Human Rights weekend was one of
the most hyped up weekends of the entire trip. Everyone that had done the
program from the previous year talked about how much fun it was and how it
helped to define their experience here in South Africa. I went into this weekend
with a very positive attitude and looking to make the best of the experience. I
was particularly excited for the opportunity to interact with Africans on a
closer level via being roommates with them. Other than the little bit Vincent
was willing to tell us and copious amounts of praise previous years had heaped
on this weekend I had no idea what to expect as far as activities were
concerned.
Friday
began with our group being divided up among the various living compounds and
receiving our new roommate assignments. The Uconn group wasted no time trying
to get to know the Africans we met by doing simple icebreakers. After dinner we
did another more structured icebreaker that involved us expressing the meaning
of our names. I was lucky enough to be paired with a bright and insightful
University of Cape Town student from Zimbabwe name Firai. His name meant be
happy and to him that meant he should do his best to spread happiness. Our
final activity of the night was to be divided into groups and receive an African
country to represent. After meeting my group and fellow Ivory Coast
representatives the night’s activities were over and we were free to go. Before
going to bed I had an introductory conversation with my roommate Muzu. It
wasn’t particularly substantial because we were both tired and drifted off to
sleep fairly quickly.
The
next day was a deluge of different workshop activities that had us exploring
different facets of human rights. One of the activities had us come up with a
set of rights for our country and the other 4 countries involved in our
exercise. We also had to learn a lot of facts about our country and present
them in a creative way. The first activity was a real challenge because our
country tended to run into communication problems. Often time’s members of the
group would be arguing for the same rights but from a different perspective.
Huge misunderstandings would arise from the intent of a particular law or idea
being proposed and it would take several minutes to sort the problem out. The
differing backgrounds and life experiences tended to really shape how each
member of our group approached finding a solution to problems. The country
presentation exercise was a lot less stressful but was still a bit of a
challenge. Some members of our group were not too terribly concerned with the
activity and did not participate as much as they should have. This shifted a
considerable amount of the burden on just a few members.
The
weekend as a whole left me with mixed feelings. On the one hand the weekend had
its moments that were really frustrating. The lack of participation by some and
an overzealous approach by others made me want to claw my eyes out at points. I
also felt like the workshops were not especially groundbreaking or divergent in
their subject matter. A lot of the issues we went over were ones that had been
previously examined on the trip and I found myself having conversations I’d
already had before. The entire experience was also very rushed. I felt that not
nearly enough time was given to getting to know the Africans we were meeting
for the first time. Structured classes are very important but the best way to
learn on this trip has always been through conversations with people. On the
other hand the approach the weekend took was a unique one in its presentation.
It was also at a beautiful location. I felt that the weekend was too short for
everything it tried to accomplish and could have been much more powerful if it
had occurred earlier in the trip. In the end the weekend didn’t quite live up
to the hype but was still an interesting experience.
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