Contrasting Views in South Africa

By Prof. Jeff Niemitz

One of the things we tried to do on this Mosaic was to give the students not only a sense of the UN Climate conference but also a small taste of the rest of South Africa outside the conference venue.  For ten days we saw the same wall, corridors, exhibits, and venue spaces for the negotiations and the side events explaining some of the issues either from a topical, national, or regional view.  But that was not all there was to it.  The weekend between the conference weeks we experienced the biodiversity of the large animals of Africa up close and personal.  We understood that it was not so simple as to pay the game drive guide and find the animals. In fact the game parks are actively managed by top ecologists who make sure the herds continue to grow and thrive.  Some of these animals like the white rhino and the wild dog are endangered not only from poachers (thus the need for their protection behind fences) but also from what will happen to their habitats as the climate changes. We can see this same approach in the welfare of the humans in much of South Africa as well.  Our last week was not about climate change so much as it was about experiencing human side of Africa.  For just like the large animals so too the people of Africa are also “endangered”.  Who speaks for the people?  We were privileged to visit and help some of the other 90% of the world’s people.  We expereinced and, to some small degree, helped meet their needs by visiting two orphanages in the Valley of 1000 Hills area outside of Durban.  South Africa like many sub-saharan African countries has been ravaged by HIV and AIDS.  Children feel the greatest burden of this pandemic when their parents die or are unable to provide for their children.  Thankfully there are people such as Nic Addison and Brendan Stapleton who run orphanages for these and other abused and abandoned children.  It is hard to resist a small child who needs love.  We saw that a lot last week.  But it is also gut-wrenching when you have food or clothing to distribute but you know that not everyone will get what they need. How do you decide who receives and who doesn’t.  Nonetheless the people are grateful for what they get.  Can we say we are as grateful for all that we have?  What could we give up especially at this time of year for those who have little?  In contrasting the contentious and frequently frustrating climate negotiations with the work of the dedicated people of Makaphutu and Lily of the Valley orphanages one has to wonder what it all means.  In my mind we saw the worst and the best of the human species. The negotiators continue to put national and economic interests ahead of global cooperation to stem climate change while the planet continues to warm and the vulnerable millions continue to wonder what will happen to them.  Yet in a small but tangible way we see the helpers at the orphanages sacrificing everything to give these children what they need no matter what it takes.  The climate negotiators could learn a lot from a visit to Makaphutu.  I’m sure it can be arranged.