One person at a time

Sunrise on Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA, September 2022 https://www.waterford.sz

photo credit MASS Design Group https://www.massdesigngroup.org/

Many months have past since my last post and so much has happened in the intervening time, personally and professionally, ending with my retirement at the end of December 2022 and the beginning of a new rhythm to my life. 

Most recently, I had the immense privilege to be the first person of colour and female head of Waterford Kamhlaba, United World College of Southern Africa after nearly six decades of its existence. Hailed in 1963, during the height of the apartheid regime in South Africa, as the first multiracial school in the region in deliberate opposition to the lack of freedom and injustices practiced against black and brown people across the border. The humiliation and often untold suffering, the denial of civil and political liberties, blockades against freedom of speech and the random incarceration of children and adults were some of the inhumanities that formed the backdrop to Waterford’s establishment in the Kingdom of Eswatini, a small independent sovereignty bordered by South Africa and Mozambique.

It seemed to me in January of 2021, when I arrived at the college in Mbabane, that the hopes and dreams of many rested on the shoulders of one. I felt the pressures to be and do; to uphold its mission and vision during mounting discontent at the inertia of the world to respond to continuing injustices. I was challenged by some alumni and students to take a stand on an infinite number of issues that continue to be important. At the same time, I knew that it was also urgent to attend to the pressing needs of the college and take the role of leading Waterford Kamhlaba through the pandemic towards its opening a few months later on March 29.

On arrival, the school was functioning online due to Covid-19 restrictions, as the majority of schools around the world.  There were 67 students still on campus that had not been able to return to their home countries during the previous year, together with about half the number of residential staff. Shortages in medical supplies, food and fuel became increasingly prevalent and when the South African’s border closed it seemed that this small landlocked country became invisible to the world. The death rate to Covid-19 climbed daily as did the number of infections. Later in the year, civil unrest added another dimension to the fragility of life “on the hill”, as Waterford Kamhlaba is often perceived. This descriptor often belies the strong connection the institution has with the community; a form of co-dependency that became crucial during times of shortage, isolation and vulnerability. Students, teachers, parents and alumni gathered together to support each other, the college and the community as we struggled to understand what was happening and act ethically during this time.

I am reminded and understand more clearly, as I look back, of the importance of networks, of connection, of impact and how we measure the success of an institution or individuals within. During my time at Waterford Kamhlaba I was often asked about impact and legacy from an institutional and personal perspective. How far and wide is the reach and how deep is the impact beyond the college and beyond myself? I look to the community for answers, the immediate community and those within the continent and diaspora.

As I re-engage with you all, I know that, through the networks I develop with those who read these posts, I will continue to make the effort to widen and deepen our connections, make good beyond myself, and continue to learn from humanity; one person at a time. I invite you to learn more about Waterford Kamhlaba and support its efforts to remain diverse in all aspects, including those from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds. The Luxembourg to Mpaka Challenge project is one such way of contributing to the continuing education of young minds, working together for justice in Africa.

From Luxembourg to Mpaka