Tuesday, October 14th: #WeAreHere

As we gathered in the lobby of the hotel, David Ives commented on how he felt like he was back in the ‘60’s. Students were flowing into the large foyer carrying homemade posters and chatting about the protest that was about to happen. The excitement and energy yielded an electricity that launched this conference to an entirely new level. As we marched down the street people, of course, began to stare or ask questions and cars passing by began to beep. We set up the protest at a busy intersection. The group split up to occupy 3 of the 4 corners of the intersection.

We are here; Where are you?, We are Here, and We Matter, The Youth Cannot be Silenced, and Visas for Peace were only a few of the many phrases drawn on posters. The main purpose of this was to protest the Chinese and South African governments. Students were raising awareness about the control the Chinese government has over South Africa and South Africa’s lack of moral compass regarding the Dalai Llama’s visa denial.

Even though the protest was focused on this particular issue, some students used this opportunity to protest other issues such as Palestinian Rights. We are lucky to have Palestinians with us at this conference; they bring a much-needed perspective to these conversations. As some of the readers may know, this past summer was quite a difficult one to say the least for Palestinians and they often cannot safely protest under the protection of freedom of speech. Seeing them raise the Palestinian flag and chanting “Free Palestine” safely on a busy street was truly incredible. Perhaps even more incredible was when 2 of our students, Aiti and Nadia, grabbed the flag and held it up with them. There they stood, a Nepali, a Somali, and 2 Palestinians protesting for the rights and freedoms of one another. This is why we do this work; this moment is representative of the power of Ubuntu. It makes me wonder just how much happier people would be if we took the time to empathize with and stand alongside others in their struggle- even if it is not our own struggle. Recognizing that the injustices faced by others are actually a threat, not only to our justice, but rather to all of humanity, fuels a much different human experience. It allows us to connect much more deeply with the people and the worlds around us- it actually gives us the power to change the world.

The students have been wonderfully reflective of how to bring these ideas to our community. How will we not only invest our community in the idea of Ubuntu, but also, work together to develop clear action steps to truly achieve it? What they have realized is that the negativity in our community is unacceptable. If South Africa could achieve democracy and rebuild a broken society, what is our excuse? We cannot simply remain complacent with mediocrity as a standard. We are working hard to figure out our next steps and look forward to reaching out to community partners and individuals who would like to be apart of this process. (This is the part where you send me an email - gleesongiana@gmail.com - if you or someone you know wants to be a part of this)

After the protest, students gathered together to discuss their thoughts and reflections. How do we define an effective protest? Was our protest effective by these standards? What would we change? How do we organize effective protests in the future?

Throughout the course of the day, we attended 3 different sessions. The first was centered on Rights and Responsibilities. The main questions was if we  relinquish our responsibility by claiming our rights. The second was When are you too young to claim your rights as a child? The third was an outstanding discussion on Women’s Rights. What does this term even mean? We hear it so frequently, but rarely understand the true breadth and depth of what rights really are? The conversation ended with the understanding that women’s rights are, in fact, a human rights issue and, if we phrase it this way and talk about it this way, we may actually come closer to achieving these rights.

Before the last session, we snuck away for a delicious dinner. Nestled in the tight streets of downtown is a wonderful Ethiopian Restaurant called Addis. The smell of incense filled the air as we climbed the stairs onto the loft-like dining area. The chairs are low to the ground and there isn’t a large table, but rather two small round tables in the center of our circle. Eating Ethiopian doesn’t just mean eating new food; it’s an entirely different dining experience in and of itself. Even though each person ordered her own meal, they bring it out on one large tray. The bottom of the tray is lined with Injera, which is a thin sourdough-dough flatbread with a spongy texture. The food is served all on the same sourdough plate. There are no utensils- yes, that’s right, none. Aside from the sourdough underneath the food, we were given our own roll of sourdough so we can rip a piece off and use it as a utensil for the food. We tried a variety of new foods and sauces. What an experience sitting around a table, sharing new food, reflecting on this amazing experience.