I am appalled at Julia Sharpe's article ("June bug," Feb. 9). The writer's blatant inability to critically assess her surroundings is evident in her patronizing and stereotype-ridden description of what she saw in Cape Town, South Africa.
"Hence the paradox of tourism and Cape Town. Cape Town is in Africa - and yet it is Europeanized. There are cheetahs but they are in cages. There is vast beauty and wilderness but they are urbanized, too. There is wealth but it is right next to poverty. I was feeling confused by the dualistic nature of our visit."
It seems here that the writer was surprised by institutions too-commonly associated with the West: developed cities, urban, functioning areas and "tame" as opposed to the "wild" images so commonly evoked by the mention of Africa. It is humiliating to be at such a well-reputed academic institutions and hear my peers regurgitate false and biased ideas, condescending and conflicting the peoples of the African continent, and continuously ascribing ideas of modernity, development, logic, and progress to the West. The paradox of wealth and poverty that the writer describes is the reality of many places across the world - in fact, in our very own Charlottesville, there is immense wealth - "but it is right next to poverty." A 2008 Daily Progress Article cites, "The most recent U.S. Census Bureau estimates for Charlottesville, from 2005, show that 9,101 residents were living in poverty - 23.7 percent of the total population and a 6.5 percent increase from 2004. The 2005 figures also show that 24 percent of city children under age 18 were in poverty, and 25.6 percent of 5- to 17-year-olds were in families in poverty. In 2005, the federal poverty threshold was $19,971 for a family of four. In 2007, the most recent figures calculated, the threshold was at $21,000."
The writer only intensifies this dehumanization of Africans by settling her unease with a notion of fantasy. In the same way that only weeks ago the media associated the natural disaster in Haiti to a tradition of Dark Magic and Vodoo, here, one of our very own Hoos associates economic disparities, and tensions with "African Magic," as if that somehow makes sense of it all. If we continue to belittle the realities of social inequalities by using false claims of fantasy, magic, and "other-world-ness," we threaten to obscure means of understanding, slow progress for empowerment, and we rob real human beings of their agency. South Africa is not magic: it is a real place, geographically located on the continent of Africa. Like every other country in the world it is home to wealth and income disparities, populations of healthy and unhealthy people, and like the rest of the world, it's problems are very real. They will not be solved by ascribing "difference," and "magic" to help disassociate ourselves from them.
This article just further indicates the University's need to provide outlets for learning on issues related to Africa. Representatives of our student body should be able to present coherent arguments and reflections, and most of all, should not come off as ignorant in relevant world affairs. I find this piece offensive - it encourages a belittling perspective on Africa that is not necessarily rooted in bad intentions, but indicates lack of cultural understanding and relevant knowledge. There is a clear dearth of insight in issues pertaining to Africa abounding on Thomas Jefferson's esteemed Grounds, and magic is not going to make it go away. It is time for students to educate themselves about Africa before they venture to analyze it, but that will only happen with institutional support.
Stephanie Yawa deWolfe\nCLAS IV
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