Madu Diarra Brings Service Learning to Mali

Service Learning Training in Mali
As you might have noticed from the previous post, I have been in Mali for the past two weeks. I was lucky enough to have Fulbright and the US Embassy cover my costs to do some service learning training at the University of Bamako. This was a plan that my Malian big sister Maria Diarra and I had been working on for a while, as she is desperate to get the University involved with service learning so that they can send students to work with her "Read Learn Lead" project. (Check out Maria's organization's website for more info on the RLL Project, http://www.iep-kati.org/). So, with the embassy/Fulbright covering my airfare and a week's stay in the "Grande Hotel" in Bamako, and Maria covering all other costs, we put together the first service-learning training EVER in Mali.

We had 17 professors from the University of Bamako, 10 teachers and staff from Maria's organization Institut pour l'Education Populaire (IEP), two friends of mine who are language teachers at Peace Corps, and even two University students. We met for 4 days at the National Museum of Mali, where I did sessions on the history and theory of service learning, and then a couple days on curriculum development. Then, we went out into the field, and they had two days to actually try it out with real students and real community projects. Here's a picture of the participants, all wearing t-shirts from Maria's project that say "YES WE CAN" in 4 national languages.

The training was exhausting, as I did it in French (last time I worked in French was 22 years ago!), in a room that had shaky air-conditioning, in a country where the daily temperatures hovered around 110 degrees! Thank god for shaky air-conditioning. Amazingly, the participants were incredibly engaged. They came on-time every day, they stayed late (we were supposed to end around 3:00pm, but inevitably ended up going until 5:30 each day), and seemed really interested in trying this new approach to teaching. ACTIVE, ENGAGED LEARNING that gets students connected to REAL ISSUES that matter to their communities.

Believe me, this is VERY NEW, as most profs and teachers here in Mali have only ever experienced the stand and deliver approach to teaching through rote memorization. They were about as familiar with project-based, active, student-centred approaches to teaching and learning as they were with a snowball fight. Not to mention teaching about issues of social justice and social responsibility, and ideas like equity and student voice --heretical concepts in a very traditional society that gives a lot of respect to authority and seniority. Anyway, they really got into some of the simulations that we did, such as "Paper Chain," which recreates a very unequal and unfair social system, and were pretty intrigued by the "active" approach to learning. "What, learning can be fun and engaging?" (But, did you ever try this with 1,200 students in an overcrowded lecture hall on a 110 degree day in dusty Bamako?)

Well, after 4 days in the world of theory, it was incredibly refreshing to go out into the real world and actually do some service-learning. We had two "community schools" to work with. One was Maria's "Ecole Chiwara" in Kati, and the other was the school where the two students form the university had come from. This town was called "Soninkegny," and was about 45 minutes from Bamako. There are 40 graduates of the elementary school who are now at University in Bamako, and who have formed a group to do development projects in their home village. So, this was also the first chance to try some actual work in their home town.

We had three projects in each town. In one project, newly literate adults were trained to be "reading monitors" with 1st-3rd graders. The picture above shows one of the adult volunteers working with a group of 10 students. Imagine how different this looks than the usual scene, which is 120 students and 1 teacher! In the second project, the 9th graders were trained as "reading buddies" and partnered with the 3rd graders. It was so cool to see a room full of kids working on their reading; especially since it was in their own language, Bamanankan! The 9th graders then had a reflection activity around their own experience, having learned to read and write in French, and discussing the pros and cons of NOT being able to use your own language in school! At the end, the 9th graders decided they wanted to learn to read and write in Bamanankan, and so asked for a meeting with the director of the school! It turned out, that the School District Chair was visiting the school that day, along with the head of the PTA and the actual Mayor of the district. So, the students got a great opportunity to "speak truth to power," in their own language! It was a very powerful experience, both for the students and for the profs, who got to see the whole cycle of service-learning in action!

The third group worked on the issue of pesticides and herbicides with another 60 9th graders. The students discussed the dangers associated with using pesticides, and then went home and discussed the isues with their parents. Then, they came to class the next day with local seeds that they grow, the first step in creating a local seed bank to protect the bio-diversity of their ag production. It was also very inspiring to see the students be so expressive in what is usually a very teacher-centric classroom. They identified 30 different types of vegetables and plants that they grow for either food or income, and actually brought in 19 varieties for the start of the seed bank. Again, it was amazing for the profs to see what an animated, engaged classroom looks like. And, it was even more powerful for them to see how talkative the students can be, when they are dealing with subjects that reale to their lives --and when they can use their own langugage!

Next Steps?

I don't want to be too naive, and claim that we have transformed education in Mali. However, we definitely planted some seeds. Hopefully the profs will get a chance to actually develop some service learning projects with Maria's "Read Learn Lead" progarm, and they will start to see some results. On the other hand, given the level of dysfunctionality in the education system, especially in higher education, this could be the first and last service learning that happens in Mali. Afterall, with 1200 students in a classroom; with almost no books or materials; and with 110 degree heat with no A/C, it hard to imagine much happening in terms of "active, engaged learning." But, there were some inspired educators who emerged from the group. And I don't think anyone could have made this workshop more relevant and accessible that I did. We will see what Maria might be able to make happen to keep these seeds nurtured. All I know is that the US taxpayers got a whole lot from their $3,000 investment in Madu Diarra dong service learning in Mali!

Blog ya later.

Seth (dit "Madu Diarra")./.

A Peaceful Afternoon in Genguan

Have" mobili" will travel. Arriving in Banamba with Maria's LandCruiser was a great opportunity for Sambou and I to take a road trip. When Naomi and I and the kids were up in Banamba in December, we didn't have the time to visit Sambou's family in their "farming hamlet" called Touroukoro, 18 km from Banamba. So, this time, since we had all day and no other plans, we loaded up 3 of his sons (actually 2 sons and 1 nephew), and hit the road.

We headed north from Banamba on dirt donkey-cart roads, as Sambou and I reminisced about the many trips we made over 20 years ago on my motorcycle. We had some great times, including getting lost at night coming back from a baptism, and getting stuck in a rainy-season pond on our way to a wedding. This time though, we were riding in style in this cushy LandCruiser. It is hard to set the scene, because Sambou is the last person that anyone would expect to drive up in a LandCruiser. So, each stop was pretty memorable, as we were always greeted with lots of cheers of astonishment, and cries of "Sambou, is that you?" and, "Madu Diarra, i ni fama!" (Madu Diarra, it's been a long time!).

This time, our first stop was a small village called Sinzana, where we visited the family of Sambou's second wife, Hatmata. Then we kept driving toward Tourokoro. About 10 kms away, we saw a someone walking next to a someone riding on a horse, with two other horses in tow. It turns out that was Sambou's brother, Madi (in the picture below), so of course we stopped. He was walking to Banamba for the market on Monday, accompanying a more wealthy merchant, taking care of the horses along the way for some money. But, when we stopped, Madi was not going to turn down a ride in a LandCruiser, even if we were going the opposite direction (yes, we just came from Banamba, his destination). So, Madi jumped in the car, and said goodbye to his merchant friend --and his little commission!

When we got to Tourokoro, we got to greet Sambou's family: cousings, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. It is very cool to see how the "Moores" greet each other. When a younger person greets an older person, he/she comes up to them and doesn't extend his/her hand, but rather gently leans toward the person, making a slight bowing motion. Then the elder takes his hand and puts in on the younger person's shoulder, all the while, asking "how are you? how is the family? How is mama and papa? etc." Very sweet. We had a great visit with Sambou's aunt in her hut. She's now blind, but she had lots of memories from twenty years ago, and kept talking about the time I slept over there for the baptism of the twins which were her grandchildren. Unfortunately, neither of the twins lived.

Sambou kept asking me if I could recognize how things had changed. And I had to say honestly, no. There are about the same number of houses, but they have moved around a bit. That's the nice thing about building out of mud bricks: if you want to move, you just pick a new spot and build a new house, and your old house eventually melts back into the ground.Madi stayed in Tourokoro and we headed further down the dirt track to "Genguan," another 12 km away, taking Sambou's cousin (who he called his "brother") Bakary with us. Genguan is actually the town where Sambou's family comes from, though his father and one other brother left Genguan and settled in Tourokoro. So Genguan is really the family homestead, and Beya, the last living brother of Sambou's father is considered the "village chief."

As we were about to arrive in Genguan, we saw a group of men and dogs scouring the bush. They were folks from Genguan, on a group hunt called a "fele." They try to flush-out small game (rabbits, antelope, quail etc.) from the bush, to take home for a nice Sunday brunch! It was so hot, and the brush so sparse, that it didn't look like much fun to me. Among the men on the "fele" was Beya, Sambou's uncle, who greeted us profusely, was so glad to see us because he really didn't feel like going out on the hunt! So, we were a perfect excuse for him to drop-out, and head back home. He then convinced us that we had to spend the day there with his family, and absolutely couldn't leave until after lunch. So, of course, we agreed.

What an afternoon we had. It was as if time had stood still for the past 800 years. We were treated like kings, as the straw prayer mats were brought outside under the "gua" or "sukka." The elders of the family all gathered, and we relaxed while eating peanuts while the elders threw the cowrie shells and did some fortune telling. Then, little by little, people just dozed off to sleep, including me. Then, after a couple of hours had passed lunch was brought. 3 bowls of milled porridge (known as "to"), with a nice hearty meat sauce which included the chicken and the guinea hen that were killed in our honor! After lunch, I watched as Bakary and Beya set up and then played a game of "M'Peri," which is something like checkers. What was so cool, is that it started by Beya asking one of his grandsons to bring him some sand, and then some dry twigs. The next thing I realize, they are creating the game board from the sand, and the game pieces from the twigs. Of course, the old man Beya beat Bakary 3 straight games in a row. I guess he is not Village Chief for nothing! Enjoy the video of Bakary and Beya playing M'Peri that follows, and just try to enjoy the simplicity of passing the day under the "gua" with us in Genguan.

Blog ya later.

Seth (aka, Madu)./.

A Day with "Baboon Matters"

Walking with Baboons

On Saturday, we spent the afternoon "walking with baboons." There is a group called "Baboon Matters," who lead tours that take you to a couple of the troupes of baboons that live in the hills around Cape Town (http://www.baboonmatters.org.za/). Baboons are seen by most South Africans as big pests. In fact, it is legal to shoot baboons in every province in South Africa except the Western Cape. Baboons are very smart, and have that most important evolutionary trait, "opposable thumbs." So, they've learned to open windows and doors, climb into people's houses, and raid the fridge (and garbage, and anything else that might smell like food). Just last week some "American tourists" had their care "baboon-napped." It turns out that they got out of their care to take some photos of the baboons along the road, and while they were photographing, the baboons got into their car, and started eating their picnic lunch! Needless to say, people who live on the outskirts of town have lots of baboon interaction, not all of it is positive. There is a long history of handling baboons through poisoning, and shooting. Baboon Matters is working to shift this, as they say, "sustainable solutions for managing baboons."

Well, "Baboon Matters" does two things. They train and support a crew of "baboon monitors" who walk with the baboons, and kind of herd them away from homes and settled areas. Not a perfet science, but an interesting attempt to try and facilitate more harmononious co-habitation. There are 3 monitors who work with each baboon troupe, 7 days a week, dawn till dusk. They are mostly young unemployed males from the local township, and for them, this is great work. Unfortunately, there seems to be constant struggles over funding, as neither the City of Cape Town, the Province, or the National Parks Service wants to take on the responsibility. The other service they provide is that they take people on tours, to walk with the baboons, learn about them, and hopefully, change their perspective. Naomi is a regular, now having gone out three times with them. We took Jamie on Saturday, along with Alex and her friend Nicole. We had a fabulous afternoon amongst a troupe of about 30 baboons of all shapes and sizes (including a baby who was only 2 weeks old). Our guide "Chris," knows most of them individually, and their histories and characteristics. So, you just hang-out, and he teaches you about the baboons, their behavior, and the issues they struggle with trying to co-habitate with an ever-expanding urban population. It was absolutely fascinating. Here is some of the video footage. Enjoy.


Blog ya later,

Seth./.

Bringing Rich Diversity to a Formerly "Coloured" Building

Last week was graduation at the University of the Western Cape, and I was invited to participate in the official "Oath Taking" for the new pharmacists. The Dean of the School of Pharmacy wanted me to come and be part of the procession, so they even found a black robe for me to where. There were 60 students who finished their studies last December, and now have been out in their hospital internships for 3 months. For some reason, they do graduation in March, which gives everyone a chance to get together as a class, probably for the last time.

Even though I didn't know the students well, I did have some contact with them through their service learning placements, and so it was nice to catch up and see how they were doing in their sites as "pharmacy interns."

But while seeing the students was nice, and wearing a robe felt special, the most amazing part of the experience was the setting. The "Oath Taking" ceremony took place in what is called the "Old Senate Building." So, of course, I asked, "Is this where the faculty senate meets?" And the answer was "yes." And so I asked, "why do they call it the 'Old Senate' building, if the current faculty senate meets there? Is there a 'New Senate' building?"

Well, this is where the answer got complicated, as perhaps it can only get in South Africa.

It turns out that in fact, this was the building that housed the "Coloured Senate" back during the period when the South African government passed its infamous "Tricameral Paliament" system. In an attempt to co-opt and co-erce the "coloured" and "Indian" minorities during the apartheid era, the government gave each of these groups their own legislature with limited law-making authority. In addition to the white "House of Assembly," they created a "Coloured House of Representatives" and an Indian "House of Delegates." (The Black Africans didn't have any authority over anything, and so there was no "Black Parliament.") Since UWC was the only "Coloured" university, the "Coloured House of Representatives" was housed in a new building that was built on the UWC campus! (As one of the profs said to me during the ceremony, this was not the brightest of ideas, as during the years that this Tricameral system existed -1983-1994- there was constant student protest and agitation in front of the building. As he said, "it was almost a constant riot.")

So, here we were in this historic apartheid-era building, watching 60-students take their oaths as new pharmacists. In what was formerly a "Coloured" building, this day the hall was filled with the rainbow nation that is South Africa: white students, "coloured" students, Indian students, and black students. And the upper benches were filled with proud parents and aunts and uncles of every color. I especially appreciated the black-African mothers, who "ululated" and danced and chanted the praises of their daughter/son as they came up to sign their oath. It was wonderful to see such rich, diverse life inside a building with such a narrow history.

Sorry I didn't have my camera with me, so no photos. Darn.

Blog ya later,

Seth./.

Cycle Tour 2009: 100 km in gale force winds!

"Toughest Cycle Tour EVER!"
That was the headline in the paper on Monday. But, we did it! 110 km in "gale force winds." Amazing, and not fun, but still, we did it. People were being blown off their bikes at the start, as wind would sweep through the buildings downtown, and then blast through the start line like a wind tunnel. And then, most of the ride was straight into the "south-easter wind," which meant constant work, even on the downhills, when we would be blasted by really dangerous cross-winds at random moments. Here is a picture of Naomi and our friend from Maine, Suzanne at the finish line --well-deserved smiles!

We saw Alex and Maya at the 10 km mark, and gave them a high five for the road! That was my highlight of the ride, as I was cruising up the hill, and passing everyone in front of me. Here's me on that climb...Unfortunately, when I got to the top of the hill, I looked around and couldn't find my riding partner Steve. So, I waited a few minutes, but still no Steve. Well, it turns out that his derailleur snapped off and went into his wheel just moments before I saw the girls, destroying his back wheel, and his ride. HOWEVER, as he was throwing a tantrum on the side of the road, a spectator came up and said, "is there anything I can do?" Well, Steve said, "I've got another bike at home..." And the guy said, "Come on, let's go!" So, he threw his bike into the guy's car, and the guy drove him home, waited while he changed out his pedals, and then took him back to the course, where Steve continued the race. What a great story! And Steve finished the reace 1 hour and 5 minutes after me! Here's a picture of Steve and his wife Jo celebrating after the race. Jo happens to be the leading marathon runner in the Western Cape!

But, not only did we make it, but so did Matt Damon, who rode a tandem with his brother, alongside South African rugby star from 1995, Francois Pienaar --who Damon is playing in the movie they are currently filming here in Cape Town. (By the way, Naomi and Jaimie saw Clint and the crew filming downtown today!)

So, check out these videos: the first is the summit of "Chappman's Peak, " the second to last climb, 85 km into the ride. The other is of Matt Damon finishing!

Well, it was quite the experience. Needless to say, we've not been on our bikes all week. But, I'm hoping to ride again this weekend. My time, well, my finishing time was 4:17:50. I was hoping for under 4 hours, but given the circumstances, I was happy. Here are my stats:


Time: 4:17:59
Overall Position: 6626/25799
Age Position: 668/2419
Group: Z
Group Position: 22/491
Avg Speed 25.58

OK, 6,626th is not a gold medal, but it sure feels like a victory...

Blog ya later.

Seth./.

Passionate, Progressive People, and yet...

Passionate, Progressive People, and yet...

It has been a few weeks since I've really written. So much has happened! South Africa beat the world champs Australia in criquet, in Australia --the first time the Aussies have lost on their home court in almost 20 years!

I've been thinking about writing this blog for some time now, ever since our trip to Kwa Zulu Natal. One of the amazing aspects of our trip, was that we spent two days with two very passionate guides, learning everything that they had to tell us about their passion. First it was Peter Koen, co-owner of "Extreme Nature Tours." http://www.extremenaturetours.co.za/index.htm, who shared his passion for nature and the environment with us on a 12-hour tour to the turtle sanctuary in Kozi Bay, near the Mozambique border. Then, it was Mike Nell, who was our guide to the Anglo-Zulu war battlefields of Islandwana and Rorke's Drift. These guys were both incredible. So knowledgable, and so passionate. It was a pleasure to be with them and to just soak up their energy and enthusiasm.

But in addition to just "knowing their stuff," both Peter and Mike had very progressive perspectives on their fields, and on the past, present and future of South Africa. Peter, the nature guide, speaks fluent Zulu, and our trip to the turtle sanctuary was actually led by a local guide from a village that is located right in the sanctuary. There is an eco-tourism program that trains local guides, and the money that they receive guiding turtle-watchers has become a significant piece of the village income. A nice eco-tourism program that really seemed to be working. Peter shared wonderful stories of how generous the people are, and how safe (a critical quality here in South Africa) the area is, and how welcoming the local community is.

Mike Nell, the battlefield historian, was also a fluent Zulu speaker. He grew up on a farm speaking Zulu with the children of the farm-hands, and had a deep appreciation for Zulu culture and history. As you might imagine, there has been a wide array of interpretations, and re-interpretations of South African history over the past few years. Of course, there is the old "party line," where everything that was seen to be good and virtuous was a result of the British/Dutch; and all things violent or corrupt were associated with the indigenous African population. The history of the Anglo-Zulu war that was taught in school significantly reflected those biases. Upstanding whites being savagely cheated by local Zulu kings, etc. As opposed to the other version of the story which shows how the British generals disobeyed their orders and attacked Zulu-land, so excited by the spirit of conquest! Mike Nell was able to share all the angles on the stories with such passion and interest, that an entire day touring old battlefields was totally exhilirating --even for Alex and Maya, who are not your typical battlefield history enthusiasts. (Though I must admit, that as we drove by other historic battlefields on our drive across Zulu-land, they happily declined my offers to stop and visit other sites...

However...

However, as progressive and multi-lingual as these two passionate, progressive guys were, there also seemed to be a limit to their ability to really understand the "other." On the long drive back to our hotel after visiting the turtles (it was 3 1/2 hours away, and we got home around 2:00 am), Peter was sharing his frustration with his Zulu colleagues, who he sees as not being able to really make it in today's modern world. He questioned their commitment to traditional values and responsibilities, which take away from their individual riches freedoms and tie them in more deeply to their extended families and community. For example, a Zulu colleague of his was pleading poverty, and didn't have money to build his own home; but, he had built a house for a dead uncle in his family's compound! Yes, his dead uncle. Zulus have a very strong ancestor worship culture, and it was absolutely critical for this young man to help the spirit of his dead uncle be well-housed, before he himself could build a home. As Peter said, with that kind of mentality, how can this country ever evolve!

I saw a similar limit arise in Mike Nell, who though very passionate about Zulu culture, also used phrases that represented Zulus as a different species of human: with very different priorities and ways of being in the world. And, that these ways truly clash with the values that "us white westerners" hold. These statements were so out of context with the other information that he shared, that they really took me by surprise.

So, this for me is the incredible task for South Africa: to reconcile western and non-western ways of being in the world, under one set of rules and regulations for the new "rainbow nation." It is going to be interesting to see how this plays out in the new election, scheduled for April 22. But, I'll talk about that in another blog.

(Sorry this took so long to post. The rest of the trip to Zulu-land was fabulous, including some amazing hiking in the Drakensberg mountains, some not-so-lucky trout fishing, snorkling in the Indian ocean, and seeing pods of Hippos in the largest estuary in Africa: Hluhluwe-Umfolozi National Park --a must see if you're ever in Zulu-land! http://www.game-reserve.com/south-africa_hluhluwe-umfolozi.html You'll just have to check out the pics that I've posted.)

Blog ya later.

Seth./.

A New Era Dawns...

Pre-Inaugural Tears A-Flowin'
The past few days have been a blur of emotion and exhilaration. Woww...where to begin.

We returned on Friday from Kwa-Zulu Natal (also known as KZN here in S.A.), after a fantastic 10 day trip. Saturday Naomi and I did a bike ride, and Sunday we both rode in the "Cape Cobra Bike Race." I did 85ks and 8 hills. It was brutal. Naomi did 45 ks, including the intimidating "au Kaapse Weg" --old Cape Road-- which climbs over the hills separating the bay-side from the atlantic side of the penninsula. Needless to say, we were exhausted.

Finally on Monday afternoon, I had some time to sit down and blog about our trip to KZN. But, I had heard there had been some kind of inauguration concert the previous night (yes, we were a bit out of it while in KZN), so I started to look on YouTube to see what I could find. The next thing I realize, four hous have passed, and I've been histerically sobbing watching various angles of the concert! Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Garth Brookes. That's right, Garth Brookes even got me teary-eyed. But the clip that hit me the hardest was watching Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen sing "This Land is Your Land." And not jus the two verses, but all the verses including the lines of hungry folks at the churches! Pete Seeger's face, his enthusiasm, his encouragement to the crowd to join in and sing, just brought me to tears. Thinking how for his whole life, he has felt so marginal, on the fringes trying to "speak truth to power," and finally, here he was at the center of power in Washington DC with hundreds of thousands watching. He seemed so damn happy. Like a kindergardener with a new kazoo to blow!

Naomi and the girls had been out all afternoon, and when they came home my eyes were all red and bloodshot. I shared a few of the clips with them, trying to share the feeling. It wasn't as much fun feeling it all alone. Looking at the Lincoln Memorial, Alex said: "You can't believe how big that really is. It's huge. And his speech is right up behind him!" Clearly, her 8th grade trip to DC had planted some seeds, and it was great to see her connecting to a different kind of "Mall."

Inauguration Day
The inauguration started at 6:30 pm Cape Town time. We had invited a few South African and American families over to watch with us. Naomi insisted that we have everything prepared and ready by 5:00 pm. So, rather than doing the traditional South African braai, where you don't even light the fire until the guests come, and then spend hours (and numerous beers) tending the fire and chatting before putting on the meat, we did a more traditional American BBQ. In other words, I lit the fire at 2:30, had the meat on the grill by 3:30, and had everything on the table and ready to go by 4:30. Butterflied leg of lamb and b-b-q chicken, along with some very delicious salads.

The house was packed by the time the ceremony started, and so we got to feel a bit of the sense of being part of the crowd and part of the moment. The words and emotion totally transcended time and space, and the entire room was transfixed. It was awesome. I had ordered 100 of the "Yes We Did" commemorative stickers, so I handed them out to everyone who had come as a souvenir. It really felt like we too were making history.

I'll tell you all about KZN in an upcoming blog. In the meantime, let's still share in the glow of a new moment in time; transformation of the human spirit. Incredible! YES WE DID! YES WE WILL KEEP DOING!!

Blog ya later,
Seth./.