With the many social challenges facing communities all over our country it is perhaps appropriate to engage in a conversation that focuses on what it means to be community.
All over South Africa community development workers face the 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 usually labelled as “less privileged”, “under-developed”, “poor”, “unsophisticated”, and “left-behind” (agtergeblewe).
Why is it then that with all these wonderful programmes for community development, the huge investment in resources, time and energy to fix the problems in our communities, we instead seem to be attracting more social challenges in our communities?
The following quote immediately comes to mind: we always move in the direction we are focusing on.
The dominant context of conversation in our community gatherings is almost always one of problems, faults and how bad things are. We very seldom or never have gatherings to celebrate achievement and excellence in our communities. We call our communities together only when we have a crisis and we 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 get pictures and signatures of the leaders to demonstrate our belief in their commitment to deliver on “The Promise of our Freedom: A Better Life for All”. May I add, all political parties make this promise. After all the speeches about community we love to elaborate on our problems. We always get a detailed report of the problems of crime, housing, health care, the environment, 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 of identifying problems runs deeper than our commitment to solve the problems. The comfort zone from 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 representatives, ward councillors, ministers – 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 as if we would not know who we are as a community.
The context that transforms and restores community is one of possibility, generosity and gifts rather than one of problem solving, fear and retribution. The essential challenge for us in our communities is to transform the isolation and self-interest within our communities into connectedness and caring for the whole community. Community as used here is about the experience of belonging. We are in community each time we find a place where we belong.
The word belong has two meanings. First and foremost, to belong is to be related to and to be a part of something. It is membership, the experience of being at home in the broadest sense of the phrase. The opposite of belonging is to feel isolated and always (all ways) on the margin, an outsider.
To “belong” is to know that I have free access to the natural resources that make up the God-given environment in which I live.
The second meaning of the word belong has to do with being an owner: Something belongs to me. To belong to a community is to act as a creator and co-owner of that community. 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 of a community’s citizens, a sense of ownership and accountability.
Belonging can also be thought of as a longing to be. Being is our capacity to find our deeper purpose in all that we do.
Caring relationships among family, friends and neighbours can never be replaced by the caring of institutions or professional services. Care is the manifestation of community. The community is the site for the relationships of citizens. And it is at this site that the primary work of a caring society must function.
The social fabric of a community can be destroyed only when organisations within the community 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 all our threads (our skills, resources, and our energy) together to weave them into a fabric that will withstand any force that seeks to divide and harm us.
Let’s Talk. Gesels saam. Masikhulume.
. Mike Fraser is a life coach and owner of Amathuba Consulting – michael.fraser0@gmail.com
