positive that life is stronger than death, that light is stronger than hate, that laughter and joy, and compassion and gentleness and truth, all these are so much stronger than their ghastly counterparts.”
-- Desmond Tutu
-- Dr.Jeff Overby - Assistant Professor of Marketing and International Business