Our South African Social Worker

Earlier this month we had an opportunity to meet with Robyn Shepstone, our South African social worker. Robyn came to Canada, accompanied by a woman who runs a South African baby house, to meet with families in the process of adopting, as well as to be reunited with families who have already adopted from South Africa and with the children in who's lives she played such an important role. The first part of the day was allotted for families who were in the process of adopting. It was good to meet some people whom we had met at earlier seminars, one couple even from the very first seminar before we had officially decided to adopt.

It was really wonderful to meet Robyn and hear her speak about the process of adoption from her end. She begins already with the birth mother, discussing options about her pregnancy and her child, and then leads that child all the way through to his adoptive parents. Over the years she has carefully built and maintained relationships with all areas of bureaucracy which sounds like a very difficult task.

Robyn patiently answered all of our questions (we came armed with a list of them) and it was very reassuring to see how competent and efficient she is.

The second half of the day was geared towards families who have already adopted. This reunion was wonderful to witness. Robyn showed clear joy at seeing each family that she had united, and couldn't take her eyes of the children. Impressed with the personal investment that she had made in the lives of each child, I commented to her that it must be very exciting to see the children again. She responded in clear agreement, picking up a child and saying, I watched this little girl get born!

We are so grateful for Robyn, that she will be there, loving our son from the very start. May the Lord bless her!

Happy 91st Birthday Madiba!

Today is Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday. In honour of him, I've posted this picture and article sent to me by a yahoo group made up of families adopting from South Africa with which we're connected (sorry no source) . Sometime today, raise a glass to this man who led the way to a new South Africa.

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (born 18 July 1918) is a former President of South Africa, the first to be elected in fully representative democratic elections. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist and leader of the African National Congress and its armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. He spent 27 years in prison, much of it on Robben Island, on convictions for crimes that included sabotage committed while he spearheaded the struggle against apartheid.

Among opponents of apartheid in South Africa and internationally, he became a symbol of freedom and equality, while the apartheid government and nations sympathetic to it condemned him and the ANC as communists and terrorists.

Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, his switch to a policy of reconciliation and negotiation helped lead the transition to multi-racial democracy in South Africa. Since the end of apartheid, he has been widely praised, even by former opponents.

Mandela has received more than one hundred awards over four decades, most notably the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993. He is currently a celebrated elder statesman who continues to voice his opinion on topical issues. In South Africa he is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela's clan. The title has come to be synonymous with Nelson Mandela.

Our South African Education

Recently I have begun learning about South Africa. Through university studies and through South African friends, I have had a casual acquaintance with South Africa. I read a few novels by Nadine Gordimer and J.M. Coetzee (both South African authors) during a Post-Colonial Literature course that I took in university. And when we lived in Toronto, we had good friends who immigrated to Canada from South Africa, and introduced us to bits of South African culture, some of the highlights including banana on pizza, and the South African love for a briar, or a barbeque. A few months ago I began to ease a little deeper into South Africa with the aid of Zakes Mda's novel The Heart of Redness. I chose it as a novel for my book club. It proved to be a challenging read but led to great discussion. I also began to familiarize myself with South Africa with a map, and general statistics, (thank you Wikipedia).

A few weeks ago I visited another South African friend, Elsebé and had a wonderful afternoon with her. We drank Rooibos tea and she spoke tenderly of the country where she grew up and from which she emigrated three or four years ago. She showed me beautiful books on South Africa, some in English, some in Afrikaans. And lent me South Africa The Beautiful as well as two children's books Looking at the Xhosa and Looking at the Zulu. The country and the people truly are beautiful and it was great to familiarize myself with them a little more.

Elsebé also lent me a huge book The New History of South Africa which I have begun to read ambitiously from cover to cover. The book starts pretty much at the beginning of time and I'm already at mid 1700s! I'm only on page 67 of 437. I'm enjoying reading it. I find it interesting to compare to Canadian history, the African people there and the First nations here as well as the process of colonization.

One of the most striking things in my reading is the attitudes of the Dutch colonizers towards the Khoikhoi and the Xhosa people, the first African people that they encountered in South Africa. In many ways it is similar to the treatment of the First nations people here in Canada by the French and the British. However, I somehow feel less at ease in reading about the actions of the Dutch colonists (later the Afrikaaners) in South Africa. The reason for my ill ease is my own ethnic background. My parents and my husband's parents are immigrants from the Netherlands. When reading Canadian history, I can "tut tut" at the treatment of the British and French towards our aboriginal people, but when I read about the actions of the Dutch in South Africa, I identify more with them. Dutch Protestant Christians, just like me, committed these atrocities.

I'm sure this struggle will continue as we learn more about South Africa, its history, and the inequalities that still exist there. I imagine it will be a struggle we deal with as we travel around South Africa with our new African son. And I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes a continual prick in our hearts the rest of our lives.

I was very impressed with the manner in which Elsebé spoke of the process of colonization and of apartheid. I admired her humility and honesty in talking about the evils of apartheid, and her refusal to gloss over the horrible treatment that occurred at the hands of her own people. She spoke of good good people who fought hard against apartheid, but was clear that still today there are many people who broach the subject of race with hatred and hard hearts.

Elsebé also lent me some South African movies and CDs. We are familiarizing ourselves with The Drakensberg Boys Choir, Randall Wicomb and Helmut Lotti to name a few. It is neat to hear some traditional South African songs like Shosholoza, Tula Tula (a lullabye) and Nkosi Sikelele Afrika, the South African National Anthem. Nkosi Sikelele Afrika is beautiful song, an interesting national anthem. Its lyrics read more like a contemporary praise song or a prayer than a National Anthem.

It is an easy anthem for me, a Canadian learning about South Africa, to sing (and pray) with my whole heart.

Nkosi Sikelel'i Afrika (Lord God bless Africa)

Maluphankanyisw'uphondo Iwayo (Let its fame be lifted up)

Yizwa imithandazo yethu (Listen and hear our prayers)

Nkosi sikeleli, Nkosi sikelela (O Lord God bless)

Nkosi Sikelel'i Afrika (Lord God bless Africa)
Maluphankanyisw'uphondo Iwayo (Let its fame be lifted up)
Yizwa imithandazo yethu (Listen and hear our prayers)
Nkosi sikeleli, Thina lusapho Iwayo (Oh Lord God bless us, we children of Africa)

Woza moyo (Come Spirit)

Woza moya woza (Come Spirit come)

Woza moya (Come Spirit)

Woza moya woza (Come Spirit come)

Woza moya oyingewele (Come Spirit, Holy Spirit)

Nkosi sikelela (Oh Lord God bless)

Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso (God bless our nation)

Ofedise dintwa le matshwenyeho (and stop all wars and sufferings)

O se boloke (And bless it)

O se boloke morena (And bless it Lord, Oh God)

Setjahaba sa heso (Bless our nation)

Setjhaba sa Afrika (Our nation, Africa)

Nkosi sikelel'i Afrika (Lord God bless Africa)

Maluphankanyisw'uphondo iway (Let its fame be lifted up)

Yizwa imithandoazo yethu (Listen and hear our prayers)

Nkosi sikelela, (Lord God bless us, we children of Africa)

Nkosi Sikelel'i afrika (God bless Africa)

Family Pictures

One of the projects that we need to do for adoption is to create a profile of our family to send to South Africa. It needs to include pictures of our family, our house, our pets and little write ups about us. We send nine copies to our South African Social Worker and she distributes them to babyhouses there as well as shows them to potential birth mothers. Birth mothers are shown several different profiles and selects one family to adopt her baby. So...the family profile is a pretty important document. We are creating our profile this week.

Our friend Sonja is a photographer and she offered us her services for a morning to photograph our family. We went to Canatara Park, a favourite of our family. We often come for picnics on the beach and enjoy the playground, walking trails, and especially the animal farm. We had a great morning and Sonja took some gorgeous pictures.

We ask that you please do not print these pictures as they are under copyright. If you would like to have copies, email us and we'll put in an order with Sonja. Thanks Sonja, for all your hard work!