A Common History

Around the middle of the nineteenth century large groups of Europeans (mainly British, German, and Dutch) left their homes due to political and religious prosecution. They got on boats and set off for unknown lands. Upon arrival, the new settlers took land from the indigenous people and began farming. Years passed and the settlers, they settled. Their numbers grew, as did their crops, their conflicts with their new indigenous neighbors and their old European ones.The settlers were spread out across the vast teritory they had landed on and not well organized until they fought their former nation states in Europe for independence, and eventually won. As war victors, the settlers felt further entitled to all the land and pushed indigenous people out of their homes and away from the fertile lands, which were reserved only for those of European descent. Civil conflicts followed, including periods of violence and lots of repression until finally the Constitution was amended and “equality” was proclaimed.

Did you think I was talking about the United States? This is also part of South Africa's. (My apologies to history buffs for oversimplfying and generalizing here).

The New York Times recently published anarticle on one of the townships outside Johannesburg. Crime, drugs, and violence are a large part of everyday life in Diepsloot. For Americans, it's easy to criticize and comment on the troubles of less developed countries, but lets not forget our own. If you take out proper names, I think Diepsloot and Southeast Washington DC have more in common than they have differences. Just like the destitute rural villages across South Africa don’t sound all that different from a lot of the Native American reservations across the United States.

It’s true that most countries in Africa need a lot of help, more help than people in developed countries. But developed countries like the United States or Spain are far from perfect. So far my experiences have taught me, more than anything, the value and the power of community. As a volunteer I strive to integrate into “my community”, but the truth is I am a visitor. I am learning the skills to create and affect change, which I hope to do here, but more importantly to continue in my own community, wherever it may be.