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Year of Service Desk
Beyond Words
From Matthew McGrath – on tour with the
Beyond Words Dance Group in South Africa.
OK here we go, the latest in the line of
what’s been happening! I have left Madidi and Jerecho, the
two most remote parts of the world and am now in Howick. (On the
border of Natal and Transvaal. Ed)
The segregation here is really bad, most of the
blacks shop at one shop and the whites at another. The service we
provide as a mostly white group who are willing to live and share
the lives of the black community has massive effects ‘cause
it is mostly unheard of!
We are running children’s classes for kids
in a village called Umpopomani. Two days ago we had 60 kids turn
up!! We all played games like tag and ring a ring a roses, they all
had a wicked time! The children here have no barriers and accept
you straight away, they always want to hold your hand and they are
fascinated at how white they are compared to their own. We are all
having such fun and I really feel that because of the time we spent
with them it will have a lasting impression on how things are with
them in the future.
There is such heartfeltness around here, people
are really willing to listen to you and if you are friendly to them
they accept you as your true brother, I can feel the tension in the
air because of the white/black stuff but it is so different in
every town: here, it is really bad, there it is as if all are equal
again.
We are now in Zulu area, people here can dance
really well!!! You don’t expect it cause they are often very
humble and shy but as soon as you put on any form of music they
just go crazy!!!
If you get a taxi you have to be prepared to have
more and more people come in until you can barely breathe, and
seeing a white person in a taxi is really rare. However it is
really really cheap - it cost me 25p for an half an hour journey!!
and in other places it is even cheaper!
I am in the most dodgy of internet cafes in the
world. There is only one computer and it is as if the guy has just
opened up his lounge to the public. Last time I got a whole hour
for 50p, but this was really rare and you just have to pay what he
wants!!
It is a tropical climate here, we have storms
practically every day and there are loads of amazing plants!! I am
going to the woods later today to see if I can spot some monkeys.
They are apparently very cheeky.
Many things happen here that are really extreme:
for instance I heard one time that the family we are staying with
rang the police in an emergency and an hour later the police rang
back asking for a lift to their house!!
Everyone has an alarm with an alarmed response and
basically this means that four or so guys come round and arrest
everyone but the owner on the property!! So don’t set it off
by mistake!!
We took the van to the garage so now it
doesn’t work!!, it stalls every time we stop, every time!! I
sometimes wonder if they did this deliberately so that you would go
back there again to get it fixed!!!
Anyway, we went round an Indian’s house and
they cooked us the most divine curry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are leaving Howik soon and will be going to
Eastern Cape; this, again will probably have a different
climate!
Aids is such a problem here. So many people I have
met have lost someone dear to them -so we must pray and pray with
all our hearts that a cure is found soon. Here condoms are preached
about but the real solution is in abstinence and faithfulness,
which is what the Bahá’ís here are trying to
promote.
Anyway things are good here, different but good
and I am really starting to feel at home here in South
Africa!!!!
Write to me, write to me, thinking of you all with
positive and loving love
Matthew
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