Tuesday

Our case study has been going really well so far, even though we still don't have a specific focus. We've spent most of the past two days wandering around the township of Khaylitsha, seeing the different neighborhoods and talking with residents. We had initially planned to investigate the question of "Why do people live in slums?" We talked to Chris about our idea, and he told us that we should reframe the question. We met with him over coffee this morning and he proposed an ethnographic approach; he suggested that we ask residents what they call their homes (informal housing, slums, squatter camps, etc.) and about their lifestyles/attitudes and then try to discern patterns.

We attempted to do this today, but it didn't really work very well. A lot of the meaning behind our questions was lost in translation; many of the residents spoke broken English and it's hard to convey "What do you call the type of housing in which you live?" through a translator. It was also difficult to get descriptive answers. Most of the answers we received were one-word responses, so we ended up asking predominantly yes/no questions. I got the impression that some people were a little suspicious of us. I think that the reasons we gave for our interrogations might also have been muddled during translation.

It was kind of a surreal experience. I guess it was just so real that it seemed surreal, if that makes any sense. We were asking these people about their lives and their housing situations, but we weren't there under the pretense of providing any sort of help. And oh man do these people need help. I've walked through informal housing settlements before, but I'd never actually entered one of the shacks until yesterday. It was really shocking. Some of the houses actually appeared much nicer on the inside than one would think after seeing the outside, but almost all of the residents complained that their roofs leak. When it rains, water pours through cracks and rusted holes in the corrugated tin ceilings, ruining floors, cabinets, furniture, and anything else inside the house. Residents also complained about dealing with the cold during winter. Most of them resort to "African fires," metal drums poked with holes that have wood fires lit inside- major fire hazards!

The Constitution of South Africa grants the "right to adequate housing" to all citizens and permanent residents. The people we visited don't have anything close to "adequate" housing! We asked quite a few of them how they would define adequate housing, and the most common responses were indoor plumbing/running water, consistent access to electricity, protection from weather, solid waste removal, tar roads, proximity to schools, shops, job opportunities, etc., and safe neighborhoods. So, a house is obviously more than four walls and a roof- it's much more encompassing. The people of South Africa also have a right to health- and bad housing leads to bad health. How can you be healthy if you have to wade through water in your bedroom every morning? We also visited one woman who had actually made it off the waiting list and was living in a government subsidized house. She still lacked some of these basic amenities.

During the last two days, we were escorted around Khaylitsha by Chris' friend Monwa and Monwa's friend Innocence, both of whom are pastors. It was a little awkward at some points because they insisted on praying for everyone, whether or not their victims (and yes, I'd call them victims) were willing or not. We visited one woman who's been suffering from kidney problems and they literally clutched her head in their hands while they chanted (very loudly) in Xhosa. It was so intense. They also tried to convert me (ha ha- good luck), which I found incredibly presumptuous and annoying. I think religion--or non-religion--is an incredibly personal thing and it's so rude when people try to impose their beliefs on others. I just disagree with the evangelical identity. I'm willing to tolerate the pushiness in a cultural situation, but I just try to grit my teeth and bare it when someone tries to shove their religion down my throat, no matter how noble their intentions may be.