Anger

Some of us were lucky enough to have the chance to interview some of the members of Womanspirit. Briefly, I should explain what this group is.

Womanspirit is a program that serves refugee women and girls living in exile in Cape Town, South Africa. They are from Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and Zimbabwe. They are all survivors of war and civil conflict and all suffer in varying degrees from post-traumatic stress disorder. Coming from diverse backgrounds of education, religion and socio-economics, they have suffered great loss from entire families being killed to being victims of sexual violence and HIV positive status. In spite of their past experiences as horrific as they were, these women are true testimonies to the human spirit. Their willingness to forgive, their unyielding faith, grace and dignity are an inspiration and a great learning for those who work with them. The members of Womanspirit who are skilled dressmakers, and seamstresses will design and craft items for the International market. They will design and sew the products as well as train other women and girls in sewing, dressmaking and tailoring. This project will provide an income for the participants and has the potential for other entrepreneurial endeavors.

Back to the interview--Amina and I asked the women we were speaking with what American students need to know about the situation here in South Africa, especially when it comes to refugees. One of the women had an important answer that I have included here. She said that people here are angry because they can't get jobs. Womanspirit itself is set up to help with this problem, but it can't help everyone. Men and women who come from war torn countries, hoping for a better life for their families are finding it difficult to survive in South Africa. This idea came up in one of the novel's I have been reading, No Time Like the Present, and it is something that we have been confronted with since we arrived here ourselves. Men and women who were doctors, teachers, journalists, etc. in their own countries are selling trinkets in the marketplace or art on the beaches because the immigration laws are very strict. I don't know enough about South Africa's laws to know what should be done, but I do see the fear that this interviewee talked about. Is there any greater fear than wondering where your child's next meal will come from?