Week 9, 10, & 11 (J-Bay, Mdumbi, PMB)
Spring break on the coasts of South Africa was a blast. We started off the week at Jeffreys Bay where we stayed at the Island Vibes backpacker just a stone’s throw away from the beach. The waves were wild but fun. We celebrated two birthdays there and had some time to relax and enjoy the beauty of South Africa. Early Friday morning we loaded up the bus. We drove through winding mountain roads till the asphalt turned to dirt. Then that dirt road disappeared and we had made it to Mdumbi. Mdumbi took some getting used to, especially for those who found Gecko droppings on their beds. Eventually, we all began to see the beauty of the space. It was there that we began to dig into and debrief all that we had learned and experienced so far. The mornings were a time of reflection and discussion. The evenings were a time to enjoy the beautiful rolling hills and sandy beaches.
We have two hosts here in Pietermaritzburg. Our “little while home” is at African Enterprise’s beautiful campus of cabins, chalets, forests, and waterfalls, while Church Land Program (CLP) coordinates and guides our time in the Pietermaritzburg/Durban area. An NGO dedicated to accompanying the landless poor in their struggle for justice and dignity, CLP created our schedule and is guiding us through our time in Pietermaritzburg. CLP welcomed us warmly and led us in reflecting on the journey we’ve been on so far. We received booklets with a collection of essays, reflections, encouragements, and tributes, part CLP’s “padkos” (“food for the journey”) program. This program also includes gatherings of the CLP community, one of which we were able to attend the following week. We enjoyed a lovely evening of tasty food, wonderful conversation, and an inspiring though a poignant film about the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 entitled, “Summer of Soul.”
So far, we have journeyed with CLP to Edendale/Georgetown, Bombayi, and eKhenana (eKhanani?). Georgetown is one of the many communities which make up Edendale, Pietermaritzburg’s black township. At the Georgetown Library we were introduced to members of the Georgetown History Project, which seeks to research and preserve the history of the community. Unfortunately, much of this history—especially pre-colonial history—has been erased or forgotten, but this amazing group is determined to reverse the world’s stubborn amnesia about their home.
We also visited Bombayi, a community within the city of Durban, with CLP. There we meet GOLDCO (“Glory of the Last Days Community Organization”), a grassroots organization dedicated to protecting the vulnerable and feeding the hungry within their neighborhood.
In addition to the learning experiences we had this week we also did some fun activities. Our first Saturday in Pietermaritzburg we went to an aquarium and waterpark. We saw a large variety of fish, from seahorses to sharks, to eels. Then we had the opportunity to go to the waterpark. There were all sorts of slides and a lazy river. The day was a big highlight for the group.
On our second Saturday, we went zip lining at Karkloof Canopy Tours. We flew over rivers and dodged rocks and trees as we made our way through ten zip lines to the bottom of the mountain.
Week 12 (PMB)
On Monday, April 3rd, our group went on a toxic waste tour around Durban. The tour was led by the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA). The work of SDCEA deals with the intersectionality of environmental justice and social justice in oppressed communities. We drove around Durban looking at different oil refineries and storage units, noticing how proximate they are to residential communities. The development of the areas surrounding the refineries and plants (or lack thereof) connects directly to the legacy of apartheid, which included the forced relocation and separation of Black people, Colored people, and Indian people. These people were forced to live extremely close to the oil refineries, and the following generations are now direct recipients of an array of health implications caused by the chemicals that the plants leak underground as well as into the air. SDCEA helps surrounding communities to resist and actively fight against the toxic living environment that the refineries and pipelines create. SDCEA advocates for disparaged communities and empowers community members by educating them on hazardous chemicals and how to identify them with specialized equipment. The alliance has a vast network of people from different communities around Durban that notify leadership when something is wrong with the air or water in certain communities. The people work together to collect evidence of the toxic chemicals that were dumped into their living spaces, and they put pressure on authorities through the media and other forms of communication to hold the oil companies accountable in their waste management. SDCEA has been incredibly helpful in improving the living conditions of South Africans inside of Durban. The tour was a good opportunity for us EMU students to see some of the detrimental effects of oil plants on the surrounding land and its people, especially whenever there is a leak in the underground pipes. It was also a chance to witness some community organizing and environmental justice in action.
On Wednesday we paid a visit to CLP (Church Land Programs) at their offices and got a tour of their facilities in addition to the opportunity to meet and have conversations with all of their employees. After hearing about how individuals contributed to CLP as a whole, we came together as a full group for a processing session where we processed some of the questions that had arisen for us during our time with CLP, which covered a broad range of topics including funding for nonprofits, inequality, race, and gender.
On Thursday we attended our second contextual Bible study which was sponsored by CLP at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. We focused on 1 Kings 21, which is about King Ahab and Queen Jezebel killing Naboth in order to gain his vineyard. We unpacked the text by engaging with a series of questions, and then concluded with a discussion on the difference between racial inequality in the United States and South Africa.
On Friday our group took advantage of an extended weekend and went down to Durban for a beach day. After stocking up with some goggles we were excited to explore the ocean and the tidal pool that bordered it at the beach. Some of the group headed out to the beach to lay in the sand, while others went to the tidal pool to swim around. In the tidal pool, there were schools of fish, ranging in sizes, and some tropical. There were also coral, urchins, and many other types of sea life. Unfortunately, the coral was sharp enough that a handful of us went home with small battle scars. As the tide came in, waves would hit against the walls of the tidal pool causing huge sprays of water which was fun to play in as well. Others played in the ocean, although there was only a small flagged area that was safe, as the current and waves were pretty strong as they came into shore. After the day was over, we headed back to Pietermaritzburg to clean up, and have dinner together.
After worshiping throughout Lent with a variety of churches, we celebrated Easter this Sunday with Calvary Community Church in Pietermaritzburg. We got to be part of a joyful and creative worship service, including both English and Zulu songs that we’ve become familiar with in our time here and some familiar songs from home. The church youth put on an Easter play focusing on Jesus’ grace and healing power, which was appropriately reverent but still very joyful and funny! A small but stalwart group of us also braved the chilly fall morning to hold our own brief outdoor sunrise service. We spent the afternoon with new friends, the Philpots, learning to cook a proper South African Easter braai (cookout) and enjoying good fellowship and discussion.
-John, Caleb, Reah, and Laurel
