Liz on dignity

Focusing on the issue of dignity

Dignity. What does the word dignity mean to you? This is one of the many questions I have asked myself since I got here. Towards the end of the last week’s orientation things started to fall into place and I began to understand why we were here. This understanding came with many more questions than answers though.

This week began with a tour around to all the internship sites that people will be working with for the semester and one of the underlying themes throughout the internship introductions was the repetition of the word dignity. According to Webster:

Dignity: (noun) the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect; a composed or serious manner of style; a sense of pride in oneself; self-respect; a high or  honorable rank or position. 

From what I’ve heard it was the “sense of pride in oneself; self-respect” aspect that these activists have been referring to, especially when in the townships. The speaker that had the most impact on me was Mandla’s from the Social Justice Coalition. He spoke to us about the sanitation problems within the townships and people’s lack of ability to relieve themselves with dignity.

This made me contemplate a lot, not just about the suffering but also about what we, as Americans, have been able to take for granted. The thought of where we will next be able to go to the bathroom has never really had to cross our minds, unless you’ve been fortunate to run a half marathon or marathon in the dead of summer because then the thought may have crossed your mind once or twice. I had never thought of having several bathrooms within my house a privilege, but a right, and not until Wednesday did I realize that this was a privilege being denied to many people, not just in South Africa, but also across the world.

           

A public toilet in Khayelitsha

A row of toilets each shared by 5-10 families

     

 Let me paint you a picture. It’s 3 in the morning and you have just woken up because you need to go to the bathroom. You cannot go down the street to the bathroom you share with 20 other families by yourself. You must wake up your husband to escort you because if you go by yourself you may get raped, mugged, or kidnapped. Since your husband must accompany you to the bathroom you must wake your two children because it would not be safe to leave them alone in the house. Now you and your entire family are walking through the streets of your township, leaving your home and all your personal belonging vulnerable, with only the light of the moon to protect you from perpetrators that could be lurking in the shadows.

Cape Town is a beautiful city that has many venues, views, and ventures to offer the curious mind, but its complications are often surpassed for their unlimited views. Tourists must now ask themselves if they are perhaps missing some of the most beautiful aspects of the city. The people.

Demand dignity for all.

‘Til next time peace out broskis