And then we met Gabs

eWritten on Sunday, February 24th

First thing first : HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATIE!

So I don't think we were meant to leave Gabs this weekend. After our trip to Swaziland was cancelled because of a "broken plane", we decided to head out to the middle of the Kalahari to Kang to visit our friend Wairimo. But on Friday we got word from her that she had to come into the city for a funeral (we weren't surprised.. most people attend a funeral or two a week here). So, determined not to be bummed out for the second time, we decided to make the most of the weekend.

It's started with a "Learning Day" on Thursday. WUSC excused us from work and we had a day full of scheduled seminars and discussions with experts on different issues. Our first stop was a second trip to the Department of Social Services. We discussed the relationship between NGOs and government machineries and Botswana's attempt to implement a Monitoring and Evaluation mechanism. As is the case in many "Third World" cities (although Gabs can hardly fit into that category), there is a lot of competition between civil society groups. They fight over funding, land, resources, popularity, niches, and target groups. And although most NGOs mean well, there are definitely cases of abuse, mismanagement, corruption and all-together phoniness. Nevertheless, it's a common understanding here in Botswana that the burden of HIV / AIDS would be much heavier without the presence of so many helping hands.

Our next stop was at Emang Basadi ("Stand Up Women"), one of the most influential and respected women's advocacy NGOs in Botswana. They are an advocacy NGO that also provides free legal services to women. Oddly enough, we met with their only male employee. He heads up the Political Education Programme which seeks to advocate and facilitate an increase in women in decision-making positions, both public and private. Emang Basadi is also part of the "Protocol Alliance," a group of Southern African NGOs that are pretty much the loudest voice for the passing of the SADC Gender Protocol and against the political stalling/watering down that has happened over the course of the past year and a half. The Protocol, spear-headed by the Gender Unit, basically outlines key and basic standards of living, human rights and empowerment initiatives for women. We're talking basics, folks. Education, marital recognition, domestic abuse. This stuff shouldn't be progressive or controversial. Nevertheless, one of the most brutal lessons I've learned here at SADC is that all it takes is 14 men, the SADC Heads of State, to block a widely supported protocol on Gender. Consultations are currently underway and Heads of State will meet again in August. While there is hope that it will pass, it doesn't include any kind of enforcement mechanism. The Protocol is certainly much-needed and a step in the right direction, especially since a protocol is the most binding document in SADC, but let's hope that it functions as more than a framed wall decoration once it comes into effect.

Then we headed to the Ministry of Education to meet with Melissa, an HIV / AIDS Education Specialist who is also a long-term WUSC intern. We talked about stigma, myths and reflected on our experiences so far. We encounter the epidemic everyday, both at and outside work. It's everywhere. One of the most powerful things I’ve seen here in Gabs is big red billboard sign that reads “YOU ALL HAVE AIDS.” It’s true; the whole country suffers from it somehow.

Next we met with a Director from Women's Affairs. She provided a lot of insight into the history of Gender policy development in Botswana. She talked about Unity Dow's Citizenship Case, which pretty much provided momentum for other legal recognition of women's rights. Unity Dow, a Motswana, successfully challenged the legitimacy of the Citizenship Act which denied Botswana citizenship to her children on the basis that her husband was an American. Men used to hold full marital power in Botswana; women were legal minors. This meant that all rights over land, children and any other kind of capital went to the husband. So in the case of a divorce or the death of the husband, women were left with nothing.

We finished the day with a meeting with Fortune and Chillie, the Aids and Gender Sector Specialists at WUSC. They wanted to hear about our placements. One thing that I’ve really observed is the importance of social hierarchy here in Bots, especially in the workplace. Everyone works really hard to maintain this order in conversations, task-assignments, even language. It’s interesting, just took a while to get used to.

Overall, it was a good and informative day. Then we headed to the University of Botswana where Ellan and our friend Jeph had Rugby practice. Jeph plays on the Men’s Varsity team and Ellan, being the rugby star that she is, somehow got in with the Women’s team and has taken to practicing with them. It’s Intervarsity Week at UB. All the athletes from Swaziland and Lesotho have arrived in Gabs for their “Botswalo” championships...... but it’s really just an excuse for a week-long party. Jeph and a few of his friends are running a stand all week where they sell beverages and braai. So we hung around there Thursday night and then headed out to do some dancing, a must in Gabs. We got home in time for me to shower and head to work and for the rest of the group to head to bed. But fortunately, our trip cancellation meant that we could get in an afternoon nap before we headed back out to UB Friday night, then out for some dancing again. Arriving back at UB Saturday morning, we helped set up the stand, took a nap and then went home to catch some much-needed sleep.

On Sunday Kathy, the WUSC Regional Director, took the three of us to Mokolodi. It turned out to be a wonderful afternoon. We rode on top of the WUSC vehicle, almost falling off several times because of the rough terrain, and were so very determined to spot a giraffe. After two and a half hours we decided to head home, turned around and VOILÀ! A HUGE male giraffe but a few meters from the truck. He was beautiful and just didn’t seem to mind us being there. We watched him eat away at a tree (with thorns!) for almost half an hour.

And now we’re set for another week of work. We’re ridiculously busy in the Gender Unit as International Women’s Day is fast approaching. But now that we’ve got really good friends and know our way around the city, we certainly aren’t too distracted by our 7:30-4:30 tasks. We always have something to do and someone to do it with. Just chatting with locals we’ve learned a lot about the culture and history of Botswana. If nothing else, most Motswana wil a) ask me to marry them or to marry one of their children, and b) tell me the diamond story. You see, Botswana gained independence from Britain in 1966. The Brits left what they thought was a barren desert country with no economic potential. Then a year later, in 1967, the Batswana struck diamonds! (At this point the storyteller usually has a huge grin on his/her face... the “nana nana booboo-type smile) The country’s relatively quick development, from roads to schools to ARVs, has pretty much been fuelled and funded solely by this precious resource. I am always hearing people say “Thank God for the diamonds.”

The majority of our good friends here in Gabs are Zimbabwean. This isn’t surprising as there has been massive immigration from Zim to Bots and authorities estimate that there are more than 100 000 Zimbabweans live in the country illegally, most of whom are concentrated in Gabs. We see the effects of this everyday. The problem of “abandoned bodies and babies” is spoken about regularly here and there is definitely a lot of racism towards Zims. Many times we’ve been with friends and have heard racist remarks thrown at them. We stand there in shock only to be patted on the back by our Zimbabwean friends who tell us “it’s normal.” We tell them it shouldn’t be normal... they roll their eyes. Myths circulate about the Zims being responsible for spreading HIV and police officers sit on the curb and watch the crowds go by, hoping to pick out an illegal Zimbabwean by their apparently distinct facial features.

Needless to say, we’ve had lots of interesting conversations about the political situation in Zimbabwe. A friend explained it to me this way: “In Zim the player is also the referee... and he moves the goal posts so that he always makes the shot.” The Presidential election is on March 29th. When I asked a Zimbabwean acquaintance how the country will ever fight for change, he responded with : “the only ammunition we have left are our prayers.” Hope in a hopeless situation, I guess.

Alright, I hope I haven’t bored you all to death.

This all to say that things are going super well down here. I just realized that it’s reading break in Canada... half-way through a semester! Wow. Why does time have to move so quickly?

Keep in touch.

Will write soon.

Sarah J

Ps – I posted more pictures in the “Gaborone” photo album