In the Xhosa language of Southern Africa, "Thembi" means love, faith, and hope. I have always felt that this meaning was a spiritual dictate on the direction of my life and this came full circle last summer when I visited Cape Town, South Africa for three and a half weeks and came to understand the faith, hope, and love within this rebuilding country. Perhaps it is this connection of my name that has inspired a life-long interest in the unfolding political and social drama in South Africa. Prior to even learning about the study abroad trip sponsored by the Academy of Leadership here at the University of Maryland, I had digested the autobiography of Nelson Mandela (Long Walk to Freedom) as if it were an adventure novel or better yet a how-to manual for societal revolution. You can imagine my awe when I found myself standing on Robben Island, the former
location of the prison where many of the freedom fighters who had struggled against apartheid were imprisoned. Suddenly, the very scenes I had only previously read about came alive in 3-Dimensions. As we talked with former political prisoners there who now serve as tour guides, I came to realize that while Nelson Mandela was and is a great man, he wasn't the only hero in the epic story of social change in South Africa. This point was underscored when we were given a tour of some of the black townships. These were areas on the outskirts of the cities in ...
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location of the prison where many of the freedom fighters who had struggled against apartheid were imprisoned. Suddenly, the very scenes I had only previously read about came alive in 3-Dimensions. As we talked with former political prisoners there who now serve as tour guides, I came to realize that while Nelson Mandela was and is a great man, he wasn't the only hero in the epic story of social change in South Africa. This point was underscored when we were given a tour of some of the black townships. These were areas on the outskirts of the cities in South Africa where blacks were thrown together by the hundreds of thousands, oftentimes without electricity, some without toilets, others without running water, not even street signs to determine where people lived. They are located far from the city center where most of the inhabitants worked and so many had to catch a time-consuming combination of buses and trains just to earn a living. And yet in the midst of this dire, forced poverty, our tour guide would point out, "and this is where Maggie lived; she was very active in the ANC." This point hit me hard. How difficult it must have been for Maggie to struggle to stay alive in her day-to-day living! And yet she found within herself the determination, the confidence, the gumption to make a difference, to make a change. Surely Maggie's leadership was and is as heroic and awe-inspiring as Nelson Mandela's. I began to understand leadership is more than fancy titles or positions; it is whenever we make a choice to make change, no matter where we are or what our station in life. Our decision to change our present reality is our first step into our role as "Leader." This struck me as such an epiphany because I realized that I myself can commit to making a difference just as surely as Maggie, in fact, I have very little excuse not to-I do not face such great odds or consequences for my actions as she. I can make changes, in big and little ways. In fact, many of the things I do already I am realizing would fall under this expanded definition of leadership. This experience made me realize that in my own ways, I too am a leader. The confidence I gained from independent research, traveling throughout and learning a new city, connecting with people through community service, interviewing prominent artists and community activists led me to take my first step in my newly realized role as leader by applying to graduate school to study history and African Diaspora studies emphasizing social change via the performing arts. And so this spring, I have begun classes in a joint-PhD program in African American Studies and History at Harvard University. While not always involved in politics, I have spent a lifetime involved in performing arts and my graduate research focuses on how art such as music, dance, spoken word, and visual images can become catalysts of political, social, and individual change. While in South Africa, I explored the complex influence of hip-hop culture and music on the youth of Cape Town and my graduate research will likely further explore the interesting cultural relationship of youth in South Africa with the artistic expressions of youth here in the United States. I also plan to explore the ways that South African artists used music, dance, poetry, and theatre as one means of enacting social change. I suspect there are many more things that youth leaders here in America can come to learn of our courageous South African colleagues, brothers, sisters, and friends. I know for me, the experience of living in South Africa has left me with a feeling of enlightened obligation to commit myself to changing my community, changing my world for the better. After all, I think to myself, if Maggie can do it, so can I.