This preparatory work is shared a few weeks before the module and is presented on Day 1 in the module.
Module 3 of the fellowship programme has a key focus on land dispossession in the Eastern Cape. This links into the established overall theme of the module of the Social & Structural Determinants of Health (SSDoH). During the module we will have a session on the political economy of land, the historical context of land dispossession, law and governance, race, gender, labour, class, and community movements around land in the province. By doing this we will be providing Fellows with an opportunity to link the historic context, structural determinants, and inequity today.
With the Eastern Cape as context for our exploration this session is set to:
Explore the historical context surrounding land dispossession across the Eastern Cape
Surface what land dispossession has meant for inequity
Explore in detail, the determinants of health through the Eastern Cape province
Understand how communities, have organised around land, the challenges they face, the victories won and the threats to their health.
Aimed at deepening our understanding of land dispossession as a cause for inequity in communities across South Africa during this session, we will spend time on historic land dispossession, race, class, gender and its effects today.
Task 1: Community profile
Your task is to conduct a community profile either of your own home community or any area of your choice. This profile will help bring the lived experience of your community to the Module.
Step 1 – Mapping
Using the questions below to guide you, sketch out a map of this community:
- Where do you come from? Where are you located in South Africa/Africa?
- What is the spatial make-up of this community you are profiling?
- How far is the distance to town/CBD?
- What are the modes of transport available?
- What amenities are available in this community?
- What economic activities are available?
- Any other interesting facts about this community?
Step 2 – Interviews
Interview 2 people from two different generations (maybe 20 years apart) who have lived most of their lives in this community. In your conversation with these individuals, focus on the following questions and be sure to write up the detail of their answers:
- Where were they born?
- How did they arrive in the community?
- How was the community/area when they were growing up?
- How different is it from today?
Task 2: Sunday arrival group work
On arrival at the Module, in Gqeberha, you will have Fellows-only time to finalise your pre-contact work as posters. Remember to include both the community profile picture and your interviews findings in your poster.
Each group will be provided with creative materials to use for poster making. This will include pastel crayons, paints, brushes, and newspapers and magazines to cut and paste from. If you would like to bring along your own resources from home to help shape your poster, please do! You are free to have started or even finished your poster before arrival. Then you can help shape the exhibition presentation!
Meet in your allocated group and while you create your individual posters, chat about each of your communities with each other. Then prepare your group’s exhibition of posters with a presentation by your group on:
What is common and what is different about these communities, and why are there these similarities and differences?
Your group will have 15 minutes to present your posters in plenary in our Sunday plenary time. We will have then have a discussion on what we learn from the patterns in these community profiles.
The posters will be collected and archived by Tekano after this week, with much appreciation for your research and creative work!