Yesterday at the Treatment Action Campaign Hazar and I sat in on another meeting, this one a district council forum, discussing the quarter and each area’s progress in the community. Like every meeting we started with welcomes, long introductions, apologies, minutes from last meeting, and a discussion (or more accurately, argument) of those minutes. By the time we got to current business, it was 2 hours in and we sat apprehensively as several disputed for at least ten minutes whether they should hold the meeting in English for the two interns. When we left, there was very little hope that discussion would end before evening.
We have come to expect the drama of the weekly staff meeting. The staff and volunteers are not afraid to talk issues to death- around and around. It’s almost an art as the district secretary exclaims in a string of Xhosa expletives, the director raisers her voice to explain the importance of compliance to antiretroviral treatment with multiple health acronyms, and someone starts singing the beginning of a relevant hymn from across the room.
These meetings are not efficient, but they are passionate. The TAC members are so invested in the fight against HIV/AIDS and poverty that they are prepared to disagree and ask questions about every single point to make sure they are getting the best outcomes for their communities. That engagement is such a contrast to the apathy of most Americans and it is a spirit that is cemented in the South African consciousness (with underpinnings building from the political protests of Apartheid). It’s a privilege to learn from advocates who are not afraid to yell about the right to treatment in a crowded clinic or start a song about HIV in a full auditorium or argue load and clear for the health of their neighbors. These people, while not as efficient or time conscious, are directly engaged in the struggle for human rights and I’m so thrilled to be a part of that.
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