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September 11, 2006
Hello! Today is the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The BBC has been focusing essentially all of its radio broadcasts for the past few days on the effects of 9/11 and how the world has changed since then. I can only imagine how thoroughly the American media have covered the event. Looking back over the past 5 years I try to see how my worldview has been effected by that day…I remember walking around my apartment, watching the Today Show and getting ready for class (I was a junior in college at the time) when Katie Couric announced that the 1st plane had hit The World Trade Center.
As tragic as that event was, and although I felt that initial rush of panic that terrorism evokes, it was only a short matter of time before I was among the group of Americans who understood the tragedy, yet were detached from it – this happened, but not directly to me, and so I can easily forget. Today, as a U.S. citizen abroad, my perspective has dramatically changed. I can see how other countries view the attack and the U.S. response to it, and I feel grateful for Britain’s sympathy…I feel encouraged by the interviews between journalists and survivors…and I feel intrigued by the viewpoints of Arabs and Muslims throughout the world. The main thing I’ve learned is this: I am an American and that means the terrorists attacked ME – attacked me personally and directly, attacked all those things that I’ve come to appreciate even more since leaving the States, attacked the very ideals that have drawn me to the Peace Corps and to Africa.
I honestly didn’t think that today was going to be that big of a deal for me, but then I came to understand it’s not just 5 years after 9/11, it’s my 5th anniversary of being a post 9/11 American…I know I have changed dramatically over the past 5 years – as a result of September 11th? Who knows? Would I still be in Zambia today had those attacks never occurred? Maybe. Maybe not. Nevertheless, living in a place where I’m explaining to people daily "Noi mwina Amelika" ("I’m an American"); I take more pride in that statement than I ever imagined I would.
Alright, having voiced my thoughts on 9/11 and America, I’m sure you guys are curious to hear what’s going on in my neck of the woods these days…Read what interests you, disregard what doesn’t (don’t worry, it won’t hurt my feelings). Enjoy!
Sex and Witchcraft
The following is an excerpt from my journal on September 1st. It’s simply a recount of a conversation I had with my friend Rhodah that I figured you would enjoy reading:
…I brought Rhodah a chitenge skirt that I had someone make back during training, but had never worn because the tailor got my measurements all wrong and it was way too big. Rhoda made the alterations for me and I tried it on…Looks good! Then she coached me on how to tie the matching head scarf. "Ah! You now look ready to marry a Zambian!" Rhodah said. This got us on the whole topic of sex and dating Zambians again.
"You mean you don’t want to have sex with a Zambian man while you are here? Two years without sex? Erin…you should have sex with Zambian men so you know what good sex is like before returning to America. Zambians know how to have sex! In bed, they will make you think your mind is running mad!" Rhodah said.
I responded, "You don’t know that American men aren’t just as good at sex…Have you had sex with any American men?" "Yes. Many. Zambians are the ones that know what to do" she said. She was obviously joking and we both had a good laugh. She went on to say, "Our men know how to kiss and they caress you. Erin, you have sex with a Zambian and you’ll know what sex should feel like!" We couldn’t stop giggling. Rhodah truly does want to see me to date a Zambian, but of course, she doesn’t seriously want to encourage me to sleep with a bunch of Zambians.
Somehow the conversation later made its way to witchcraft. "Do you believe in Satanism?" she asked. "You mean witchcraft?" I asked. "Yes, is it there in America?" I said, "Most Americans don’t believe in witchcraft, but it might be there in America. I don’t know." From there I found out the following…Witchdoctors are always old people (I had asked Rhodah "Has anyone ever called you a witch?" She laughed and said, "No, I am much too young!"). Also, it is believed that witchdoctors can have sex with you in the night and you won’t even know it…"What?" I said really skeptically. She explained, "In the night you will just dream or imagine that you are having sex, but really it is a witchdoctor having sex with you. They can sleep with anyone they want that way. It is evil."
Also, some witchdoctors will practice a form of traditional medicine, but others can simply be jealous of a family and one of the family members will die. Then it is common for the witchdoctor to go to another one of the family members and say something like: "I think your mother is a witch and that is why so-and-so died," thus causing the family to turn on each other.
I mentioned to Rhoda that I was reading a book about a woman in Botswana, and in this book it told the story of a small boy being kidnapped on his way home one night and he was never heard from again. People acted as if he were dead, but really everyone knew the truth but was too afraid to talk about it – that the boy had been sold to a witchdoctor, where his bones, skin, blood, etc. would be use for witchcraft. "Do you think this actually happens?" I asked. "Yes, it happens. When children disappear, you just know that that is what has happened, but you just say the child is dead… They take children because they are innocent. And, when you are near a river, they will take the children because they are supposed to be good at directing the fish into the nets."
"Huh?" – I didn’t quite get that last part. –"So they kill the children and then they will be like spirits that help get the fish?" Rhodah answered, "I don’t know. It is magic"
Finally, I asked "How does someone learn to become a witchdoctor? And when does it happen if they are always old people – what were they like when they were children?" Her response: "It just happens. They are evil people, even when they are young…it is like all they do is hate and be jealous." "Do you know any witchdoctors? Is there one here in this area?" I asked. She paused for a brief moment (just long enough of a hesitation to make me a little nervous), and then said, "No, I don’t know of any…and none here." That’s good to know!
A Different Perspective
I was chatting with a teacher who was visiting our village one day and he said that his impression of America is that it is very violent. He said, "On TV you always see people moving with guns. If I were to live in another country I don’t think I would choose America. I would go to Australia…There everyone goes to the beach and they just seem very happy."
So What Am I Actually Doing Here?
I have received lots of letters in which people have asked me "So what are you actually doing over there? Explain the type of work you’re doing." Well, here’s a relatively broad yet concise description of what I’m currently doing….
There are eleven schools in my catchment area. They are: Lwenge Community School, Kansobe Community School, Kapoposanja Community School, Nkole Mfumu Basic School, Chintandu Community School, Mwelwa Basic School, Kankonshi Community School, Chanda Mukulu Basic School, Menga Community School, Safwa Community School, and Bwacha Community School. (I thought you might get a kick out of some of the names…They are in order from North to South.) I do not really associate much with the three basic schools because they receive plenty of help from the government (in terms of staff, materials, funding, etc.), so that leaves eight community schools that I’m involved with.
Of those eight schools, I’ve made the personal choice to focus the bulk of my efforts on three schools in particular – Menga, Safwa, and Bwacha Community Schools (which also happen to be three of the remotest schools in my area)… One of the greatest challenges for community schools is the simple fact that they belong to the community. This means that the village is responsible for providing a building (some villages borrow local churches), finding teachers (who have no formal training and often times have only completed grade 9 or 10), and supporting those teachers (paying fees, working in their fields, or giving them food).
For instance, at Safwa village the community is undertaking the project of cultivating a community field of maize and groundnuts. The proceeds from the sale of crops will be (theoretically) spent on covering the school fees for 20-25 local orphans and on making desks and buying other building materials. The PTA is managing this project in conjunction with me. I am currently working on a grant proposal and seeking out an NGO to help the community purchase some fertilizer to get this field started.
The Menga School wants to undertake a similar project, except this school has a catchment area of five villages, which means that the parents want to cultivate five fields (one in each of their respective villages) and then pool that money to help pay teachers’ salaries, purchase school materials, and possibly start up an anti-AIDS awareness campaign at the school. This project is at the very beginning stages – we have formed committees and elected officers to oversee the progress in each village – so there is still a long way to go.
Similarly, there is a Women’s Club in Nduta village (the site for Bwacha Community School) that is in the planning stages of cultivating a field that will be used to support orphans and other vulnerable children in the area. I am a co-planner for this project as well, and my goal is to help them get some fertilizer and develop some sort of constitution that will outline exactly how the children will benefit from this money.
Two of the schools (Menga and Bwacha) are very difficult to access by vehicle and are about 15-20K from the nearest clinic. So for those two communities we are going to try to get our hands on some sort of first aid kit or medical box that they can keep out at their villages for emergency circumstances.
For all of these communities (including the five schools farther north), I am planning on putting on a "How to incorporate HIV/AIDS awareness into teaching" workshop for the local teachers. I’m also considering facilitating a weekly or bi-weekly HIV/AIDS awareness course for each of the Safwa, Menga, and Bwacha Communities. Finally, if I get bored and decide I need a few more things to keep me busy, there’s one village that would like to build a well that is closer to the school (their closest water source is over 6K away). Another village would like to explore the idea of acquiring a more reliable canoe (if I remember correctly, their current canoe has a crack in it from when they accidentally collided with a submerged hippo). And another village is interested in learning about food security and preservation.
So, I hope that gives you guys a better idea of the types of things that occupy my time here… Again, I want to thank everyone for the letters and care packages – I am so spoiled!!! Keep in touch, take care, and you’ll hear from me again soon…
Shalenipo,
Erin
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