Activism and GSIE

“When did you think you would come over to speak with us?” polite was the question and the voice carried the message that my visit to them – the office of the African Rehabilitation Institute Conference was long over due. “Oh did I speak with you over there?” I said not remembering whether I met this lady sitting across the table before.

“No, but I saw you there when you were trying to speak with people.” I had been, I had spoke to two of the delegates outside, because I wanted them know about my agenda, children with disabilities and inclusive education. “Is Mrs Kambo or Katjuongua here?” I queried to see if I could get hold of these two ladies. “No but there is someone here from the Ministry of Health that can help you,” she replied as she turned to look across the long table. In this office, a small room with printers and a computer I knew there could be a way for me to bring across the “Global Strategy for Inclusive Education.”

I met with Shumba first, a pleasant looking black man and he seemed very interesting. After I gave my nearly rehearsed speech about how this Strategy was developed by someone who is from Namibia and South Africa – with a double culture – and who had gone to mainstream schools while being wheelchair bound, being disabled yet normal, he replied that in Namibia there is now a policy of inclusive education. I spoke in somewhat anthropological terms, how the trajectory of an individual can inform policies that are often backed by quantitative, statistical figures, that call for institutional changes. Then I met David Hughes who was looking at me, in my black pants and shirts complete with a grey zebra tie, while I and Shumba spoke. “I was just overhearing, sorry” he said when my eyes met his “No please I actually want people to overhear.” This was coming from the guy that just a few minutes earlier introduced himself as “I am Pancho and I am an activist.”

When I met David, my prejudices immediately detected his American accent and somehow I felt reassured that he would help, being white and American. I studied in a place with lots of white Americans and perhaps that’s the reason for this subconscious prejudice. He asked me about the school of Edward Ndopu – the one who came up with the GSIE, and I said it was “African Leadership Institute funded by the US embassy.” In the end I conceded I did not know what the exact name was, nor whether it was funded by the Embassy or some US agency “there are so many of them.” Indeed, the whole time today, I was reiterating the main points in the policy letter prepared by the GSIE founders that I had given to them and my own knowledge of Edward, of the boy I know as Junior. I realize know that speaking as an activist requires one to think of things on the spur of the moment, but then also deep reflection on what one needs to say. For instance, I had not fully formulated what I wanted to say about Junior having gone to mainstream schools. I though of saying that “ there is no reason physically disabled children should be kept outside of mainstream schools,” when in fact I should say “Edward’s example proves that physically disabled people can go to mainstream schools and I don’t believe his experience is unique or a fluke, with the same support from school, family and community all children could attend mainstream schools.”

“What’s his disability?” asked David during the course of my discussion. “A motor neuron degenerative disorder,” I said vaguely remembering what his mother told me once. I could have had the exact name, but I guess it sounded scientific enough and hey, I studied Molecular Biology, so I know how to give it a ring of authenticity. Nonetheless, I made sure I said that he had survived and continues to survive against the odds.

David told me that Edwards experience is not unique and he mentioned a boy in the South of Namibia called Bernie that had gone to mainstream schools. “His classmates carried him up the stairs on their shoulders, because there was no way for his wheelchair to get upstairs. Schools in Namibia are horribly inaccessible.” I remembered this fact as I thought back to every school I had been to and how none of them had lifts for students in wheelchairs to get up the stairs except maybe Emma Hoogenhout Primary School, but I had never seen that lift in use, did it even work?

I really enjoyed speaking with David Hughes. As we spoke Shumba and the young lady would also contribute, their interjections made a really stimulating conversation, where we touched on the lack of synergy between the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the Ministry of Education in terms of inclusive education. The young lady though (I always forget the names of women more easily, I don’t know why though, maybe I am just sexist) said the Ministries would be working together to implement this National policy that is moving forward at real snails pace. There are children with disabilities that just do not go to school in Namibia, which seemed to concur with the startling figure of 98% of children with disabilities do not attend school (in developing countries) that opens the GSIE letter. The whole discussion was like a precept, I remember from University. At one point I saw that the young lady was holding a stack of printed copies of GSIE letter – double sided- for all the delegates! It was surreal, the message was going to be imparted to them, to people such as Mr Dube from the African Decade for People with Disabilities in Cape Town to the man from Senegal with whom I spoke to earlier; a big shot a the conference.

The best part of all was the David Hughes told me how he felt there was a lack of leadership in the field of inclusive education in Namibia. Now I’ll tell you in a moment how this sad fact was the best part – it was because I immediately pointed out, well here is Edward who took a leadership role and his example is a model for the rest of Namibia.

I was about to leave, sensing that I better return home to do all the other things I want to do. I did not get away without them saying something to the effect of “Thank you for doing this, people like you will make change happen!” I felt weird, because I am not sure how much more I can do, given the other things I want to do. I will though meet with Dr Kakwata who is “driving” inclusive education in Namibia, because I was told I would enjoy talking to her.