Reflections...

As part of our fourth year we do research. My group’s research is based on gangsterism in Mariannridge where I am working now. Gangsterism used to be extremely rife in this community around the apartheid era. We conducted our first interview today with the librarian who lived in Mariannridge for years, particularly during the time of gangsterism. She told us stories of the horrific murders that took place and the disabling fear of all those that lived in the community. She spoke and spoke, the memories so fresh in her mind it was as if it happened yesterday. I began to realise for the first time why we were doing the research topic we are. Gangsterism is truly a “symptom” or Mariannridge and although we have been working there for three weeks already, we in fact know very little about the deep roots of the community.  These people have such a thick history that defines and makes the community what it is today and if our aim is to uplift this community we need to make sure we understand it first. Our research could really help us to focus our intervention in the community into the right direction.

We have all heard or read about gangsterism- but it seems so farfetched and unreal. Today it became so real to me and I realised how naïve and isolated majority of us are to what life is actually like out there. These people in Mariannridge reside no more than 20-30km from me and yet we are worlds apart. It’s frightening.

To be honest it’s a lot easier to live life allowing yourself to be naïve of the struggles and lives of the people around us. And that’s probably because we feel so helpless so rather just pretend it’s not there. Sometime I wish I could be naïve but most of the time I think to myself living in your own little world is not living.