UW in South Africa — September 19, 2017

Greetings on the program’s last “full day” in Cape Town

Tuesday, September 19, 2017  (written on plane on September 20 – “Joburg” to Frankfurt)

Quick update: strike ended (for now) on Monday night and things went back to normal although townships saw destruction of property… and we heard that amid all the mess, some people had signs that said “Save the Penguins.” Shortly after breakfast at our newly discovered place (we’ve long given up on the muffins at the B&B) called Solo.. Incredible breakfasts daily.. from fresh oatmeal with poached peaches and cardamom to shakshuka to avo toast and a great assortment of egg dishes .. we left as a full group for yet another packed day. (Students generally eat breakfast at the hostel but many have been venturing out, bored with the options they get each day at 91 Loop. Actually, they have all done pretty well finding dinner places and small sets seem to have located their own favorites, with one group having discovered a bagel place that they say is fantastic.)

Anyway, we headed to meet the revered Albie Sachs – writer of the South African Constitution and a lifetime fighter to end apartheid. Long story… .Big shout-out to friend and filmmaker Abby Ginzberg who produced an award-winning film – “Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa” – who was the connecting link. I wrote a sappy letter to Albie several months ago explaining the program, and asking if he’d meet with the students. He responded positively and after I suggested we have a driver pick him up and bring him back home, he said it would be easier if the students came to his house – which was a totally treat. Students had already seen the film, and Abby came to one of our pre-departure sessions. They had also read the constitution and several articles about Albie, so meeting him was like meeting a star and a legend of the struggle. If you don’t know much about Albie you should try to see the film and/or do some research.

Albie sacrificed a huge amount, from being imprisoned and in isolation to losing his arm from a bomb that was planted in his car (intended to kill him) to being in exile… and finally to spending six years writing the constitution, and ending his active career as a member of the South African Constitutional Court (where he sat until six years ago) . A true elder of the movement and an amazing spokesperson for it – eloquent, humble, and with a great voice.

Albie now lives in Sea Point. He’s 83 years old and has an 11-year old son. The directions to his house were very detailed… and we had to follow blue signs that had a penguin on them – “iPhengwini Path” (which I take means “penguin”) and follow lots of steps until we were almost at the sea. His wife is an architect and they live in a house that was once part of a series of cottages – all of which have now been enlarged and renovated. His is quite exquisite with stunning views of the sea. He’s eloquent and very much into “the law.” Students sat on couches and the floor to fit into the front living room. Albie sat in a clear plastic hanging bubble chair.

Students introduced themselves and then Albie held court; followed by student questions which were pretty good. At one point as he explained some concept about race and mentioned Paul Robeson.. and then he broke into song – singing “I dreamed I saw Joe Hill Last Night” in a great baritone voice. Naturally students didn’t know who either Paul Robeson or Joe Hill were.. but they liked his story (and all said they would now “research” both people. I would have joined the singing but I’m tone deaf and would have totally messed up his performance. He talked about his history (going back to his law school days at University of Cape Town) and explained how he got into the struggle with words something like this…  “I was torn by the contradiction that those in justice (law students and lawyers) believed in the law, but were not willing to give their lives for it… while the “people” hated the law (because of how it treated them) and were terrified by it, but they were the ones who gave their lives for justice…” (something like that). He talked about growing up in a Jewish family with parents (or maybe grandparents) who had emigrated from Lithuania (his father being a union leader). He told how when  his brother was in medical school, Blacks could not be in the room if a White cadaver was brought into an anatomy class. And he talked about the present day South Africa – he’s optimistic, believing that the constitution provides the base for a new country, although admits that implementation has been difficult… At one point he summed it up pretty well: “Is this the country I was fighting for? Yes… Yes this is the country I was fighting for, but not the society it is now… We built a country, but we didn’t build a society….”

Students were polite and riveted, but deep down they really wanted to know about his thoughts about today’s inequities they had been seeing and studying; They asked about the township situation, but Albie referred back to the next step of building a society and also to the fact that people now have the rights they never had. He also said that one needed to understand what preceded today’s situation emphasizing that now they have a free press, they have children’s rights, they have eviction protections, and freedoms that never existed. I suppose “the law” is slow to make the kind of social changes students want. He also talked about South African college students who want  to eliminate the dark history (tearing down statues) where he seems to think one needs to contextualize those statues.

The van driver came with us… and was beyond excited to meet Albie. He is “coloured” and lived through apartheid; he’s about 65 or so.. He couldn’t be more grateful for having been included. He’s the one who took the photos and is also in the close up of Chris and me with Albie.

It was a great session.. with students understanding a bit more (I hope) of the history, the people, the role of some Whites, and the deep challenges still to be dealt with.. We ended with a lot of pictures and students getting signed copies of Albie’s most recent book. Chris and I had already decided to buy them as a going away present. For most, maybe all, it’s their first autographed book.

From there we headed to  a quick take out lunch at a great deli in Greenpoint – Giovanni’s… where we all got sandwiches, and then on to University of Western Cape (UWC) where Chris gave a lecture in the Education Department – on his research into the inequities in education in South Africa (K-12 schools). UWC is predominantly a Black and “coloured” university, with some departments having White students (Dentistry, Physics). Even here one can see the differences. University of Cape Town, where I gave my lecture, is a spectacular campus at the top of the hill edging the mountain and having spectacular views of the whole city – Albie’s alma mater, which he described as “the ultimate ivory tower” – physically as well as in practice. UWC is on a flat site; it’s located only about 10 minutes from townships like Philippi, and its grounds and buildings look worn. After Chris’ talk, he and I met with some faculty and students from UWT met with students from UWC..

Then after a long day, we headed back to town so that Chris and I could reconcile the expenses before heading out… while we remembered what we spent money on.. and then met up with the students for our last dinner together at Anatoli’s… the great Turkish restaurant Chris and I had been to before. Lots of wonderful starters – followed by main course selections including lamb, lamb, more lamb, as well as chicken and a veggie dish..

Oh I haven’t mentioned much about the great wines (at very reasonable prices) everywhere… I’ve become a big fan of certain Pinotages and Cab Francs… as well as some great blends. And even a few white wines (although my leaning is always toward reds).

I think that’s it for the 19^th. Tomorrow we go back to the township to say the good byes that couldn’t be done on Monday… More on that in a separate email – the last of the set.

All my best.

Fern

 

PS – One thing I keep forgetting to mention is that there are many funny signs around town – some casual and some clearly professional. There’s a serious drought in South Africa, so many buses have signs that say – Helping to save water… one dirty bus at a time…