About a month ago I helped out with one of SST’s side projects that is investigating the effects of climate change on food security in rural areas along the Eastern Cape. The research involved marine ecology and economics, but the part I helped out with was...anthropology!! Way back in my undergrad years I was always filling my elective requirements with things like Monsters in Literature or Art History, but little did I know that this often forgotten (by me at least) social science would be so interesting.
The community where we worked is called Hamburg, and it consists mostly of Xhosa people with a few Afrikaans and white South African’s thrown in for good measure. Because it fits the description of rural and has a high enough unemployment rate to be considered impoverished, the project was centered there to get a general idea of what things are like for other coastal towns along the Eastern Cape. As anthropologists-in-training we were asked to help out with a questionnaire that would take us to various parts of Hamburg, and since we had to do a little bit of our own work as well it was beneficial for us to help out with the process.
For two weeks we lived as a group of 12 that consisted of anthropologists, economists, biologists and agriculturalists from both Rhodes and Fort Hare University. Everyone we worked with seemed to have innovative ideas on how to best conduct the questionnaire, and the varied educational backgrounds gave us a lot to talk about in the evening over a good meal. Most everyone was from South Africa but there were two people from Zimbabwe to mix things up, and as a group they were some of the most social and entertaining people I’ve come across yet. Stories in the evening ranged from Xhosa and Shona traditions to Sabrina the Teenage Witch. And of course the process involved in making a meal was more of a social adventure in itself than a simple task.
Chef and Sous Chef
Carolyn, Suno, Leo - pizza night
With Nyoni and Suno
Mthoko and I having a laugh
You may be assuming that I conducted these interviews all on my own, but the fact that most people in Hamburg spoke very little or no English meant that all of us non-Xhosa speakers required the help of local translators. And that’s how I came to discover Hamburg’s darling, Nolubabalo (or Babe if your tongue can quite fit all five syllables). I know I’m biased in saying that the girl who translated for me was the best, but believe me when I say that when it came to personality and charisma, I lucked out with Nolubabao. Usually decked out in her wide-brimmed straw hat and movie-star sunglasses, she always made the subjects of our interviews laugh and felt it was her mission to inform everyone in Hamburg that I was unmarried in case they had a son.
Nolubabalo
Walking around Hamburg
Although I was still riding the high of my Mozambique trip it was nice to get out of Grahamstown for a while and see the way rural South Africans live. Over the course of the approximately 20 interviews I conducted I laughed and had my heart broken many times, but one thing that was constant was the warmth and hospitality of the people in Hamburg. Their ability to welcome me into their homes without question despite all the difficulties they face was a humbling experience for sure. It was definitely a nice way to ease back into the work after such a great holiday.
How musicians make money
Rain collection system
Balcony view
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