Response to Edmund

I read another Humanities student's blog post today, and decided the material it included was definitely important enough to reflect on. Edmund provided a link to a video he found on South Africa, and it really was interesting and surprising. It's very true, most people think of all Africa as being in terrible shape, but there are places that are substantially well developed. South Africas is a good example of this.

As to Edmund's blog, I can't say it was the best posting I've read. It didn't have much of a summary on the video itself, but it did express his feelings about it.

To judge for yourself on the blog posting and the video, go visit it! http://edmunddao.blogspot.com/2008/09/real-south-africa.html

Book Club

For humanities class, every student is reading a book and discussing it in a book club with other students who read the same book. The book I chose to read was called "We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families", by Peter Gourevitch.

When I first picked this book up, i thought it was mostly going to be a collection of anecdotes from people who experienced the genocide in Rwanda. But I was wrong. It's much more than that. This book not only provides personal insight into the experience, but is also a good lesson in the history of the country before, during, and after this period of its existence.

One thing I found interesting in the way that Gourevitch wrote this book was how he described people he interviewed. He didn't only describe the persons actions and the surroundings, but how he imagined the people were thinking. One thing that struck me was how he understood that the interviewees never actually gave away the memories and feelings that were most important to them. He seemed to know that most of the interviewees felt resigned to answer his questions, but nothing more. And he accepted that, not because he did want what he was missing in their experiences, but because he gained more from their silence.

So far, this book is extremely interesting, if a bit technical at times.

Imaginary Memoir

I recently finished editing the Imaginary Memoir that I wrote for Humanities class for our Africa Project. Honestly, I found the Imaginary Memoir far easier to accomplish than I ever thought possible.

Despite not having any large amount of specific details with which to guide my writing, the story came quite easily, and didn't require too much actual thought. It almost seem to come naturally. This was reflected in my peer critiques in the fact that I didn't really receive any critical comments on the content of my story, and only a few on my grammar and spelling.

The only difficulties I experienced in writing the story was coming up with a few historical details. I wasn't aware of the Naval ranks, or exactly how the housing was in Somalia in the late 1970's. I had to wing it a little bit on those topics.

But, I thought the Imaginary Memoir was a lot of fun to write, and reading those of others was very interesting!

Response to Alex

I recently read a post on Alex Riolo's Blog, who is a student in the other half of my team who is also doing South Africa as his project country. The posting was a reflection on an article that he read about how social inequality is still prevalent throughout South Africa, despite the fact that the apartheid way of government was disbanded in the early 1990's.

The way Alex reflected on the article was, in my opinion, fabulous. He both summarized and analyzed the article in a concise, cogitated way. The way he manages to convey the point of the article, especially one on such a controversial topic, without showing an obvious bias is impressive. I also definitely found this posting to be informative, since I am also using South Africa as my country for the Africa Project.

The fact that he supplies such little personal opinion might also be a downside to his posting. It would be interesting and would make the posting more engaging if the reader was to understand exactly how the author of the posting felt about the article. It would provide the reader with several viewpoints from which to consider their newly found information.

Overall, though, it was a very good posting! Check it out here: http://alexriolo.blogspot.com/2008/09/social-inequality-in-south-africa-today.html

Interview Reflection

The loud and constant beeping and ringing of the telephones added credence to the harried look of the busy workers as they swarmed around the small office space in desperate attempts to justify their presence there. As they rushed about they gave little notice to the desk in the corner of the room, around which were huddled a small group of people, three apparent high school students and one tired looking black man. From far off, it would appear as if the four were ill at ease, the three huddled together while the fourth leaned back. However, as you drew nearer, it became obvious that the three were actually leaning forward, hungry for the answers to the questions they so eagerly sought after, while the man was leaning back not idly but in thought, regarding the memories that assaulted him at the questions the younger people fed him. It was a thoughtful scene, one that reminded the viewer much of a wise professor imparting his vast knowledge onto the younger ones below him.

“My name is Rashid Ismael. I was born in a small village in Ethiopia called Fiq. F-I-Q.”, the man began quietly, apparently oblivious to the tape recorder held close to him. “…I was the middle of almost 18 people, I grew up in that village until I was 6 years old”, he continued calmly. “…There are so many things I remember. Just herding the cows and just roaming, just in the middle of nowhere, absolutely nothing. Just whatever, you know, is whatever they tell you… There, if you get a piece of bread that day and a cup of water, and even though you don’t know what you will eat tomorrow, it is not under your control, but you are happy.”

Such a vast difference between the early childhood of a boy who was born the middling of 18 children, in a country that is today known as one with huge civil unrest; and that of the average American child, born and raised in the same country with no worries on whether food will be provided or beds made.

“When I was 6 years old and went with my Uncle…in other city called Chichiguta in further Ethiopia… And at the age of 10 I moved to Somalia”, he continues. As the conversation furthers, you are struck by one fact. Despite being born in Ethiopia and having spent his early childhood there, he obviously does not consider himself Ethiopian. “we as Somalian’s”, he says nonchalantly, never seeming to notice that he considers himself from a country that is not really his own. But is that entirely true? He obviously considers himself a part of that country, and why should he not? He cares, and that is enough to make it count.

Finally, the thing which struck the interviewees most, the thing which made them think, which made the teenagers lean in closer wondering if they heard correctly. “I was thousand times happier back there than here… Here you always need help, you are always, always under stress. There, if you get a piece of bread that day and a cup of water, and even though you don’t know what you will eat tomorrow, it is not under your control, but you are happy. You can go to your neighbors, you talk with them. I’ve been living here in the same place for three years and I don’t even know my neighbor. Who is my neighbor?”, he says cheerily, but the meaning behind the words is evident. “If the civil war stops I would be the first to move back. I don’t think I would stay one single day if I believe that I would be safe and would be helpful to my country. I would not hesitate to be back to my country… As Dorothy says, there is no place like home…

Your home is where you grow up, and where you had your childhood, and that is your home… Your memory is somewhere, and that somewhere is your home.” Almost idly these words are expressed, but the impact they have on the teenagers is obvious. Is life in their country really so terrible? True, their world is a cold one, devoid of human sympathy and the rural kindness that obviously pervades the home of Rashid. But is life in a world filled with such unrest really comparable to their own small, safe lives?

This interview had a huge impact on how I saw our own country. It saddened me, to think that life in our country, the country that is seen as the richest, the best, the happiest place to live, can’t even satisfy someone who has known so much pain through their own life.

Through the interview, our emotions changed from awkward and shy, unsure of how to proceed with the subject at hand; to plain inquisitive as we learned the story behind the man who sat before us. The story of a person who has seen more than we can ever imagine.

Electricity Cont.

It also adds to the efficiency of out water desalination prototype. It runs off the hot water run off of the power plants, and does not waste any needed electricity.

Electricity crisis

Recently I've found a number of articles covering the "electricity crisis" in Southern Africa. Apparently, as the population and electrical demand of the country grows, its become obvious that the current electrical system is either not powerful, efficient or advanced enough to supply the entire country with enough electricity all at once. People all over the country are experiencing continual blackouts as the power grids in their areas fail.

I found it interesting that one one Africa's most advanced countries is experiencing such technical difficulties. Africa is still a blossoming continent.

http://6000.co.za/2008/01/18/south-africas-electricity-crisis/