11 Feb
Today, after our internship, Ethan, Erin, and I went to
a protest in Khayelitsha to address the lack of streetlights in the area. An article here: http://groundup.org.za/content/da-more-efficient-twitter-spin-delivering-basic-services-khayelitsha
provides great insight into the frustration surrounding the lack of action on
providing streetlights along main roads in Khayelitsha.
Before the rally, we met up with Lumkile, who works
at the Social Justice Coalition. We
parked our car at his family’s house and then took a minibus about three miles
away, where a crowd of about 150 people was gathered for the protest. Leading the march was a huge truck, carrying speakers,
signs, and representatives from TAC and her sister organizations—SJC, Equal
Education, and Ndifuna Ukwazi. It was
still daylight at our arrival, and the sun started to set as we began walking.
Throughout the march, I felt overwhelmed by the love
and unity of the group. Despite such a
frustrating situation, there were no signs of outward anger or even a group
sense of entitlement. Instead, the crowd
sang and danced the whole way. A group
of men led dances where individuals would spin around or step back and side-to-side
while singing protest songs. It felt
like a celebration instead of a protest, and in some ways it was— a celebration
of love for Khayelitsha and a desire for it to be a safe place. Everyone, myself included, was smiling and
clapping, and I felt so special to be part of a community movement. But there was also a deep sense of sorrow
that “uSisis” and “uMamas” are victims of increased sexual assault due to the
lack of lighting. Not having proper
lighting has also made it extremely difficult for cars or pedestrians to
navigate on the main roads. In addition,
the lack of government response was particularly maddening—Khayelitsha
residents knew that such slow responses would never be acceptable in the “nice”
areas of Cape Town. In a positive step,
the mayor of Cape Town, Patricia de Lille, was in attendance and appeared to be
well-received. She acknowledged
suffering due to the lack of streetlights, and asked the community to support
itself by discouraging vandalism, which could slow the process of getting
adequate streetlights.
Since I don’t speak Xhosa (yet!), live in
Khayelitsha, or suffer from the same lack of resources, there was an initial
fleeting moment where I felt that my participation wasn’t legitimate, sincere,
or wanted. However, I quickly realized
that this was a weak position—it is a classic bystander argument that, because
I’m not the one subjected to human rights abuse, I can’t be a part of stopping
it. I have grown to love the people I
work with in Khayelitsha, especially their warmth and generosity, and I wanted
to be able to support them. Ignoring my
self-consciousness at feeling like an outsider, and understanding that every
movement needs allies, I moved forward feeling more comfortable. I even held a fellow TAC Community Organizer’s
hand during part of the walk, which felt symbolic of uniting for a common cause
and walking in solidarity. It was an
extremely special experience, and I feel humbled and honored to have been a
part of the rally.
Update: The
rally was successful! “88% of the lights on
Lansdowne Road in Khayelitsha were working up from 8% a few weeks ago.” See: http://www.groundup.org.za/content/city-turns-khayelitsha-street-lights
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