tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29668964005394828592024-03-13T02:15:32.673-07:00BapalaShawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-59667429899118446742010-11-12T03:15:00.000-08:002010-11-29T10:32:44.963-08:00Movember and the Commodification of Social Causes<div style="background-image: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; padding-top: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; "><p>Movember has been around for a couple of years, but seems to be catching on more this year. I haven’t joined in. I just think I look pretty good with a moustache.</p><p><a rel="attachment wp-att-9264" href="http://www.terry.ubc.ca/index.php/2010/11/11/its-movember/pb080436/" mce_href="http://www.terry.ubc.ca/index.php/2010/11/11/its-movember/pb080436/"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-9264" src="http://www.terry.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/PB080436-216x300.jpg" mce_src="http://www.terry.ubc.ca/wp-content/uploads/PB080436-216x300.jpg" alt="" width="216" height="300" style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; " /></a></p><p>I apologize for the hair, but it is a hangover from Oc-fro-ber (raising awareness of electrical safety). Actually I don't apologize. I think the hair compliments the moustache quite well. I also just made up Ocfrober (electical safety month), but if BC Hydro wants to use it I only charge a small consultancy fee.</p><p>I don’t have a problem with Movember. I think it can be a good thing if people are willing to put themselves out there to raise money and attention for a cause. What interests me is that there seems to be a commodification taking place in which advocates are focused on marketing and selling their causes through gimmicky or viral methods. I recently listened to an old LSE (London School of Economics) talk on <a href="http://www2.lse.ac.uk/PublicEvents/events/2008/20081203t1422z001.aspx" mce_href="http://www2.lse.ac.uk/PublicEvents/events/2008/20081203t1422z001.aspx">celebrities and humanitarian work</a> and it gave me the same impression. The speakers touched on many issues, but the one thing that stood out for me was the fact that many humanitarian organizations are using, and sometimes hiring, celebrities to advocate for their cause in the same way that a company would hire the celebrity to advertise their product.</p><p>It would seem that organisations are now targeting possible supporters as consumers. Give people a catchy superficial glimpse into your cause, or do something attention getting – like growing a moustache, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, or <a href="http://www.terry.ubc.ca/index.php/2010/11/01/why-i-skate-4-kenya/" mce_href="http://www.terry.ubc.ca/index.php/2010/11/01/why-i-skate-4-kenya/">riding a long board from Nairobi to Mombasa</a> – and people will reach for their wallets, forward an email, click the 'like' button, or paste something on their status on facebook.</p><p>For the most part we are a market-driven attention deficit society, so maybe humanitarian organizations need to compete for our attention and money the same way that profit-making organizations do. The problem I see is that by looking at people simply as consumers there is little chance for any meaningful engagement. When causes need to be sold as products then the people affected will need to be packaged in a certain way.</p><p>An example of this is a recent awareness raising campaign for autism – Communication Shutdown Day for Autism - that called on people to participate in a day of social media silence. I assume this was to give people an appreciation for communication difficulties. However, a number of people with autism felt that this awareness raising campaign did not represent them and started a counter-campaign, <a href="http://goodintents.org/aid-recipient-concerns/autisim-aspergers" mce_href="http://goodintents.org/aid-recipient-concerns/autisim-aspergers">Autistics Speaking Day</a>, which was planned for the same day as the Communication Shutdown and called on people with Autism to use social media to tell their stories.</p><p><br /></p><p><i>November 12, 2010</i></p></div>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-14112012375203561092010-10-30T03:02:00.000-07:002010-10-30T11:06:00.894-07:00FIFA, the IOC, and Sport for Development: Is the flock being led by wolves in sheep's clothing?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSC7o58AknQyYX9YxPw9Xk7dwrfYBTToMp-sxHrPPFoIT82VNilwva-nR9l6Z2I7O9OsP2bnvgg_Z9UGT9vAYJLh-VULndCqtznatwlE5TgGrqcevxvDbW_m7hTo2fe76yjHpBh-LtZ0/s1600/FOUL.jpg"></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">When Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize earlier this month I came across a couple of articles that briefly mentioned the possibility of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) receiving the award. At the Winter Olympics in Vancouver this past February, some IOC members also stated that the IOC should <a href="http://wintergames.ap.org/story.aspx?st=id&id=b61e57d9e9c74606b1a2dbfee0d1b160">campaign for the prize</a>.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am working in sport for development. On some level I believe sport can have a positive impact on individuals and communities, so I should support the IOC. I don’t want to generalize, but I believe most people in sport for development would welcome the IOC winning the prize (if you have read my blog before you might notice that I usually preface a generalization by stating that I don’t want to generalize. It is how I plan my escape if I am ever confronted with facts). I attended the Olympics in Beijing and I was in Vancouver for the build up to the Winter Olympics there. I am a fan. I think they are entertaining events and I will probably attend more in the future. Preceding the Olympics in Vancouver the IOC was granted observer status by the United Na</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">tions. </span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Observers have the right to speak at</span></span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> UN General Assembly </span></span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">meetings, participate in some voting, but not vote on anything substantive.</span></span></span><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: black; font-size: medium; "> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Again, this is something that you think I would support. It was supported within </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/(http://www.sportanddev.org/newsnviews/news/?1001/UN-Special-Adviser-welcomes-IOCs-Observer-Status-at-the-UN" style="font-size: medium; ">sport for development</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.</span><span style="font-size: medium; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A comment from a reader of the article I have linked to makes the connections between the IOC and sport for development:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“The observer status for the IOC at the General Assembly is not only a great result for the Olympic family, but is a special occasion to express the potential of sport for peace and development. I hope next step could be to support the idea of Nobel Price for Peace for the IOC.”</span></i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">At the time of the UN announcement and more recently with the Nobel Peace Prize articles I found myself having some nagging thoughts. Is the IOC in a position to represent sport for development? It is impossible to deny that the IOC is a profit-making entity. It is an organization that some may identify as being self-serving, corrupt, and complicit in violations of human rights. Some may point to the <a href="http://ioa.org.gr/en/ioa-information/the-olympic-movement">Olympic Movement</a> and claim that the ideals enshrined in this movement are <s>Nobel </s>noble and worth supporting. I agree with that, but the question still remains as to whether the IOC is the appropriate flag bearer for these ideals? The IOC seems to try. In addition to numerous partnerships with the UN it has also undertaken its own initiatives. Last year it launched its <a href="http://www.olympic.org/en/content/Olympism-in-Action/Development-through-sport/IOC_Sports_for_Hope_project/">Sports for Hope Project</a>. This involves building sport-for-all facilities in developing countries. It appears similar to a programme it started in the late 80s called the<a href="http://www.la84foundation.org/OlympicInformationCenter/OlympicReview/1995/oreXXV6/oreXXV6h.pdf"> Olympafrica Programme</a>, which seems to have faded away.<span> Are these partnerships and programmes representative of the ideals that the IOC claims to value? D</span>uring the 2010 Winter Olympics, the IOC and the Vancouver Organizing Committee decided to the banish Right to Play from the athletes' village. RTP is an organization that was borne from the Olympics. It evolved from an entity called Olympic Aid that was formed during the 1994 Olympic Games in Lillehammer and is dedicated to providing children in some very difficult situations with opportunities to play. In previous Olympics they were allowed to establish a presence in the village to promote their work. General Motors, Kodak, and Royal Bank of Canada were official sponsors of the Olympics in Vancouver; Mitsubishi, Scotiabank, and Canon sponsor RTP. As a result of this sponsorship conflict, RTP was excluded from the Olympic village. IOC is guided by profit and it will make decisions based on finances and not on ideals.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Until this point I have only talked about the IOC, but I could have replaced that acronym for another and it would be pretty much the same. A couple of weeks ago two FIFA executives were caught offering to <a href="http://soccerlens.com/fifa-reeling-amidst-fresh-world-cup-bribery-allegations/59445">sell their votes</a> for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. It is not the first time this has happened, it will not be the last time, and it is not even that bad compared to other FIFA dealings. I would recommend checking out a book by Andrew Jennings called <i>FOUL! the Secret World of FIFA: Bribes, Vote Rigging, and Ticket Scandals</i>, or <a href="http://www.transparencyinsport.org/">his website</a>, or the website for <a href="http://www.playthegame.org/">Play the Game.</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSC7o58AknQyYX9YxPw9Xk7dwrfYBTToMp-sxHrPPFoIT82VNilwva-nR9l6Z2I7O9OsP2bnvgg_Z9UGT9vAYJLh-VULndCqtznatwlE5TgGrqcevxvDbW_m7hTo2fe76yjHpBh-LtZ0/s1600/FOUL.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzSC7o58AknQyYX9YxPw9Xk7dwrfYBTToMp-sxHrPPFoIT82VNilwva-nR9l6Z2I7O9OsP2bnvgg_Z9UGT9vAYJLh-VULndCqtznatwlE5TgGrqcevxvDbW_m7hTo2fe76yjHpBh-LtZ0/s200/FOUL.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533792690711293202" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sinc<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">e <em><span style="color: black; font-style: normal; ">João Havelange</span> </em>campaigned and won the presidency of FIFA in 1974, and then continuing through Sepp Blatte</span></span>r’s reign, there has been a significant amount of investment in football development in developing countries. I say investment in football development, but what I mean is that FIFA gives money to national football associations with the stated purpose being to develop the game, but then does little in the way of monitoring or holding the associations accountable. From a political stand point it would not make sense for FIFA to hold the national associations accountable. The presidency of FIFA is decided on a one-country-one- vote system. If Sepp Blatter gives large sums of money to the national associations of poorer countries with few or no strings attached then it is likely that those countries will want to keep him in power. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Money has been distributed through the Financial Assistance Programme and the <a href="http://www.fifa.com/associations/association=les/goalprogramme/index.html">GOAL Programme</a>. Lesotho is part of both of these programmes and has received over $500,000 for projects over the past 5 years according to the FIFA website. According to a newspaper article earlier this year in Lesotho, LEFA (Lesotho National Football Association) is receiving $250,000 per quarter - $1 million a year. From the FIFA documents, 6% of funding should go towards youth football and 12% towards technical development including female football. Well, there are no youth football structures in Mafeteng - I can’t comment on other districts - and the <a href="http://sundayexpress.co.ls/?p=2699">leaders within women’s football have called on FIFA to cease funding female football</a> because the funds don’t reach them.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This has been going on for some time, but now FIFA is also becoming involved in the sport for development scene. The distinction is that sports development aims to develop the sport itself. Sport for development aims to use sport to accomplish any number of social objectives. A few years ago FIFA initiated its Football for Hope and <a href="http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/worldwideprograms/wininafrica/index.html">Win in Africa for Africa</a> campaigns. Both involve using the power of football to address various social or development issues. Part of the <a href="http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/worldwideprograms/footballforhope/index.html">Football for Hope</a> programme involves another project called <a href="http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/worldwideprograms/footballforhope/20centres2010/index.html">20 centres for 2010</a>. One of the centres will be built here in Lesotho through an organization called <a href="http://www.kick4life.org/">Kick 4 Life. </a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Similar to my posts on <a href="http://shawn-bapala.blogspot.com/2010/07/blog-post.html">Poverty Porn</a> and <a href="http://shawn-bapala.blogspot.com/2010/07/donating-sports-equipment-to-africa.html">donating equipment</a>, there are positives and negatives that could be identified with the involvement of the IOC and FIFA. Being involved with both would be a huge boost for funding, exposure, and publicity. In addition, having large well known organizations supporting your cause can lend legitimacy and credibility to what you are doing, particularly for a relatively new field of work. On the other hand when I see FIFA or the IOC claiming to represent or champion for the field of sport for development I cringe. Many sport for development organizations seek to provide opportunities to those who lack opportunities. Kick 4 Life targets orphaned and vulnerable children – particularly street children. FIFA and the IOC, through their actions, have proven that they do not care about marginalized individuals, or people who lack opportunities. Previous Olympic Games and the World Cup in South Africa brought with them complaints of displaced peoples, suppression of rights, and crack downs on already marginalized groups: street vendors, the homeless, street children, minority groups. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">FIFA and the IOC care about making money. They are basically corporations, albeit corrupt, nepotistic corporations without systems of transparency or accountability. The centres and funding that they are providing for sport for development organizations should be seen as a form of corporate social responsibility and nothing more. If you are running a healthy living campaign maybe you decide to accept some funding from McDonalds. That’s fine. I wouldn’t judge that decision – <i>maybe I would a little bit actually</i>. You put a little Golden Arches logo on the bottom corner of your posters, no harm done –<i>actually maybe there is a little harm done</i>. However, if McDonalds uses the opportunity to portray their organization as a beacon for the healthy lifestyles movement then I think things would need to be reassessed. If healthy living organizations submit to McDonalds' self-selected position as a contributer to their movement then there is a risk that the movement itself will lose credibility. The same is true for sport for development. If we can consider sport for development a sector, or a field of work, or a movement, then to have FIFA and the IOC set themselves up as pillars within this sector is dangerous for the credibility of sport for development.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">October 30, 2010</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-90851912670960100802010-10-25T07:05:00.000-07:002010-10-25T11:00:55.733-07:00Famo Music Gang Wars<div style="text-align: left;">At the beginning of September, Mafeteng Hospital hosted a children’s event for children with disabilities. Some of the coaches involved in our programme were invited to facilitate some soccer activities and other games.</div> <p class="MsoNormal">While I was there taking some pictures a young man named Nalete, the DJ for the event, asked me to take his picture. He explained that he was a famo recording artist and would use the pictures for his album cover. I took his picture and a couple weeks later we worked out a way that I could email it to the guy who was putting his album together. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_qDVq56zamECHQYqE9WhXJDAgDsXe9TryUBhWwyHqq-0_q95BBNlNK7yL1GDAyxoViWEAsB2CCov3xKj6y3AwmsKimDk67zOrH8kH898v-IxaMEelSl2EKNGYji6PQ4f7Yf66YsgW_zI/s320/152143.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532040376448962098" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 160px; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgYgZnByDNFPtUJDK45a0PgPyGM8KMeVUacM7sj7NOyhQuaJFNk8ANAtJVRfDM7fG6944yS1yv9ViqqvIBq4_iyZ6KBo5j_K5dYuGtrCmXQJ9oeQKjahO2B-1eyhOMzjqWs3Pt1f0pIhA/s320/152213.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532040940117068402" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 262px; " /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></span></div><p class="MsoNormal">Recently, I ran into Nalete in Mafeteng and he was selling his album, so I bought one. I have included a couple of youtube videos below to give you an idea of the style of music. I would have included Nalete's songs, but I had trouble trying to embed an mp3 player into the post.</p><p object="" width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j6J4rpUzeEo?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j6J4rpUzeEo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0hEDRDbRWeI?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0hEDRDbRWeI?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /></p><p object="" width="480" height="385"><br /></p>Famo is an interesting type of music. When I first listened to it I had to ask someone if they actually use an accordion. I think it's unique to Lesotho. I’ve read that it originates from migrant workers from Lesotho working in mines in South Africa in the 1920s. In Lesotho it is quite popular. Many of the minibuses will constantly blast it.<p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I wasn’t planning on writing about this, but another side story is that there has been a gang war between two rival groups over this past year. It’s somewhat similar to the east coast – west coast rap rivalries in the mid 90s, but with less talking and more shootings – 30 have been killed since the beginning of this year. In their lyrics artists will often direct insulting statements at the rival group or their family members. Mafeteng, the district in which I live, is a hub for famo music and is the location for some of these killings. Just recently in Mafeteng a number of famo artists were shot at while they were <a href="http://www.lestimes.com/?p=4627">attending a funeral</a> of a famo artist who was previously killed. There are even calls for the <a href="http://www.lestimes.com/?p=4627">government</a> to become involved to mediate the dispute. I guess HIV and TB are not the only things contributing to the 40 year life expectancy here.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Oct 25, 2010</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-6554856723114678272010-10-23T07:50:00.000-07:002010-10-23T07:59:55.119-07:00Cricket<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sW2fYIadPEidjgHLdOxYAl6qAnpe9AAAFgAzNd7QSHw9nenJAtBPv0a_vk0Tfk32o0UqjkirylvxxhIGFUXIX3dEQU-rmXVAxoIUsvglNbuoNg88cnRe0WXhqqlvitQjyn68e6FBf7o/s1600/PA150431.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sW2fYIadPEidjgHLdOxYAl6qAnpe9AAAFgAzNd7QSHw9nenJAtBPv0a_vk0Tfk32o0UqjkirylvxxhIGFUXIX3dEQU-rmXVAxoIUsvglNbuoNg88cnRe0WXhqqlvitQjyn68e6FBf7o/s320/PA150431.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531256141717256626" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigAws8RFxlWv-0bJvuVvzVIWIovHeiGFwVUirMTYyiQrdhclua7R3MW-LZF2RvSkuqlUJfhSVwb8qer92Wq9WVrsQNjmvLkFrU1jBeF-mypwI0evVYawmWDuxTPJ1x5A_0qstPlmEYjI/s1600/PA150432.JPG"></a><p class="MsoNormal">Last week I was able to attend my first ever cricket match. It was a one day international (ODI), which is a shortened version of the game – if you consider an 8 hour sporting event to be shortened. It was South Africa against Zimbabwe. I actually witnessed history as Colin Ingram had the best debut of any South African player and is only one of six players ever to reach a century in their ODI debut. For a national team game it didn’t seem that well attended. There were probably less than a 1000 people there. I suppose Bloemfontein isn’t a huge cricket market.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I grew up playing and watching baseball, so watching a live cricket match is not that much different. The stadium itself was a few grandstands and mostly just a grassy hill. People came into the stadium with gas braiis (BBQs) and picnic baskets. For the most part it seemed like people hanging out in a park with a cricket match going on in the background.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigAws8RFxlWv-0bJvuVvzVIWIovHeiGFwVUirMTYyiQrdhclua7R3MW-LZF2RvSkuqlUJfhSVwb8qer92Wq9WVrsQNjmvLkFrU1jBeF-mypwI0evVYawmWDuxTPJ1x5A_0qstPlmEYjI/s1600/PA150432.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigAws8RFxlWv-0bJvuVvzVIWIovHeiGFwVUirMTYyiQrdhclua7R3MW-LZF2RvSkuqlUJfhSVwb8qer92Wq9WVrsQNjmvLkFrU1jBeF-mypwI0evVYawmWDuxTPJ1x5A_0qstPlmEYjI/s320/PA150432.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531255465923815890" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 78px; " /></a></p><div><br /></div>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-88919513622767826722010-09-25T14:00:00.000-07:002010-09-26T09:46:55.130-07:00Sport-for-Development and Social Capital – Where’s my t-shirt?<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zI97BTxerDT1Mu747mPWXLbxX8_AcQpaa1D24VSkG_aC5v4vw_fwzJ8q5wR8vevpYi-DI-7n3zQO7smJsvDo4dkMf9uJnAbehV0JB1SauDTu9yQMHGqk1JvfvPPs0k_rfRQJ1gIuKZg/s1600/behaviour+change+model.jpg"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Cf2FKmcrgZCv0tDayGRWsw9Y8JuCg8JC12NUkFtiD0UnMesIiKec7Wa29XWtbh2njea4XaXc2OVqF1XeuhpilPDLwde5vyy_679mudU69ryX7FVXIWrOnoe8N2xtClLH13yeZTTqDSY/s1600/Bowling_Alone_Putnam.jpg"></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">From my previous posts I think it is obvious that, in my own mind, I am still trying to articulate how, or if, sport can be used to address various issues. I think that the predominant dogma within sport for development and peace (SDP) is focused on life skills and <a href="http://www.righttoplay.com/International/our-impact/Pages/OurMethodologycont.aspx">behaviour change</a>. </span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zI97BTxerDT1Mu747mPWXLbxX8_AcQpaa1D24VSkG_aC5v4vw_fwzJ8q5wR8vevpYi-DI-7n3zQO7smJsvDo4dkMf9uJnAbehV0JB1SauDTu9yQMHGqk1JvfvPPs0k_rfRQJ1gIuKZg/s400/behaviour+change+model.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520963654912330802" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 363px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">(Image from Right to Play Website)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I have a hard time with these concepts. Trying to identify why people do what they do is already difficult, if not impossible, so I am slightly skeptical of organizations that believe their programmes can change behaviour. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As an alternative I am interested in a concept called social capital. I have been reading a book called ‘Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community’ by Robert Putnam, which focuses on social capital. Putnam describes it as the following: </span></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Cf2FKmcrgZCv0tDayGRWsw9Y8JuCg8JC12NUkFtiD0UnMesIiKec7Wa29XWtbh2njea4XaXc2OVqF1XeuhpilPDLwde5vyy_679mudU69ryX7FVXIWrOnoe8N2xtClLH13yeZTTqDSY/s320/Bowling_Alone_Putnam.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520959918570769378" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 320px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="style18"><b><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">'</span></span></b></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Whereas physical capital refers to physical objects and human capital refers to the properties of individuals, social capital refers to connections among individuals – social networks and the norms of reciprocity and trustworthiness that arise from them.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">’<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I may be accused of being a hypocrite as I am dismissing one debatable social theory for another debatable social theory. However, I see sport as having the potential to bring people together and form connections. Sports programmes, if organized appropriately, can provide safe social spaces for people to bond. According to Putnam these social connections will ultimately benefit society. Others within development are also aligned with this. The World Bank has stated that ‘social cohesion is critical for societies to prosper economically and for development to be sustained.’ However, similar to behaviour change, it is difficult to prove if sport can contribute positively to building social capital.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Until recently I did feel that SDP could play a role in building or maintaining social cohesion. I still believe that sport can accomplish this, but I fear that many SDP projects may actually hinder this process. The distinction that I should make clear is that when I say 'sport', I am referring to the common conception of locally developed community-based sports structures. By SDP, I am referring to external organizations, such as <a href="http://www.righttoplay.com/">Right to Play</a>, that target specific groups, offer resources and support, and possibly implement programmes.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Social capital requires interpersonal trust and reciprocity. It is difficult for externally driven SDP programmes to accomplish this. If anything, programmes risk creating resentment and suspicions. A recent conversation with one of the coaches I am working with highlighted the challenge. The conversation took place at a youth tournament. The coach was watching the matches, but I had anticipated that his team would be participating. He informed me that his team had collapsed and he was in the process of finding more players. I asked him what happened to his team and he explained that the problem was the result of an earlier tournament we hosted.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In July we held a small event to celebrate the World Cup. As with most events here, we had planned on distributing t-shirts to participants. As an aside, I should just say that the t-shirt culture connected to events is interesting. As an example, the English Football Association hosted a workshop here in July. They did not give out any shirts. The participants did not react well and blamed the Lesotho Football Association for taking the shirts. It became a major issue at the workshop and escalated to the point where the </span><a href="http://www.lestimes.com/?p=4081"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Lesotho Times</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> reported on it. Anyways, through a combination of my poor planning and the last-minute involvement of a number of teams we did not have enough t-shirts for everyone at the July event. As a result we decided that the shirts would be divided up equally and given to the teams; after which, the coaches and their players would decide what to do with the shirts. The coach I am referring to decided to use the shirts to reward those players who had been the most committed and were attending sessions on a regular basis. This rationale didn’t seem to placate the parents of the children who did not receive any shirts. The parents pulled their children off of the team. They accused the coach of using the team as a means to attend these events and benefit personally. Even some of the children who did receive shirts were pulled from the team as parents believed that at the next event maybe their child will be the one who does not receive anything. I think that the collapse of the team may have also involved some other issues, but our involvement contributed to the mistrust that resulted in the team dissolving. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The fact is, SDP programmes introduce resources and opportunities into communities that may lack both. When I meet people and explain what I am doing many people will ask if they can be involved; even if they have never been involved in football and are not interested in sport they still want to participate. It is seen as an opportunity. They might receive a certificate that they can mention on their resume, they might believe that the project will expand to include jobs for which they can apply, or there might be some other way they can leverage their involvement. The problem that results is that everyone wants to participate, so in the process of including and excluding people you are creating ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’. This may actually foster resentment within the community.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This situation is exacerbated through the process in which SDP programmes target specific groups. Because of the size of NGOs, as well as the requirements of donors, many projects will have a narrow focus. This narrow focus is also encouraged by funding organizations and is supported by individual donor behaviour. A programme that targets orphaned and vulnerable children, children with disabilities, former child soldiers, children living on the street, or girls is more likely to get funding. This narrow focus, with particular attention to marginalized groups may be derived from our own (Western) drive for inclusion and providing marginalized groups with access to services. It is not my intention to argue against providing services to traditionally excluded groups. However, I wonder why it is necessary to target specific marginalized groups with services that are lacking for nearly everyone. Why would an organization introduce a sports programme targeting street children when almost all children lack access to similar programmes? There may be a social agenda tied to targeting the specific group, but again, this process will exclude people and create ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’. Will this have a positive impact on social cohesion?</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; font-size: medium;">In saying that I still believe sport can contribute to social capital I am referring to locally conceived, developed, and implemented programmes. If international SDP programmes want to have a positive impact I believe their mission should focus on supporting locally developed programmes and sporting structures.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: black; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 18px; "><i><a href="http://shawn-bapala.blogspot.com/2010/09/oa-hao-lipapaling-yours-in-sports.html">Oa Hao Lipapaling (Yours in Sports)</a></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; line-height: 18px; "><i>September 25, 2010</i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-78815671152242422212010-09-25T11:04:00.000-07:002010-09-25T11:15:43.366-07:00Minibuses and Tuberculosis<p class="MsoNormal">I already posted some general experiences with the <a href="http://shawn-bapala.blogspot.com/2010/05/minibuses.html">minibuses</a>, but I have begun to realize that I could probably have an entire blog dedicated to my minibus experiences.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have wanted to write about a public health campaign that seems to involve the minibuses, but am just getting around to it now. I was going to wait until I could take a picture of the slogan that is used, but have decided to just write about it anyway. A few minibuses that I have been on, including my most recent trip, have had stickers posted inside that state: Bula Lifenstere – moea o potolohe, ho thibela ho ata hoa lefu la lefuba. I think it translates to open the windows to stop the spread of Tuberculosis (‘bula lifenstere’ is open the windows. ‘Ho thibela’ is to hinder, ‘ho ata’ is to multiply and ‘lefu la lefuba’ is TB. I just don’t know what potolohe means. Moea is wind, so maybe ‘moea o potolohe’ is fresh air). TB is a pretty big deal here. I believe Lesotho is estimated to have the fourth highest prevalence rate in the world. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">From my experience so far the stickers have been a waste of paper- or whatever it is you use to make stickers; paper and the sticky ingredients I suppose. People don’t open the windows, even when it is 30 degrees outside and you have 20 people crammed into a 13 person bus. I am not sure what the reason is, but when I first arrived I was told that there is a common perception that opening the windows in vehicles actually allows bad air to enter and increases your chances of getting sick. I don’t know how true this is, but from my experiences so far I do know that Basotho people do not like to open the windows in moving vehicles. Hopefully the TB people are rethinking their sticker strategy.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>September 25, 2010</i></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-18115645621616707482010-09-14T13:02:00.000-07:002010-09-14T13:06:31.703-07:00Good Morning Mr. John<p class="MsoNormal">Good Morning Mr. John</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Good morning is a very popular English greeting in Lesotho. In fact it is so popular that it is used all day long. When I first arrived and people greeted me by saying good morning at five o’clock in the evening I would usually respond by saying good afternoon or good evening. Now I just go with it. Last week a Basotho guy that I was talking with finally offered an explanation. He said that it is meant to be used when you greet someone for the first time during a day. I am still not sure how this works as there doesn’t seem to be an equivalent Sesotho greeting. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Because I work with local soccer coaches, many kids in town know who I am. However, most people seem to have trouble with pronouncing Shawn. It was the same in China. John is much easier and seems to make more sense. So, on my way home from work in the evenings I am inevitably greeted by groups of children saying ‘Good Morning Mr. John’. I don’t mean to be patronizing. I am sure that when I take the Sesotho words I know and try to arrange them into a coherent message I probably produce some interesting phrases.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I think that because I was born into an English speaking family and lived in an English speaking community I took communication and language for granted. Now that I have lived in a couple of countries where English is not the medium of communication I have a slightly different perspective. I frequently delude myself into thinking I am good with languages. However, after living in a place for a few months and studying the language I usually hit a wall; a wall of silence. My problem is that I don’t talk very much. Some people would argue that talking is a fairly integral part of communication. Those same people that are biased towards talking would probably also argue that in order to learn a language, speaking is pretty important.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Even though I am more of an introvert, I think that my experiences with language in China and now Lesotho have been enjoyable. I have come to view communication as a puzzle, or a form of problem solving. Because of this, daily communication can be incredibly frustrating, but also very gratifying.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Fortunately, even if I am not able to learn any other languages I will still be able to develop an interesting form of English.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, to sign off I would like to say Good Morning to everyone.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Yours in Sports – Oa hao lipapaling</p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>September 14, 2010</i></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-48898859546828942392010-09-09T11:28:00.000-07:002010-09-09T13:48:33.674-07:00Oa Hao Lipapaling – Yours in Sport<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQknSJhooAq1cAY0hGITlZQf8attC4skcrMq_piTsWH2qeL0B2MQuGBd2YGuie0ouQHo88AwKrRuFLqoAwll0qoaGSlKW1O_udCYQRx35cHZzAcnIfyRkFn1ccGdGq6E_QFjLbDm4FJU/s1600/More+than+just+a+Game.jpg"></a><p class="MsoNormal">One of the coaches I am working with came into the office yesterday and asked if I could help him draft a letter of invitation for a tournament he is organizing. Formal letters of invitations are a fairly common occurrence here and I still haven't developed the literary skills to pull off such a letter, so I suggested the coach write a draft of the letter in Sesotho and then I would print it out on my computer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">He took a couple of minutes to write the invitation and then passed it over to me. My Sesotho still isn’t that great so as I was typing it up I would only pick up the occasional word or phrase. At the end of the letter, where you have the complimentary close – such as ‘sincerely yours’ (I actually had to do a google search to find the appropriate term for this) the coach had written ‘Oa Hao Lipapaling’. I recognized this pretty quickly as meaning ‘Yours in Sport’. I am not sure if this is a common way to close a letter in other parts of the world, but it resonated with me immediately because of a book I recently read during the World Cup. </p><p class="MsoNormal">While I was travelling around South Africa for the World Cup I used the time to stock up on some books. Fittingly, I ended up purchasing a number of books relating to soccer in Africa. I read two during the World Cup – ‘<a href="http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2010/02/15/%E2%80%98feet-of-the-chameleon%E2%80%99-and-stories-of-african-football/">Feet of the Chameleon</a>’ and ‘<a href="http://www.africa-united.co.uk/">Football United</a>’. </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhttmUARETX7niX34gOzF4iuYTdkgWH_xgMMvcCffoDMNuJM51OO3TTpHcj6T9IbKUAhwzVB-EMPMHYt2GiSNt2FEwaTWACsRe4bipaXiKZuH5BaihlkLxIfoeH-TPAkdrbOoI_gEmsdnY/s320/Feet+of+Chameleon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514983386639564082" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 280px; " /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cWK9Cjnhr9paK5nFMbGwi0mznCd9qelJI-vC9WMfaJ5BAloJyoZIYSLiGCtu-O2fIDZab_HALctP_tNZzPmiX4BmohWhHP62LHIGL7mlRJb-AboXmz2N1gs5eK7JAy6cLpVLB6PslGo/s200/Africa+United.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514983705214449234" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 126px; height: 200px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">Both were quite good. The chapters covered a variety of stories relating to soccer in different African countries. Another book that I bought, but didn’t read until I returned to Lesotho was called ‘More than Just a Game’. It told the story of how the prisoners on Robben Island – the prison that was used during apartheid to hold political prisoners – organized and ran their own soccer league for a number of years. It detailed the struggle that they had to go through to have the ability to play and then how the league itself became a political tool for the prisoners in their negotiations for better living conditions.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The league was very well organized and incredibly formal. The author theorized that the inmates were governing their soccer league the way they expected their country to be governed. All correspondence had to be done through written means, which wasn’t easy since paper was difficult to access. At the end of each letter the sender would finish with the complimentary close ‘Yours in Sport’. Before reading this book I had never come across this expression, but when I read the Sesotho version of it I couldn’t help but smile. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQknSJhooAq1cAY0hGITlZQf8attC4skcrMq_piTsWH2qeL0B2MQuGBd2YGuie0ouQHo88AwKrRuFLqoAwll0qoaGSlKW1O_udCYQRx35cHZzAcnIfyRkFn1ccGdGq6E_QFjLbDm4FJU/s320/More+than+just+a+Game.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514983964138099538" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal">Oa Hao Lipapaling</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">September 9, 2010</p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-79357758443127626502010-09-07T10:23:00.002-07:002010-09-07T11:41:12.747-07:00Problem of Proximity - Outsiders and Social Change<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5312h2YzPOhQXZqRsyAjuZ8q105OExVjqwuJ86hbXNbxXALg8lfuQFGaUUKueTAUYgPRxCy4aXQnU_yr2F8e3tSit0qSktaZBPRtWmbcJPayHEq4D6DaHWOtQC5hKbLMaOU6O393OPNc/s1600/IMGP4077.JPG"></a><p class="MsoNormal">The work that I am doing now means that I am cast as the outsider. Through the blogs that I read I recently came across an excellent analysis of being an outsider in international work (<a href="http://talesfromethehood.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/outsider/">click here</a>).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In the post itself the author briefly mentions the possibility of local knowledge containing biases. Even before I read that post I was writing my own reflections on being an outsider and questioning the impact of outsiders on social change. In some of my meetings in Lesotho I am often confronted with local experience as rationale for supporting or criticizing an initiative – I don’t mean to imply that this is either all good or all bad. Sometimes this local knowledge is relevant and necessary, but at other times it has come across as biased or fatalistic. I have wondered if proximity to a problem develops this bias.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In 2007 I was able to travel to Tibet while I was living in China. I was there for about a month. What confuses me to this day is how issues around Tibetan-Chinese relations are such a popular cause – I suppose the Dalai Lama and Richard Gere had something to do with it. I guess I was expecting some serious repression by the Chinese, but the amount of cultural and religious practices that seemed to be preserved surprised me. I am not sure how the comparison came into my head and it may be completely inappropriate, but while I was in Tibet I started to think about the situation of First Nations people in Canada (Native Canadians/ Americans). To me, it seems that the Tibetans have been able to retain their cultural and religious practices to the same extent or even more so than First Nations in Canada - This judgement may be slightly biased because I was a tourist in Tibet and may have been exposed to more culturally relevant experiences.</p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5312h2YzPOhQXZqRsyAjuZ8q105OExVjqwuJ86hbXNbxXALg8lfuQFGaUUKueTAUYgPRxCy4aXQnU_yr2F8e3tSit0qSktaZBPRtWmbcJPayHEq4D6DaHWOtQC5hKbLMaOU6O393OPNc/s320/IMGP4077.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514230250319570674" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfmzA99o8tc4Cxo1tExgOhkBB3qnd8BiTr54zEBIEUxMeaG2GV2HDSqsvXUfUP0SG1Zi7Pr_9n9LAigHlRKsh2gLsN43ZXFBgvWsPQ7GO3BWSIjpxfsBEQ0rNk_oSyOFIizkYmzNR1LmY/s320/IMGP3587.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514225392598131874" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">I understand that it is asinine to discuss which of two oppressed groups is ‘better off’. I think this would be about as effective as a school yard argument about whose dad would win in a fight or which super hero is stronger. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am just interested in how people perceive social problems that occur within their society and within external societies.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I believe that many Canadians dismiss issues involving the First Nation population as problems that can be attributed to the First Nations themselves. These same Canadians may decry what the Chinese government has done to the Tibetans and take on Tibetan independence as a social cause.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">People may be incredibly interested in issues relating to global poverty, but at the same time dismiss the homeless man situated on the street corner outside their apartment as a drug addict, or alcoholic, who is responsible for his own problems. I think I could be included as an example as well. I am currently working internationally, but I haven’t been as interested in working with similar issues in my own community.</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehZR0GdFTsU2-2VRWvptoRoWuy0ieRaokDQd47tvgVg17moqEOrGqdIfYz703viX-mD3XWkm102mWdskYO0dg-7XOvgL_rUpjAm2WPTZzP1g-78_R0gVrHt7CZuams_8G4yg2QgdqPB4/s1600/IMGP4071.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjehZR0GdFTsU2-2VRWvptoRoWuy0ieRaokDQd47tvgVg17moqEOrGqdIfYz703viX-mD3XWkm102mWdskYO0dg-7XOvgL_rUpjAm2WPTZzP1g-78_R0gVrHt7CZuams_8G4yg2QgdqPB4/s320/IMGP4071.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514226041215389746" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Is it easier to join a cause that addresses an external social problem so that it is simpler to rationalize away your responsibility for, or involvement in, that social problem? If I identify local issues as societal problems then I am being critical of the society that I live in, participate in, and contribute to. Unless I am hypocritical or delusional I would need to examine my role in that society and how I may be contributing to those social problems. However, if I take up an external cause I don’t have to waste my time with any of that introspection and reflection.</p><p class="MsoNormal">If people are less likely to identify problems as societal problems then is an outside perspective necessary?I am not trying to justify or rationalize my involvement in international work, but am also referring to outside influences such as media, education, or travel</p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal"><i>September 7, 2010</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div></div>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-1251778043465896372010-08-25T23:08:00.000-07:002010-09-10T10:15:24.431-07:00Being a Sports Missionary<p class="MsoNormal">Since my last post was about religion I thought I would continue the thread by talking about my role as a sports missionary.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I remember reading an article a while back that described the pre-departure training of a group of sport-for-development interns. The article may have been in an academic journal, or on a blog, or on a website, but I haven't been able to find it again. It is possible that I have imagined it and am now using it to frame my blog post. Anyways, the article described in passing a brief exchange that occurred during the pre-departure training that I felt was interesting. During the training one of the interns described their future role as being equivalent to a missionary, but instead of spreading religion they were spreading sport. The others vehemently disagreed with this description and the intern embarrassingly recanted his statement. I can’t remember the details of the exchange, but I believe the reason that his suggestion was looked down upon was because of the negative reaction that some people may have towards missionaries and the belief that they are imposing a set of values/beliefs on people. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, if that intern was a little more stubborn I think he could have put forward a pretty good argument that we are in fact sport missionaries.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Bruce Kidd, a Canadian academic, has an often cited quote which is related to this line of thinking:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">Whereas the best community development is ‘needs – and asset-based’, i.e. premised on the expressed needs and available resources of the local population, articulated during a careful, consultative joint planning process, much of SDP (sport for development and peace) is donor-defined, planned and conducted with missionary zeal. Sadly, the single-minded purpose and confidence that sport instills in champions, a commendable attribute when transferred to many other settings, militates against inter-cultural sensitivity and needs-based programming in development. There is a fear that SDP simply imposes the values of first-world middle class on the disadvantaged of LMICs(Low and Middle Income Coutnries)…<o:p></o:p></i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Professor Kidd is discussing the process of planning and delivering programmes, but I think that the entire concept of sport-for-development should be examined. I think the driving force behind many sport-for-development projects is the belief that sport can teach certain life skills and impart certain values on participants as well as improving things like self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-efficacy. We go out in the world preaching these benefits. We go into communities, holding a soccer ball like a sacred idol, clutching our coaching manuals like bibles, and attempt to spread this utopian version of sport that we have conceived. </p><p class="MsoNormal">I have only been in Lesotho for a short time, so my experience is limited, but I am not sure if this belief is replicated in local communities. Most everyone I talk with in Mafeteng about the benefits of sport will point to sport acting as a diversion; time spent playing sports means time not used for drinking, using drugs, or having sex. I haven’t had one person mention life-skills, values, self-esteem, self-confidence, or self-efficacy unless they are volunteers working in sport-for-development, but I suppose these people would be equivalent to the religiously converted. Sport is a universal endeavor. Everyone plays. But are these values that we associate with sport universal or are we exporting our vision of sport?</p><p class="MsoNormal">I suppose that it could be argued that any international, or inter-cultural, programme is imposing a set of values on people. Even if a project is claiming to be participatory it is still imposing certain ideals.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I am interested in this type of work because I believe sport had a positive impact on me and I believe it can have a positive impact on others. However, I have no idea what aspect of my youth sport involvement resulted in my personal development. Was it being exposed to strong role models? Was it peer recognition? Was it having access to volunteer and employment opportunities through refereeing and coaching? Was it through various community interactions such as fundraising, being included in the local newspaper, receiving recognition from friends’ parents, teachers, and other adults? Was it through the process of being committed to a team and setting and achieving goals as a group? Was it the result of being involved in regular competition and learning how to deal with winning and losing? I could go on. The point I am trying to make is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to identify what aspect of sport benefitted me. It becomes even more difficult because what was a positive experience for me may have been a negative experience for one of my friends. It becomes even more difficult when you try to identify what benefited me and then transplant that into a different culture.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">So, what’s my point?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I suppose that my feeling is that if we believe that sport can be beneficial should our efforts not be put towards simply building youth sport structures. Why do we have to design and frame programmes based on a definition of sport that we have created? Maybe it comes back to what Professor Kidd mentioned about sport-for-development being donor-driven, but I would like to see more programmes that simply help local communities access funds for infrastructure, equipment, and develop youth sporting structures: associations, leagues, clubs, etc. If there are values to be learned through sport and life skills to be taught, why can we not leave that for the communities to decide?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>August 30</i></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-30812809670948216122010-08-23T12:42:00.000-07:002010-09-07T10:59:21.303-07:00Religion<p class="MsoNormal">Since I have arrived in Lesotho I have wanted to write about religion. I have mostly avoided it because of how divisive and complicated it can be and how ignorant I am regarding it.<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-;font-family:Tahoma;color:#333333;"> In general, </span></span>I am a fairly indecisive person. This indecisiveness includes religion.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If I were really pressured – if God was sitting on a cloud throwing lightening bolts at me and Buddha, Jesus, and Vishnu were chasing after me all screaming ‘what do you believe in?’ – I would probably have to admit that I am an atheist (I apologize for the possibly offensive description). I wouldn’t consider myself an atheist in the mould of a Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens. I am not necessarily against religion. I think that religion, and religious organizations, have the potential to help people and in many situations do help people a great deal.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">After reading a <a href="http://aidwatchers.com/2010/07/the-lives-of-others/">recent post</a> at the <a href="http://www.aidwatchers.com/">aidwatchers blog</a><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have decided to try and write down my thoughts. The post I refer to was not specifically about religion. William Easterly, the author, was travelling in Ghana and was able to attend a religious service. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After attending the service he made the observation that “<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-;font-family:Tahoma;color:#333333;">the people in the congregation this morning, in one of the poorest regions of Ghana, do NOT see themselves primarily as “poor” or “developing”, they see themselves as Christians”. He was using this point to challenge commonly held perceptions about people living in poverty – what he calls humanizing the poor. He was trying to use a personal experience to illustrate his point, but the reason it got me thinking was because it comes across as such a huge simplification. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-;font-family:Tahoma;color:#333333;">Over 80% of the population of Lesotho identifies as Christian, but I feel that it would be a fairly superficial observation if I just said that most Basotho see themselves as Christian. I would think that the perceptions of Christianity differ a great deal between cultures, especially in many African countries where the religion has been introduced by missionaries and has evolved over time in concert with traditional religions and practices. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-;font-family:Tahoma;color:#333333;">What has surprised me a great deal is how much interaction there is with religion in seemingly all facets of life. When we hold workshops and meetings in Mafeteng we have a prayer to open the gathering and we usually have a prayer to close – I should note that the meetings I have attended in Maseru have not followed this pattern. During one meeting I forgot to include a prayer to open the meeting and a number of the participant feedback forms I collected at the end of the day mentioned the lack of a morning prayer. Another example that has stayed with me occurred during my first month in Lesotho. I attended a community meeting involving all of the organizations working with HIV/AIDS in Mafeteng. There were about 50 people in attendance. At one point in the meeting there was a small discussion/debate about the role of abstinence education in HIV prevention. The debate mostly involved two of the participants, a man and a woman. This conversation regarding abstinence would have probably offered me some insight into the role of religion in community based work in Mafeteng, but unfortunately I couldn’t understand any of it because they were debating in sesotho. What I remember most is that almost every time the woman stood up to present her argument or to disagree with the man she would break into a gospel song/prayer. All the participants would get up and sing and dance – including the gentleman that was arguing with her. After the song she would continue with her argument. This happened three or four times. If anything, I thought it was an interesting debating tactic.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-;font-family:Tahoma;color:#333333;">Religion is also ever-present in my personal life. When I meet people an invariable question in the introductory small-talk script is ‘What church do you belong to?’ I still haven’t found a way to answer this without just desperately trying to change the subject.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-;font-family:Tahoma;color:#333333;">As a result of this continued exposure to religion, I have been able to reflect on my beliefs, or lack of beliefs I should say. I have started to wonder how someone who is born into a life of almost limitless opportunity could question the existence of God; whereas someone who is born into a life with limited opportunities would seem to have unquestioning faith. Maybe it would be simplistic of me to assume people have unquestioning faith. There could be a number of reasons why religion is entrenched in a society and it may have nothing to do with faith, belief, or spirituality. I would think that belief and belonging become a social necessity when religion is so pervasive. It is also possible that belonging to a church provides more benefit then not belonging, regardless of personal belief. However, there still seems to be a significant amount of people who outwardly express their faith in God. It seems backwards to me. I have met people who have lost so much – parents, siblings, friends, and yet they still have the belief that God is giving them the power to persevere. It has made me wonder if atheism is a position borne of privilege. Maybe I can afford to be an atheist because my life has been relatively free of adversity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-;font-family:Tahoma;color:#333333;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="mso-bidi-;font-family:Tahoma;color:#333333;"><i>August 23, 2010</i></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-86086866456742204482010-07-19T09:54:00.000-07:002010-10-01T11:36:22.926-07:00Donating sports equipment to Africa<p style="margin-top:0cm;margin-right:.2pt;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:7.1pt; margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:9.5pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><p class="MsoNormal">Similar to my <a href="http://shawn-bapala.blogspot.com/2010/07/blog-post.html">poverty porn</a> post, this blog post will be rehashing a fairly common theme that comes up in the development sector and the development blogosphere: donations-in-kind and the Buy One Give One concept. Donations-in-kind refer to donating goods such as clothing, shoes, food, etc, instead of giving cash. I believe this practice is fairly common in the sport for development field. Through various friends and newspaper articles I have come across a number of examples. The most common one I have encountered is volunteers for a programme called <a href="http://www.hoopsafrica.org/"><span style="Georgia","serif"font-family:";">Hoops 4 Hope</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="Georgia","serif"; font-family:";color:black;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="Georgia","serif";font-family:";color:black;">shipping containers of equipment to Africa (</span></span><a href="http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=95df89a3-9e98-4837-9053-43443bba43e6"><span style="Georgia","serif"font-family:";">click here</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="Georgia","serif"; font-family:";color:black;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="Georgia","serif";font-family:";color:black;">for one example).</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="Georgia","serif"; font-family:";color:black;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="Georgia","serif";font-family:";color:black;">Within the development sector this is heavily frowned upon. To read about the arguments I would recommend visiting</span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="Georgia","serif";font-family:";color:black;"> the</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="Georgia","serif"; font-family:";color:black;"> </span></span><a href="http://goodintentionsarenotenough.com/"><span style="Georgia","serif"font-family:";">Good Intentions are Not Enough</span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="Georgia","serif";font-family:";color:black;"> blog. The author has written extensively on the issue. She has even written a post specifically referencing the donating of sports equipment (</span></span><a href="http://goodintentionsarenotenough.com/2009/04/sending-sports-equipment-to-needy-children-may-seem-like-a-good-idea-but-is-it/"><span style="Georgia","serif"font-family:";">click here</span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="Georgia","serif";font-family:";color:black;">). I would also recommend doing a google search on onemilliontshirts. Or check out the Good Intentions post</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="Georgia","serif";font-family:";color:black;"> </span></span><a href="http://goodintentionsarenotenough.com/2010/04/1-million-shirts-campaign/"><span style="Georgia","serif"font-family:";">here</span></a><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="Georgia","serif";font-family:";color:black;">. The discussion/ debate/demolition of the onemilliontshirts idea serves as a good summation regarding the feelings towards donated goods and as development drama goes it was fairly entertaining.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="Georgia","serif"; font-family:";color:black;">I actually started writing this post a couple of weeks ago and I was going to use this logic to denounce donating sports equipment. However, after a couple of weeks of thinking on it, I am instead going to try and argue both sides.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="Georgia","serif"; font-family:";color:black;">There are many arguments against donating goods, but the main ones that are relevant to sports equipment relate to the economic impact and the relevance of the donated goods. Shipping a container of equipment that will be given away for free can suffocate local businesses selling similar products, or deter businesses from ever being started. Additionally, the cost of shipping containers to Africa can be enormous. For the cost of shipping equipment you could, in many cases, purchase new equipment locally. There is also a risk that the equipment might not be suitable for local conditions. Would it be helpful to donate a container full of football boots suitable for playing on grass in damp northern climates when local fields are a mixture of hard packed dirt - almost as hard as concrete - and occasional patches of grass?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="Georgia","serif"; font-family:";color:black;">All this makes perfect sense. The argument can be strengthened further with an example from my work in Lesotho. One of my volunteer coaches is currently not employed. He would like to set up a business in Lesotho to sell sports equipment. Currently, there is one small sports store in Maseru, but most people who need sports equipment will cross the border and purchase what they need in South Africa. It would appear that there is a need in Lesotho for a store that can supply sports equipment. Would this business be successful? If I had to wager on my friend's success I would place a cynical bet against him. The reason can be illustrated with two social enterprises that I came across during the World Cup: <a href="http://oneworldfutbol.com/index.html">One World Futbol</a> (<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;"><b>All things aside I would recommend checking this out. They market their product as the most durable football in the world. It is made out of foam, never requires inflating,and cannot be punctured. It is also produced in Canada. Good for the Canadian economy, but maybe not so much for the economies of the communities where the balls will be donated</b></span></i>) and <a href="http://www.kick4change.org/">Kick4Change</a>. Both organizations operate on a Buy One Give One (BOGO) model. Part of the profits from your purchases will be used to send equipment to disadvantaged groups. To coincide with the World Cup, Kick4Change has implemented a <a href="http://www.pledgemyseat.org/">Pledge my Seat</a> campaign that aims to send large numbers of football boots to Africa. So, getting back to my friend, how successful would his sporting goods shop be if One World Futbol and Kick4Change dumped thousands of free footballs and boots into Lesotho. He would obviously struggle. In fact it would not make a lot of sense for him to even start the business. Another article that talks about the Buy One Give One philanthropy hurting African business can be read<a href="http://friendsofethiopia.blogspot.com/2010/07/reflections-from-ethiopia-is.html"> here</a>.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The arguments make sense. For the most part I agree with them. They are hard to argue against. However, the problem I have is that there is often a knee jerk reaction to even the mere suggestion of shipping in equipment from an external source. Usually, this reaction limits discussion. I believe that debate is always good, so I will try to bring up a couple of points of exception.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">An article I read that got me thinking more about this topic was written by Elizabeth Pisani. She is an epidemiologist who has worked with UNAIDS and has been involved in the HIV/AIDS sector for a while. Recently I read her book called 'Wisdom of Whores' and as a result of that I started to follow her <a href="http://www.wisdomofwhores.com/">blog</a> by the same title. Her most recent article talks about the conflict between scientific evidence and political evidence. She argues that you cannot look to scientific evidence in isolation to impact policy. In her field, HIV/AIDS, evidence points to the effectiveness of offering services to injection drug users in dealing with the epidemic. The problem is that the evidence of politics demonstrates that politicians will not support these programmes because helping junkies does not go over well with the general electorate. I think the same conflict occurs in a lot of situations; a conflict between what you should do in theory and what actually works in reality.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">A similar conflict occurs in the donation of goods. I would label this economic logic versus donor logic. I am avoiding the term evidence because as far as I know there are no scientific studies relating to the economic impact of donating sporting goods on developing economies. Also, some argue that treating the field of economics as a science is a bit of a stretch. We can ask a similar question that Pisani alludes to in her post: is it constructive to look at the donation of goods from an isolated idealism? Is it constructive for people to condemn the donation of equipment as poor practice without considering donor behavior? Looking at donor behaviour, are people likely to donate cash for an organization to buy equipment locally, or would they prefer to donate goods, or participate in a BOGO offer? I believe that if a programme were to refuse donated goods and instead ask for cash to buy equipment locally that they may struggle. They may end up diverting resources and time away from their programmes and towards educating the donors. Ultimately, you may end up in a situation where you are taking the right stance, but the beneficiaries of your project suffer because you lack the resources to implement your programmes. Instead of dismissing all forms of donated goods as evil based on economic logic, would it not make more sense to engage with the donating organizations and hope to create change over time?</p> <p class="MsoNormal">If an organization in Lesotho partners with social enterprises such as One World Futbol or Kick4Change then they may receive free publicity, increase their exposure, and possibly attract more funding. With more funding they can expand programmes, hire more local staff, offer stipends to volunteers, and contribute more money to the local economy. Would these economic inputs offset putting my friend out of business? Would the economic impact of a strengthened local programme be more significant then helping a single businessman sell sporting equipment? This argument could also be extended to donation campaigns. As volunteers canvas their community in search of donations they are publicizing and promoting organizations. This promotion could lead to increased funding and strengthening programmes.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Additionally engaging with social enterprise presents opportunities to expand to local markets in the future. I sent a couple of emails to Kick4Change to find out where their equipment is manufactured. I received a reply from one of their founders who was very open and approachable. He mentioned that their ultimate goal is to move towards local manufacturing, so that the sports equipment they provide to disadvantaged groups in Africa is manufactured locally. For an example, an organization already doing this is <a href="http://www.aliveandkicking.org.uk/">Alive and Kicking</a>. They have stitching centres in Kenya and Zambia. They produce footballs locally and provide jobs for people in their programmes. If these social enterprises are engaged with and supported, regardless of where their equipment is initially coming from, then over time local economic opportunities can be created. If these organizations are immediately dismissed because they are perceived to be doing damage to the local economy then future opportunities may be missed.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>July 24, 2010</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></span></span><p></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-44309955649501867672010-07-18T12:21:00.000-07:002010-09-07T11:02:35.934-07:00Emotional Rainclouds and Fire Hoses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmMmqXjmdFc66Jtc4JP44W6oeiVA6oZ1837Frg4r1dQ0ZN-YiHn6iUz1wjLbe9cCoX04qTkoCKeU5uy20OiJsytYp59fCWdph3R_3bb9h1uQbAiGTF5mKDKSI3oyEtyJFkV_DgIwMx4E/s1600/P7131755.JPG"></a><p class="MsoNormal">Starting on Tuesday of this past week the organization I’m working with, LENEPWHA (the Lesotho Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS), was hosting a workshop involving HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, psycho-social support, positive prevention, and palliative care. Five of the coaches from the football part of the project were included in the workshop and I thought that for the most part I would just check in to see how things were going sporadically over the week. I ended up attending the whole workshop. It worked out well. I was able to bring my English-Sesotho dictionary and used the time to improve my language skills. I also ended up being the designated photographer/videographer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I was pretty happy with my role until the morning of the last day of the workshop. I arrived at the workshop a few minutes late. There were a couple of participants loitering outside smoking, so I just took a second to chat with them before proceeding inside the conference hall. Inside the hall the participants were standing in a circle. On the ground, In the middle of the circle was a large HIV/AIDS ribbon made out of leaves and pebbles. </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKbPa4ZOzScdJVXOfuP5gbE4LEqHe86vdL2gBh74JK5vkn3C_VCu9LIofxzi22CJMhAIvrmsfAVDVEbQ0F1w6BvelFqMQTtFsfV_E3vAmCamBmzQV3qWZ9a_smHr396JrCtA4FNTI2m0/s320/P7151848.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495329855905789794" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">In my role as photographer I started taking some pictures and video without thinking. It took me a few seconds to realize what was happening. It was a sharing circle - I don't know if this is the correct term, but it describes the activity fairly well.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">In an earlier post (<a href="http://shawn-bapala.blogspot.com/2010/05/doom-and-gloom-binge.html">doom and gloom binge</a>) I talked about being drawn to this type of work because of the emotions involved. Even though I’m working with an HIV/AIDS organization, with people who are HIV positive, the presence of HIV/AIDS and death seems distant. I am not sure what I expected, but at some level I must have thought that there would be this ever-present cloud of grief raining on everything. It hasn’t been that way and I think the normalcy has surprised me slightly. I would not say that people are suppressing their emotions, but similar to anywhere else there has to be some form of emotional compartmentalization for people and society to function. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">If I thought there would be this emotional rain cloud in Lesotho I think the sharing circle showed me that it is actually more like a fire hose. I was in this room with about 30 other people. I was the only white guy – not really an issue because LENEPWHA are incredibly welcoming, notice the picture of me in the traditional Basotho blanket, but it makes me feel like I stand out –</p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmMmqXjmdFc66Jtc4JP44W6oeiVA6oZ1837Frg4r1dQ0ZN-YiHn6iUz1wjLbe9cCoX04qTkoCKeU5uy20OiJsytYp59fCWdph3R_3bb9h1uQbAiGTF5mKDKSI3oyEtyJFkV_DgIwMx4E/s1600/P7131755.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmMmqXjmdFc66Jtc4JP44W6oeiVA6oZ1837Frg4r1dQ0ZN-YiHn6iUz1wjLbe9cCoX04qTkoCKeU5uy20OiJsytYp59fCWdph3R_3bb9h1uQbAiGTF5mKDKSI3oyEtyJFkV_DgIwMx4E/s320/P7131755.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5495330794013504818" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><p class="MsoNormal">I was the only person who has not been affected by HIV/AIDS, and I was the jackass holding a camera. I couldn’t completely comprehend everything, but from what I heard and what I was told later, people were talking about learning about their status, getting sick, friends and family dying, and discrimination and stigma - families disowning them, friends abandoning them, husbands throwing them out. Almost all of the participants were crying or had tears in their eyes. While telling their stories many became inconsolable – crying hysterically. A couple of minutes in and I wanted to leave that room more than I have ever wanted to leave anywhere, but I wasn’t sure if that would be offensive – as much as I felt like I stood out no one was really taking notice of me. At this moment of trying to decide if I should stay or if I should go the project manager tells me that I can go into the middle of the circle to get some better photos and video. I must have looked like he had turned a fire hose on me from a couple of feet away. I whispered ‘umm…I would not feel very comfortable doing that’. Luckily one of the local LENEPWHA staff was fine with it, so I handed the camera over to him. In retrospect I think that it would have been fine for me to jump in the middle of the circle and shove my camera in peoples’ faces, but at the time it seemed like a horrible idea.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">After the activity was over it was like someone turned off the valve on the fire hydrant and everything was back to normal. People who had collapsed in tears only a few minutes earlier were now laughing, joking, and posing for pictures with the HIV ribbon made of leaves.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I can only imagine what it is like to be branded as HIV positive: marginalized, discriminated against, and stigmatized. In a sense you have to put your emotions into a compartment and lock them up. I can only imagine what this sharing circle can provide: a safe space to unlock that compartment, to share, to vent, to console, and to comfort. It was very powerful.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>July 18, 2010</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-6477218698703128072010-07-10T04:04:00.000-07:002010-09-07T11:01:57.313-07:00Poverty Porn in Sport for Development<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I have started reading a lot of ‘development’ blogs since I have been in Lesotho. I would like to think it's because I am trying to learn and stay engaged in what is happening, but mostly I think it's because after dark my town shuts down, I don’t have a TV, I read through the books I buy pretty quickly, and I have internet access. That means I end up wasting a lot of time on the blogosphere. I often come across posts that I find interesting, but I sit on them for a while until I find a way of reworking them into something more relevant to my line of work – sport for development.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Something that surfaces a fair bit is the idea of poverty porn. The term refers to the process in which an organization, in an effort to solicit funds or attention from concerned global citizens, will portray people as poor, starving, helpless victims. I would highly recommend checking out this blog post and photography project – Perspectives of Poverty - by </span><span class="apple-style-span"><a href="http://waterwellness.ca/2010/04/28/perspectives-of-poverty/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Duncan McNicholl</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> who is working with Engineers Without Borders in Malawi. Also I would recommend checking out </span><a href="http://aidwatchers.com/2009/06/should-starving-people-be-tourist-attractions/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">William Easterly’s</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> blog. He has one post titled ‘should starving people be tourist attractions;' like many of his other posts it initiated a discussion and further posts on his blog.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In terms of marketing I suppose it is necessary. If you want someone to donate to your organization or pay attention to your message it is important that your publicity elicits an emotional response and implies that the audience can help. It is especially important since you are attempting to have the audience donate to projects or organizations that are most likely operating in a country that the they have never visited before. Nicholas Krisof is a writer with the New York Times. He is often accused of producing poverty porn – depicting black Africans as victims and white foreigners as saviours. He recently hosted a </span><a href="http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/09/youtube-question-on-africa-coverage/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">youtube Q&A</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and had to respond to this question. His response was similar to what I describe. His justification is that he needs to grab the attention of the audience and the best way to do this is to have a protagonist that is white/american.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Because I am a fan of Right to Play on facebook I was sent links to some of their new advertisements earlier this year. They are just short clips, but the images and text are very loaded. The first commercial titled ‘assembly’ is of a young boy putting together a gun. The text on the screen says ‘let him be good at something else/ let him play’. It conjures images of victimized child soldiers and then pleads with the concerned viewer to allow him to play. The second commercial has a young boy playing in a dump, using an object - maybe a discarded computer component - as a toy car. The text pops up and says ‘this shouldn’t be so fun for him/ let him play’. Again, it represents a power dynamic where the child is a victim and the audience has the power to let him play – </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">even though he is playing, just not in the proper way</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. Is it not slightly pretentious for us to dictate what should and should not be fun?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bh7OSl3mz88&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bh7OSl3mz88&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/scUZWt3OyoE&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/scUZWt3OyoE&hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object></p></span></div><br /><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">From a marketing sense the ads are good. I think they follow a similar formula to other Right to Play commercials and I believe that Right to Play is not doing too badly in terms of fundraising. Also, </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">I might be a hypocrite for arguing against this type of advertising since I am sure that the images and emotions reflected in these videos played a role in me choosing the path I am on.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>July 10, 2010</i></p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-80383421006449647172010-07-08T11:09:00.000-07:002010-09-07T11:03:17.411-07:00Diamonds, gold, oil, coffee and…football players<p class="MsoNormal">I actually wrote this before the World Cup, but I never got around to posting it. However, I read a couple of interesting news articles during my trip that were related.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">At the conference I attended in Glasgow there was a lot of talk about how social enterprise could assist with sport for development programmes becoming more sustainable. A lot of the presentations were interesting, but I am not sure I agree with the overall idea. The founder of <a href="http://www.magicbusindia.org/">Magic Bus</a> gave a presentation on what their organization has done. His presentation was great and I admire the work the organization has done in India, but he mentioned something at the end of his presentation that has stuck with me. Recently Magic Bus has established a professional football team and it sees the sale of players as a possible social enterprise. The <a href="http://www.mysakenya.org/">Mathare Youth Sports Association</a>, a very long running and effective programme operating in Kenya, has also sold some of the players it has produced. The presentation got me thinking more about the sale and movement of players.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I have always found the movement of players and the globalization of sport to be an interesting topic. I suppose African players moving to Europe is an inevitable aspect of globalization. The ability of players to move between countries fairly easily and the ability of clubs to search out and buy top talent create a fairly open market. Some argue that this ‘leg drain’ is not really an issue because there are systems in place to ensure that athletes remain connected to their country.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Even if a player is bought by Manchester United that player will still return home to play with and represent the national team. This isn’t the same for doctors and nurses.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">However, for some reason in my mind I see a lot of parallels between the migration of players to Europe and the extraction of many other commodities from Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A resource is taken out of a country with very little investment, value is added elsewhere, and then huge profits are made off of that resource. Sepp Blatter has mentioned the same thing, but with slightly stronger words – equating the process to <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/3326971.stm">‘social and economic rape’</a>. You could argue that there is some trickle down economic effect. Players who go on to make millions will return some of that money to their country’s economy. Also, Sepp Blatter made that statement a number of years ago and there are now FIFA rules which dictate that a small percentage of transfer fees must go to clubs who contributed to a player’s development. On the other hand a lot of European clubs are establishing their own development academies in Africa. This would in effect eliminate any compensation for African clubs.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Over the past couple of years this extraction of players has also become fairly market driven. There is a perception that European clubs are only really looking for a certain type of African player. If you look around the European leagues there seems to be a disproportionate number of African defensive-midfielders and African strikers. Some former players, coaches, and analysts point at this development as the death of African football. They argue that player development in Africa is now based on the needs of European clubs and what those clubs perceive to be African strengths. As a result, African nations are not producing the same types of players they did in the past and are not able to produce the same type of creative, spontaneous, attacking football that they have become known for - this logic seemed to act as a justification for the 'poor' performance of African teams at this World Cup. </p><p class="MsoNormal">If you are really stretching you could probably even draw parallels between this type of specialization and previous failed agricultural development efforts. African football is being ruined by the market demands placed on it from European football in much the same way that the agricultural sector in some countries was destroyed by structural adjustment policies that advocated production and export of specific crops. Like I said, that might be stretching a bit. I am sure that part of the process is also governed by African children wanting to emulate their heroes – in this way the system is self-perpetuating. It might be similar to how so many hockey goaltenders seem to come out of Quebec.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have sort of departed from my original idea relating to sport for development organizations selling players as a social enterprise. Football is a business, so it is understandable that European clubs will look for talent in Africa and try to use that talent to their own advantage. However, having sport for development organizations capitalizing on this market comes across as incongruous. It is hard for me to comment because I have no direct experience with selling football players, but it seems like it could possibly create a number of contradictions within the field of sport for development. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>July 8, 2010</i></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-70875532566879707012010-07-07T02:43:00.000-07:002010-09-07T11:08:39.395-07:00The Worst Job for a World Cup Fan?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ehqv8-baiUEbW5cx9DCPC1QMn0ct0ieRz2c1nS7s9eLbgdoKYTKHihz1JFF2m4DbWESShRxTN6FP-Gl_6igXzt0JzbIZxlL5UrJ2Nktxu2p8NHPbeV-NsEw4dvUPKgAKQfSjbYsuXuY/s1600/P6221568.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ehqv8-baiUEbW5cx9DCPC1QMn0ct0ieRz2c1nS7s9eLbgdoKYTKHihz1JFF2m4DbWESShRxTN6FP-Gl_6igXzt0JzbIZxlL5UrJ2Nktxu2p8NHPbeV-NsEw4dvUPKgAKQfSjbYsuXuY/s400/P6221568.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491100906543280178" /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">While I was attending some World Cup games in South Africa the on field security personnel would always capture my attention. They would march out onto the field in their bright orange jackets and take up positions at about two meter intervals around the field. For the entire game they would watch the crowd. For the most part they seemed very diligent. I never saw anyone sneak a peak of the action.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I tried to imagine what it would be like having your back turned to a World Cup match for its entire duration. I don’t know if I would have the patience for it, but it would be interesting to experience a sporting event only based on the sounds and reactions of the crowd. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i>July 7, 2010</i></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-14843810173477829482010-06-24T11:39:00.000-07:002010-09-07T11:09:17.856-07:00A Canadian Soccer Fan and North American Identity<p class="MsoNormal">I just returned to Lesotho after a week and a half of travelling around South Africa to attend some World Cup matches. Overall, it was an amazing experience, but one thing that stood out for me was the fact that I was a Canadian at a World Cup without an affiliation to any of the competing nations. This situation is highlighted every time you speak with someone because the inevitable question is ‘who do you support?’</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I think that many Canadians would identify themselves as English, French, Italian, Greek, etc and therefore support those nations in the World Cup. For the last couple of World Cups I have begun supporting the United States. Generally, I tend not to support the U.S. in any event and instead actively cheer against them. However, I feel they represent North American soccer (I am excluding Mexico from this statement – not intending to offend) and as a North American soccer player and fan I am cheering for them. While I travelled around South Africa I would encounter people from African countries who were actively supporting other African nations. Now that Ghana is the only African team remaining I believe that the entire continent will be supporting them, as they are representing Africa - This is a huge generalization, but go with me here.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I have a feeling that it is not the same in North America. Do we lack North American identity, North American pride?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>June 24, 2010</i></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-28287120122762158732010-06-08T12:10:00.000-07:002010-06-08T14:52:50.755-07:00Conferences and Summits and Seminars Oh My!<div><p class="MsoNormal">I just got back from Glasgow where I was attending my first ‘sport for development’ conference.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was actually called the 3<sup>rd</sup> Commonwealth Sports Development Conference: Achieving Sustainable Development – Building capacity in communities, clubs, and NGOs.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was actually quite relevant since I have been thinking about the idea of <a href="http://shawn-bapala.blogspot.com/2010/05/buzzwords-sustainability.html">sustainability </a>lately. I wasn’t really that satisfied with some of the sustainability talk, but I did meet some pretty interesting people. If I stay involved in this type of work it seems like conferences are a fairly common feature. I think that there are sport for development conferences occurring every week for the next few weeks in Europe, Canada, and the U.S.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The week before the conference in Scotland there was a similar one in India. I haven’t really kept track of it, but I imagine that for the last couple of years, since sport for development has taken hold, there has been a conference at least every month. I might be exaggerating though. They might just be more frequent right now because of the build up to the World Cup in South Africa.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This congestion of conferences brings up a lot of issues, but one thing that it brought to focus in my mind was how much of a business the development/aid world is. A few weeks ago I came across an <a href="http://http//www.kanbur.aem.cornell.edu/papers/ChambersFestschrift.pdf">article</a> by <span class="apple-style-span">Ravi Kanbur through one of the <a href="http://www.owen.org/">development blogs</a> I read. The author identifies himself as a poverty professional and the article goes through his internal debate regarding this line of work: flying off to conferences, being put up in hotels, writing about poverty, researching poverty, and basically making a living off of poverty. You can rationalize this self-doubt away by thinking that if you are helping people get out of poverty then it doesn’t matter if you are making money off of it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> There are many professions that capitalize off of the negative. </span>Doctors make money off of the sick, lawyers and police officers make money off of crime, psychiatrists make money off of the mentally unwell.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span">However, I feel there is a slight difference.<span> </span>It seems that many of the people who attend these conferences are outsiders.<span> T</span>hey are not living in poverty. This by itself doesn’t have to be a problem; doctors don't have to be sick to help people. However, the difference is related to accountability. The system is set up so that the poverty professionals are not really accountable to the people they are lifting out of poverty. If your doctor or your lawyer makes a mistake there are systems in place to hold those people accountable. I don’t believe it is the same for the development sector. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span">The article I linked to advocates for poverty immersion trips.<span> </span>One week trips that allow poverty professionals to become connected to the context in which they work.<span> </span>Seems interesting, but I am not sure how effective a one week trip would be. I have been in Lesotho for a few months now and I still don't know what the hell is going on. I also find it laughable because it emphasizes how much of a divide there is between poverty professionals and the people they serve - assuming they are serving people living in poverty. The fact that they are so far removed from a situation that they have to be flown in for week long immersion trips seems ridiculous. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><i>June 8, 2010</i></span></p></div><div><br /></div>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-21206582287059641802010-05-25T10:37:00.000-07:002010-09-25T11:11:07.828-07:00Buzzwords - Sustainability<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirK4ta6d7Rr3zMeXIHTxKYpNt_aoFQ4nR8XbFroDTUqISGC5N6VJasqgrRlweKdlU_gEafdit8qGaqoD1HoNFHbCgKrgAMQdTCHPxWh0K-NbuxS45B-EYttNec2q4kZnIOfRIebEBQIKk/s1600/THE+WHITE+MAN%27S+BURDEN.jpg"></a><p class="MsoNormal">Since entering the field of sport for development I have had to confront a number of buzz words.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was the same when I was working as a teacher (critical thinking, higher order thinking, age-appropriate, and multicultural education for example.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have been racking my brain to remember some more, but I think they are leaking out).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think most professions, or fields of work, contain buzz words.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They obviously represent concepts which are valued as important, but I think there is also the tendency to hide behind these words.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I also feel that they create a form of intellectual laziness.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I recently read an article by <a href="http://aidwatchers.com/2010/05/how-the-audience-educates-the-lecturer-skepticism-and-freedom">William Easterly</a> </p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirK4ta6d7Rr3zMeXIHTxKYpNt_aoFQ4nR8XbFroDTUqISGC5N6VJasqgrRlweKdlU_gEafdit8qGaqoD1HoNFHbCgKrgAMQdTCHPxWh0K-NbuxS45B-EYttNec2q4kZnIOfRIebEBQIKk/s200/THE+WHITE+MAN%27S+BURDEN.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475268489292812546" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 130px; height: 200px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">(He is an economist at NYU. He wrote a book called <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i>White Man's Burden: </i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(85, 85, 85); line-height: 17px; font-family:Frutiger, 'Frutiger Linotype', Univers, 'Gill Sans', 'Gill Sans MT', 'Myriad Pro', Myriad, 'DejaVu Sans Condensed', 'Liberation Sans', 'Nimbus Sans L', Tahoma, Geneva, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">which has influenced my thinking about international development a great deal)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#555555;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The article references a talk he gave at the London School of Economics</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: normal; font-family:Georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">about skepticism as a creative force. I don't know if I would classify myself as a skeptic, but I agree with him in the utility of skepticism. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In the sport for development field I always hear or read about life skills, empowerment, self-esteem, and sustainability.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I already had a post about <a href="http://shawn-bapala.blogspot.com/2010/04/sport-for-development-and-peace.html">life skills</a> on my blog and I recently started writing for the Terry blog at UBC and posted a similar<a href="http://www.terry.ubc.ca/index.php/2010/05/19/life-skills-and-sport-for-development-and-peace/"> post</a> there.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span>For this post I am interested in the idea of sustainability in sport for development.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is one of these words that appear on websites and in project proposals, but I am not sure how well thought out it is.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sustainability in international development and sport for development basically refers to the idea that benefits that occur through an intervention should be maintained after the intervention is over.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The problem I have with sustainability is that sports in themselves do not seem sustainable unless the communities, or individuals, believe that there is a positive benefit and are willing to invest without expecting much of a direct return on their investment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sports programmes require funding for facilities, equipment, and various other needs. In general, youth sports in isolation are not able to generate income.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Programmes in Canada receive funding from a variety of sources including: user fees, local sponsorships, government grants, and community fundraising.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In Lesotho what is the possibility of a sports programme receiving funding from any of these sources? <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>User fees, local sponsorships, and community fundraising are quite difficult because of the level of poverty.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Additionally the idea of government funding for youth sports is also problematic when governments have a hard enough time funding basic health and educational systems.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Many sport-for-development organizations will claim that by partnering with local government organizations and NGOs, and by training members of these organizations that they are ensuring that there work is sustainable.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For example:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">Right To Play’s approach to programming goes beyond individual capacity-building to include investments in partnerships.</span></i></span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';"> </span></i></span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'times new roman';">By collaborating with, and training dedicated community leaders such as teachers, early childhood educators, and staff from other local implementing NGOs or Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Right To Play helps to ensure the appropriate localization of programs, the establishment of strong and lasting mentoring relationships, and the long-term sustainability of our work</span></i></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The idea is that partnering with local organizations and training local people with the skills will ensure the sustainability of the programme.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> This does create the possibility that skills taught will be sustained and transferred in the future, but it does so with the assumption of continued economic support. </span>This form of sustainability seems to ignore the fact that programmes have to receive funding from somewhere.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Until governments, communities, local businesses, or individuals are in a position to prioritize youth sports there is no hope of sustainability.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">An additional problem that arises is the possibility that the presence of sport for development organizations actually hurt the long term sustainability of sport.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For example, LEFA (the Lesotho National Football Association) receives funding from the government and from FIFA.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A portion of this money is supposed to go towards youth development.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In Mafeteng there are no youth leagues, very few formal youth teams, and overall very little youth development.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Does my presence in Mafeteng motivate the government to provide funds, or does my presence give the government and LEFA an excuse to continue underfunding youth development?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If Right to Play is providing the funds and training for physical education teachers in Zambia then what reason does the government have to provide the same service? If an NGO steps in to fill a gap left by government is that NGO doing a good thing, or simply bailing out the government?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>May 25, 2010</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-62767910041906645752010-05-21T11:15:00.001-07:002010-09-07T11:09:54.236-07:00Minibuses<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HPKNhGavVS-05-gYmNj6pZrCRIS8Jtsgb822e735f3mWeOUqGu9qV7VKLC_fKEFXGp-xw8fvnN38_08P0W6hmFH1T3fG6Pb56CmCcsZ-dNoWYfPIHrk5mULN-jAm2YiOxfTyGeYoRac/s1600/P5211297.JPG"></a><p class="MsoNormal">I just returned from Maseru.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think this is the second post I have written after returning from a trip.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> I don't know why it triggers that. </span>I am enjoying Maseru less and less every time I go.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I only go when I am called in for meetings.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In the past the positive side of it was that I could go to restaurants and had a variety of food choices as opposed to papa le nama<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;"><b><i>(papa and meat. Papa is a staple food. It is maize meal that is cooked in boiling water to produce this...stuff. I don't know how to describe it, but it is like a hardened porridge that you eat with your hands. I like it!).</i></b></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ojwOkfy-Qazxc6n1L7zxyL1Dr8AfP3IFKCMusr3uXNgBR14cITsMRbaIofrNCBFo1UnoAV3aC6cHmGPhaYiiFja6hhwVG-jCHXg-6cjSNLBcHTOf8UxDVLmpWyzG2vvsB4amrOGtkes/s320/P3170819.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473789217871626530" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span><p class="MsoNormal">I could also buy real coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Whenever I was in Maseru I would gorge myself on pizza, fill my backpack with coffee and head back to Mafeteng.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Recently I discovered that one of the two hotels in Mafeteng makes pizzas.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It has changed my life.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Now I go there once a week for pizza and the only positive benefit from going to Maseru is picking up coffee, so the allure of Maseru is fading.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I think another reason that the bright lights of Maseru are dimming in my eyes is that the public transport can be trying.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Where ever I have lived and travelled I have enjoyed taking public transport.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think my mom can attest to that after visiting me in China and letting me plan our trip.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I don’t hate the minibuses in Lesotho; I do enjoy them, but if you have a schedule to adhere to then minibuses are not the way to go.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It sort of comes back to the idea of ‘African time’.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The trip from Mafeteng to Maseru is 80km.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There is also some road construction going on that slows the trip down, but my journeys have ranged from one and a half hours to about four hours for a one way 80km trip.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The biggest delay is usually that the minibuses will not leave until they are absolutely full.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For some reason it reminds me of a math problem from grade 9.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think it was grade 9 math where you were given a situation such as movie ticket prices and the number of people that would purchase them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was a model to figure out what price the ticket should be to optimize profits.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It would state that X number of people would buy tickets if they were Y amount of $.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Then it would say if you raised the price by a certain amount you would lose a certain amount of customers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>What is the optimal ticket price?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Anyways, I wish some clever African minibus driver would figure this out because in terms of cost-benefit analysis, waiting an hour for that one last person to join your minibus does not seem efficient. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyways, in Mafeteng we have 3 different types of minibuses.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We have large 15 seat buses that I take when I feel like travelling in luxury because they seem to restrict the number of passengers to the number of actual seats available in the minibus.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>We also have large 20 something seat buses that are cheaper and they jam as many people in as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I will sometimes get dragged into these ones.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When I arrive at a taxi rank there are always a number of guys standing and running around to recruit passengers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So as soon as I walk into the taxi rank I am mister popular: U ea Kae? U ea Maseru? (Where are you going?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You going to Maseru?).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Eh, Ke ea Maseru (Yes I’m going to Maseru).<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At which point I will sometimes let myself get dragged into a bus.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A couple of weeks ago on my way to Maseru I arrived at the taxi rank when one of these buses was already full and I had to stand in the isle.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The only problem was that I think they must have added seats or something because there was basically no isle.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The only possible way for me to fit in the isle was for me to stand sideways.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The only problem was that my crotch was in one persons face and I was basically sitting on the shoulder of the other person behind me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Not a great configuration when you are driving through road construction.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I remained in this position for the two hour trip.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>But, nobody seemed to mind.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>That’s one thing I like about the minibuses.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Everyone is so accommodating. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It results in these human jigsaw puzzles – or more like the 3-D block puzzles.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span>I already mentioned the guys who stand around the taxi rank finding passengers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Aside from the actual minibus drivers there is another essential position within the minibus transport system.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Every minibus has a ‘door slide’.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think this is their name.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span><i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">(You can see the door slide guy in the left of the picture).</span></b></i></span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiywOcqNK85Y23s0DPxG_4UtFTugo_Dw4hgsH6fSOR3Y2iBQX8-ij-HShvbe2p2W5y1y4jvQIAK1x7avgizL-jZux7aevawlsMaEJWtdPFXV1QuMvV9bavqIBpwXxxYv4Y0ePoRTwIl1E/s1600/P3140722.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiywOcqNK85Y23s0DPxG_4UtFTugo_Dw4hgsH6fSOR3Y2iBQX8-ij-HShvbe2p2W5y1y4jvQIAK1x7avgizL-jZux7aevawlsMaEJWtdPFXV1QuMvV9bavqIBpwXxxYv4Y0ePoRTwIl1E/s320/P3140722.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473790285646811826" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><p class="MsoNormal">Their job is to open and close the door for people, collect money, and solve the human jigsaw puzzle. The door slide job in the big 20 seat bus and the 15 seat luxury bus are not very challenging.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However there is a third type of minibus that I often use that seats 12, but I think I have been in a couple with upwards of 22.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These ones really challenge the door slide’s spatial IQ.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s an interesting experience to cram that many people into a bus, but at the same time you wonder when the driver and the door slide decide that they have a full bus.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It amazes me that when we have 20 people jammed into our bus the driver is still honking his horn and trying to find more passengers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Sure enough, he’ll find a passenger, the minibus stops and then the door slide goes about figuring out the puzzle.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It’s usually the older, larger people that get seats and then the younger, slimmer, school children get tucked into whatever space remains.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The best example of this willingness to accommodate was when one of the minibuses I was in got into a small accident.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The driver had to let us off, so he could figure out the details. I was worried we would have to wait for a long time to get another bus, but they just flagged down another minibus to take us.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This minibus was already full, but nobody complained and they just made room.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After the puzzle was solved and everyone had their space we were on our way.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Between being in the accident and getting on the new bus and leaving I think was less than five minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>People were crammed everywhere and there were bags piled from floor to ceiling in front of the first row of seats.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Every imaginable space in that bus was occupied.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>After driving for a few minutes we stopped and I wasn’t sure why because nobody had indicated that they needed to get out.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>From my angle the door slide guy seemed to reach into this massive pile of luggage and he pulled out this little school boy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The boy was probably about 4 or 5 years old, but quite small for his age, wearing this bright blue school sweater and grey dress shorts.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The door slide tucked the boy under his arm like a football, left the minibus, waited for a break in traffic and then ran the little boy across the street and into the school grounds. Touchdown!<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think it was the cutest thing I have ever seen.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HPKNhGavVS-05-gYmNj6pZrCRIS8Jtsgb822e735f3mWeOUqGu9qV7VKLC_fKEFXGp-xw8fvnN38_08P0W6hmFH1T3fG6Pb56CmCcsZ-dNoWYfPIHrk5mULN-jAm2YiOxfTyGeYoRac/s1600/P5211297.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3HPKNhGavVS-05-gYmNj6pZrCRIS8Jtsgb822e735f3mWeOUqGu9qV7VKLC_fKEFXGp-xw8fvnN38_08P0W6hmFH1T3fG6Pb56CmCcsZ-dNoWYfPIHrk5mULN-jAm2YiOxfTyGeYoRac/s320/P5211297.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473791818630366082" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;"><b><i>(Here's a quick picture I took of the Mafeteng taxi rank. It only shows a small part of it. I'm quite self-conscious when it comes to taking photos. I don't know why I think I just don't like drawing attention to myself. It is not for safety reasons. I'm not worried about some guy running up, stabbing me and taking my camera. It is just my own neurosis. The taxi ranks are incredibly active, vibrant, and intimidating - especially in Maseru. I couldn't imagine larger African cities. If I work up the nerve I'll try to snap a couple of better pictures to post).</i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>May 21, 2010</i></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-88801194756634189062010-05-17T12:20:00.000-07:002010-09-07T11:10:38.495-07:00Volunteerism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANxyygTgczTvaokLIBFHkO2LCLAp6wrK4ujRAEn4WPcfqk_FSLb_3jVQXR_d4BcubnE9GRlnLlpfpeq0IQvsfK_YI96n-FvgVGj7cFTwUYxC3tsn5Ng4wGzLHLywaQxbjYQhBmOaPaFo/s1600/UNDP.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 65px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhANxyygTgczTvaokLIBFHkO2LCLAp6wrK4ujRAEn4WPcfqk_FSLb_3jVQXR_d4BcubnE9GRlnLlpfpeq0IQvsfK_YI96n-FvgVGj7cFTwUYxC3tsn5Ng4wGzLHLywaQxbjYQhBmOaPaFo/s320/UNDP.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472327250191723394" /></a><p class="MsoNormal">A couple of weeks ago the Minister of Gender Youth Sports and Recreation announced the launch of the National Volunteer Youth Corps.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It will be funded by the United Nations Development Programme and is set up almost like internships for students to gain skills.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When it was introduced in parliament it came under some criticism because opposition parties felt like they were not informed and that selection for the Youth Corps could be along party lines.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At first I thought it was just typical political jostling - especially because there was a huge banner hung in the middle of Maseru for weeks prior to the announcement. I don't even live in Maseru and I new about this launch. But it turns out youth groups like this in Africa have a tendency of turning into militias – including a similar youth group in Lesotho in the early 90s that evolved into an intimidation force for the Basotho National Party.</p><p class="MsoNormal">This by itself is an interesting topic, but it isn’t really the reason why it got me to write this post.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The article got me thinking about the idea of volunteerism and wondering why people volunteer.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Since high school I have spent time volunteering, mostly as a youth soccer coach.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am not exactly sure why.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I do enjoy soccer, so becoming a coach seemed natural.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have always known that it is also good for the resume, but I would not say that this was my main motivation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As well, I enjoy being thought of as someone who volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Knowing that other people know that I volunteer makes me feel good about myself.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maybe it is also because I have a hard time saying no to people.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">For my current position I am considered a volunteer I suppose.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The current title is development worker, but Skillshare is thinking of changing it to international volunteer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I would have a hard time convincing myself that I am a volunteer though since my ‘stipend’ is pretty close to ten times what the average person living in Lesotho earns.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I am sure that other people volunteer because of similar reasons to what I described. I imagine family also plays a large role.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Once you have children and those children become engaged in community activities then some parents will get pulled in.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Financial security also plays a role. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In North America and Europe there is a correlation between civic service and social class.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Lately I have been giving a lot of thought to why people in Lesotho would choose to volunteer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It seems like volunteering is almost a mandatory undertaking.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Many of the organizations working here in Mafeteng including: World Vision, Red Cross, the police, government ministries, community based organization, and other NGOs all employ volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>These volunteers are almost always unemployed youth who have just recently finished school – either high school or post secondary studies.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The programmes I am working with all involve volunteers – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="color:#4F81BD;">which makes things difficult because white people bring jobs and all I am bringing is a training programme for volunteer youth soccer coaches.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think that at least once a week I have been approached by people looking for employment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I explain to them that my project only involves volunteer soccer coaches.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>They usually have a hard time believing this and will go on to try and convince me that I can find a position for them in my project.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> On a side note, </span>I have found that the other thing that white people bring to Lesotho is educational scholarships.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think this is also related to the fact that I am Canadian and CIDA </span></i></b></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Pbdr9Py2-LbeDnjQ5UL68c75f3G4wXVHN5xv-sgITOEHLuRvbkPRGp7DBScH90z1s-NJGrJ0mByByMPqi2hwptJU3panhOuUWRO4xJqkaUWrhp8BQJGz9JgRe-jiLsWY1_dVoTP15Lg/s1600/P3100505.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Pbdr9Py2-LbeDnjQ5UL68c75f3G4wXVHN5xv-sgITOEHLuRvbkPRGp7DBScH90z1s-NJGrJ0mByByMPqi2hwptJU3panhOuUWRO4xJqkaUWrhp8BQJGz9JgRe-jiLsWY1_dVoTP15Lg/s320/P3100505.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472322750261353106" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="color:#4F81BD;"><br /></span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="color:#4F81BD;">(the Canadian International Development Agency) has provided funding in the past.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>So, when I introduce myself as Canadian I am often asked if I can sponsor someone’s education.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I have also met a number of people who have studied at Canadian universities or have had siblings study in Canada. The picture I have posted here is of a local primary school. It has CIDA on its sign board, but I haven't asked it the school received funding from CIDA.</span></i></b></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Pbdr9Py2-LbeDnjQ5UL68c75f3G4wXVHN5xv-sgITOEHLuRvbkPRGp7DBScH90z1s-NJGrJ0mByByMPqi2hwptJU3panhOuUWRO4xJqkaUWrhp8BQJGz9JgRe-jiLsWY1_dVoTP15Lg/s1600/P3100505.JPG"></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyways, I’m getting off point.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Why do people in Lesotho choose to volunteer?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Culturally the idea of helping others is present.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Pre-colonial southern African societies relied on collectivism and mutual aid to meet basic needs. Solidarity and reciprocity are strong cultural beliefs. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Colonization may have contributed to the erosion of these beliefs through putting pressure on people to provide (how's that for alliteration?) services to the colonial powers as opposed to their communities.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The importance of volunteering in a context that involves such a high prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS is also relevant.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>One of the things I gained from organizing the Coaching for Hope workshop was learning how much people genuinely want to help their communities deal with the HIV/AIDS epidemic.</p><p class="MsoNormal">However, I feel that for the most part volunteering is done to gain skills and contacts in the hopes of obtaining future employment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>When 50% of the population is unemployed and so many people are living in extreme poverty, gaining employment has to be a motivating factor.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I believe this is the government’s main reason for establishing the National Youth Volunteer Corps.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It seems that most graduating students are forced into volunteer positions, so maybe the government is just trying to formalize this process.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Or maybe they are establishing militias in the build up to elections in 2012 – I think they are in 2012.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">The issue of what motivates the volunteers that I am working with is fairly important for future recruitment and retention, but I have begun to question the retention of volunteers in my situation.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was reading through an evaluation report of one of the organizations I work with and a problem that they identified was losing volunteers to employment with other NGOs.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I would not necessarily view this as a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I don’t know how you could expect someone to remain a volunteer when they are unemployed and need money to support themselves and possibly their families.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Because of the perception of white people brining jobs I also wonder how many people have signed up for my programme in the hopes that they will be employed by the project in the future.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Some Coaching for Hope employees in South Africa, Mali, and Burkina Faso are former volunteer coaches.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I don’t know if the volunteers here in Lesotho know this, but I often wonder if it motivates them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">In a way I am glad that I am not in a position to employ anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>With so many people unemployed, job searches and employment opportunities take on a greater significance.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>LENEPWHA just recently received applications and interviewed candidates for a position relating to the project I am working on.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I had very little input on who was hired.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>There was a local project advisory committee that held the interviews and chose the candidates. Some of the volunteers for my soccer programme were applying for this position.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> Because I was working with LENEPWHA, I believe that they thought that I would be able to help them get the position. </span>I am not sure of their qualifications, but they were not chosen for the final interviews.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think they were quite angry with me and resented the fact that I could not get them the job or even an interview.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I could only imagine what it would be like if I actually was responsible for hiring someone.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>May 17, 2010</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p></div>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-82775858333193883742010-05-13T09:33:00.000-07:002010-09-07T11:12:10.378-07:00Lesotho successful in U-17 and U-20 Qualifying<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:16px;"><p class="MsoNormal"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CC00;"><b>AGE CHEATING</b></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal">The Under-17 and Under-20 Lesotho national football teams have made it through the most recent stage of qualification for their African youth championships and will move on to play Cameroon and South Africa respectively.<span> </span>These results have come just after LEFA (Lesotho National Football Association) announced it would not enter the senior team into qualification for the 2012 African Cup of Nations.<span> </span>They made the decision because of financial reasons and also because they wanted to focus on youth development.<span> </span>Obviously, LEFA is using these results to justify and celebrate their decision.<span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span></span>BBC has a radio interview <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/8659427.stm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CC00;"><b>here</b></span></a> </p><p class="MsoNormal">The other side of the story is that a lot of people in Lesotho are laughing because they believe that the U-17 and U-20 teams are age cheating, which would definitely not be contributing to football youth development in Lesotho.<span> </span>Age cheating is not something I gave a lot of thought to before arriving here.<span> </span>When I was younger I would sometimes watch the Little League World Series and there would sometimes be accusations that players in that tournament were above the age limits, but it was something I never really encountered growing up.<span> </span>However, from what I have read, and from talking with football people in Lesotho and South Africa, it seems that in Southern Africa, age cheating is quite <a href="http://www.mg.co.za/article/2008-07-04-turning-back-time-age-cheating-in-football"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CC00;"><b>common place</b></span></a> - <i>I would also recommend checking out this </i><a href="http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2009/08/11/football-age-real-age-and-the-meanings-of-age-in-africa/"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CC00;"><b>article</b></span></i></a><i> which is quite good regarding ‘football age’ in Africa</i>.<span> </span>The authors of both articles link the problem of age cheating back to poverty and believe that players believe that if they can make their way onto development teams then they will stand a better chance of playing professionally.<span> </span>So, if an 18 year old can find his way onto a professional team’s U-15 development team then he will have a better chance of getting a contract with that professional team.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Today was a holiday in Lesotho, Ascension Day, and a U-15 tournament was held involving eight teams.<span> </span>I wasn’t involved in organizing, but was invited to watch.<span> </span>It is about the fourth local youth tournament I have been able to attend.<span> </span>At every tournament there have been issues with teams using over aged players.<span> </span>I am not sure what the reasons are here in Lesotho because there are no professional teams.<span> </span>I think it might be a combination of the rules not being explained adequately, a lack of underage players, and just over competitiveness.<span> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>Maybe it also comes down to cultural perceptions of age.<span> </span>I grew up playing youth sports where every chronological age was separated from Under-5 up to Under-19.<span> </span>Age categorization seems to be a little more flexible here.<span> </span>I think age is perceived less as a fixed number and more as a general time period based on your situation in life.<span> </span>I think this is also evidenced by Sesotho terms associated to people.<span> </span>Men are usually addressed as Ntate and boys are usually addressed as Abute.<span> </span>When I first arrived, I received a couple of introductory Sesotho lessons.<span> </span>During the first lesson the teacher asked if I was an Ntate or an Abute.<span> </span>I said I did not know, but since I am 29 I guess I am an Ntate.<span> </span>The teacher said eh-eh (No).<span> </span>She asked if I was married.<span> </span>I said yes.<span> </span>She then said that I was an Ntate. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span>During this recent tournament I was talking with some other spectators and they were trying to justify age cheating by saying that everyone does it.<span> </span>They even believed that European and North American athletes are also age cheating to the same extent.<span> </span>I tried to explain that it might be very difficult for Wayne Rooney or Lebron James to falsify their ages, but my arguments didn’t seem to sway them.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><i>May 13, 2010</i></span></p></span>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-74558244985180681512010-05-10T09:55:00.000-07:002010-09-07T11:11:10.756-07:00Don't Be Like a Pumpkin<div style="text-align: left;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#33CC00;"><b>The ABCs and Concurrent Sexual Partnerships</b></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I just returned from a trip to Maseru.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was just there for the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The last couple of times I have been in Maseru I have noticed a strange occurance, or at least strange for me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>During the last couple of visits I have been asked a number of times if I have found a Basotho girlfriend in Mafeteng.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> I didn't even know that I was looking for one. </span>Maybe it is because winter is approaching and cold weather motivates people to find partners.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The people who are asking know that I am married, but they are still surprised when I say that I do not have a girlfriend in Mafeteng.</div> <p class="MsoNormal">I think it exemplifies a cultural difference regarding relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The practice of having concurrent sexual partnerships (two or more sexual partners at the same time) is fairly common in East and Southern Africa and for the most part is accepted if everyone is discreet.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> There are also polygamous relationships which are obviously not discreet. </span>Over the course of a life time the average number of sexual partners that a person has in these cultures and in cultures that practice monogamy, or serial monogamy, are quite similar.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The difference is in the timing.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>People here in Lesotho may have long term committed relationships with a number of people, whereas in Canada we will move from one committed relationship to the next committed relationship – I realize this isn’t always the case in either country, but I am just sticking to generalities.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was at a workshop and one man referred to it as horizontal and vertical polygamy.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I am not trying to moralize or say one way is ‘right’ and the other is ‘wrong’.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, over the last few years the practice of concurrent sexual partnerships is getting more attention in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The acronym ABC is fairly common in HIV/AIDS prevention programmes: Abstinence, Be faithful, and Condoms.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think that usually the A and the C garner a lot of debate and discussion, but over the last few years more campaigns are now focusing attention on the B.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> In Lesotho the OneLove campaign started about a year ago. </span></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD70B7L8Pe8nAz1OCoRyMv4e1kEBwFGyTAtNvVK7yJx6gzIrt9ct8xcebImmfMFDkcysUJb4AArSP-qJNuzJn1pX7QOCKAaCCbChRYFd2LhQbxAF3kV3J-Ik5b6ZlsljF3K48_2o9cUkU/s1600/onelove.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD70B7L8Pe8nAz1OCoRyMv4e1kEBwFGyTAtNvVK7yJx6gzIrt9ct8xcebImmfMFDkcysUJb4AArSP-qJNuzJn1pX7QOCKAaCCbChRYFd2LhQbxAF3kV3J-Ik5b6ZlsljF3K48_2o9cUkU/s320/onelove.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469688618437664946" style="float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 120px; height: 116px; " /></a><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">I</span>t seems logical that people in concurrent partnerships face a greater risk of being infected.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If I am with one person and we break up I can get tested and know my HIV status.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In this manner I would be able to take actions to make sure that I do not spread the virus to my next partner.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, if I am in a long term relationship with a number of people, and those people are also in relationships with a number of people then it becomes a sort of sexual network.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Also, because we are in a long term relationship the necessity for condoms is undervalued.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>However, as soon as one person in the network becomes infected then there is the potential of infecting a large number of people.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqWWMjiPwO3yW7fVF9vl1l6V9W3hdyNee1pzJiHJr0-ppwB8739rLqh43gjIEYSbLYgseyelX5uGXQ6WtFHHtIa2hZpii_Is6s39TBAT9aiSvnQ4rGpysn47sujsL9KrV5UM1CiKlf4A/s400/t-be-like-a-pumpkin-300x146.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469689733003744370" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 146px; " /></span></p><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i>The message on this poster is "Don't be like a pumpkin." It refers to a sesotho proverb which goes,</i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CC33CC;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><i> “men are like pumpkins, they spread themselves all over the place, and women are like cabbages, they hold themselves in one place.”</i></span></span></span></span></div> <p class="MsoNormal">I have also been reading some articles that have talked about countries that a number of years ago identified concurrent partnerships as an issue and were running campaigns to address it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For example, in Uganda a ‘Zero Grazing!’ campaign was initiated by Ugandans in 1986 and was effective in reducing the number of people who had multiple partners and was showing some results in decreasing HIV rates. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This was before funding for prevention efforts or condoms were widely available in Uganda.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In the early 1990s outside agencies such as the World Bank and USAID came into Uganda and basically silenced the Zero Grazing campaign in favour of promoting the use of condoms.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>HIV rates continued to decline until the year 2000 when rates started to slightly increase.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The increase is attributed to the fact that more people are now involved in concurrent sexual partnerships and because these partnerships are committed relationships condom use is not consistent.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>May 10, 2010</i></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-67931681373983566762010-05-05T12:34:00.000-07:002010-11-17T10:15:49.420-08:00Get Out of my Country!<p class="MsoNormal">Yesterday I saw another white person in Mafeteng.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I seldom see other white people walking around.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It has only been a handful of times in the last couple of months.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Usually I’ll see cars zip by with South African plates and white people inside.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I know that the Peace Corps has a large contingent of volunteers in Lesotho, so I shouldn’t be that surprised.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">This girl that I saw yesterday got me thinking about the way I react to other white people when I am living abroad.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Before I get into that I’ll just quickly describe how I met her.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was going into our main supermarket, Shoprite – it is a South African chain.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>You have to check your bags before you go in, so we bumped into each other at the bag check.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I said hello and she sort of looked at me and just walked off.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Later that day I was walking down the street and the same girl was walking towards me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am sure she recognized me as the same white guy that she saw at Shoprite because I am pretty much the only one in Mafeteng.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>As we approached each other I think I must have appeared like a <a href="http://shawn-bapala.blogspot.com/2010/04/isnt-it-funnyironic.html">Basotho person when I am approaching them</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I was staring at her waiting for her to make eye contact so that we could greet each other, but as we got closer and closer she would not look up.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I must have looked like I was holding my breath, with my face getting redder, and veins popping out of my forehead.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Anyways, her reaction to me reminded me of how I sometimes felt in China as an expat (expatriate) – I don’t think I even knew this term until I started living in China.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">An expat is</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="line-height: 115%; color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> a </span></span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">person temporarily or permanently</span></span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="line-height: 115%; color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">residing</span></span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="line-height: 115%; color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="line-height: 115%; color:black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing or legal residence</span></span></span></span>. In China when I would see other white people I would always have this ‘Get Out Of My China’ gut reaction.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For some reason, as someone living in the country my immediate reaction was contempt for this person who I assumed was just a tourist.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">You don’t understand the country, the culture, or the people.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Why are you here?</i><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is really a bizarre and embarrassing reaction.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It is also selfish because I think when you travel there is this perception that you are having unique experiences and when you see other people possibly having similar experiences it is easy to resent them.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I should say that I never acted with resentment or contempt towards people.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am sane enough to recognize my own insane judgments.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">I imagine that this girl who brushed me off was having a ‘Get out of my Lesotho’ moment.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>She is probably a Peace Corps volunteer living in a small village. She came to town to stock up and she saw me.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>At least this is the story I have made up for her and I have based the rest of my post on this story, so you are just going to have to go with it.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It would be a waste of your time to come up with more logical reasons for her behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maybe she is just antisocial.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maybe I scared her because I was staring at her and it looked like I was holding my breath, and getting really stressed out and frustrated.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Anyways, back to our Peace Corps volunteer.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If it is true that she was having a GOOML moment then I have a couple of problems.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The first problem is that the culture we are living in places such an importance on greetings.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If she is snubbing me because she thinks I am tourist then I think she has missed something.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Most of the Basotho go out of their way to greet visitors.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>In most other countries I would not get worked up about another person not greeting me, but here it seems heretical.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The other problem I have with her behavior, or at least the behavior I have invented for her, is that I do not feel the same way in Lesotho as I did in China, so there is no reason for her to feel that way.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am living in a community with almost no expats, so I would have thought that I would have even a stronger reaction to seeing other white people, but I don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I think it is because I am maturing or more likely it is because I still feel like a tourist in Lesotho.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The people in Mafeteng have been very welcoming. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Now that I live here, even if only for a short while, they assure me that I am a Makaota. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>If I were here for one year, two years, or five years, I think I would still feel like a tourist.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am not sure why I feel this way.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maybe in China there was a strong expat community and belonging to a community connected me more to the place.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Like I said, the people here are very welcoming and I am not excluded from anything, but I am still isolated because of where I come from and what I have.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I feel like a tourist because I have the option to leave if things are too difficult or if I need a break.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maybe for that reason I haven’t developed this weird possessiveness of place and experience.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">As an afterthought, I should add that I still get these feelings when I visit Maseru, the capital of Lesotho, so I don’t have to worry about becoming more mature.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maseru is the center for many of the NGOs and foreign organizations and there are many expats.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I guess these feelings are not directed at tourists so much as at other expats. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Whenever I go to Maseru and see other white people I still get a feeling of contempt - <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">You are just hiding in Maseru, you don’t know the real Lesotho</i> – I should also say that I know how ridiculous these judgments are. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>What is the real Lesotho?<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It would be ignorant to try and define this.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Maybe I just have some warped sense of competition where I feel superior because I imagine my experience to be more ‘authentic’ or involve more hardship.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">May 5, 2010</p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2966896400539482859.post-61930026075312829382010-05-04T09:55:00.000-07:002010-09-07T11:04:03.398-07:00Coaching for Hope Workshop<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BiJS43gUhgM0Z8Im1R-xKBUIuShLiOwRRbf5lXB-xX64s_kkvRsijS6aABm1jPsM8rAtD7_rfBTONCEIULJzjYXfoORl2m1uHkT9xT4FuEBzRJrUXomdhilD0W86G1ZhhAWvjNhknCQ/s1600/P4211485.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8BiJS43gUhgM0Z8Im1R-xKBUIuShLiOwRRbf5lXB-xX64s_kkvRsijS6aABm1jPsM8rAtD7_rfBTONCEIULJzjYXfoORl2m1uHkT9xT4FuEBzRJrUXomdhilD0W86G1ZhhAWvjNhknCQ/s400/P4211485.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467426676627120770" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal">I just wanted to post this to give people an idea of what I am doing and will be doing in Lesotho.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I alluded to it in my Sport for Development and Peace post, but didn’t provide much detail.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Last week I hosted my first Coaching for Hope workshop.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It was one of the more intense working experiences I have gone through.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Imagine being placed in a completely new country, a new culture –both social and professional – and having a couple of months to plan a workshop.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>The workshop runs from 8:30am to 5:00pm for 7 days. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It includes food and accommodation for 40 local participants - you also have to recruit these participants - and it also involves hosting four coaches/facilitators from South Africa and the UK. When I write it out it actually doesn't seem that bad, but trust me, it was hectic.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The workshops focus on preparing local coaches to implement soccer sessions as well as HIV/AIDS cross over sessions.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>A cross over session involves incorporating information on HIV/AIDS and life skills into a soccer session.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>For example, a cross over session might include a passing game which involves risk and decision making.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>This activity could then lead into a discussion on high risk and low risk activities and making good decisions.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Overall I believe that the workshop was a success.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>Unfortunately we lost one of our UK coaches to the Icelandic volcano – not lost as in deceased or sacrificed, but her flights were cancelled.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span>In my Sport for Development and Peace post I talked quite a bit about my reservations regarding programmes like the one I am working on, but I think going through an actual workshop and seeing the enthusiasm and excitement of the local coaches has provided me with some optimism moving forward.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>I am optimistic, but still slightly skeptical.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>It will be interesting to see how it all develops.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">If you are interested in Coaching for Hope I would recommend checking out the link I have on the left of my blog. As well as learning about the programme you will get to see pictures of David Beckham when he visited Coaching for Hope in Cape Town. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, he manages to keep his shirt on - I think.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">May 4, 2010</p>Shawnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10069152250773693597noreply@blogger.com0