Robben Island at last

Waiting outside the cell block

Buses pick us up on arrival at Robben Island 

In the cell area listening to our guide. The windows had no glass and prisoners slept on the cold concrete even in winter. Many never survived.

This cell housed 60 prisoners. They slept on the concrete floor, even in winter. there was no glass in the windows.

This chart has all the info on a prisoner 

Letters to political
prisoners were censored like this.

What happened to the Namibians was raw genocide according to our guide. They were kept separated from

The South African political prisoners.

After his release, Mandela met with other political prisoners by the stone quarry where they had worked tirelessly and left this stone mound as a memorial.

One block were some prisoners were kept in solitary confinement.

 We made it! 

The Robben Island tour is by far the most popular in Cape Town, partly because of the weather I guess but most likely because of the late great Nelson Mandela. 

The ferry at Robben Island.

The more I learn about Mandela, the more I conclude that he was an angel, not a human. 

Mandela started this little garden here and was punished!

For how could an ordinary man abide 27 years of humiliation, torture, misery, physical abuse and say forgive?

This was Mandela’s cell during solitary confinement . If he didn’t fold back his blanket exactly as instructed,  he was punished. 

Prisoners could only get mail once per year and sections were taken out like the above! SMH

Some Namibian prisoners got bunks

Some people who spent less time than Mandela on Robben Island have never recovered and are on the streets totally crazy.

Up to 18 months ago they found and dug up unmarked graves on the island.

The youngest prisoner taken there was 11 years old. He was given a life sentence for throwing a stone at police. He died within 7 years from malnutrition and sickness.

This is one of the two churches on Robben island. Why is it where you find absolute wickedness, religion usually plays such a prominent role?

The buildings and roads on the island were built by prisoners who were given primitive tools and even after their hands were blistered they couldn’t stop working.

But as usual I am ahead of myself!

Our scheduled trip was postponed yesterday as the sea was too rough so we called on everyone to pray as we depart tomorrow. Clearly my friends’ prayers worked as today the sea was amazingly calm.

Give thanks. 

The tour operator who took us was amazing. She is a descendant of the Asian slaves brought here, and has been Re-classified three times. 

With our wonderful tour guide Faziela.

She was first classified as Asian, then as colored, then as  as Cape colored as she was born in Cape Town. We sure learned a lot about the Asian slave experience in the short time we spent with her.

Why I said she was amazing is because two weeks ago, she lost her son, had a major health emergency with her daughter, but she was so friendly and professional you couldn’t guess .

Why I am in such awe of her is because I don’t think I could even talk for about six weeks when I lost my son.

But here I go straying again.

Faziela picked us up and took us to the ferry.

On the ferry 

Once we arrived on Robben island we boarded buses which took us to the cells where the ex prisoner shared his experience.

Our guide was Luvino Mlilwana a former political prisoner himself and as he described the conditions, the torture, the genocide, the beatings and attacks by German shepherds which the guards had, try as he did he could not conceal te raw emotion.

He was extremely articulate as were the young ladies who gave us an overview of the trip. They were extremely well trained and professional.

After hearing about the horrendous treatment of political prisioners under apartheid, a film was shown on the return trip showing white families who were correctional officers or relatives of, saying how wonderful life had been on Robben island!

When Mandela was jailed he lost his name and became 46664.

. 

With former political prisoner Luvino Mlilwana who told us how they survived.


The wharf in Cape Town where we left from





Cape Town is 10 Kim’s from Robben Island 

Kick the dog!

 

I have noted some pathetic attempts in various media to validate Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. This unprovoked war has led to the murders of thousands of civilians in Ukraine including women and children plus serious instability worldwide.

Apart from creeping international inflation caused by the disruption and increases in oil prices, the war has also had serious repercussions in poor, drought ridden countries, where starvation is now rampant. They had previously been able to buy basic foods such as wheat and corn from fertile Ukraine, but the disruptions caused by the war, have driven up the prices of these products where they are available.

If it wasn’t so serious, it would be hilarious to see and listen to the excuses by the apologists whose reasoning seems steeped in nothing but the ‘kick the dog’ philosophy!

For those who are not familiar, the kick the dog reaction is most often used by cowards. For when one cannot confront the real source of their displeasure or hurt, they find the weakest thing to abuse and take out their anger.

Often this is a harmless dog lying around at home!

This philosophy shines clearly throughout the writings and reasoning of most who have come out in support of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The latest attempt at justification was written by one Maxim Artemyev, a so-called journalist at the state-run media empire in Russia called RT. His piece published on 9th September, is entitled “The West took advantage of Russian weakness in the 1990s and is unable to understand the trauma it unleashed.”

It begins “A series of articles published in the Washington Post in August about the events leading up to Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine, and its first stage of operation, raise a significant question. “How realistically and objectively do people in the West perceive the situation?”

In putting forward his justification for the illegal invasion of Ukraine, Artemyev spouts a series of injuries/indignities he claims Russia suffered since 1985-1991, when Mikhail Gorbachev pulled the USSR out of the arms race and ended the Cold War.

In the long diatribe which wreaks with self-pity (as a Russian), he itemizes the various indignities, financial and reputational losses Russia has suffered since 1985. While doing so, he pointed an accusing finger at many in the west and NATO but reading it through carefully, I could find nowhere that the Ukrainians were the villains.

Clearly by his own admission, Ukraine is just the dog!

And he knows that too, since he places the blame squarely where it should fall, writing; “The collapse of historical Russia was the result of Gorbachev’s remarkably weak leadership and Yeltsin’s personal ambition, as the latter tried to consolidate power even if only over a smaller state.”

So, Mr. Artemyev, if the Russian empire disintegrated as a result of poor leadership in Russia, how does that justify the murder of thousands next door?

Maybe this article was intended to be a salve for those Russian readers who wondered why their brothers and sisters in Ukraine were being murdered by Russian soldiers and not for an international audience.

What is clear though is that Russia had expected the dog to run away whimpering, but instead, it is biting back!

So, the carnage and war crimes continue.

Will their true worth be valued? Nah!

I am bemused, as no doubt are the scientists who were taken by surprise by the coronavirus. For it seems clear now that they overreacted.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy they did, for had they not done so, the death rate would have exceeded the 390,000 it is today. (with the US alone having more than 110,000).

The scary thing is though, we really have no idea yet what the economic impact and indeed the death by poverty and malnutrition will be, as a result of economies all over the world, being closed down immediately and for months.

Before this vicious virus struck, over seven hundred million on this planet, lived on less than US$2 per day. Since the shutdown, the World Food Program, (WFP)  estimates that some 265 million will directly face starvation and malnutrition-related problems during 2020.

For most people in the first world, such statistics have no impact, as they are just numbers. For me, it is chilling though, since I have spent most of my life in a third world country, where avoiding those on the verge of starvation and deprivation has always been impossible.

However, those who treat the figures above as just meanless statistics will somehow be affected by what is happening to the poor, as this must have an impact on world peace and stability in many countries. 

For, consider this, if so many hundreds of thousands of people worldwide were prepared put their health and even their lives at risk this past weekend, thousands by putting their masks and social distancing away to go on the streets to demonstrate against racism in America, what will people, in general, be prepared to do when facing starvation?

 

Why am I feeling like such a prophetess of doom today, a role I have never cherished?

My more positive position arises from the fact that I feel that the spread of the disease will not be as dire as scientists are predicting, based on close proximity to each other over the last 2 weeks. Being in the outdoors in my book must make a world of a difference, so we can open up and get our economies moving.

No, I am not a scientist so call it a feeling. Yes, I am sure many will get sick and some will even die. But isn't it God who really determines when any of us must die? Yes, we can take precautions against getting ill, like wearing masks and spending more time outside, but in the final analysis, we have to learn to co-exist with diseases, for the solution can never be to cower under our beds.

I would hate to be a decision-maker in my little island of Jamaica, for you will be condemned if you do and condemned if you don't.

So you may as well do.

Before the pandemic, we had a poverty rate of between 14-17% depending on who you wished to believe. Tourism contributes 10% to our GDP and supplies 25% of the jobs, so having to close down that sector has not only been directly devastating to the workers,  but also to people like farmers, craft vendors etc.

Jamaica, therefore, cannot continue to have that sector remain closed indefinitely, especially in light of the fact that other competing destinations are gingerly opening up their countries. So while extra attention is being paid to doing everything to keep the spread of the virus to the minimum,  like deep and continuous cleaning, the mandatory wearing of masks and keeping people a safe distance apart,  had we chosen to test every visitor who visits our shores, no one would be visiting our island soon.

And opening up, cannot mean testing every visitor to the island, for that too would not only be impossible but also it would cause our competitors to wipe us out.

With our public health authorities now having a handle on dealing with the virus, the government decided to open up some schools, businesses, and tourism, partially, on the 15th, June 2020. 

For tourism. they have declared they are not requiring that visitors certify that they are coronavirus free nor will they be testing everyone who arrives on our shores. 

This has naturally caused a loud outcry from detractors.

But detractors have no responsibility for making decisions that affect people's lives and livelihood so they can be ignored when they choose to make an issue of everything.

The government has to remain bold and stick to its guns to save the majority from unnecessary peril and starvation. And they are doing just that by having facilities ready to deal with any visitor or tourism worker who becomes ill. It is the right way to proceed.

We have the sea, sun, and fresh air on our side so hopefully, the effect of this damn virus will be minimal and time will prove that this was the sane way to proceed.

On a more positive note, this awful virus has highlighted the true value of human effort in societies.

What I  mean is that before the pandemic, the "valuable"  people based on their remuneration, were, film stars, sportsmen/women and other types of entertainers. When I say valuable, I mean they are the ones who could demand any salary they wanted and get it.

Oh, I would never downgrade the role of entertainers and sportspeople, for entertainment in all forms, plays a critical role in drowning monotony and even allowing us to take a break from depressing real-life stresses.

Because entertainers and sportspeople fall within the private sector, the players are paid huge salaries.

However, when the pandemic arrived, people suddenly realized the really critical players in the society are teachers, health care workers, sanitation workers, those who provide our food etc. But these are among the lowest paid in most societies! As a result of this new awakening, all sorts of tributes including fly-overs from ace pilots, dedicated songs from musicians have sprouted up to honor the workers in these areas. But will their importance to the society be still recognized once the pandemic is under control?

I would love to be optimistic, but the reality is, most such workers are paid from the public purse worldwide and governments are notorious for underpaying such people. I don't think it's because the politicians are especially wicked, but the reality is, improving salaries means having to impose higher taxes and none of us like to pay more taxes!

So back to the title; will their true worth be of value when it comes to prioritizing who should be well compensated?

Sadly, even if it does in words,  I don't think it will show where it should, that is, in their compensation packages.

The poor will be the real victims

As one watches the developments, discussions, and  debates taking place since the scourge of coronavirus attacked the world, it is not difficult to remember the words of Walter Bagehot, the late British journalist that 'Poverty is  such an anomaly to rich people, that it is very difficult for them to figure out why people who want dinner do not ring the bell.'

Unfortunately, the vast majority of the world's people who are going bear the brunt of this virus, are the poor and they, in reality, are close to being the majority of the world's population.

It may appear simplistic, but I have such difficulty watching the thousands of people in high-end air-conditioned vehicles, lining up all over the USA to collect food from the food banks. For these people who are claiming to be needy, have no reason to be so for they live in a country with lots of security blankets that most in the world can only dream of. 

And if those people are really having difficulty finding food, what must be the plight of the really poor people all over the world, for this virus is affecting everyone.

It seems the choices facing the really poor, therefore, may probably even boil down to slowly dying from starvation/malnutrition or taking a chance that the virus will not get to them. 

Take my own home Jamaica where under 10% of adults were up to recently said to be unemployed. But at the same time, we must recall that approximately a fifth of those who are registered as employed, include small farmers whose existence is determined by the elements. Worse off are those who hustle day by day, driving route taxis or selling anything from sweets to a few fruits to earn enough to buy food daily. 

The day these people do not do that, is the day they may not have food for their children.

Recently, a Business Process Outsourcing company, (BPO) in Jamaica was found to have a significant number of persons suffering from the coronavirus. These companies in Jamaica have been a major source of employment, providing jobs for some 40,000 people, mainly women. According to the reports, one of the main companies involved in that industry had not been practicing hygienic practices and that is where the virus spread exponentially, causing Jamaica's contagion rate to double overnight.

What bothers me though was the panic reaction from some influential quarters calling for the BPO industry to be locked down and some are even urging the government to lock down the country entirely!!

Those proposing that solution in my humble opinion, are either complete idiots, people who think what happens in the USA must be emulated regardless of other circumstances or fall into Bagehot's description of the rich as quoted above. 

For the question arises, if these establishments are closed, what will happen to the  40,000  people who depend on the paycheck earned in these establishments if they are closed?  (It is estimated that every working head of household, supports a family of 5 others in Jamaica).

Yes the rich USA and European countries can afford to lock down indefinitely,  but very few third world countries can afford to.

In Jamaica, already our tourism industry has been devastated, there is little demand for bauxite and even remittances have dried up.

As far as I am concerned, the government has been making the right moves by closing the schools,  testing as many people as they can, tracing those who they have come in touch with, quarantining selected areas where many are affected and instituting a nightly curfew.

However I don't know if closing down the parish of St. Catherine was necessary.

Yes, the problem occurred in Portmore and that is a structured community so a lockdown may work. 

But the rest of St. Catherine is not like that but more like  Kingston, where 'hustling' is predominant. 

I think the better move is to intensify the testing, quarantining and blanketing the airwaves with public education about washing hands, wearing masks and social distancing and of course the nightly curfew. 

This is the successful template South Korea followed, balancing economic concerns with the public health realities, and they are receiving condemnation from all over the world for the success of their practical strategies.

Happily, a number of entertainers have rallied to the cause, making music to encourage their fans to do what's right and that will have a great impact and we have an added advantage. This is based on studies by scientists all over the world, who are now concluding that the BCG vaccine against TB that children in many third world countries were forced to take before entering the primary school from the '50s, seems to have strengthened our immune system against this particular virus.

Walking the thin line between economic devastation and public health has to be the strategy, for cutting off the majority poor from their daily bread can only spell disaster, in both the long and short run.

I have always maintained that the worse thing that could ever happen to an individual is to be poor and sick. Right now,  the 'sick' part will not apply as far as this virus is concerned, for the vast majority of us will not be adversely affected by it.