A Pleasant Ending January, 2009
Hello from sunny Botswana. I have just come back from my third funeral over that last several months. This was not the biggest, nor the one with the most music, but it was a very good ending for a long life. Last night there had been a huge thunderstorm, but by morning it was dry and clear for the services, as if on cue, the rain had stopped.
The old woman, who I had met, was a relative to both families where I have lived. She seemed to be related to everyone in the town. She died on December 22, but was not buried until January 3rd. As was the practice, people came for evening prayers and dinner for three nights in advance. The she was buried early this morning, with a service beginning at 6 am at her home. This makes sense since you go to the graveyard before the sun gets too hot.
The service consisted of two ministers, a choir of six dressing in white jackets with capes and black skirts. The songs are throughout and sung without instrumentation. Family spoke with a large wooden casket in front. Everyone gathered in front of the house with plastic chairs. The family was in front. The women are usually in the backyard cooking. Friends, neighbors and lots of relatives were there. Everyone seems related in one way or another. All was very well organized with a printed program that includes a picture of the deceased.
After the service, we all got in pickup trucks, small van shuttle busses, and cars to follow Lyn’s Funeral Home hearse to the local graveyard about three miles away. (It is my experience, that this one funeral home has branches all over Botswana and does a thriving business from what I can tell. )We slowly drove through the dirt roads around the community she lived it, passing homes of friends and neighbors. We got out around a freshly dug grave, where there was another service with songs and testimonials. Finally, the caskets was lowered and the men took turns shoveling in dirt, filling in not just the grave, but about a yard full of dirty on top of it, which is contained by an iron grate with slate stones placed around it to contain the dirt and a dark green screen on top to keep the light out.
Then everyone piled back in the vehicles to go back to the house for a meal, which consisted of meat, thick porridge, and a few stewed vegetables. Three cows and a goat were slaughtered for the occasion. Many women pitched in on the cooking in huge iron pots. Plates were served and passed down a line to all the guests. Everyone met, talked and ate. And as the custom has it, you then take food home. The event is not successful unless there is lots of meat and you take it home as well. Orange squash was served afterwards and people then left. Everything was over by 10:30am in the morning.
The same procedure seems to be used for all funerals. Women do lots of cooking for the event. Neighbors and friends pitch into help. Everyone gets together. Since the families are so large, the events appear to be weekly. It is all very predictable with a very set pattern.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Times Change
Times Change 15 February 2009
The US and world economy have changed drastically over the past six months especially. Here in Botswana the impact is not totally apparent, but anticipated. The Botswana government has used some of its reserved income generated by previous diamond mining to subsidize development despite predicted losses in future diamond sales. The most recent estimate is that diamond sales will be down 60 percent this coming year. The US which buys the majority of the diamonds is currently buying less. Mines are halting production all over Southern Africa, and Botswana is not an exception. The loss of income in all sectors and the government is not currently known. In my village the construction of homes and businesses still seem to be under way. But Botswana’s major source of income is the diamonds and related business but income also comes from beef exports to Europe (which in the past have been hit by hoof and mouth disease) and tourism with respect to the wild life reserves. The planned diversification has not yet diversified.
This year the government has agreed to plough five hectors free of charge and has given out free seeds for planting. In part due to the lack of rain, many small farmers have ceased cultivate the land causing Botswana to import over 80% of its food from South Africa. Unemployment figures vary, but with the government as the main employer. Somewhere between 40 and 50 percent of the people are formally unemployed and live on small jobs and a little farming of crops and livestock, depending on the weather. Although gas prices have decreased, transportation and food prices are high. There are very few local food markets. Most of the bigger grocery stores are owned by South Africans. Neighbors from Zimbabwe have come in large numbers taking jobs here and buying food to take back home to their families.
Food prices are high. My Peace Corps allowance is spent primarily on food. In some cases the prices are higher and others are less than in the states. I cook my meals daily and usually take food for lunch. Because I am a vegetarian, my diet relies a lot on nuts, beans, rice and milk. I do buy the local spinach and eggs. But the majority of food that I eat is trucked in from South Africa. My diet is very foreign to most people, as I have mentioned before, since people love meat and eat few vegetables with their porridge made of sorghum. Teaching jobs are sought because it is a safe source of income. Many people teach because of the secure income and the lack of alternative employment opportunities. The unions are pretty strong and people are at most transferred rather than fired. Motivating teachers can be challenging.
Worshipping in Botswana
Yesterday a colleague in the art department suggested I meet her at church this morning. Although I had a meeting, she indicated it would be over by 10:30 since it was beginning at 8:30am. So I reluctantly agreed. When we arrived at 8:45 the store front space, most seats were empty. By 9:30 most seats were filled. Out of a crowd of 150 including a 25 member choir, percussion and keyboard accompaniment, the majority were women and children with a few men sprinkled around. I was clearly the oldest human being there. The church which is evidently on TV is up and coming church populated by the young and middle class. The children were about one- third of the group. We prayed on our feet for about 30 minutes with raised hands. Then we sang for another thirty minutes swaying and clapping. It was good exercise. Then a minister read and preached on John Chapter 2. He explained that Christ was the vine and we were the branches. God was the gardener. We were to be active in the church once we had been reborn. With great repetition the duties were made clear to us. Everything was in English, so I could understand what was being said. During the service I saw about a third of the English female members of the department. We smiled and acknowledged each other. The minister and his helper wore black suits and ties. They were the only suits in the crowd. One announced the offering. Also you could by the monthly prayer book written by the pastor for about three dollars each. That would be $36 a year which is a hefty amount for low income people. A woman from the parish announced 8 orphans had been identified in the village and would be clothed by the church. Only three were there and came up front. Each received a small pile of clothes before they were dismissed. Near the end of the service about eight of us, who were attending for the first time, were welcomed and excused to talk to a parishioner. We were informed that there was a service on Wednesday evening and a pray meeting on Friday evenings which consisted of a few hours praying in tongues without chairs. That left me out. On Saturday we would spread out and find new members. About 11:30 the service concluded and we all departed amiably.
The US and world economy have changed drastically over the past six months especially. Here in Botswana the impact is not totally apparent, but anticipated. The Botswana government has used some of its reserved income generated by previous diamond mining to subsidize development despite predicted losses in future diamond sales. The most recent estimate is that diamond sales will be down 60 percent this coming year. The US which buys the majority of the diamonds is currently buying less. Mines are halting production all over Southern Africa, and Botswana is not an exception. The loss of income in all sectors and the government is not currently known. In my village the construction of homes and businesses still seem to be under way. But Botswana’s major source of income is the diamonds and related business but income also comes from beef exports to Europe (which in the past have been hit by hoof and mouth disease) and tourism with respect to the wild life reserves. The planned diversification has not yet diversified.
This year the government has agreed to plough five hectors free of charge and has given out free seeds for planting. In part due to the lack of rain, many small farmers have ceased cultivate the land causing Botswana to import over 80% of its food from South Africa. Unemployment figures vary, but with the government as the main employer. Somewhere between 40 and 50 percent of the people are formally unemployed and live on small jobs and a little farming of crops and livestock, depending on the weather. Although gas prices have decreased, transportation and food prices are high. There are very few local food markets. Most of the bigger grocery stores are owned by South Africans. Neighbors from Zimbabwe have come in large numbers taking jobs here and buying food to take back home to their families.
Food prices are high. My Peace Corps allowance is spent primarily on food. In some cases the prices are higher and others are less than in the states. I cook my meals daily and usually take food for lunch. Because I am a vegetarian, my diet relies a lot on nuts, beans, rice and milk. I do buy the local spinach and eggs. But the majority of food that I eat is trucked in from South Africa. My diet is very foreign to most people, as I have mentioned before, since people love meat and eat few vegetables with their porridge made of sorghum. Teaching jobs are sought because it is a safe source of income. Many people teach because of the secure income and the lack of alternative employment opportunities. The unions are pretty strong and people are at most transferred rather than fired. Motivating teachers can be challenging.
Worshipping in Botswana
Yesterday a colleague in the art department suggested I meet her at church this morning. Although I had a meeting, she indicated it would be over by 10:30 since it was beginning at 8:30am. So I reluctantly agreed. When we arrived at 8:45 the store front space, most seats were empty. By 9:30 most seats were filled. Out of a crowd of 150 including a 25 member choir, percussion and keyboard accompaniment, the majority were women and children with a few men sprinkled around. I was clearly the oldest human being there. The church which is evidently on TV is up and coming church populated by the young and middle class. The children were about one- third of the group. We prayed on our feet for about 30 minutes with raised hands. Then we sang for another thirty minutes swaying and clapping. It was good exercise. Then a minister read and preached on John Chapter 2. He explained that Christ was the vine and we were the branches. God was the gardener. We were to be active in the church once we had been reborn. With great repetition the duties were made clear to us. Everything was in English, so I could understand what was being said. During the service I saw about a third of the English female members of the department. We smiled and acknowledged each other. The minister and his helper wore black suits and ties. They were the only suits in the crowd. One announced the offering. Also you could by the monthly prayer book written by the pastor for about three dollars each. That would be $36 a year which is a hefty amount for low income people. A woman from the parish announced 8 orphans had been identified in the village and would be clothed by the church. Only three were there and came up front. Each received a small pile of clothes before they were dismissed. Near the end of the service about eight of us, who were attending for the first time, were welcomed and excused to talk to a parishioner. We were informed that there was a service on Wednesday evening and a pray meeting on Friday evenings which consisted of a few hours praying in tongues without chairs. That left me out. On Saturday we would spread out and find new members. About 11:30 the service concluded and we all departed amiably.
Culture is Key
“Culture is the way we do things here”
Blog Jan 26 2009
I am writing about HIV/AIDS in Botswana in order to clarify what I have learned as the result of having lived and worked here for the last nine months. What follows is eclectic version of what I have seen and heard while in interacting with students, teachers and villagers, as well as other Peace Corps volunteers.
The government of Botswana has dealt with the existence of HIV/AIDS for the last 20 years. The rate varies today between more and less than 25% depending on the age, location, education, and gender of individuals. It has hindered the economy, overburdened the health system, destroyed families, created a large number of orphans and affected the entire country.
The government has responded with many national programs. These included free voluntary testing, free distribution of three lines of ARV drugs to suppress the disease, a comprehensive parent to child program to prevent the transmission of the disease from positive mothers to their newborns, an extensive prevention program of outreach and prevention from the top to bottom of the country in the workplace, schools, community and in the healthcare system. In addition there have been extensive public information campaigns in print, on the radio and the television. Although less than two million people live in the country over 60 million condoms have been distributed in two years. While these programs are currently being implemented, they have not effectively stopped the spread of the disease. Why is accurate and inaccurate information on HIV still prevalent?
AIDS is often called, the disease. It is a fairly new disease in the country. Its appearance is considered by some to be caused by the Western world. Its source and cure are considered to be from a foreign culture. The disease is historically not part of the Batswana or traditional culture. Condoms and modern medicines are not part of the culture either. Men have multiple concurrent partners. That fact that men can score with a considerable number of women is a source of pride. Women want to have children to prove their fertility, to attempt to keep men, to receive money and gifts from older men and other reasons. Many people do not have enough to marry for a number of reasons. Sometimes it is because the bride price is very high in terms of the number of cows it costs to obtain your fiancé. This price is usually paid for in terms of cows. Without marriages, the women end up raising the children whether they are mothers and/or grandmothers. Wearing a condom (sock in Setswana) is often considered unnatural because it interferes with trusting your partner and physical intimacy. Certain women advocate not using condoms with their partners out of fear, the lure of more money and proving their loyalty and trust. Rape occurs frequently and goes unreported. Young women often are scared to report it. The theory is that they bring rape on themselves by the way they dress. Therefore, young girls can by their parents or fear punishment by the perpetrator. HIV testing is not often considered an option for young women since they need the consent of a parent.
Some people are willing to take the risk of acquiring the disease because they feel they will get the disease eventually. Others feel that they personally will not be affected by it. Others say you can always tell if their partner has the disease and they can avoid those with the disease. In any case, it appears that the local culture wins out over the new English speaking, foreign culture. Cultural pride is very strong here. The Setswana language is talked by the majority. In one memo that went around my school, it stated, “Culture is the way we do things here.” This might be one determining factor.
Testing is not usual before sex. Sometimes testing after sex or by married couples is a problem. For example, which partner acquired the virus and how? Teachers have died among others. They are role models and do not want it known that they have the disease. Young folks can not test without their parents consent so they do not know their status. Also because the HIV stigma is so great, people really do not want to know their status in part out of fear.
The present HIV prevention approach I am involved in with requires schools to inform and create peer educators among the students. These students are to inform their fellow students, families and the local community. The grassroots approach has worked in Uganda and other countries. The large public media campaigns are thought to have less impact and less credibility.
In general, I find the disease is not talked about in public. People who die of AIDS are said to die of TB, pneumonia, or other opportunistic diseases that kill people with the HIV/AIDS. There is an AIDS fatigue. People have gone through long periods of burying friends and relatives. Now people live with the disease due to new anti retro viral medications. It is often assumed that the disease is not life threatening any more. But there are only three different lines of drugs here as compared to many more available in the US. Because of the lack of strict adherence to the medication, the first or second line of medication can be ineffective. Hence, people on the medications can die. The prevalence of alcohol and alcoholism as part of the traditional cultural seriously impacts the prevalence of the disease and the adherence to the medication.
In short, I am making a guess as to some of the problems associated with preventing HIV even though the country has a goal of no new infections by 2016. As an outside observer who does not understand the local language, I am passing on information from a variety of personal and professional sources. From what I understand Botswana is not alone. Southern Africa in general has a very high incidence, including South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho and several others. Part of this regional problem is in part due to the lack of ritual male circumcision which is performed in other parts of Africa. While male circumcision has been shown to reduce the spread of HIV and is encouraged here, as yet is not as yet wide spread.
The answers to the pandemic appear elusive even though the treatment and prevention effort is so huge in this country. Any comments and observations would be appreciated.
Blog Jan 26 2009
I am writing about HIV/AIDS in Botswana in order to clarify what I have learned as the result of having lived and worked here for the last nine months. What follows is eclectic version of what I have seen and heard while in interacting with students, teachers and villagers, as well as other Peace Corps volunteers.
The government of Botswana has dealt with the existence of HIV/AIDS for the last 20 years. The rate varies today between more and less than 25% depending on the age, location, education, and gender of individuals. It has hindered the economy, overburdened the health system, destroyed families, created a large number of orphans and affected the entire country.
The government has responded with many national programs. These included free voluntary testing, free distribution of three lines of ARV drugs to suppress the disease, a comprehensive parent to child program to prevent the transmission of the disease from positive mothers to their newborns, an extensive prevention program of outreach and prevention from the top to bottom of the country in the workplace, schools, community and in the healthcare system. In addition there have been extensive public information campaigns in print, on the radio and the television. Although less than two million people live in the country over 60 million condoms have been distributed in two years. While these programs are currently being implemented, they have not effectively stopped the spread of the disease. Why is accurate and inaccurate information on HIV still prevalent?
AIDS is often called, the disease. It is a fairly new disease in the country. Its appearance is considered by some to be caused by the Western world. Its source and cure are considered to be from a foreign culture. The disease is historically not part of the Batswana or traditional culture. Condoms and modern medicines are not part of the culture either. Men have multiple concurrent partners. That fact that men can score with a considerable number of women is a source of pride. Women want to have children to prove their fertility, to attempt to keep men, to receive money and gifts from older men and other reasons. Many people do not have enough to marry for a number of reasons. Sometimes it is because the bride price is very high in terms of the number of cows it costs to obtain your fiancé. This price is usually paid for in terms of cows. Without marriages, the women end up raising the children whether they are mothers and/or grandmothers. Wearing a condom (sock in Setswana) is often considered unnatural because it interferes with trusting your partner and physical intimacy. Certain women advocate not using condoms with their partners out of fear, the lure of more money and proving their loyalty and trust. Rape occurs frequently and goes unreported. Young women often are scared to report it. The theory is that they bring rape on themselves by the way they dress. Therefore, young girls can by their parents or fear punishment by the perpetrator. HIV testing is not often considered an option for young women since they need the consent of a parent.
Some people are willing to take the risk of acquiring the disease because they feel they will get the disease eventually. Others feel that they personally will not be affected by it. Others say you can always tell if their partner has the disease and they can avoid those with the disease. In any case, it appears that the local culture wins out over the new English speaking, foreign culture. Cultural pride is very strong here. The Setswana language is talked by the majority. In one memo that went around my school, it stated, “Culture is the way we do things here.” This might be one determining factor.
Testing is not usual before sex. Sometimes testing after sex or by married couples is a problem. For example, which partner acquired the virus and how? Teachers have died among others. They are role models and do not want it known that they have the disease. Young folks can not test without their parents consent so they do not know their status. Also because the HIV stigma is so great, people really do not want to know their status in part out of fear.
The present HIV prevention approach I am involved in with requires schools to inform and create peer educators among the students. These students are to inform their fellow students, families and the local community. The grassroots approach has worked in Uganda and other countries. The large public media campaigns are thought to have less impact and less credibility.
In general, I find the disease is not talked about in public. People who die of AIDS are said to die of TB, pneumonia, or other opportunistic diseases that kill people with the HIV/AIDS. There is an AIDS fatigue. People have gone through long periods of burying friends and relatives. Now people live with the disease due to new anti retro viral medications. It is often assumed that the disease is not life threatening any more. But there are only three different lines of drugs here as compared to many more available in the US. Because of the lack of strict adherence to the medication, the first or second line of medication can be ineffective. Hence, people on the medications can die. The prevalence of alcohol and alcoholism as part of the traditional cultural seriously impacts the prevalence of the disease and the adherence to the medication.
In short, I am making a guess as to some of the problems associated with preventing HIV even though the country has a goal of no new infections by 2016. As an outside observer who does not understand the local language, I am passing on information from a variety of personal and professional sources. From what I understand Botswana is not alone. Southern Africa in general has a very high incidence, including South Africa, Swaziland, Lesotho and several others. Part of this regional problem is in part due to the lack of ritual male circumcision which is performed in other parts of Africa. While male circumcision has been shown to reduce the spread of HIV and is encouraged here, as yet is not as yet wide spread.
The answers to the pandemic appear elusive even though the treatment and prevention effort is so huge in this country. Any comments and observations would be appreciated.
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