With so many social challenges facing communities all over the country, its perhaps appropriate to engage in conversation on what it means to be a community. All over south Africa community development workers face a daunting task of “initiating community development programmes.” These people are usually employed by government departments, aid agencies, churches or other interest groups. The people they work with are either labelled less privileged, “poor”, “underdeveloped”, “unsophisticated” or “left behind” (agterblewe).
Why is it that, with all these community development programmes, the huge invested resources, time and energy to fix the problems in our communities, we seem to be attracting more social challenges in our communities?
The following quote comes to mind: we always move in the direction we focus on.
The dominant context of conversation in our community is almost always one of problems, faults and how bad things are. We seldom or never have gatherings to celebrate achievements and excellence in our communities.
We call our communities together only when we have a crisis and always believe in inviting guest speakers to address us on what we think they can offer as a solution to the challenges. Then we clap hands with standing ovations and pictures and signatures of leaders to demonstrate our belief in their commitment to deliver on their promise of our freedom. A better life for all; may I add that all political parties make this promise.
After all the speeches about the community we love to elaborate on our problems. We always get a detailed report of crime, housing, health care, youth at risk, racial issues, the disabled, poverty, poor service delivery, unemployment, education, public transport, substance abuse and its effects on families and communities.
Our love for identifying problems runs deeper than our love for solving problems. The comfort zone in which we choose to operate is that an alternative or better future can be accomplished by more problem solving. And we always place the responsibility and accountability for our well-being on our elected representive, ministers, ward councillors and people we choose to call our leaders. Our obsession with solving problems in our communities is so intense that at some point we take our identity from our problems. Without our problems it seems we would not know where we are as a community. The context that transformers and restorers operate in is a community of possibility, generosity and gifts rather than of accomplishment, courage, problem solving, courage and triumph over adversity.
The essential challenge for us as communities is to transform the isolation and self-interest within our communities into connectedness and caring for the whole community. Community is understood here to mean the experience of belonging.
We are in a community each time we find a place we belong to. The word belonging has two meanings, firstly, to be related and being part of something. It is membership, the experience of being home.
The opposite of belonging is to feel isolated and always being on the margins – an outsider. To belong is to know I have free access to natural resources that make up the God-given environment, in which I live. The second meaning associated with the word belong has to do with ownership. Something belongs to me. To belong to a community is be its creator and co-owner.
What I consider mine I will build and nurture. The work then is to seek in our communities a wider and deeper sense of emotional ownership, it means fostering among all our communities’ citizens a sense of ownership and accountability. Belonging can also be thought of as a longing to be, to find a deeper purpose and meaning in all one does.
Caring relationships within a family, among friends and neighbours can never be replaced by the caring of the institutions, professional services; care is the manifestation of community. Community is the site of the relationship of citizens and it is at that level that the primary work of a caring society must work.
The social fabric of a community can be destroyed when organisations within it operate in silos, on their own without a common sense of vision, identity and purpose. The fabric of community can be strengthened only when we consciously bring our skills, resources, and energy together and weave them into a fabric that will withstand any force that seeks to divide and harm us.
Let’s talk. Gesels saam. Masikhulume.
