Family Day

From Anne:

 The final day of a Restorative Justice class is a reconciliation service between inmates and their families.  Facilitators for the class contact relatives with whom the men have indicated they need to reestablish a relationship, and these family members are invited to the prison to take part.  Andrew invited me to attend this meeting, and it sounded like a great opportunity to observe somewhat inconspicuously.

Today was actually my first time inside a prison.  I didn't know what to expect, so I was more or less ready for anything.  The first half hour or more was spent in various security measures – entering the front gate (and having the trunk of our car searched), going in one entrance, then being asked to use a different entrance, then going through a metal detector, etc.  It was all a bit chaotic because there were so many visitors – probably around 75 family members, all being allowed into the prison without prior security clearance and with minimal searching or scrutiny.  The degree of support this course has from the prison administration and staff is quite remarkable.  Most prisons would be very hesitant to allow an event like this, and certainly put off by the extra work all those visitors create for them.

 The program started with an introduction to the content of the Restorative Justice course aimed at relatives and visitors.  Then the men and their relatives came forward one by one and spoke.  Some talked to their relatives about past hurts.  Many apologized for not being able to help their families with time, money and emotional support. 

Two things surprised me.  The first was how many of the family members were so quick to forgive.  Several said that they had forgiven a long time ago, and that brought a very emotional response from the inmates.  Andrew mentioned that earlier in the week many of the men were feeling anxious, unsure if any family member would come for them.  In the end all but one did, and despite a whole range of difficult emotions at work in such an intense situation, no one that I could see left angry.

 

The second thing that surprised me was the importance of confession for these men.  During the service some of them admitted for the first time what they had actually done.  Lying seems a necessity when defending themselves in court, for holding onto the support of family, and even in shielding themselves from the reality of their actions.  Blaming other people or circumstances is also a way that they avoid facing their crimes.  The image of one young man sticks in my mind – he stood up and said, “I don't know why I did the things that I did.  But I can't point the finger at anyone but myself.”

 

Except for all the barbed wire, metal doors, guards, orange jumpsuits and tattoos, we could have been in any concrete-block church building.  Okay, so all those things are pretty different.  But one of the most surprising things for me during this visit was how “normal” it felt.  It was not an intense emotional experience, I didn't feel frightened at any point, and I was strangely detached from it in many ways.  I think this is because I have very little firsthand experience to contextualize what I saw.  I had never been in a prison before, I have not been a crime victim nor has anyone in my family or friend circle that I know, I have never faced the kind of choices these men have faced or even seen the kind of neighborhood they had to grow up in.  Yet as I reflect on the day, I am grateful for the opportunity to hear these stories and see a kind of reconciliation that is rarely to be found.  I hope and pray that the changes these men spoke of with such desire will become reality for them, their families, and their communities.

Restorative Justice: Andrew (finally) Goes to Prison

Restorative Justice is really another thing that makes studying prison rehabilitation unique in South Africa.  Other countries (like New Zealand and Canada) have implemented similar programs, but it is only in South Africa that restorative justice is part of the national identity.  Indulge me in a bit of history:  In the late nineties, the country was faced with the challenge of integrating hostile combatants into a new democratic government.  This willingness to step away from punitive retribution is what made Nelson Mandela's leadership so unique, and is definitely what saved South Africa from a horrible civil war.  On a philosophical level, restorative justice is the only option for the penal system where both the victim and the offender get a positive outcome.

 

As for its practical ramifications in prison, Hope Prison Ministry is currently running the most unique program of restorative justice I have ever seen.  I have worked in prisons for seven years, but I have not seen a program like this.  Basically Hope's version takes about fifty inmates through an intense, week-long session where they examine the victims of crime as a ripple effect—starting with their victim but ultimately radiating out to their own families and even themselves.  Through small group discussions and presentations by victims and ex-offenders, the men learn a new moral vocabulary for thinking about their lives.  There is follow-up for an additional six months including counseling every Monday and a group session every Thursday.

 

Restorative Justice includes the vital element that is missing from almost every rehabilitation program I have seen—community involvement.  Throughout the week, there are phone calls (on speaker phone) where the inmates can hear their family members describe just how painful it is to have them locked behind bars.  For many of the men who have had limited contact with their families, this is an intense and revealing experience.  The culmination of the week involves a similar experience.  The men identify a family member whom they have harmed in some way, and invite them to a service on Saturday where they can publicly apologize.  I have never heard of a program that involves the families of prisoners in such a purposeful way.

 

I found out about this course in a surprising way.  I am obviously living in Cape Town at the moment, but all of my contacts in prison are more than an hour away (through deadly South African traffic).  I knew there was a huge prison in Cape Town, but it is difficult to arrange for security without knowing somebody working inside.  All this changed when I visited Christ Church in Kenilworth.  I believe there is only one person in the entire church who works in prison, but I just happened to be connected to her within ten minutes of walking through the door.  As it turns out, they were starting a Restorative Justice course the next day, and they were able to get security clearance.  “Coincidences,”  maybe not...

 

Need a Summer Internship?

If your interests are in any of the following:

 

Social Work, Criminology

Law, Orphans, Adventure

Travel, Counseling

Psychology, Ministry

Education, Sociology

 

Look no further!  Here in South Africa, we have the honor of working with two excellent organizations.  This is definitely a shameless plug, but mostly we just want to describe some of the people we work with. 

 

First, the Andrew Murray Centre:  This organization is based out of an old missionary training school that Andrew Murray (a hard-core Scottish theologian) built in the 1800's.  The goal was to provide housing and education for students who would not be able to accompany their parents on dangerous missions north into Africa.  David Bliss purchased the center for his base of operations, but maintained its focus on South Africa's youth.  The Andrew Murray Centre takes a residential approach to prison ministry, and many of the team members have lived in the building over the years.  Recently he has begun a leadership training program for orphans coming out of prison.  In all seriousness, this is why I am currently in South Africa.  I spent a summer working for these guys in 2003, and at the time it was both the most exciting and meaningful thing I had done.  Needless to say, I was scheming about how to return to South Africa ever since, which leads me to:

 

Hope Prison Ministry:  The AMC is involved in about ten different prisons, but they are all far away from Cape Town.  Pollsmoor Prison is really six different prisons in one, and Hope Prison Ministry is turning it upside-down!  They have an incredible variety of services ranging from meeting with juveniles who have just been incarcerated to running counseling sessions in maximum security.  I have recently become involved in their restorative justice program, and this has transformed the way I think about working with prisoners. 

 

Through this blog, as we describe our experiences, I hope you get a brief taste of two organizations that are special to us.  In all seriousness, there would be opportunities if you ever wanted to spend a summer working with prisoners and parolees.  Getting here will be expensive, but room and board will practically be free!  It's dangerous though...  That is what I did in 2003, and the next thing you know you will have returned for a longer stint!

One to One

Today was a genuinely unique experience, and it has challenged the way I think about community service. 

The Roggebai Rotary Club that sponsors me joined together with a number of community service clubs and civic groups to sponsor an event for local residents struggling with various mental and physical handicaps.  The event is called “One to One,” because each person with a handicap is accompanied by a sponsor.  Basically, they take over Cape Town’s second largest convention center and set up a giant fair—with each organization creating their own booth or sideshow. 

 

The Roggebai Club had a booth featuring a rather simple game—but it included enough shining lights and loud noises to be fun.  The gist was that a metal ring had to be guided along a curved wire without touching.   Touching the ring to the wire would complete a circuit, resulting in lights and loud buzzing.  Some people had the necessary motor skills, while others just enjoyed making noise!  Everybody got a prize when they were done, and then it was off to the next booth.

 

This event was striking for two reasons:

 

§  First, so many charities are simply focused on dispensing money that they forget about the lived experience of the people they are trying to help.  It’s obviously important to think about food and shelter, but there can be an impersonal condescension in these efforts.  Being human is about more than having a full belly.  “One to One” may not have addressed institutionalized poverty or the greater trends of social justice, but a bunch of marginalized people were able to feel special. 

 

 §  Second, we tend to equate efficiency with moral value in our community service.  The best charities are the ones with the most fluid turnover in dollars and the slickest websites.  Love does not necessarily have anything to do with efficiency.  I was impressed that “One to One” was such an extravagant event that had nothing to do with institutional poverty whatsoever.  This is obviously not a long-term strategy for community development, but if charities cannot keep this more personal perspective in mind, their efforts will be hollow and condescending.  

Speak Truth to Power

Most of our time at U.C.T. so far has been spent in class or wading through bureaucratic quagmires.  Today we got to experience one of the advantages of being part of an academic community – a round-table discussion of human rights issues in Africa featuring one of our personal heroes, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

 

Archbishop Tutu was really the reason we attended, but some of the other speakers were quite striking as well.  We were not familiar with any of them, but they are some of the most prominent figures in struggles against oppression all across the continent.  Here are brief introductions, with links if you are interested in more details.

Guillaume Ngefa documented and reported on human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo under several leaders, and was treated brutally for his work.  He is currently in exile and continues to speak out on the situation in his home country.

Freedom Neruda was a leading journalist in the Ivory Coast who was attacked and jailed several times for writing in opposition to several governments.

Koigi Wa Wamwere has been a political activist in Kenya for over 30 years.  During that time he has been a political prisoner at least five times, often being held without charge for long periods, and was even kidnapped by Kenyan forces who crossed the border into Uganda to get him.

Samuel Kofi Woods founded the Catholic Peace and Justice Commission in Liberia, an organization that reported on human rights abuses during the country's civil war.  His investigative work, in the face of government threat, led to the release of several political prisoners who were being held without charge.

Denis Goldberg was an anti-apartheid activist in South Africa.  A white leader in the largely black ANC, he was a political prisoner for 22 years and then exiled for about 10 as a result of his work.

 

The final speaker was Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy (who visited South Africa in 1966 and spoke out against the apartheid regime of the day).  Ms. Kennedy recently completed a book called Speak Truth to Power, profiling individuals who have paid a high price to defend human rights around the world. 

 

This forum was especially meaningful to us because we don't always feel like we're in Africa.   Part of the reason for this is that Cape Town is so developed, relatively wealthy in many areas (including where we live), and has strong European influence of many kinds (British, Dutch, French, German).  Events like this are a good reminder of what goes on around us.  Political situations are shaky in many places, including here to some extent.  The ruling party in South Africa, the ANC, is experiencing an ethnic split between those who back the current president (Thabo Mbeki, a Xhosa) and the new ANC president poised to replace him (Jacob Zuma, a Zulu).  There is also a controversy involving the ANC's decision to disband a special corruption investigation unit known informally as the Scorpions.  At the end of the forum, Kerry Kennedy made a simple but profound statement: if Western governments do not voice their disapproval, it will be assumed that they are okay with a situation.  Putting aside any discussion of intervention, failure to speak  is complicity with the oppressors.  

Around Cape Town

Today we joined some friends from the Andrew Murray Centre for a touristy day in Cape Town.  Two American students who had been working at the AMC for a few weeks are about to leave, and they had some last-minute shopping and sight-seeing to do.  You know... buy all the carved wooden elephants that no self-respecting African would buy, but that is expected whenever you return to the States?  It was a great opportunity to learn our way around the city, spend time with our friends from the AMC, and take a lot of pictures!  Again, feel free to add captions in the comments.

Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, FW De Klerk, Nelson Mandela...and Franklin

(Follow the links on each name for the Wikipedia article...all Nobel Peace Prize winners for their work in the struggle against apartheid.)

Just for you, Ben Wiechmann.

An award-winning statue.  Please help us figure out what it means!

A bridge to nowhere that should eventually connect the major highways to the World Cup stadium, bypassing the downtown area.

Wooden "fire extinguisher" mounted on a tree, encouraging us to help stop forest fires.  

Franklin does tricks on an "X-treme Racer" we found by the side of the road.

Anne and Ashley practice their "karate kid" moves.

Andrew likes to climb on rocks.

Andrew likes being artsy with the camera while Anne poses contemplatively.

Sometimes a gray day is more beautiful than a blue sky.

It was a great day, although I (Anne) noticed a few times that I feel like a tourist.  I know in my head that we are settling in for a while, and the last few weeks have been quite busy with activities related to that -- finding a flat, buying furnishings and a car, setting up bank accounts and phones, etc.  We have not spent much time doing touristy things.  Still, I don't yet feel like I live here.  Each day is different from the last, so I don't have a sense of a daily-life routine.  This is not a complaint, though, just an observation.  I love having new things to do and large amounts of time to spend doing them.  I also love learning my way around a new place geographically.  After today, we should be decent tour guides when some of you come to visit!

Photo Essay: Andrew Plants a Cactus

Today we visited Kirstenbosch Gardens, a beautiful botanical reserve nearby.  In addition to enjoying the flora there, we wandered the nursery looking for plants to adorn our new home.  Andrew found a cactus that spoke to him, brought it home and potted it on our balcony.  Here is the story in pictures...leave comments on this post suggesting new captions!

1. I hope this bag of sand doesn't spill everywhere when I get it open...

2. I can't believe they made me buy a special bag of sand for 17 rand...

3. Don't stab myself...don't stab myself...

4. Hmm, won't quite fit...

5. Too much dirt...errr...special sand that is DEFINITELY not worth 17 rand...

6. Whew, that was hard work.

7.  Oh, I guess you want some too.

Camps Bay

Today we bought a fridge, a simple enough appliance that quickly grows in importance the longer one goes without it.  We certainly enjoyed our take-out meals in the meantime, but our budget did not!  We were fortunate to find a second-hand fridge through a website called Gumtree (same place we found our flat – South Africa's version of Craig's List) that was reasonably priced, exactly the right dimensions, and had no offensive smells or stains.  The seller even offered to deliver it for us so we didn't have to borrow a “bakkie” (pick-up). 

 

Later in the day we went to look at a couch (which we didn't buy – too big to fit through our narrow door) and ended up in Camps Bay, a beautiful town enclosed by the Atlantic Ocean and Table Mountain.  If you look at the banner picture at the top of the blog, it's the strip of beach on the far right.  With its beach, palm trees and strip of hotels and restaurants across the street, it could be a seaside resort almost anywhere in the world.  The views of Table Mountain, however, make it distinctively Capetonian.

 

Other than people like us climbing on rocks and taking pictures, the beach was fairly empty.  Despite the mild temperatures here, it is technically winter and therefore too cool for sunbathing.  The water is much too cold for swimming at almost any time of year (we are told that it is actually colder during the summer because of winds and currents).  Today, though, we encountered a creative solution to this encumbrance – a man and small child inside a large, inflatable, clear plastic bubble.  

They would walk/roll in it like a hamster in a plastic ball (or American Gladiators in Atlasphere – anyone else remember?), protected from the cold and wet.  The waves were pretty strong, though, so they never got very far into the water without being knocked over, to the great amusement of all us lookers-on.