Once I heard that one of our assignments was the occasional blog post I began to try to search out different things that would be worthy of an interesting post. Lucky for me in the past few days I’ve had several occurrences that would be post worthy. This consists of going on my first activist march on Friday which was hosted by the Social Justice Coalition as well a braii that Vernon hosted last week. I would first like to explain exactly what it’s like to have a braii after living with 13 girls for 3 ½ weeks. First off, a braii is a roast which is relatable to a BBQ except it’s a slightly slower process and cooked over charcoal rather than gas. Wood is more traditional for cooking but much slower and since we were all hungry and wanted to eat within the next few hours Vernon threw the coals into the pit.
The trip that I’m on is widely based around gender issues and women’s rights. Therefore, I understand that by all means men and women are equally capable of grilling some nice juicy red meat, but I also appreciate the braii tradition that it’s the man’s job. Vernon brought Kevin and I aside and showed us the proper technique of spicing the meat up before throwing it strategically on the grille. At this point I was excited to flex my man muscles a bit further by inquisitively asking Vernon if it was traditional to drink a beer while grilling. This resulted in an immediate expiration of the 6 pack. After spicing up the lamb and chicken with the necessary salt and pepper, Vernon led us to the grille and let us pack the lamb on the right, the chicken on the left, and the sausages in the middle. I’m a big fan of my veggies and this has been reinforced by the fact that 4 of the girls on the trip are vegetarians. Yet, I have to admit, seeing all that meat wedged onto the grille as I sipped on my refreshing beer really got me excited and pumped up. I finally had the opportunity to get out all those hormones that I was once able to release during high school wrestling. Vernon showed us the basic routine of maneuvering and flipping the meat. When I asked him how he knew when to flip it he responded, “While braiing you only consult yourself.”
This got me a bit more riled up and added on to my already masculine glow that was a mix between joy and sweat. Vernon took a step back and gave us the reigns to controlling the meat tossing. After immersing myself in 15 minutes of straight braiing action, I took a step back and looked around. In the living room were the girls enjoying themselves and relaxing, Marita was outside with the other women of the house telling stories, and I was left alone in front of the braii. I took a deep breath and realized how relieving it was to be in charge of a hefty chunk of red meat. Kevin and I averaged it out to be around 15 pounds – 6.8 kg. Vernon came back with a remaining 3 minutes before the meat was ready and showed me the last trick to a delectable braii. Marinate the meat in Jimmy’s (braii sauce), flip it around a few more times, then chow down. Everyone was exceedingly hungry at this point and before we knew it the meat had gone only leaving a few stray sausages. But I was quick with my hands, and managed to score a few key chicken breasts and some tender lamb. To my delight, Vernon then heaved out another meat filled tray soon after. He left this batch solely up to me while he left to go do other important things. I felt like I was given a golden opportunity to yet again prove my manliness so I nursed a beer in one hand, moved the meat around with my other, and somehow continued to scarf down my meal despite the lack of free hands. I also learned some Afrikaans slang and joined in with the group on a karaoke party with the Rock Star videogame. Overall, it was an invigorating, challenging, and learning experience and I thank Vernon immensely for teaching me the ways of the braii!On to the next experience that happened around 11 A.M. Friday. Prior to Friday, my first day at TAC, which is my internship, I was basically forgotten about. However, this changed when I was adopted by the Social Justice Coalition. I began the mobilization process of getting the media aware of the upcoming Arms Deal March via phone calls and emails. Here’s a quick summary of the Arms Deal. Ten years ago the government made a deal involving 50 billion rand for arms and weaponry that was deemed unnecessary. This deal occurred because many levels of government, including the top, were most likely corrupt. Therefore, there was a huge sum of money that was taken away from important endeavors and spent on cheap weaponry. The march was about, “demanding an independent judicial commission of inquiry into the Arms Deal. We want corrupt contracts cancelled, so that money still owing on those contracts can be diverted to improving service delivery and providing South African citizens with things that actually ensure their safety and security” (taken from the emails I sent out).
Friday morning involved a frantic marker search to make signs. Thanks to the splendid art work of Emily G, Emily A, Michelle, Faina, and Steph O, we were ready to march well supplied with domineering signs. At the house we split up with a few of the other girls who went to the official opening of parliament. The six of us ended up leaving a bit later than expected and thought we were lost because I was unsure of where the march started once in Cape Town. However, we luckily found it just in time to hop in line and grab some free T-shirts. I began the march a bit awkwardly being unsure of exactly how to act. This was quickly changed when I noticed the enthusiastic but laid back attitude of the crowd. It consisted of many smaller groups of people leading chants in Xhosa. I chimed in loudly trying unsuccessfully to match the foreign words. Regardless of my failure, it was fun to belt boisterously. We were eventually stopped by the police a few blocks from Parliament. At this point several different speakers, such as the President of the University of Cape Town and a few of the main people at TAC, led inspirational speeches to the crowd. Even though I have never protested before in my life, I can understand the reasons why it’s addicting. A mob mentality mixed with some loud cheers is always a good time. They’re also free shirts!
That’s a long synopsis of some of the most interesting things that have occurred in the past few days. If you had enough drive to get through this painstakingly long blog I commend you. Other than that, Cape Town is terrific and adios!
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you can read more about the demonstration at
http://www.uct.ac.za/dailynews/?id=6943
Marching orders: Vice-Chancellor Dr Max Price (right) was among hundreds of Social Justice Coalition marchers who protested outside Parliament on Friday.
