Rainy Day Thoughts

Before I begin: readers should know to check my facebook profile for hundreds of recently posted pictures, as it is very difficult to post them on this blog.

Sheets of rain move over Port Elizabeth; the pages of the storm are like that out of the longest book, it is in this fashion that the torrent claims the entire day – dawn until dusk. Mini-bus horns trill in the distance and the streets are still cluttered with people, though the pace picks up in these conditions. I’m happy for the downpour. My thoughts dissipate throughout my flat and I finally have hours to organize them.

Lately I’ve been collecting various editions of the Herald, which is one of the largest newspapers in the Eastern Cape. For a mere 5 Rand, I can keep checks on the pace of the May 18th municipal elections and the various outbursts and controversies erupting around the ANC and the DA, the two significant contenders. Story one: ANC official’s plans to build a mansion in a notoriously poor township district are scrutinized; he claims that it is only by coincidence that the billion-dollar road plans for the area are altered to included a paved section next to his home. Story two: housing distribution is riddled with fraud, nepotism, and defective homes; uncompleted housing and a lack of organization by unskilled project managers is met by the DA’s statement of plans to revamp the accommodation projects should their party win seats. But there is a third story that catches my eye – on critical education in the townships. First, to give you context:

The promises of these parties are met with intense skepticism on the part of community leaders in the townships. As I was told by a grandmother who voluntarily runs a cafeteria at the secondary school (down the street from the school I teach at), she finds it sad that she and many others can no longer put faith in the party that ushered in their liberation. After 1994, many expected a protracted engagement of disadvantaged communities by ANC officials. Now, not only do many of the township schools no longer receive any funding (many teachers work without pay), but the only time that they ever do see the ANC is during the elections. Their repeated campaign strategy is a running joke – entering particular township neighborhoods ever 5 years to hand out groceries and blankets in turn for support. After that, besides stopping by to install a few more billboards with Zuma’s face plastered everywhere, the ruling party is a ghost. “They don’t care about us anymore,” said Mr. Qunta yesterday, the principal of a township secondary school. “But we’ve learned to come up with our own solutions and find sponsors for our materials and our children.”

I too find it incredibly challenging to give the 55 children in our English class a proper lesson plan when we lack so many basic materials. Though the students are nevertheless adamant about their education, what I want to find are books and articles that are accessible to them and that speak to their particular struggles, passions, and personal histories. I want them to relate to the characters in the stories and, furthermore, inform or measure written accounts against their own. So you can imagine my elation when I came across this final article in the paper: a book project called “Harmony High” – a fictional township high school series written to enthuse young readers with stories relevant to their lives. How awesome is that? I’m looking to pick up a copy to distribute among some of my students.