Visual Ethnography Synthesis Project: Cape Town

Brian Yost

For Dr. Jason Clark

DMin 717

George Fox Evangelical SeminaryDoctor of Ministry

Leadership and Global Perspective

December 8, 2014

Introduction

Two days of travel with cramped airline seats and

long layovers brought me to Cape Town excited, but

exhausted. I was ready for a good meal, a long hot shower,

and a comfortable bed. While waiting in line at immigration,

I struck up a conversation with a young, adventurous

looking couple. They were traveling around Africa

experiencing nature. Their plans in Cape Town involved

wine tours, diving with the great white sharks, and climbing Table Mountain. I was thoroughly

enjoying the conversation until they asked what I was doing in South Africa. I’m sure my

response would have been a little keener if I was not feeling so travel weary, but I found myself

at a lack for words to explain my reason for being there. Yes, I was in a doctor of ministry

program and I knew we would be visiting Robben Island, but being my first Advance, I was a bit

clueless as to what would really happen in Cape Town. They asked me if I was going up Table

Mountain, I said, “I think so. We are doing a lot of different things, so I am pretty sure we will

visit Table Mountain.” What I did not say was that I did not know what Table Mountain was or

even where in was. I knew I was in South Africa, but I lacked the information and experience to

fully understand the significance.

Table What?

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As I began to immerse myself in the wonder of my Cape Town experience, I soon

realized that that upon returning home I would have as much difficulty conveying my experience

to family and friends as I had explaining my purpose in South Africa to the adventurous couple

at the airport. How could I put into words an experience that

incorporated so much learning, so much culture, so many tragic

stories, so much beauty, and so many surprises? When many

words do not begin to tell the story, perhaps one word is better.

I decided that when someone asks me how South Africa was, I

would simply say, “Penguins”. Before arriving in Cape Town, I

was completely unaware that there were colonies of penguins

native to Africa. The more I pondered this revelation, I began to reflect on how many times we

think we know something but are actually ignorant. Cape Town was full of surprises in which I

thought I knew the story, but only knew a small piece of the truth. I am not a big souvenir guy,

but I bought several stone penguins to give to family and friends. They were all surprised and not

one of them knew that there were Africa penguins (let alone that they were call “Jack Ass

Penguins”). My reason for given them a penguin, was to remind them that God always has

surprises for us in places that we would never expect.

While words always fall short of describing experiences, I hope that the combination of

words and photographs will convey at least a glimpse of what the Cape Town experience meant

to me.

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New Friends

Meeting cohort five and the GFU faculty was priceless. I feel so blessed to be connected

with these incredible people. Proverbs 27:17 say, “ As iron sharpens iron,

    so one person sharpens another” (NIV). I feel that these

men and women with whom I will be interacting for the

next two years will help sharpen shape me in ways that will

last a lifetime. I already sensed this happening as we began

to process our Cape Town experiences. It was so refreshing

to be with people who were not satisfied to merely observe, but

sought to understand. The conversations helped me view the

experience from a different, more critical perspective, and to get

a fuller view of reality.

Meeting face-to-face gave greater insight into the perspective each person brings to the

learning environment. I have found that I read their weekly blogs in a different way now that I

know their context and personalities.

Robben Island

Of all the places we visited, Robben Island was

perhaps the most surreal. The emotional

contradictions were profound. Here I stood on a

beautiful island overlooking Cape Town with

Table Mountain looming behind. I was torn

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between the sense of awe and majesty, and the realization that such a beautiful landscape was the

sight of so much pain and injustice. Cape Town, dwarfed by Table Mountain and barely visible

from the shores of the island seemed insignificant. It was easy to forget the struggle that had

lasted generations. Places like Distict Six could not be seen. Is this what is was like for the

privileged during Apartheid? Were they able to see South Africa for it’s beauty and placidly look

past the pain and suffering? Did the “rules” of Apartheid really make it possible to live in the

midst of injustice and not feel the pain? “Understanding a formula… enables an agent to carry

on in social life in a routine manner... The same is true of bureaucratic rules, traffic rules, rules of

football, rules of grammar, rules of social etiquette: to know a rule… mean[s] that one can use

the rule 'to go on' in social life.”1 Social “rules” allow us to live in a way that is expected, but that

is different than living how we should.

As I turned from the ocean view of Cape Town, I was confronted

with the reality of Robben Island. The eerie silence of the wind-torn

island shouted a story. From the empty prison halls and cells to the

solitary table and benches in the yard, felt myself drawn into this story.

I remember the watching the news when Nelson Mandela was released,

but being where he had spent so many years brought a new reality. How

was it that a man so abused by the system

could live in hope for so many

years? How was it that the

spirit of this great man was

able to move others to action

while remaining behind bars?

1 Anthony Elliott, Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction (London: Routledge, 2009), 128.

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The image that stays in my mind is the open prison gate. This is a lasting symbol that

things can change. The prison is empty and the prisoners are gone. The gate that once held them

is now on open door. True leadership leads to change.

Great leaders see the world the way it could and

should be. Leadership does not wait for perfect

circumstances; leadership lives in the present context

while looking toward a better future. 2

District Six

District Six was another eye-opener; I had no idea that an entire neighborhood had been

evacuated and destroyed to make room white people of European

descent. Standing on the street map and looking at the preserved street

signs of the way things used to be was shocking. Apartheid officially

ended twenty years ago, but the scars still remain. As people share what

it was like to be displaced, the hurt and anger is still present in their

voices. Today, there is a whole generation that did not live through apartheid and is unable to

relate to what their parents suffered.

2 Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana, eds., Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: An Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership (Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press, 2010), 306.

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As we walked down the street, we passed vacant land. This

property was once filled with streets, homes, and families. This land

stands as a witness to the cruelty. We live in a sinful world in which

humankind, created in the image of God, treats fellow human beings

with distain. Praise God that this is not the end of the story. As we

rounded a corner, we saw new buildings. Although this new

construction can never atone for the evil that was done, it does

however, speak of hope. We had the privilege of visiting the home of a

woman who had finally returned home. No, she is not in the house she

lived in before the relocation, but she is back in District Six. She

praised God for his provision and expressed a long-awaited joy.

At the museum, I sat on a bench that had previously been only for white people. This

brought back shameful memories of

my own national history. Like South

Africa and District Six, we in the

United States still have a long way to

go toward reconciliation and equity. Laws may change, but hearts can remain stained with the

sin of racism. I praise God for the changes that have taken place, but I am challenged with the

fact that the work is not yet complete.

Leon Oosthuizen & Xola Skosana

The meeting with Leon and Xola was inspirational.

These men demonstrated that people can change. As they

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dialogued, both in person and in the pages of their book Roads to Bridges, they gave us a

glimpse into their hearts. Too often we are afraid to share how we really feel or to ask questions

of which we may not like the answers. Leon and Xola showed us how to walk through the

painful process of really learning to listen to others. At times, I felt uncomfortable with their

words of truth to each other; I can only imagine what it must have felt like for them. They

modeled an integrity that says “you are more important than my personal comfort”. They provide

a great example for us as Christian leaders.

Mary Burton-Truth and Reconciliation Commission

I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the trust and Reconciliation

Commission. When we have been wronged, we want the truth to come out. Once the truth is out,

we want justice—usually meaning revenge. The idea of exposing the

truth of horrible acts toward humanity and offering pardon rather than

punishment is not a normal human reaction. What I love about this is

that it reflects the nature of God. We all have sin in our lives, but as we

confess our sin to God, the truth sets us free.

Hearing Mary’s story was inspiring. As a white woman, she was a person of privilege.

She was not expected to feel for those living under the injustice of Apartheid. It would have been

easy for her to live a quite life, enjoy her privileged status, and not make waves. She strikes me

as a model of quite strength, a person who could never be content if her comfort was the cause of

another’s suffering.

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Learn to Earn

I cannot say enough about how impressed I was

with the Learn to Earn center. The quality of this

program really

spoke to me.

So often we see a need and try to fix it from the

outside. Learn to Earn addresses the needs up-close

and personal. They come alongside individuals and

give them practical tools to better their own

situation. This is not a social program that perpetuates

dependency; it is an education and skill-based program requiring commitment and hard work. I

loved seeing the joy on the men’s’ faces as they showed us their woodworking projects. I can

also say that I will never talk with a call-center rep again without remembering the call center

training provided at Earn to Learn.

This is a model that is easily reproducible, not just in South Africa, but in Latin America

where I work. I would love to get some of our Mexican leaders exposed to the methodology

employed at Earn to Learn. This is a practical way to begin making a monumental difference;

first in the lives of individuals and eventually in the life of the whole community.

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Cape of Good Hope

Seeing the Cape of Good Hope was amazing! I

stood in awe as I pondered what I was looking at. This

was the place where ships rounded Africa; they could

now turn east, away from the treacherous sees further

south. This is also the place where two oceans meet.

This is not an arbitrary line. The two oceans have district

currents, temperatures, and marine life. While this line may

look invisible to the untrained eye, it is there and it is definitive.

This reminds me of the social issues in South Africa and elsewhere; We may not always

see and understand the underlying currents, but they exist. Those who live in these currents feel

them in every aspect of their lives. As Christian leaders, we must learn to see what lies beneath

the surface of society. The good news is that there is hope. We see the divide, but God calls us to

see the good hope.

Mercy Ship

Before leaving Cape Town, I took one last walk down by the waterfront. I noticed that

the Mercy Ship was docked and decided to check it out. I was not able to go

aboard (tours were starting the next day), but I was able to interview

one of the volunteer workers. This young lady was the epitome of

a person living her theology. She shared with me some of the

ways that Mercy Ship is making a difference. Not only do they

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provide medical care, they also provide medical training. As they enter a community, they work

with the local medical personel to help them become more effective in their service to their local

communities. This young lady has raised money and given up several months of her life to serve

others in the love of Christ.

Conclusion

The Cape Town experience is hard to put into

words, but the impact is easy to feel. The South Africans

are an amazing people who have challenged me greatly.

They continue to forge a new future for a nation with a

troubled past. They have not forgot their past, as is

demonstrated by a statue of a gun I saw by the waterfront. The gun tells the story of hurt and

violence, but the twisting of the barrel shows that it will no longer define them and cause hurt.

Forging a new future can look like a bridge we frequently

passed in Cape Town, a bridge that goes nowhere. This is a

bridge that was begun, yet never

completed. Apartheid

officially ended twenty

years ago and still there remains many unresolved issues. It

would be easy to give up, but I see a different heart in the

South African. They remember their past but press on toward a

brighter future. I see their spirit of hope in a picture I took from a rugby field. If you look

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through the goalposts, into the distance, you will see the Africa Mercy Ship. This ship is a

symbol of hope and healing. With the eyes on the goal, no matter how distant it may look,

healing is within reach.

BibliographyElliott, Anthony Contemporary Social Theory: An Introduction. London: Routledge, 2009.

Grenz, Stanley J., and Roger E. Olson. Who Needs Theology? An Invitation to the Study of God. Downers Grove, Ill., USA: InterVarsity Press, 1996.

Oosthuizen, Leon and Skosana, Xola. Roads 2 Bridges: Uninterrupted Conversations: Stories of friendship and partnering across the racial divide. South Africa, Emmaus Media, 2013.

Pink, Sarah. Doing Sensory Ethnography. Los Angeles: SAGE, 2009.

Pink, Sarah. Doing Visual Ethnography. 3rd ed. Los Angeles, California: SAGE, 2013.

Nohria, Nitin, and Rakesh Khurana, eds. Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice: An Hbs Centennial Colloquium On Advancing Leadership. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business Press, 2010.

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