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Marching for Tomorrow, Dancing for Today - April 2006
Looking out over Jonkershoek Valley , I saw oak-lined avenues pointing the way toward grand, old estates. Vineyards fan from the fertile deposits of alluvial plains, sweeping downward from the chain of mountains that line one side of the river. But as I soon learned, the history of the place has its fair share of ugliness. Read more.
The Politics of Personal Memory - February 2006
I found myself running into dead-ends as I wrestled with the question of where personal agency should begin. At what point were my neighbors or their parents responsible for what was happening in the country around them? Read more.
Overwhelmed -January 2006
This was another example of how the government was failing people in the gargantuan task of providing adequate jobs and housing, of the growing anger among people living and dying in squalor, and of how often we are dependent upon others for change to take place. Read more.
Childhood Memories of Chuck - November 2005
Over one million people have died from AIDS and AIDS-related illnesses in South Africa ; millions more are dying. The average life expectancy for a South African born tomorrow is just over 40 years. I know all of these things, but my thoughts are increasingly focused on one 74-year-old man receiving very good treatment and care an ocean away. Read more.
Shedding Idealism - October 2005
I will admit that there was a bit of a personal agenda behind my hopes for South Africa . I want to believe that wrongs can be made right. I want to believe that people can recognize their own prejudices and correct them. I wanted South Africa to confirm these beliefs. Read more.
Solidarity,
Sexism and White Bread - August 2005
There are very real economic reasons—including the
fact that most farm owners will only rent homes to men—for
women to be attached to men despite their abuse, alcoholism, or
infidelity. Yet I still hear a nagging voice telling me that I should
have said something to let Gina know that I thought she deserved
better.
Read more.
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