#both of them being the catalysts for p's growing humanity changing him physically.

[seriema]

when sophia said "i want to be free..." when romeo said "maybe this is what freedom feels like." when both of them thank p for the mercy of death. you understand.

[theaverageotundergrad-blog]

Pop Culture Has Left us , New OTS , No Place for Politics:

83% of Millenniums in South Africa that are within 16-35 years of age have not directed their energy into engaging in Political activities outside that of voting. This study was done by AudienceNet to comprehend why Millennium South Africans are showing decreased interest in politics. I am, unfortunately, part of this 83%.

 Within my four years of studies, I have used many models to guide intervention in Occupational Therapy. Such as Bronfenbrenner and Ecological systems theories, which see political and government influence as forming a major part of the environment for an individual. If I am being entirely honest, I have never integrated this deeply unless the client’s context directly inversely impacted their intervention.

 Politics have only ever interested me when it hit close to home.  For example ; when my childhood babysitter had her informal house demolished and a flat in Cornubia taken away from her because of a tyrant who threatened her life in exchange for signing over her new residence to him. Left homeless and afraid, I felt a new found interest in politics. This time it manifested in rage. I called over 12 different people that day in futile attempts to help a woman I held as dear to me as a mother. In the end we were looping between departments all sending us on a goose chase not even trying very hard to hide the fact that this was an inside job manifested from corrupted politicians.  I finally understood what it was to be unsheltered from the political tyranny in the country. I finally understood why it was so important to play a political role, in any career.

 Before we came into MR , we were told about the protests and political instabilities noted over the last few weeks about their Housing Issue. There are a lot of untold truths about this, and as an outsider we heard both sides of the story. Until today I am unable to decide who I side with. I feel that both communities were wrong but still not truly accountable. Would you also be angry if your house was burned? If your family was threatened? If your land was taken away?

Housing; this topic is a fundamental basic need of every person that has been grossly violated for generations in South Africa.  We cannot expect people to act differently when it’s a norm to deal with political un-satisfaction in protest that so often have to turn violent to gain momentum.

 As I explained earlier, I was never one for politics. I formed part of the 83%. My political view-points were so shallow, and TBH based on my twitter feed. If the issue was not trending that I had ZERO opinion on it. In an attempt to grow as a person, I decided to leave my pop-culture teaching and learn about my role in politics.

 Well, first I listened to The Script- Hall of Fame to motivate and inspire me. Click the link so that you have some background music to set the theme for this post.

 https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/script/halloffame.html

Occupational Therapists are known for their work with the sick and disabled. Before this blog, I was uncertain about our political role and not entirely sure if I saw a personal fit between me and political driven OT. I am not often impressed by work when I feel like my efforts are futile. This is a characteristic with politics. A lack of persistence is one if my biggest weaknesses. I therefore had a glimpse at Occupational Therapy without Borders and read some of the chapters just to gain a better understanding of what I was supposed to be reflecting on.

 “For those of you who are not yet familiar with OTwB, it represents an emerging international movement of proactive occupational therapy practitioners who are committed to making our profession available as a relevant resource to the benefit of all people. This vision requires its stakeholders— educators, students, practitioners, scholars—to deeply understand the complex political nature of occupation and their engagements with the world. Politics here refers to an aspect of human occupation and human relationships that can be found everywhere, in contrast to big-P Politics, which is defined as a particular sphere of human relationships, indicated by terms such as the state, government, public administration, and political parties (Kronenberg & Pollard, 2005b). ”

 This therefore describes how politics are not only related to the government and that we as occupational therapists, are required to look at its impact even within individuals in order to ensure progression of our profession.  The borders that they describe in this article are not physical demarcations but rather borders represented by politically negotiated agreements that are man-made. An underplay occupational therapy role is not ensure that within communities you are able to play a role of advocacy , protection of ethical codes and being able to renegotiated political agreements that are unjust.

 In the Marrianridge community, unjust have extended there for over 40 years since its inception.  The occupational therapist has infiltrated this community for nearly 7 years bringing political change that the community have noted. A simple Google search of this community will show you the works that the UKZN students have accomplished over the years. We were able to put this small community on the map. We were able to stand up for them and be their voice to unjust health issues even if we just ignited their ideas.

 We sometimes see the protests and shake our head in disapproval. Why are they burning their own houses if they want houses? What we fail to understand is the history behind these rebellions.  My housekeeper was able to return to her community because they protested until the man who was threatening her life was arrested and HIS house was demolished. That day her community in Burnwood Road, stopped many schools from operating and stopped people from going to work. They only did this because they were afraid. Afraid of being homeless, afraid for their lives, afraid of the future.

 And these exact feelings are what the Marrianridge community feels about their housing issues. This is what sparked the protests. Fear and Frustration stemming from political failure to the community. On August 23’rd, our friends in Marrianridge painted imagery similar to that of a war-zone. “Rocks and tear-gas and bullets “, were the words they used to describe the ammunition during their protests. They were angry because since 2012 , the residents were promised housing to overcome the over-crowding that was occurring in the infamous Marrianridge Flats.  In 2017, foreign nations and other people in search of homes found the empty land and began to establish an area called New City where they build informal housing in an attempt to shelter their families. Now, the two communities are killing each other because the government did not deliver on promises. 

Most of their protests are to grab the attention of those I power. That is where we could have assisted. The housing problem has had so many negative health problems within this community. A role of advocacy could have been played to establish to assist the community. We are thrown the terms Occupational Apartheid, Occupational Deprivation and Occupational Justice way back in first year. Today I understand that these terms are directing our energy into being activists within our profession.  In April 2004, these terms were just emerging concepts (WFOT,2004). Today, only we Millennium OTs have the potential to make them ACTION.

In Marrianridge, the community has been subject to occupational apartheid. Until today , there persists to be a segregation of groups of people , if it’s the Group Areas Act of the 70’s or this year’s protest on land invasion. This has restricted their ability to partake in meaningful occupations of daily life due to their race, or origins. In the quotes we see this segregation that has impacted the communities’ ability for cohesiveness and their ability to function at their optimal functional levels. The very nature of occupational apartheid is its stem from political forces, its social, cultural, and economic consequences which in term jeopardize health and wellbeing as experienced by individuals and communities (POLLARD, 2014). We see this in the violence, in the poverty and unemployment, in the manner in which sickness infiltrate the community and in the manner in which they act out on the above social issues.

 “It started as a peaceful protest on Friday,” he said. “It was non-violent. We wanted to hand over a memorandum to the relevant departments to get us our housing that was promised. We were told the building would start in December 2016, then again in March and again in July. If you go and look at the land, nothing has started.” (Male, 2017)

 According to OTwB , they question what does  occupational therapy stand for and stand up for in communities such as Marrianridge? They answer is profound and meaningful, especially to a new generation of South African Occupational Therapists.

‘If we aspire to leadership in promoting the value of occupation, referring to people’s capacity and opportunities to influence their health and well-being

Through dignified and meaningful participation in daily life, this requires us to be a more values- or principles-driven agent of change.”

‘ Evidence-based practice seems to mainly focus on what it means to be effective, but it doesn’t seem to be concerned as much with what it means to be socially responsible. This calls for a strong commitment to making sure that we are raising the right kind of questions, doing the right thing in the decisions we make and in the way we act. How then do we know what is right? (Kronenberg, 2006)‘

This requires us to be deeply connected in the culture of our communities and to have well-established ethical and moral codes that we can use as a catalyst to cause positive political reactions within the communities. It has emerged as a consistent theme in my blogs thus far, the comment that to truly take political roles within the community we are required to be more value and principle drive. I hold these words true. I see how the social construct can impact political issues in the communities.  Values and principles are the source to power in many issues.

 Quote from a New City residents about the MR Residents; “I had to be rescued by fellow residents from being beaten up,”

“The situation makes me very angry. I have been living in fear and have been forced to run from my house due to the threat of violence. These people are saying this area is theirs,” (Male, 2017)

 The above leads me to believe that the Occupational Deprivation has been occurring in this community. People in both MR and New City have been precluded from opportunities to engage in occupations such as work , family and their general roles due to factors outside their control.

 In Marrianridge, the people are not ‘bad’. They sometimes do bad things because they are frustrated with poor service delivery. They have emerged from generations of marginalized people who fought off their political oppressors in similar manners. Violence is seen as power still, as the only way to be heard. This is where I feel OTs can be impactful, even if these attempts are small or seem futile. But I have begun to see the importance of inspiring the community positively by encouraging a restructure of values and integrating firm moral codes especially into their millennium generation, the driving force of future change.

 Earlier this year a MR Community leader said; ““We have had many marches based on these social ills. We stand united against drug use and abuse; rape and poverty, we stand united against human trafficking and we will stand united against anything that tries to stop us from showing our Ubuntu.” (Male, 2017) (Bongani, 2014)

 As OTs we need to continue to establish occupational justice within the community. It is our responsibility to challenge the occupational barriers within MR and our role is underpinned in the right to engage in diverse and meaningful occupations to meet people's individual needs and develop their potential.

 If we can find a way to establish these same codes into the millenniums in the community, we can ensure that for generations to come they community will be able to challenge political instability in a manner that reflects the communities’ morals. As HCP we play a role in ensuring that policies don’t place too much emphasis on legislation and biomedicine as the dominant routes to improve health. OT’s need to represent themselves through their works by ensures the consideration of the social determinants of health and the complexity associated.

 According to Bongani (2014), the 20 year old challenges in SA are around bridging the gap between wealth, health and education in the populous and to

generate opportunities for many more people to survive childhood, reach their full human potential, and lead healthy, productive lives.

This , I understand as being such a fundamental aim of occupational therapy which we need to integrate into our communities.

 It took me a few days to gain an understating of our political role and I feel like many new OTs will not appreciate its involvement in their work. We need to find a way to motivate Millennium OT’s to care past their instagrams and find a way to invest some of their time in current events. Last year I got most of my news from Trevor Noah on the Daily Show, which I guess is an improvement at least my world-orientation is now on point. But I have developed an eagerness for activism and I feel like awareness of our impact is the only method of getting other young HCP involved in movements greater than ourselves.

 References:

 Bongani. (2014). Health and Health Care in South Africa — 20 Years after Mandela. N Engl J Med, 1344-1359.

Kronenberg, F. (2006). Political Dimensions of Occupation and the Roles of Occupational Therapy. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 617-626.

Male, H. (2017, August 23). Mariannridge community stands united. (L. Resident, Interviewer)

POLLARD. (2014). The occupational therapist as a political being. Cad. Ter. Ocup, 643-658.