On Friday a group of us visited Sithembele Matiso High
School in the township of Gugulethu. We were invited by a young man, and friend
of Marita’s, named Joseph to come speak to his 11th grade class
about the importance of education. Admittedly that day there were a lot of
other things I considered doing instead, but after that experience I know that
I felt grateful for having gone there. When we first arrived, we were welcomed
with open arms and given a tour of the school. As nice as this hospitality
felt, a part of me is never comfortable walking with a large group of other
white people in this situation: being an ‘observer’ is a reminder of our
privilege and of our separation from the people we came to see.
We soon entered the classroom and sat down in front of
the students. They began by telling us some of their stories and struggles.
They made it very clear that the issue is far deeper than a lack of motivation
in school, which originally seemed like what we were invited to address. The
question quickly became not how to care about education, but how to succeed
without any access to books, information, study spaces, or resources of any
kind. This is not something I—or anyone else—had the answers to. We could give
suggestions, like scraping up the money for transport to the nearest public
library and spending the whole day there, or reading every bit of material that
comes their way, but ultimately these students will never have the things they
need to fulfill their potential to the fullest. I am consciously apprehensive
everyday of acting like the patronizing white savior, and yet we were invited
for the purpose of advising the ‘disadvantaged’. I—and no one else—claimed to
have answers, or to even know how we personally will move forward in our own
lives. The only thing I could say was that learning isn’t always something that
comes from books, or that ends when we leave school. If motivation is derived
from a personal passion, chances are we can find a way to overcome some of our
obstacles in order to become the people we want to be. Education is the best
first step, and taking advantage of everything that has to offer—no matter how
much or how little—is vital to change.
I felt very satisfied to have spent my time that day
in Gugulethu. My goal wasn’t necessarily making a big difference in the lives
of these students because, frankly, I think that’s unrealistic to do in 45
minutes. I wanted to walk away from that experience understanding each other a
little better, which I feel we achieved.
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