3.2 Setting the scene: Unpacking and learning from the support I received from home
3.3.1 The importance of education was emphasised by community members
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3.3 “I am, because we are”: unpacking and learning from the support I received from my village and the community
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Figure 3.3: My memory drawing: On engagements and learning from the community teachings.
Another activity I was engaged in (shown in Figure 3.3) was ukushaya induku (stick fighting).
Stick fighting generally involved wooden sticks, where two opposing warriors would fight each other to establish which one of them was stronger than the other. Through stick fighting, it was believed that we would learn the skills of being strong men in life and of tomorrow, and be ready to face whatever challenges we were going to come across in our lives.
Therefore, through these activities, and many others, it was believed that one would be better equipped, as a man, to be respectful, responsible and able to face all the challenges that might be thrown at one in life. The same happened with girls, as they were groomed by older women on how they should conduct themselves in society and outside to become better individuals of tomorrow. However, I think it is also to be noted and acknowledged that harm and suffering can sometimes be caused by gender stereotypes and patriarchal traditions. This is asserted in Ntokozo Mkhize’s personal story piece, in Madondo et al. (2019), where she argues that “…in that community, we as girls were expected to be submissive, to be nurturing, and to be subordinate. We were supposed to know that men were superior in their households” (p. 23).
Furthermore, Madondo, in Madondo et al. (2019), affirms that “Ntokozo’s storywork further
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enlightened me about how important it is for us as teachers to understand how issues of gender and power impact our classrooms and communities” (p. 24). It is therefore essential, I argue, that we start to initiate and negotiate about these kinds of debates, to assist us in redefining gender roles for all our benefit, and to do away with harm.
Secondly, the community used to come together in teaching us about the importance of education and being educated in life, for a better today and subsequently paving the way for a better tomorrow. They instilled in us that we can change our lives and those of our parents and other loved ones through education. By extension, we could change the community and the world we live in through the knowledge and skills acquired through education.
Although few people in our village were educated, many people who were uneducated always emphasised the value of education. They did this with distinction, as if they were the ones who had walked through that journey and were educated. They did this because they cared about us, loved us, and supported us. They always made an example of those few individuals in our village who were educated and living a better life. They narrated stories about their humble beginnings, coming from poor families and later making it in life through education. These educated people were much respected in our community, as they set an example to us and other future generations. Therefore, many individuals in our community supported us through this process.
For a person to support you through motivation and providing some help where they could and where necessary did not require that they were your siblings or family members. We were told
“izandla ziyagezana”, which roughly translates as ‘hands wash each other’, meaning that we are all there to help each other as a community. Just as the African philosophy of Ubuntu puts it, “I am, because we are”. Ubuntu is an African philosophy that embraces the idea that human beings cannot exist in isolation. Similarly, Dhlula-Moruri et al. (2017, p. 83) posit that
… in a South African context, a socio-cultural perspective on teaching and learning can be understood in relation to Ubuntu. Ubuntu is an ethical philosophy that is encapsulated in the statement …‘Motho ke motho ka batho’, in SeSotho or, ‘A person is a person because of other persons’, in English.
Furthermore, Reddy et al. (2016, as cited in Dhlula-Moruri et al., 2017, p. 83) argue that
“Ubuntu highlights the value of communal human characteristics such as caring, reciprocity,
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and respect for another person’s dignity”. Therefore, Ubuntu emphasises the idea of being oneself through others at the centre of everything we do and all the time.
I learnt from recalling these experiences that support from community members plays a vital role in children/learners realising their full potential and goals. It gives learners hope that they can make it in life through education. It gives them a positive mindset and energy through the belief that it is through education that they can change their situation for the better in future, and those of their families and other close people. Through the spirit of working together, community members play a significant role in supporting each other in everything they do and wherever the need arises. They can motivate and support children on the importance of valuing education and how it changes lives to be able to realise their potential and achieve their dreams.
3.3.2 The community playground object/artefact: Supportive relationships on