Wow. Just Wow.
I really have to say, that was an amazing weekend, where I got to know many, very nice, open-hearted and great people.
Because also active in Mamelodi, I
have arranged to meet with Juliane Hoss, a
co-founder of Bridging Gaps on Saturday morning. With an incredible amount of dedication and passion she brought (and brings) her
project to the to the people. Anyway, they didn't have to
convince me that long that this is a really great,
worthy of support project - well actually I do not
want to distract from my project where I myself need any
donation - but I was definitely immediately with them and distributed flyers and helped to raise funds for their
project.
I got to know there a lot of people that 'ever
were in South Africa' - well as a tourist you can't really have a look behind the scenes, but let's leave it at that here.
I also met and got to know people who just go back home and invited me for a "come-over-braai".
The day passed faster than imagined
- unfortunately. After all we had had a nice evening, where I
said, that if then this youth camp in Mamelodi takes place...
Okey, maybe I should briefly explain at
this point what Bridging Gaps (mainly) does (everything else you can check check out on their
website):
Twice a year, they organize a youth camp in Mamelodi (East) where 10-15 year-olds of any social backgrounds, regardless of gender, race, religion etc PP ( ;) ) are invited. And why do
they do that? - To get over and to remove prejudices, thereby to reduce racism.
Well anyway, when the camp takes place in October, I'm going to try to get holiday at Tateni and enter into
the project 'Bridges Camps'.
Very impressive, was the film (interviews) about racism in Germany - many of us, perhaps doesn't mean it like that, or it just happens unconsciously . . .
- So why do we play "Who is afraid of the black
man"?
- Why is "Schwarzfahren" called "Schwarzfahren" (dodging), and "Schwarzarbeit"
called "Schwarzarbeit" (moonlighting)?
- Why do some peple ask over and over again whether
people are black, colored or pigmented now - Whites
aren't namely white at all, but more pink, beige, pale
or cheese-white.
- Why there are
always those people who always want
to touch the hair of these people? That's a
Border crossing in my opinion, which is just plain
disrespectful.
- Why do some people not want to recognize, that we
live in a globalized world, where also exist black people
who were born in Germany? That they also could be
well-educated, not corresponding to the stereotype
"Black".
It
is on us now to rethink our opinions and images and to destroy them, because ONLY if we confront any human being open-hearted and respectful and AS A HUMAN BEING, a happy and open cooperation is
possible, where no one has to feel not recognized.