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S E P T E M B E R 3 R D - S e p t e m b e r 1 6 T H , 2 0 1 0

STREET SPEECHT H E V O I C E F R O M T H E S T R E E T S O F C O L U M B U S

A L L P R O C E E D S G O T O T H E A U T H O R I Z E D S T R E E T S P E E C H V E N D O R S$1

C O L U M B U S C O A L I T I O N F O R T H E H O M E L E S SC O L U M B U S C O A L I T I O N F O R T H E H O M E L E S S

Photo by Mary Lori tz.

PAGE 3

HOMELESS,SIGHTLESS, AND

WITHOUT A COUNTRY

Condemning the Innocent?Condemning the Innocent? A Call for Full Employment:A Call for Full Employment:How Greater Econom ic Justice CanHow Greater Economic Justice CanLead to Greater Social JusticeLead to Greater Social Justice

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S T R EET S P EECH

W H O W E A R E

The purpose of Street Speech is to

empower low-income individuals throughskill development, social interaction, andeconomic opportunity. The goals ofStreet Speech are:

1. To act as a voice for the most vulnerableof the community while advocating forissues of social and economic justice.

2. To foster self-sufficiency by providinga source of income to people living inpoverty.

3. To create awareness of the issuesof poverty and homelessness throughnewspaper content and positive

interaction between vendors andcommunity members.

Street Speech provides a tool foradvocacy and education on a monthlybasis for the Columbus Coalition forthe Homeless. The paper offers aunique perspective on the issues ofhomelessness and poverty at a local,state, and national level. Currentlyand formerly homeless individuals inthe central Ohio community are directlyinvolved in creating the content of the

paper as well as its distribution.

S T A F F

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFMary Loritz

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSarah Czapranski

VENDOR COORDINATORSRay Daigle

Robin Bales

Mary Loritz

VENDOR TRAINERRay Daigle

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND ARTISTSMary Loritz

Robert McClendon

Mark Hudson

Marc Baptiste

Fadhel Kaboub

Rajeev Ravisankar

Vipul Shekhawat

LAYOUT DESIGNERTomika Jackson, Quorum Design & Graphics

PHONE:(614) 228-1342EMAIL: street.speech.columbus@gmail.com

Street Speech AUGUST 2010co m m u n i t y

Vendor o f t he Mont h

2

Street Speech is a member of the

North American Street NewspaperAssociation (NASNA) and theInternational Network of StreetPapers (INSP).

P

eter Mo-rales hasb e e n

selected asvendor of themonth becauseof his dedica-tion to his com-munity and will-ingness to helpothers. Not onlyis Peter a ven-dor with StreetSpeech, he isa regular vol-unteer for theColumbus Co-

alition for the Homeless. Pete is always looking tolend a hand and help out others, including his fel-low vendors. He helps his blind friend, Marc Bap-

tiste, to sell Street Speech. Last I heard, Pete wastrying to get a job in a shelter that he had stayedin so that he could lend a hand to people who are

worse off than himself.

Pete is originally from Chicago, although he spent

several years living in Southern California. Hesworked many different jobs: hes been a caddy onthe PGA tour, a golf instructor, and worked as amanager in the computer industry.

Pete is an expert guitar player who busks in theShort North and plays at Mikes Grill. Pete andhis band also play at Gallery Hop, and helped toorganize and play music at two benefit shows forthe Columbus Coalition for the Homeless this pastspring. He stores his remarkable collection ofhundreds, if not thousands, of songs in his head,and he will gladly play for you if you happen to runinto him. I spotted him and fellow vendors ThomasNance and Victoria Ramsey in front of Chase bankin the Short North late on a Wednesday night, andPete was serenading the small crowd with a sweet

Led Zeppelin tune.

Rock on, Pete!

C o n t r i b u t e t oS t r e e t S p e e c hT h r o u g h D o n a t i o n

My donation of $________ is enclosed

M a i l t o : Street Speech 1 3 2 S . 3 r d S t .

Colu m b u s , O hio 4 3 2 1 5

M a k e c h e c k s p a y a b le t o t h e C o lu m b u s C o a lit io n f o r t h e H o m e le s s .T h e C o lu m b u s C o a lit io n f o r t h e H o m e le s s is a 50 1 ( c ) ( 3 ) , n o n p r o f it o r g a n iz a tio n . A ll d o n a t io n s a r e t a x d e d u c t ib le .

Specific donations for Street Speech needs:

$10 for vendor training supplies$20 for free newspapers for new vendors$65 for a vendor to print a job advertisement

$540 for the printing of one issue

Gif t Wi th in t he Gi f t by Robert McClendonAs I begin this day, I smile!Today is my Gift, appropriately called the Present!

Abraham Lincoln realized this long, long ago.He stated: The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.As I expound upon this quote I understand to never dwell on my past;

This would place me in jeopardy of becoming stuck within its confines, incapable of moving forward!Goal-setting is healthy, necessary, and certainly proper.

Still, I cannot place myself into that which I plan.To attempt this would risk never achieving or acquiring my goals and dreams!In order to move forward with the optimum chance of success, I must embrace my Gift..My Present!

My attitude must reflect Gratitudehow can it not?Awakening each day is not a given, this is a Gift!This must be appreciated, should be acknowledged as such,

acted upon in accordance to that which is intended to be!The Past is history, to be reflected upon for lessons learned.

The future holds the promise of what is to come.come what may.For no matter the best laid plans, it is still a mystery!Today-I am happy, I am grateful, as I assume my responsibilities, interact with others, and allow my Cre-

ator due props.I embrace this!

I will always have a good start on tomorrow as long as I do so!Today is My Gift, a present I humbly share with others!Kahlil Gibran wrote; Spiritual hunger is the goal of life; the quest is its own fulfillment---To realize a dream

is to lose it, and the satisfied of this world are the most wretched people.Writings are of course open to interpretation. We see things as we ourselves are.

After multiple years of wandering in darkness, I now embrace spirituality, not only is this fulfilling, thisleads me as an ultimate form of guidance!Of course, once a dream is realized it ceases to be one.

In observance of certain others whom appear to have it all,with demeanors that scream I am better than,true happiness does not reside within them they are the wretched!

We should pray for them!The Present is my Gift; appropriately called.

My gift within the gift has become The Spiritual!We all should share our Gifts with one another!

Have a truly Blessed Day!

Recognizing Vendor Peter Morales

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Street SpeechAUGUST 2010 3

Li fe of a Homeless B l ind Man

fr o m t h e s t r eet s

by Marc Baptiste

H

ave you ever been homeless before? Ifyou have, what kind of things went throughyour head? How did it feel when you were

told to come in at a set curfew time? Well, letme tell you what its like being a blind homelessman. On January 26, 2010 I was placed at FaithMissions homeless shelter by immigration. Whyam I dealing with immigration? I am a foreignerwho came from a country called Haiti. This countrymay sound familiar because seven months ago,there was a devastating earthquake that took alot of innocent lives. Fortunately, I was not thereat the time. I was five years old when I wasbrought into the USin 1994. I have beenblind since birth, andwas brought hereto receive medicalattention.

I was told ano r g a n i z a t i o ncalled The WorldHarvest Missionwas responsiblefor bringing me tothis country. Do Iremember muchabout my homecountry, Haiti? Manytimes Ive tried toconjure up memoriesbut failed. I wastold that I was oneof the kids who wasrunning around onthe streets as a child,

and someone justhappened to pickme up and take meto one of the WorldHarvest Missionsorphanages. The only thing that I remember wasgetting on an airplane and the rest is, as theysay, history. In 1996, my foster mother and Ialong with other people in the family, movedto Ohio where I have lived for the past sixteenyears. Immigration got involved with me and myprecious life two years ago.

I was placed in a jail in Seneca County for eighteenmonths for not having proper legal status. Whenthe earthquake happened in Haiti in January, theyknew I couldnt be sent back there, so they let me

out of detention. I didnt even know where I wasgoing until they dropped me at the doorstep ofFaith Mission. And thats when I experienced thefeeling of a homeless person for the first time.

If the people who had brought me over had filledout the appropriate paperwork, today I would notbe suffering the consequences that Im currentlygoing through. Due to the lack of responsibilityregarding the World Harvest Mission, I now haveno means of financial support, a job, or a place

to live or to call my own. I do not even qualifyfor Social Security Income. Until I get everythingstraightened out with my status, I will continue

being homeless and not having the necessities Iwould have if I had the proper legal status.

For the past two years, a respectful college lawprofessor has been assisting me in this difficultarea. Just recently, my special juvenile legalstatus visa was approved. Yes, I was undertwenty-one when I applied for special juvenilestatus.

This does not give me any kind of lead for a jobor anything else. The next step is to apply for agreen card for residency. This procedure can takeanywhere from six months to a year or maybelonger. Meanwhile, I have applied for TemporaryProtected Status (TPS). When the earthquaketook place in Haiti, some Haitians were giving theopportunity to apply for this status. The TPS willgive the individual a temporary work permit anda green card. On the 14th of April, I had to getbiometrics -- a picture and fingerprints -- done inorder to have an interview for my temporary work

permit and green card. Five months later, I stilldo not have an interview scheduled.

I thought things would get better, instead theygot worse. After my ninety days was up at FaithMission, I applied for an extension and was ableto stay another thirty days while I waited for myTPS. I later applied for another thirty day extensionand was denied, so I had to move to Friends ofthe Homeless. I have not been able get any helpfrom my advocates or housing specialists due to

my situation. Without legal status I am ineligiblefor transitional or supportive housing programs. Inthe past, I have written many letters to churches

asking desperately for their assistance but theytoo are not willing to help me in any way. So, youcan imagine how frustrating this is and has beenfor me.

Ive done schooling here all my life. I havepledged allegiance to the flag, sung patrioticsongs, shown loyalty to the only country I know. Idont know anything about Haiti.

I have tried to gethelp at the shelterbut have run intobrick wall after brickwall. Every time I goto make a phone callabout resources that

might be availableto me, or try to dosomething for myself,theres a barrier. Ifeel that I am beingpunished for thingsthat werent even inmy hands. Recently Iapplied for a seeing-eye dog, but I have nopermanent place tocare for a dog. StreetSpeech was the onlysource that I saw tomake money. Eventhat can be difficult attimes, a lot of people

are not interested, orthey dont look at itas helping a cause. Ihave hopes of goingto college and making

a living for myself. I would like to be a patentattorney or a CEO, or maybe make sculptures orbe a background vocalist, but Im less motivatednow, because everything else is such a strugglewith all of the legal complications. My legalstatus has to come first in order to pursue thesedreams.

I have no doubt that the interview for my temporarywork permit and green card will be successful.Hard work and preparation will be needed beforegoing to this interview. With hope and faith, I

am confident that this interview will be defeated.However there are still a million and one waysit could go wrong. Thank you for reading thisarticle and any contributions or other assistancefrom the community will be greatly appreciated.

If you would like to contact me, you can call meat 614-218-8651. If cannot reach me at thisnumber, you can call the Columbus Coalition forthe Homeless at 614-228-1342.

Marc w i th f r iend and fe l low vendor Peter Morales at t he Columbus Coal i t ion for the Homeless of fi ce. Photo by Mary Lor i tz

VENDOR CODE OF CONDUCT

Sale of this paper is approved by the City of Columbus Licensing Department. Street Speech vendors are members of the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless and are trained and supervised by Coalition staff. Vendors agree to abide by the following Vendor Code ofConduct when selling the paper:

1. Street Speech will be distributed for a donation of $1. I agree not to ask for more than $1 or solicit donations for any other purposes while selling Street Speech. If a customer donates more than $1, I am permitted to keep the donation. I wil l be clear that the donation

goes to me and not CCH.

2. I will purchase papers only from the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless at $0.25 per paper. I wil l not sell to or buy papers from other vendors.

3. I will present my badge when buying papers and display while selling papers. If I do not have my badge, I cannot buy or sell papers.

4. I understand that my badge is property of Street Speech and I will not deface it. If I lose my badge, I will purchase a new one for $3. If my badge becomes ruined or weathered, I will purchase a new one for $1.

5. I agree to t reat others-customers, staff, and other vendors-with respect. I will not use abusive or forceful language when selling papers. I will not be aggressive, threatening, or continue to ask after a person has said no.

6. I agree to stay off of private property while selling Street Speech. I will not sell door to door.

7. I will not sell any additional goods or products while selling Street Speech.

8. I agree to respect the space of other vendors, particularly those who have been at a spot longer. If I encounter another vendor selling papers, I will move to another location before selling papers.

9. I will not sell or purchase Street Speech under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

10. I will attend monthly meetings at the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless the first Friday of every month. The next months papers will be released at the meeting.

11. It is my responsibility to police fellow vendors. I will report violators of these rules to CCH. The value of the paper depends on keeping it credible.

12. I understand that any violation of these rules will result in suspension of my privilege to sell Street Speech and possible termination from the program. Badges and Street Speech papers are property of CCH and must be surrendered upon demand.

Any alleged violations of these rules should be reported to the Coalition by calling 228-1342 and must include the badge number of the vendor.

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Street Speech AUGUST 2010fr o m t h e s t r eet s4

M

ark Hudson is a Street Speech vendorwho recently turned himself in at a police

station. Later that week, his mug shotwas printed in The Slammer.

Even though its public information I think itsan invasion of your privacy, and theyre makinga profit off it, Hudson said. I didnt even getarrested. I turned myself in because I had awarrant for child support issues. It was veryunproductive.

The Slammer is a weekly newspaper publishedin a handful of cities acrossthe United States, reportingon local crime and criminalactivity. The newspaper hassome editorials that are amixture of national and local

reporting, but its contentmainly consists of reports andmug shots of local arrestees.The Slammer began printingin Columbus about six monthsago, and is available in storesand newsstands around thecity for $1.

Sean Graham, the OhioPublisher of The Slammer,said that the newspaperintends to be both entertainingand informative.

I think what we strive for is abalance the readers want to

be entertained, but they alsowant hard news as far as criminal activity in theirarea, Graham said. They like to know whos livingaround them, whether they are sex offenders orsomeone charged with violent felonies. We treatserious crimes with the respect they deserve, butwe dont hesitate to poke fun at the dumb crookstories either. Graham added that store ownersespecially enjoy perusing The Slammer, since itprovides information about local shoplifters andother criminals.

The Slammer has sparked some controversy,mainly over what some perceive to be its invasionof peoples privacy. Everything published in thenewspaper, however, is available in the publicrecord and is entirely legal. The Freedom of

Information Act, signed into law by Lyndon B.Johnson in 1966, secures public access to courtdocuments. In Ohio, the states Sunshine Lawsensure that Ohioans have access to governmentmeetings and records, including the mug shotsthat are printed weekly in The Slammer.The Associate Director of the Ohio ACLU, GaryDaniels, commented that although the ACLUstrongly supports public access to governmentdocuments as well as the right to free speech,some aspects of The Slammers reporting are

concerning.

The problem with a publication like The Slammeris twofold, Daniels said. First, it featuresphotographs of people who have just beenarrested, not convicted.

Street Speechvendors seem to agree. A vendornamed Jim Gainey said, You go through enoughhumiliation being arrested. You know its good forchild molesters and stuff like that so people knowabout it, but the common man, the workin man someone shows that to your boss, you lost your

job, and then a few months later they drop thecharges, and you dont have a job. Thats not

fair.

The Slammerdoesnt do a follow-up and showwho was convicted or wasnt, Daniels said. Ifsomeone truly wanted to increase public safety,theyd deal more with convictions.

Sean Graham responded that if anyone isfound innocent or their case is dismissed, we willpublish an update if they notify us with evidencethat their case has been dismissed or theyve

been found innocent. Until thatoccurs, however, anyone with amug shot could be published in thenewspaper.

Daniels second concern with

The Slammerwas its sensationalaspect.

Weve got a very big problem in theUnited States, particularly in Ohio,with how we deal with prisoners.We lock up so many people whogenerally dont belong in prison inthe first place, Daniels said. Headded that theres a possibilitythis could help prejudice peoplewho are on a jury, or a judge, or

just society in general.

Billy Thomas, a Street Speechvendor, said What that paperthere is saying is that you cannot

trust anyone that has been lockedup. Im out here trying to do a good thing.

The Slammer, however, disagrees. Graham saidthat there is no risk of profiling, because we dontfocus on any one ethnic or economic group. Youllfind people in our paper in suits and ties and youllfind people in nice casual clothing and youll findpeople who look disheveled. Just going on thebasis of the name or the charge wont really tellyou anything about their economic status.

Regardless of its controversies, it seems thatThe Slammer is here to stay. It is currentlyavailable in over 400 stores in Columbus andhas a circulation of about 15,000 to 16,000 everyweek; those numbers will only increase as itbegins to spread to the other counties contiguousto Franklin County.

The idea that people of all social classes couldend up in The Slammer is one that KennethAlexander, a Street Speechvendor, is wary of.

Were all just a step away, Alexander said. Itcould happen to anybody, thats what the papershould remind you of. You can just be at the wrong

place at the wrong time. Life hits you quick.

Locked in The Slamm er By Vipul Shekhawat

Elvis Presley. Supposedly taken in 1970 a t the FBI headquar ters in Washington DC, whenElv is v is i ted President Nixon.

Lindsay Lohan. Source: Los Angeles County Sheriff sDepar tment.

Only purchase Street Speech f rom BADGED vendors.

Vendors w ear the i r badges w hen they se l l papers .

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Street SpeechAUGUST 2010 5l o ca l n ew s

Im gonna tell this story to the best I know,I spent two weeks in Baltimore General as a livin John Doe.

Days of my life, that I cant account for.

Some say I kicked open the Devils door.Stuck up in the hospital like supermans Christopher Reeves,

Pullin out the machines that were helping me breathe.God said to the Devil: Satan what you gonna do?

The Devil said: God, this I hear belongs to you.Look at the hell hes causing up there,

I damned sure dont want him down here!God said to my child: You ignored the signs I sent you,

Thus despite your transgressions, indiscretions you still have potential and I believe in you!!!I checked the prayer line,

You only needed one but you had more than nine.Thus Im going to give you a pass,

Karma wiped clean, make all previous sins your last.

Sec ond Chances

By Mark Hudson

Comm onw eal th Games:Est ab l ish ing Nat iona l Prest ige a t t he Expense o f Ind ia s Poor

By Rajeev Ravisankar

In Indias capital New Delhi, laborers continueworking day and night as the city preparesto play host to athletes from 71 countries

for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, whichbegins in early October. The event, the worldsthird largest multi-sport event, mainly involvescountries that were colonized by the British andinitially was called the British Empire Games.

The upcoming Commonwealth Games is notonly an athletic competition, but a spectaclefor India to project global power. Recently,the President of Indias ruling Congress PartySonia Gandhi said The success of the Gamesis that of our country, not of any party or ofany individualThe prestige of the nation isinvolved.

Suresh Kalmadi, chairman of theCommonwealth Games organizingcommittee, has repeatedly assertedthat this will be the best Games everand hopes that this will be a steppingstone to fulfilling Indias futureambitions to host the Olympics. Also,he has stated his desire to establishNew Delhi as a world class city.

However, a number of problemshave emerged throughout theimplementation process fromsoaring costs and corruption to laborexploitation and other human rightsabuses. The initial budget estimates

put costs at $407 million, but now theofficial figure has jumped to $2.3 billionand independent estimates suggestthe cost could be as much as $6.4billion. Also, according to the NationalCampaign on Dalit Human Rights,$150 million in funds allocated for marginalizedcommunities have been illegally diverted tocover expenses related to the Games.

In order to meet deadlines, constructionlaborers are being overworked in 12 hour shifts,seven days a week and are paid less than theminimum wage, which ranges from $3.00 and$6.70 a day depending on hours worked andtype of labor. Women are paid less than menfor the same work, and reports point to the useof child labor at some sites. The workers toilin intense heat of 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit,the average in New Delhi during the summermonths.

According to the Peoples Union for DemocraticRights (PUDR), an Indian human rightsorganization, workers are not provided safetyequipment such as helmets, safety belts oreven shoes. Also, their living conditions aresubstandard. Many are migrant workers fromother states in India and have set up temporaryshelters on or adjacent to construction sites. Areport by the Housing and Land Rights Network(HLRN) indicates the situation is not muchbetter for workers who are provided temporaryhousing. Six to eight laborers share 10 feetby 10 feet brick hutsThere is no electricity,ventilation or place to cook. There are alsonot enough toilets for the number of workersliving in these camps.

These hazardous working and living conditionshave contributed to the deaths of a numberof workers. At least 49 workers have died onconstruction sites for the Games. An Outlookmagazine article published in April of this yearstated that 70 deaths have taken place duringconstruction work and due to diseases causedby the unhealthy conditions prevailing at theliving quarters of the labourers.

Aside from labor rights violations, people livingin urban poverty have been forced into a moredesperate situation. Efforts to beautify Delhihave led to evictions, demolition of settlementsand slum clusters, and large scale displacement

affecting thousands of people. Realizing that itis not possible to remove all the slums beforethe games, authorities have decided to putup bamboo screens to hide remaining slums.Also, street vendors, small shopkeepers, andrickshaw pullers have lost their livelihoods dueto restrictions.

So-called beggars or panhandlers are beingtargeted vigorously by authorities. New DelhisSocial Welfare Minister Mangat Ram Singhalsummed up the governments intentions: WeIndians are used to beggars but Westernersare not and so we need to clean up. Well catchthem all. According to an article in Frontlinemagazine, the city government has establishedzero-tolerance zones and created teams to

round up people who are panhandling.Officials have increased the numberof mobile courts to prosecute thesepeople.

Unfortunately, other parts of the worldhave experienced similar issueswhen preparing to host large scaleevents. For example, in the lead upto the 2010 World Cup in South Africa,construction workers went on strikefor a wage dispute. Riot police firedteargas and rubber bullets to break upa protest by security guards over lowpay. In addition, thousands of peoplewere evicted during construction forthe World Cup. Many did not receive

compensation or alternative residence,and those who were resettled lived interrible conditions.

Before the 2008 Olympics in Beijing,China, 1.5 million people were

displaced according to the Centre on HousingRights and Evictions (COHRE). Closer tohome, thousands of public housing units weredestroyed before the 1996 Olympics in Atlantaand 30,000 residents were pushed out due togentrification.

These are just a few recent examples thatshow the social and human costs inflictedwhen cities and countries host games. Clearly,Indian government officials and privatesector interests have not learned from theseexperiences, as they have pursued nationalprestige at the expense of the poor.

Credit : Photo Stock Exchange

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Street Speech AUGUST 20106 l o ca l n ew s

Testing Time for White SangomasBy Brendon Bosworth, The Big Issue South Africa

Iremain quiet, as Zanemvula - meaning he comeswith the rain - hovers his pendulum over a pagecontaining a list of issues I might have. Youve got

a problem with one of your ancestorsyou probablyhave some guilt feelings, youve got a baboon withyou, muses the big man. Fathers mothers mother:youve got to go dream about her and find out whatthe problem is.

Youve also got three demons, he says, matter offactly. Theyre called impundulu, but I call themdemons for want of a better word. Its a spirit thing thatcomes out of the sky and causes havocrememberthis is just a read off for your subconscious.

Im sitting across from Peter von Maltitz, a herbalistand traditional healer or igqirha to use the isiXhosaterm, at his consulting room in Newlands. Jars of

ground herbs and plants line the shelves; a largeportrait of his father peers out f rom the wall; imphepo,a wild plant burnt as incense, smokes in an ash-trayon the desk on which sit a few vials containing plantleaves in olive oil, a hunk of African potato and a plantknown as isidagwa, the drunk man.

With his long white beard, red patternedwrap around his shoulders and openface, von Maltitz has the trappingsof a shamanic sage. His bracinglaugh, which emanates deep in hisbelly and bounces off the walls givenany opportunity, lends me assurancedespite this ill news.

He looks at me, serious now: Whenyou think youre better than somebodyelse and youre disgusted by themyou create an energy that the demonsfeed off. As long as you have disgustyou have demons and demons makeshadows so you get depressed.

Its a bitter pill to swallow, being told Ihave a superiority complex by someonewhos known me for less than an hour,as is the revelation that I have issueswith property and theres a ghostbothering me.

Can you take them off, I ask meekly.He obliges, with a swift exorcism, butreminds me more will come backunless you change.

I tell him I feel disgusted with myself. Dont worry, its

a disease of our times - especially of white people.That booming laugh washes through the room.

Ancient traditionsFor hundreds of years traditional healers havebeen central to African life. Spiritual diviners, calledizangoma (or, more commonly, sangomas) inisiZulu and amagqirha in isiXhosa, are believed tocommunicate with ancestral spirits, who exist in aparallel universe, seeking guidance and tapping intothe network of knowledge gleaned by clan and familymembers who came before them.

Acting on behalf and at the instruction of theseancestors, they claim to be able to heal the ill,troubled and perplexed. Many spiritual healers arealso herbalists, who administer medicines made fromplants and plant extracts. Its estimated there aresome 200,000 traditional healers plying their trade in

South Africa.

But the concept of a family that extends beyond theliving, with ancestral spirits that can communicate withother supernatural beings, requires an understandingthat can prove problematic for those with a westernizedworld view.

I wouldnt say we dont have it [an understanding ofancestors and spirituality] - I think weve just forgotten,or chosen to forget, says British-born Dr. Jo Wreford,a sangoma, anthropologist and research fellow withthe Aids and Society Research Unit based at theUniversity of Cape Town. Death in the West is anout of sight, out of mind thing. In Africa ancestors areliving beings. Theyre seen as existing somewhereelse, keeping an eye out and watching over, makingsure we do what they want - were working on their

behalf, as my teacher always says.

White sangomas claim to have reconnected withtheir ancestors, who have called upon them to heal.But without growing up in a black African familyor belonging to an African clan by blood, can theybecome authentic African traditional healers in thestrictest sense of the term?

A Longstanding CriticDr. Nokuzola Mndende, managing director of theIcamagu Institute, a sangoma and formerly a lecturerin religious studies at UCT, is a vocal opponent ofwhite izangoma. She does not deny that white peoplecan be called to be healers of various types or thatthey have ancestors, but finds their initiation by blackAfrican sangomas highly problematic.

An igqirha is someone who has been called bytheir ancestors to heal, whether from the maternalor paternal side, she says. They cant be called by[somebody elses] ancestors.

You must perform certain rituals to show you have

accepted the call; your family plays a major role in this.

When you perform the acceptance of the call thereare people responsible for certain duties. In the caseof the Xhosa, the firstborn male at home slaughtersthe sacrificial goat and uses the sacred assegai; thepaternal aunt makes the sacred necklace - the hairfrom the sacred cow is woven together with usinga,the ligament found in the vertebral column.

When that goat is slaughtered there is a portion ofmeat taken first and roasted inside the kraal. It canonly be clan members who perform this; all thosethings should be done by your own people in yourown home.

Mndende is quick to point out that she is not beingracist, but is rather sticking to distinctions betweencultures. The white sangomas are wearing the Swazior Zulu regalia - why is it like that? she questions.Why are you wearing Zulu regalia if you are not a

Zulu person? What is the meaning of those symbolsto you?

Mndende says she has no qualms with guiding whitesin reconnecting with their ancestors, but refuses toinitiate them in the Xhosa tradition. She labels blackamagqirhaand sangomas who train and initiate whitethwasa (trainees) with a full goduswa - graduationceremony - as profiteers. If a sangoma doesnttake you to your own family (to perform initiation andgraduation) its a fake, she asserts.

Colour-Blind CallingsOn the other side of the spectrum is Philip Kubekeli,managing director of the Traditional MedicalPractitioners, Herbalist and Spiritual HealersAssociation. In 1996 he dreamed that von Maltitz,who hed met at a meeting of healers, should be

trained as a traditional healer and has been involvedwith training white thwasasince.

The octogenarian is genteel. A white person is thesame as another person, there is no difference. Iunderstand that they also have their ancestors whichthey must respect, says the time-wizened traditionaldoctor.

When people complained that Kubukeli was givingaway their culture to white people - this was in 1994 -he said: I am free, spiritually, physically and mentally,so Im a free man. I can go all over the world teachingeach and everybody about communication with theancestral spirits. Not of mine, not of my culture, buthis or her own culture.

I call myself a sign-post, he explains. I stand pointing

my hands on either side for everybody who wants tocommunicate with their ancestral spirits. White, black,green, blue, coloured; everyone can come here.Some of the white people are clever; they are highspirited, really. I have been very successful in trainingthem, he adds.

He also doesnt see any problem withwhite sangomas wearing traditionalbeads and explains that Africansymbols are used by whites as well:They are a sign of communicationwith the ancestral spirits.

Kubukelis all-inclusive view seems tobe more widely held than Mndendesexclusivity argument. At least accordingto the white sangomas interviewed byThe Big Issue who claim that, asidefrom isolated experiences of hostility,they have been welcomed by the blackcommunity.

From black people Ive only hadincredibly positive reactions, saysAnel Hamersma, a white sangomawhos been practising for nine yearsand is based in Table View. Ive neverhad a black person come up to meand ask me to defend myself. The onlypeople Ive had react badly are whiteAfrikaners - my people, she says,laughing.

Von Maltitz also dismisses criticism thatwhite sangomas are merely pretenders,

saying charlatans of any colour are quickly rooted out.

In [traditional African] society the sangoma has to tellyou where the pain is, he says. Patients will test ifyoure the right doctor; if you cant tell them what theirpain is theyre not going to trust you. If I can give themthe right answers then they accept me.

Not An Easy PathAccording to sangoma lore, the call of the ancestorsis usually experienced as physical and emotionalmalaise - ukubiswa - the sickness of calling.Hamersmas experience was particularly traumatic.I couldnt sleep; I had a lot of terrible nightmares, ofbeing ripped apart by things. I thought I was goingmad and knew if I didnt find the right person to helpme I was going to die, she recalls.

After muddling through a string of therapeutic options- a homeopath, psychologist and psychiatrist - shewas told by a reiki practitioner who was treating her

for lameness in her body to visit a sangoma, whichshe refused to do since she wanted nothing to do withspirit stuff. But out of desperation she went a fewmonths later. He told her the ancestors were callingher to do this work and she soon set off for Botswanato train under two white sangoma brothers.

The training period can take from months to years,depending on how spiritually developed the thwasais and how in tune he or she is with the ancestors.Sangomas use specific rituals and training methods,which have been passed down through thegenerations. Cleansing rituals, which can involve theuse of enemas or emetics and steaming and smoking,are commonly performed.

It is no longer that unusual for non-Africans to consult sangomas, but some still consider it taboo that white people can become a traditionalAfrican healer. Brendon Bosworth visited experts on both sides of the fence in South Africa to get the full story.

A w hi te sangoma healer prac t i c es t rad i t i ona l A f r i can medic ine. Credi t : E r i ca van Breda

Continued on next page.

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Street SpeechAUGUST 2010 b ey o n d 2 70 7

The Social Justice ColumnFrom Social Injustice to Full Employment

By Fadhel Kaboub, Dennison University

Thwasa also practice seeing and invoking ancestral spirits, with teachers constantly testing their abilities. Emphasis is placed on dream interpretation. The traditionsof the North, the Zulu, Swazi and others believe that sangomas actually become possessed by their ancestors and much of the training is focused on teaching thwasato channel these beings, working themselves into trance states through dancing and controlling this state of experience.

Humility and obedience to ones teacher underpin the ukuthwasa(training) period. Both Wreford and Hamersma caution that in this climate of utter subservience thereis room for nefarious sangomas to abuse their positions of power. Very often people are abused by their teachers, sexually abused. If your teacher isnt whole andhappy they might take advantage of you, warns Hamersma.

The goduswaceremony comes with its own set of challenges not for the faint-hearted. A bull and a goat must be sacrificed on behalf of the ancestors. In her bookWorking With Spirit: Experiencing Izangoma Healing in Contemporary South Africa, Wreford describes how, as part of her six-day graduation, the goat was anointedand then stabbed with a spear in the shoulder. She then had to put her mouth over the wound to suck the blood. Once the animal had been slaughtered the gall bladderwas removed and her teacher squirted the contents into her mouth, instructing her to also rub it over her face and hands.

The bulls throat was slit in front of her. Both animals were skinned and dismembered; their carcasses, skins and heads placed at the foot of the mattress on which sheand her teacher slept, where they remained for two nights, the pile growing smaller each time the meat was feasted upon. Such was the lead up to the main event,where she danced on her knees in what she depicts as an entranced state of possession before a jury of izangoma.I put it to Wreford that surely, at this point, fly-by-nights and those not dead set on becoming a sangoma would opt out. Her answer is telling: The people who have

dropped out have dropped out at much earlier stages, they dont get that far.

Originally published by The Big Issue South Africa. www.streetnewsservice.org

Iam often asked to comment on the prospects for greater social justice

through grassroots social and political activism. The way I see it,however, activism is important to a certain extent, but the most important

aspect of social activism should be the full employment goal because fullemployment begets economic justice, which in turn begets social justice.

As we near the end of 2010, the United States is still experiencing itsworst economic recession since the Great Depression. More than 7 million

jobs were lost since the beginning of the recession in December 2007.The official unemployment rate has reached 9.5%, which is 14.6 millionpeople. Of these, 44.9% are considered long-term unemployed (6.6million); meaning that they have been actively seeking work for 27 weeksor more, an increase of nearly 5 million people since the beginning of therecession (Graph 1). Long-term unemployment is now the highest it hasbeen since the 1930s.

Unfortunately, these grim statistics tend to underestimate the extent of theunemployment problem. The numbers do not take into account the fact

that there are 8.5 million involuntary part-time workers, and that 2.6 millionpeople were marginally attached to the labor force (Graph 2). Theseindividuals were not in the labor force, but wanted and were available towork, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They werenot counted as unemployed because they had not actively searched for

work in the 4 weeks preceding the July 2010 unemployment survey.The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reports that the underemploymentrate has now reached 16.5%; that is nearly double the level of December2007 (Graph 3). The underemployment rate takes into account not onlythe officially unemployed people according to the official BLS definition,

but it also includes the involuntary part-time workers, and those marginally

attached to the labor force. This rate exceeds 23% for Blacks and Latinos,compared to 13.8% for Whites. The EPI also reports that there are 5 jobseekers per job opening. This is one way to quantify social injustice.

One cannot even begin to think of social justice when more than 21 millionpeople are jobless. The official unemployment rate in Columbus, Ohio hasreached 9.2% in June 2010; that is more than 216 thousand people. Canwe even speak of social justice when so many people and their familieshave no stable source of income? If the answer to social injustice is jobcreation, the question then is how can we reach full employment? Freemarket mechanisms can and do create some jobs, but not nearly enoughto guarantee jobs for all. The very nature of capitalism ensures a certainamount of unemployment. Therefore, what social and political activismshould aim for is a government policy that guarantees a useful and productive

job opportunity at a socially-established living wage for everyone who isready, willing, and able to work. Well-designed full employment programsare automatic stabilizers for the violent fluctuations of free markets.

Community organizations can play a crucial role in getting true fullemployment back on the policy radar screen through community organizingat the grassroots level. All that is needed from the federal government isfinancing, not management and control. Community organizations knowthe needs of their local community, they have better knowledge about thepool of available skills and resources, and they have a vested interest in the

economic success of their community projects. Financing full employmentmust be centralized, but the selection, implementation, management, andassessment of full employment projects must be community-based. Thiskind of full employment is democratic, inclusive, and just.

Of course, there are several questions that need to be carefully addressed:How much will a true full employment program cost? Can we afford it?What about the deficit and the national debt consequences? Isnt thisgoing to create too much inflation? What kind of jobs will be created? Allof these questions will be answered in future editions of The Social Justice

Column. Stay tuned!

Dr. Fadhel Kaboub is an Assistant Professor of Economics at DenisonUniversity, a Research Associate at the Levy Economics Institute(NY), the Center for Full Employment and Price Stability (MO), and theInternational Economic Policy Institute (Canada). Dr. Kaboubs researchfocuses on job creation programs for developed and developing countries,macroeconomics, and monetary theory and policy. He currently serves onthe editorial board of the Review ofRadical Political Economics, and is thebook review editor for theHeterodox Economics Newsletter. Dr. Kaboubcan be reached by email at kaboubf@denison.edu

Graph 1: Number of unemployed for more t han 27 week s, in thousands (1948-2010). Source:Bureau of Labor Stat is t ics .

Graph 2: Marginal ly At tached t o the Labor Force, in t housands (1994-2010). Source: Bureau of Labor Stat is t ics .

Graph 3: Underemployment Rate in the Uni ted States (1994-2010). Source: Bureau of LaborStat is t ics .

Testing Time for White Sangomas(continued from previous page)

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