"Cuz in the world today you can't live in a castle far away" - Five for fighting

I've decided that the kids begging on High Street, around central Grahamstown and close to the Rhodes campus is good. Positive. Educational. Before I'm dismissed as this awful person, let me explain my reasoning.

First off, I wish nobody had to beg. I wish nobody went to bed hungry, but people do, so let's acknowledge that it happens.

So, Rhodes, and much of the "white" part of Grahamstown, while existing as part of the greater community, is pretty set apart from the township and the "Grahamstown beyond." Sure there's nice PR materials talking about how everyone is in this together. Rich. Poor. White. Black. But for many--perhaps even for most--it's not their problem. It's not their fight. It's "those guys."

Perhaps these sharp divisions are the remnants of apartheid that haven't yet fallen. Perhaps these remnants never will fade away. I don't expect people who live in these upscale areas to pick up shop and move to one of the sprawling extensions of RDP (Reconstruction and Development Program) housing, or to go deliver meals daily to people living in utter poverty across town. I know I've never ventured into the township alone. I don't expect others to either.

What would be nice though is some acknowledgement, and at times, some compassion and understanding of why people are begging on street corners, why you have individuals attempting to sell used plastic bags in a desperate attempt to make ends meet, why you have so much stealing and violence. These poor people are not inherently terrible. Many are desperate--and desperate times call for desperate measures. Sure, some kids do have the option of living in a shelter and some adults have an option of going to a soup kitchen for a meal, but everyone has a story, and these crystal clear solutions are sometimes not so crystal clear.

Also, it's important to note that not everyone in South Africa is apathetic about the enormity of the problem. There are many passionate people I've met who truly want to make a difference. But there's also many who just really don't care. They have. Others don't, and that's just how it is.

It's a shame that it's possible to go to Rhodes, live on campus which is essentially "a castle far away," though it's just a 20 minute walk from the township, and never see how the other half of your town lives. It's sad that you can live in one of the "white areas" of high-walled, gated homes and not have an understanding of the underlying reasons about why you need the fence and the "High Tech Armed Response" systems on your home.

My first sentence said "I've decided that the kids begging on High Street, around central Grahamstown and close to the Rhodes campus is good." And in some ways it is. It is harder to ignore that way. You might not be able to see the desperation of the town beyond, but the kids, and some of the adults, can bring that desperation to you. In front of the pizza shop. In front of the university. Along the predominately white, predominately wealthy streets.

The kids still might just be dismissed as troublemakers, but perhaps to some it plants a seed. It makes them see not all of Grahamstown is fancy gardens and upscale gated housing. It forces them to see a problem that exists 20 minutes from the comfortable confines of where all of us "privileged" people live, but for too many people, this problem is a world away. Perhaps it forces them to think "what can I do to help?" It forces them to see that they "can't live in a castle far away."