Walking with Nobuntu

With each Social Report, we ask one member of the team to reflect on the Nelson Mandela Institute (NMI) and the impact of the work we do. These are the words of Nobuntu Mazeka, who was born and bred in Bizana, an isiPondo-speaking area in the northern part of the Eastern Cape. Nobuntu is an inspired defender of human rights at community level. She formally joined the NMI team in 2007 to co-ordinate the Institute’s work in the Mbizana area.

It is an enormous challenge for me to reflect on who I am, the work that I am doing and the role of the Nelson Mandela Institute. This is not because of what I have to say, or how I wish to say it, or to whom. Maybe it is the decisive, humanising and nurturing support I have received from the Institute and how big I see its work that makes it difficult for me. However, writers and activists like Paulo Freire suggest that action without reflection is mere “busyness”. Action is only powerful to the extent that it is subject to our own critical reflection.

I find myself overwhelmed by the insights I have gained since I became part of the NMI family and how those insights have transcended and touched the lives of the rural communities that are within the scope of my work. There has been a philosophical paradigm shift in the way I think, the way I do things and in the manner in which I conduct analysis of what takes place in the area of development. There is just so much to share.

People call me a community activist; I have been a human rights activist and a paralegal for years, sometimes without earning a cent. I was driven by a conviction to change the lives of people. I think I picked this up from my mother.

I became drawn into struggles centred on human rights abuses, striving for solutions, having a clear understanding of the laws of the country and the obligations of individuals and the state to uphold and protect the rights enshrined in the Constitution. The work itself was so tiring and draining and, at times, incredibly demoralising. I started to question what was going on. Why were people not able to stand on their own and demand their rights? Was I creating a form of dependency? What would happen to these people when I was no longer rendering these services?

While I was struggling with these questions, the Nelson Mandela Institute came into my life. First, they offered me an opportunity to study with “Training for Transformation”. What a turning point. I couldn’t resist. Through this process I found a community of practice and tools to work “in solidarity with” communities, rather than “for” people. It is one of the aspects of what the NMI calls a “humanising pedagogy”.

The Dalai Lama suggests that the ultimate authority must always rest with individuals, and their own reasoning and critical analysis. Through my involvement with the NMI, I concur. I have seen that communities are formed by individuals. Communities are keepers of social knowledge and social analysis, which are mechanisms of social transformation.

By 2007, my involvement with the NMI team had brought me a broader understanding of my role as a community activist, as well as an organic intellectual and a lifelong learner. Our work with schools has deepened my understanding of the school community. It is moving to see that these rural school communities are leaders in finding the solutions to the crisis in education facing our nation.

Pioneering ilima lokufunda (“work parties”) was first viewed by educators and school governing bodies as a risk. Educators warned us that parents had abandoned any school-related activities and there was fear of them not participating in the ilima. The team decided to take that risk and parents came in numbers to work tirelessly to renovate the schools and start initiatives like the community education forums, where they have created a space to deliberate on issues of learning and teaching.

It is through such processes that communities have come to recognise the crucial role they can play in improving their children’s literacy and numeracy levels.

So far the parents have made a tremendous contribution, regardless of their own literacy levels. They might not be able to read and write, but their contribution through their reasoning and wisdom has been invaluable. These parents show that with or without formal education you can participate, educate, analyse and be part of transformation.

My days are not easy. I take public transport and the roads are bad and long. The things I see – well, they would probably shock you. Sometimes I just wish everyone knew the things that I see every day. Maybe we would all move faster to bring about change.

The other day we were working in the grade 3 classroom when a message came that one of the learners had passed away. Just like that. I have never seen educators so sad. They love the children, you see.

We went to the household to offer our condolences to the family. We walked 6km from school to this household, crossing the Mzamba River, which is approximately 30m wide. This is such a big river and learners at Sidanga have to cross it several times each day. There is no access road – nothing – you have to find your way through tall nkonkoni grass and wetlands, following a man-made track.

When I got there, it was bad. I don’t think I will tell you the whole story here. It was too bad. The child could not get access to a clinic. When his family finally took the tractor to the clinic, they gave him aspirin and told them to go home. When the child arrived home, he passed away. It gets much worse, but let me leave it there…

As hard as it is, it is inspiring to work with people here. There is nothing in this community, except for love and care for each other in times of trouble.

My work has shaped my worldview and deepened my critical thinking and my critical consciousness and analysis of both social and structural realities. As a person, I have grown from strength to strength – not only from the learning I have received from books, nor just from my interactions with school communities, but also from tapping into the knowledge of so many others and their experiences.

The Institute itself has a broad mandate. It is sometimes overwhelming. Yet, even such a small team has shown itself capable of achieving enormous goals through the commitment, passion, warmth and dedication displayed by each team member.