- Dear Family and Friends,
-
- My son is 11 years old and in his last year at junior
school. This is not an elite white's only institution, just a good small
Christian school where there are 12 white children in a school of 180 students.
I believe it is a school truly representative of real life in Zimbabwe
where children of all colours and backgrounds have mastered the art of
race relations, tolerance and dignity in a country in turmoil.
-
- My sons year began with a leadership camp where he and
his classmates were taught the finer skills of being school prefects. Throughout
the year all the grade 7 students are rostered for a week at a time to
be a monitor of one of the junior classes. As a monitor you get to wear
a distinctive white hat and you patrol the playground and corridors at
break time, lunch time and when the school is congregating for assembly.
As a mother it has been awesome to watch the transformation in my son and
to see him being confronted with the same questions and problems that our
country faces.
-
- For years when I have picked my son up at the end of
the school day it has been like pulling teeth to try and find out what
he's been doing. It didn't seem to matter how I worded the enquiry about
his day or how specific the question was, until now all I've ever had was
one word answers. If I asked how his day was, or his teacher or a friend,
he would just say: "OK". If I asked what he'd done in maths,
english, sport or art, the answer was always "nothing". I had
begun to wonder if he ever did anything at school but now that he's a monitor
everything has changed.
-
- Now, when I ask him how his day was, the words just pour
out. He tells me about errant 8 year olds who leave litter in the playground,
thow stones at walls, talk in line, wear the wrong shoes or are heard swearing.
He tells me of punishment he's given out to deviants, how many people he's
recommended for detention and how many kids he's given lines to. On Friday
all the children who have been given lines to write during the week, have
to hand the work in to the monitors for checking. Lines which say "I
will not talk at assembly" or "I will not swear at the monitor".
-
- As the weeks have progressed and his familiarity with
authority has grown, my son and I have had many conversations about the
fine line between being a good leader and a bad one, how to earn respect
and how being firm but fair can change to arrogance and cruelty very easily.
We've also talked a lot about a boy who was a monitor last year who was
known throughout the school as Rough Roger. Rough Roger always gave out
his punishment with a slap or a push or some form of humiliation like pulling
a boy's shorts down or sticking a foot out so the child tripped.
-
- My son said that everyone in the school had been scared
of Rough Roger but few had dared report him or stand up to his bullying
use of authority because if they did Rough Roger would come for them later
with angry revenge and make your life hell. My son thought that if the
whole school had stuck together then perhaps they could have stopped Rough
Roger but he said that too many kids had been hurt or humiliated by him
and were scared and so they just did nothing, knowing that Rough Roger
would be out of their lives at the end of the year when he left for senior
school.
-
- Through the eyes of a child the situation in Zimbabwe
has been captured - bullying, force, arrogance and fear. Also through the
eyes of a child the answer to Zimbabwe's problem is staring us in the face
- united we are strong but divided we are weak victims cowering in the
corners.
-
- Until next week,
-
- with love, cathy.
-
- Copyright cathy buckle, 6th March 2004. http://africantears.netfirms.com
-
- My books on the Zimbabwean crisis, "African Tears"
and "Beyond Tears" are now available outside Africa from: orders@africabookcentre.com
; www.africabookcentre.com ; www.amazon.co.uk ; in Australia and New Zealand:
johnmreed@johnreedbooks.com.au ; Africa: www.kalahari.net www.exclusivebooks.com
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