Whattup, sisters and brothers in Oakland,
We write to you from three places in South Africa: Soweto, Alexandra and Witbank, and we are all a part of an after-school program called FXB. We love being a part of FXB because it gives us a platform to express ourselves, and we are able to gain new knowledge and help each other grow. FXB trains us to deal with the challenges that affect both teenagers and our communities and we talk about everything - from mistakes to hope, love, respect and most importantly our teachers and mentors listen to us.
The youth of South Africa are dealing with a lot right now. In the past, during our parents’ and grandparents’ generations, our communities were fighting against Apartheid, but today we are still struggling. HIV/AIDS is a huge issue that affects our lives and it is really sad and painful. A lot of us have lost family members, and we are feeling the loss in unbelievable ways. Poverty is also a major problem in this country. Because there are a lack of jobs, people suffer and go to bed with empty stomachs, and sometimes this makes people resort to crime. Teenage pregnancy is also on the rise in South Africa, and we’ve seen how having a baby too young can rob a girl of her education and a good future. We are also dealing with sexual assault and sexual harassment – and girls are mostly the victims of this too. And finally, too many teens are abusing substances. There is a lot of peer pressure here and teenagers use alcohol and drugs at an early age.
These are some rough times for us but we do have hope and we believe that if we unite as youth we will have the power to face these everyday challenges. We can be the ones to raise awareness and become advocates on these issues. We know that knowledge is power and that we can uplift our communities with action. So in FXB, we first educate ourselves about these issues and then we go into our communities and educate others. Our mission this year is to reduce the high rate of HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancy, and to address substance and human abuses in our villages.
We really look forward to getting to know you and what life is like in Oakland. To be part of this cultural understanding project is a dream come true for us, and hopefully someday we can visit each other's beautiful countries.
Peace Out!
FXB Youth of South Africa
31.7.09
20.7.09
VOICES FROM OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
Dear Brothers and Sisters in South Africa,
We’ve read your letters and we want to thank you for sharing your South Africa with us. There are many things affecting Oakland too, and some of these things are similar to what goes on in Africa. So we understand where you’re coming from, and we too believe that if we work together we can change some of these things.
The challenges we face out here are: high murder rates, drugs, high prison rates, abuse and poverty. We had over 180 murders in Oakland last year (2008), and they affect our entire community - at school, at home and in the streets. Abuse, dating and domestic violence are also issues we are dealing with in Oakland. And like there, we too have teen pregnancies. Abortion is also a big issue right now, especially during this past election. They almost passed a law, called Proposition 4, that would make it mandatory for girls younger than 18 years of age to inform their parents if they wanted an abortion. (Is abortion legal in South Africa? Do teens have to get permission to get one? How do you all feel about this issue?) Well...as you can see, we are going through a lot too.
However, we also have a lot of interests that keep us busy and positive. Most of us love music, and there are a lot of Hip Hop artists from Oakland. Some of us are a part of the hip hop club at our school where we are able to make our own beats and create our own music. Some of us also love art. We have an art academy here and we do a lot of art related activities in our community. Sports are also a big part of our life. Many of us play basketball, football and soccer, but mostly basketball and football. And...we like to go to the movies, shop and just hang out with our friends.
You probably have heard that we have a new president, Barack Obama, who is half African. This is a very big time for America and you have probably seen it in the news but people are very emotional that we have elected our first black president. We too, have made history! And as much as Obama can promise us, we have faith that our future will be a better place.
We hope that you can relate to some of this and to the excitement that America is feeling and we hope that with us, you guys will create change too.
Peace
Oakland High Students
We’ve read your letters and we want to thank you for sharing your South Africa with us. There are many things affecting Oakland too, and some of these things are similar to what goes on in Africa. So we understand where you’re coming from, and we too believe that if we work together we can change some of these things.
The challenges we face out here are: high murder rates, drugs, high prison rates, abuse and poverty. We had over 180 murders in Oakland last year (2008), and they affect our entire community - at school, at home and in the streets. Abuse, dating and domestic violence are also issues we are dealing with in Oakland. And like there, we too have teen pregnancies. Abortion is also a big issue right now, especially during this past election. They almost passed a law, called Proposition 4, that would make it mandatory for girls younger than 18 years of age to inform their parents if they wanted an abortion. (Is abortion legal in South Africa? Do teens have to get permission to get one? How do you all feel about this issue?) Well...as you can see, we are going through a lot too.
However, we also have a lot of interests that keep us busy and positive. Most of us love music, and there are a lot of Hip Hop artists from Oakland. Some of us are a part of the hip hop club at our school where we are able to make our own beats and create our own music. Some of us also love art. We have an art academy here and we do a lot of art related activities in our community. Sports are also a big part of our life. Many of us play basketball, football and soccer, but mostly basketball and football. And...we like to go to the movies, shop and just hang out with our friends.
You probably have heard that we have a new president, Barack Obama, who is half African. This is a very big time for America and you have probably seen it in the news but people are very emotional that we have elected our first black president. We too, have made history! And as much as Obama can promise us, we have faith that our future will be a better place.
We hope that you can relate to some of this and to the excitement that America is feeling and we hope that with us, you guys will create change too.
Peace
Oakland High Students
18.7.09
12.7.09
Nobesuthu Mnguni - Founder of South Africa's FXB After-School Program
I knew that Grace Nobesuthu Mnguni was a remarkable woman when she spent the day with me in my Oakland High School classroom two years ago; however, coming to South Africa and spending time with her here allowed me to understand how extra-ordinary she truly is.
BRIDGING BORDERS THROUGH ART
Today FXB brought youth from three after-school centers (Soweto, Alexandra, and Witbank) to meet each other, to build on our cross-cultural understanding project and to engage in a thematic collage art project about women.
Poem by Sibongile - FXB Youth Member
MOTHER
She is a lady
Herself
Powerful and brave
She brought me into this land
Her motherland
She is beautiful and creative
How can a lady be so strong?
She walks the walk
she talks the talk
How can she
I have never seen anything like this
This beautiful
Her respect
Her love
She can take care of me
Her smile
Her looks
OH! She is beautiful
She is my I N S P I R A T I O N
my R O L E M O D E L
How can the world live without her
SHE IS P O W E R
She is a lady
Herself
Powerful and brave
She brought me into this land
Her motherland
She is beautiful and creative
How can a lady be so strong?
She walks the walk
she talks the talk
How can she
I have never seen anything like this
This beautiful
Her respect
Her love
She can take care of me
Her smile
Her looks
OH! She is beautiful
She is my I N S P I R A T I O N
my R O L E M O D E L
How can the world live without her
SHE IS P O W E R
THE AIDS EPIDEMIC IN SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa is currently experiencing one of the most severe AIDS epidemics in the world. There are approximately 6 million people living with HIV in South Africa, and almost 1,000 AIDS deaths occur every day.
A number of factors have been blamed for the increasing severity of South Africa’s AIDS epidemic, and debates continue about whether the government’s response has been sufficient.
Statistics show that almost one in five adults are infected. And for each person living with HIV in South Africa, and elsewhere, the disease not only has an impact on their lives, but also on those of their families, friends and wider communities.
It is known that with anti-retroviral drug treatment, HIV positive individuals can maintain their health and often lead relatively normal lives. However, few people in South Africa have access to this treatment. This means that AIDS deaths are alarmingly common throughout the country. It is thought that almost half of all deaths in South Africa, and a staggering 71% of deaths among those aged between 15 and 49, are caused by AIDS.
FXB established their after-school program to serve youth affected by HIV and AIDS. The organization allows children to continue their education and to study in a safe and conducive learning environment. They provide basic nutritional and psychological support, as well as training and information sessions on basic health. Their primary objective is to empower young people to lead healthier, more responsible lives and to encourage their peers to follow a similar path by taking leadership in their communities.
source: www.avert.org/aidssouthafrica.htm
IN AND AROUND JOHANNESBURG (AKA JO'BURG OR JOZI)
THE CITY OF JOHANNESBURG Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa and the third largest city in all of Africa, behind Cairo (Egypt) and Lagos (Nigeria).
(google images)
MANDELA HOUSE MUSEUM - NELSON MANDELA'S FORMER HOME IN SOWETO
Nelson Mandela moved to this Soweto home with his first wife, Evelyn Ntoko Mase, in 1946. After their divorce, Mandela stayed at the residence and was joined by Winnie Madikizela in 1958. Winnie remained in the home, with the children, while Mandela was incarcerated, and until she herself was exiled from Soweto and put on house arrest in Brandfort. The home, however remained in the family until 1996, when it then became a public museum.
At the museum, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela describes the history and significance of the home (in an audio-recording), including the act of burying the umbilical cords of her children (and grandchildren) in the yard under a tree, (reminding me of what I've done with my own children's cords) - a tradition that ties new generations to their ancestors and their land.
source: www.mandelahouse.com/history.asp
"That night I returned with Winnie to No. 8115 in Orlando West. It was only then that I knew in my heart I had left prison. For me No. 8115 was the centre point of my world, the place marked with an X in my mental geography." 
HECTOR PIETERSON MEMORIAL MUSEUM
The Hector Pieterson Museum opened in 2002 (in Soweto) to commemorate the 566 people who died in the 1976 student uprising. Students protested against being forced to take their classes in Afrikaans (the language of the Dutch colonizers and their descendants) and mobilized a massive demonstration against Apartheid laws.
The museum is named after Hector Pieterson, a 13-year-old who was the first child killed by the police on June 16th, 1976. The photograph of him fatally wounded and carried in the hands of another young protester, Makubo, shocked the world and became a powerful symbol of the anti-Apartheid movement. Hector's sister, Antoinette, along side her brother in the photograph, now manages the museum which follows the chronology of events that led to the June 16th tragedy.
June 16th is now recognized as a national holiday, Youth Day!
POWER TO THE CHILDREN!
AMANDLA!
8.7.09
THE APARTHEID MUSEUM
The Apartheid Museum documents the rise and fall of apartheid and powerfully captures the human stories of this recent history through film footage, photographs, text panels and artifacts.
A thought provoking experience, starting with the entrance where each individual is given either a "white" or "non-white" ticket and is then required to walk through their respective entrances. Blown-up identity cards and historical text guide each individual through, to meet again outside, where they may view the rest of the museum together.
Some deep (and tough) questions came up with my thirteen year old daughter, Chenoa, today.
5.7.09
2.7.09
Mandela Turns 91!
July 18th is Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday and the first world MANDELA DAY, an annual celebration in honor of Mandela's life AND a global call to action to contribute to positive change.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAUTIFUL MADIBA!! WE LOVE YOU AND WILL DO OUR PART IN OAKLAND TO CREATE CHANGE!
(photo from: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090718/en_afp/safricapeoplemandelabirthday)
1.7.09
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