Light Gives Heat (revisited)
Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 10:39AM I remember the conversation as if it just happened. I was sitting at a table in a beautiful hotel in Rwanda. I was there to learn about the complexities of helping people in communities overrun by HIV/AIDS.
The idea of orphanages came up. For one of the African community health workers, it was more than she could take. She described what orphanages do in the area where she worked.
An African’s identity is deeply connected to the land where they live and sweat. The toiling that is done in the fields is an expression of the roots that reach generations and generations down into the hard soil of their communities. It is not unlike many of us. We still have connections to the places we were born. It is as much a part of our identity as the color of our hair, or the shade of our skin. We cannot change where we were born. The setting of our story was set before we arrived.
I have now lived in Tennessee longer than I have lived anywhere else. But my roots are still firmly planted in Hampden, MA. On the occasion that I get to travel to New England, I find myself breathing more deeply, and feeling more at home. I never worked the earth when I lived in MA. I mowed a rather large lawn, and maybe that was work enough to make me feel connected to it. Africans have a deeper connection to home and land than we do.
There is also something about the work ethic of an African. If they do not grow crops, and tend to the care of those crops, they will not have food to eat. The amount of work they put into their land often directly affects their ability to sustain life. If they cannot feed their families, then they will starve. So being lazy is not really an option.
And maybe the most obvious thing we can recognize from experiencing rural villages in impoverished parts of Africa is that there are not many resources to go around. Material possessions are few. Many people don’t have access to new clothes or shoes or schoolbooks.
In an attempt to fight against poverty and chip away at the massive orphan crisis due to the amount of parents who have died from AIDS, So enters the orphanage.
On the surface it seems like a good idea. It most definitely has the ability to save lives. And we do not want to see children starving, or living alone.
The orphanage is a well-intentioned idea. However, in the places where my African friend works, it is problematic.
She describes the effects of the orphanage model. Orphanages get built. They identify orphans and pull them from their land. This immediate strips them of their identity. You give them food and shelter apart from the work of their hands. So you take away their work ethic.
In villages where orphanages exist, the children that are not orphans can feel penalized. If a child loses their family, they gain access to schooling, and clothing, and books and a bed. They have resources that are better than the ones the rest of the children in that community have. This creates competition and animosity.
She says that you have just developed a person with no identity, no work ethic and negative relationships with everyone in their village. She says, “You have just contributed to the growth of poverty.”
And then she asked, “Did the orphanage model work in the United States?” My response was to say, “No, it didn’t work in the U.S.” There are other ways to deal with the orphan crisis in those communities. But it was a classic example of a western idea being implemented in Africa. In development and relief work, it is a common theme. We desire to do good things. In our haste and sometimes in our arrogance, we end up hurting or demeaning the people we want to help.
The other hard part about community development work is that not-for-profit organizations function off of donations from people who often need to see the proof of where their money is going. This seems reasonable as far as accountability and transparency is concerned, but what about the ways this takes shape in Africa?
Organizations are constantly wrestling for money. The best way to build trust in a donor is to develop a solid trustworthy brand. Branding is an issue. It means that we have to spend lots of time propping up the work that is being done.
It also means that many organizations use tactics for engaging people that are incredibly dishonoring to those who they seek to help. How many images of bloated bellies can we take in? How many pictures of children with fly resistant eyes can we stare at while the dramatic music plays in the background? When did we have to feel sorry for someone to help them? But this is a VERY common tactic. Many organizations don’t tell the story of people doing good work in their own communities because that could jeopardize the messaging that a particular organizations work is what is saving people.
Thus, a song is born.
Light Gives Heat was a critique of the ways we engage people in the grip of physical poverty. It was a song that was written almost like a play. The narrative at the beginning is in the head of a well meaning, but slightly arrogant aid worker.
“Catch the rain empty hands, save the children from their lands… wash the darkness from their skin.
Heroes from the west, we don’t know you, we know best.
So many organizations think that the answer lies in our ability to Americanize African people. If we can strip them of their culture, and replace it with our own, than they will live healthy lives. And they can’t do it on their own… so we are the great white hope that will sweep in and save you.
The African voice enters:
"You treat me like I’m blind, setting fires around houses on the hill,"
Can we even think for a second that Africans don’t feel dignity being stripped away? Do we think that they are not smart enough to know when someone is ultimately working for their own gain, or for the gain of branding an organization?
When we tell Africans that we are here to save them, it implies that they cannot save themselves. This is especially true with ideas. We can help with resources, but when we choose not to listen to Africans and learn from them about how their culture works and what ideas they have to bring healthy infrastructure into their land, we strip them of their dignity. And we remove the ability to empower them.
The song draws from history as well.
“Segregate my mind, burning crosses from our fears”
We repeat history when we approach people as if they are less than human; If people are less than capable of good ideas. We fear what we do not understand. People enter Africa knowing only the story of poverty and disease. They don’t know the story of spiritual richness, deeply rooted culture, soulful living, passionate music, wondrous storytelling, courageous acts, daring and thoughtful and poetic humanity. And so we are in control of a relationship that is never equal. We always have the upper hand. This feels safer.
Most organizations go to places and never once try to learn the language of the local people. It is up to the villages to communicate in English. It is up to the people of the village to extend beyond their reach. And this is a problem. It is another way that we devalue people and their culture.
That is why we wrote this song. I had the opportunity to sing it in Kenya. I sang it to the people who have inspired me. I sang it as an apology. I sang it as a confession. And they sang it back to me in forgiveness and solidarity.
“But Light Gives Heat.” African’s will take our charity. But they want our relationship. They will work with the arrogance we bring, and use it to benefit their communities. They have survived enough to find the good in the worst of circumstances. And so even our most arrogant acts might have something in them for Africans to repurpose.
Reader Comments (18)
Dan, can you offer some thoughts on the organization "Light gives heat" who's name was inspired by this song? Their work through EPOH/SUUBI income-generating activities seems to be doing fairly well in Uganda. Thanks for your thoughts...
I'm glad to hear this perspective from you, and proud of what Blood:Water has been doing. A lot of the discussions in grad school (International Development/Urban Development concentration) at Eastern U. were around some of these issues.
It's very hard to accept that our desire to do good doesn't necessarily mean we will. It's incredibly hard to create organizations that can both be funded consistently and can learn from the people that they intend to serve.
And yes, I am appalled by the disconnect between finding the strengths and assets of a people when we work with them, and marketing their burdens and weaknesses to bring money in.
Thanks for this song.
The African people with whom I worked all had an incredible graciousness in helping me to come along side them and lay aside my own ideas. I was the only westerner who worked with my particular group from the HIV/AIDS prevention organization and it was humbling and beautiful to simply immerse myself in their way of life and follow their guidance in their land. The graciousness that can be offered to help us understand is beautiful. Thank you for putting that into this song.
Such a great post! It not only gives light to the meaning of the song, as it educates and motivates to do something good by the eyes of those who are going to receive it. I believe we have good intentions when we help Africa, but we commit a big mistake when we want to do it our way, forgetting about differences of culture and ways of thinking, and even the real needs. So to be a real help, we must first recognize these mistakes and let love guide us!
I'm a year and a half into a 2 year term doing development work as a Peace Corps volunteer in Uganda, and this is so true. Maddeningly so. I've lost count of the number of no doubt well-intentioned groups of white people who drive into the town in their white Toyota Land Cruiser and try to fix everything in 2 weeks before they go back home and feel good about themselves. We call them voluntourists. Meanwhile, their projects have zero ownership or sustainability, fail in a matter of weeks, and have a devastating effect on the social fabric of this country. Thanks for putting my rant into musical form.
Thank you, Dan. This song seems to be the culmination of over 150 years of white imperialism on the African continent. Thank you for bringing a realistic voice to this issue. It's as if we always paint them as victims, not as victors. Yet, this song, and the work that you and the band have helped start over there is a powerful testimony for the good that can be done. Hearing your heart on this is very encouraging.
And, thank you for the wonderful concert last night in NC. Please come back soon. The band was such a blessing!
Jon, keep a running list of stuff for the voluntourists to do that will actually be helpful. I know it sounds like more work, but it'll make everyone more useful. I did little 1 week spring break "mission trips" to places in the U.S. for my last 2 years in college. Each time, we were put to work on repairs and little projects where a few extra hands for a week could be helpful. We were also given opportunities to learn about the people who lived there. A few of my co-trippers complained the projects didn't seem very grand and missiony. Most of us didn't expect to make a huge impact in 1 week. Give them opportunities to watch and listen. It may be their only chance to see that corner of the world (and maybe inspire some to give time and money some day to some good causes)
Storm door needs fixing? Put in on the list. Need someone to bbsit your kids so you can get a night to yourself? Put it on the list. If you came knocking at my door today wanting to do something, I'd hand you a rake and point at the yard (and it's cold,windy, and raining, so thanks for the offer)
This song should be required listening for anyone delving into a helping venture with a different culture
Coming home from my first trip to east Africa, it shocked me how ingrained my view of the helpless black African was. Even having seen how untrue this was with my own eyes, it took several months for my mind to challenge and alter this view I didn't even know I held. The storyteller Chimamanda Adichie calls this "the danger of the single story". The media and some aid agencies only give us one story. There are so many other stories to tell. I'm glad you guys chose to tell this one in song.
I have seen more faith and joy and peace and generosity in Ugandan people than I have ever seen in America. My heart yearns to return to the community, simplicity, and beautiful people I was introduced to there.
Wow. I had no idea. Thanks for sharing both this song and where it came from. Such a good reminder that if we don't understand other cultures, we can do more harm than good and that our "American way" is not always the best way.
a question that comes up is, "what about adoption?" it's popular to adopt from places like Kenya, but if that undignifies them, should we not do it? curious to know your thoughts..
Thanks Dan,
Totally amazing that I started reconnecting with this song this weekend and then I find this post.
Awesome!!
John, I'm not Dan, but may I put in my thoughts? Thinking to Dan's story with the orphanage worker in Africa, she asked if our Western orphanages worked here, and the answer is no. They're antiquated intitutions for a reason. So the questions are what do we do here, what does work, and can it translate to a different continent.
Here, children without parents (whether those parents be dead, or absent for other reasons) are shuffled between family members, placed in the foster care system, or adopted by people they may or may not be related to. The ones who seem to do the best are those given the most stability and support. A child's job in our culture is to do well in school, learn to manage a household, and go on to be useful in the community. This is harder to do if you're never integrated into a stable family. My friends who were adopted (both domestic and foreign) have done very well. People I know who spent their childhoods drifting between foster or extended relative homes seem a little lost on how to get started and find their place in life. Adoption is one good solution to a social problem. There aren't enough foreigners looking to adopt that you're going to drain full villages of their children. The long waits you hear about from people looking to adopt are more a bureacratic issue than supply and demand.
Using that line of logic, finding a child a secure home where he or she is fully integrated into a family as a son or daughter, and not a servant or government paycheck, would be an ideal solution. That's where you have to learn all the situations, history, and intricacies of each culture. Some cultures find it shameful to raise other people's children. Some will take them in as extra help, but not treat them as members of the family. Some families would love to take in a child, but can barely afford to keep their own alive. I think you could find people in any community willing to think out these problems with you and help to find solutions, especially if you're willing to offer some resources to get the plan going and you stick around to take responsibility for the consequences.
Hello Dan. I met you at the Bellville, IL show near St. Louis. It was great to bring my 13 nephew who got to jam with Buddy Guy last year. He left with "A Jars Of Clay" wristband that you sell.
I was the guy who gave you the "Mister Bolin's Late Night Revival" disc covered in CCM. As you know Tommy Bolin left us prematurely due to an overdose of drugs and alcohol at 25.
What you might not know was some AMAZING demos were left in the back of his amplifier. And, his family gave me one more WHICH IS THE BEST ONE!
As I mentioned, it has a Beatles/Simon & Garfunkle vibe. In a way it reminds me of Something/Anything era Todd Rundgren. I have the lyrics for your review. We have been publicizing addiction and recovery as a physical and spiritual disease which Jesus can cure.
hey nkf, thanks for the thoughts! I think that's a helpful view.
Dan, the greatest thing about the Bolin song is that it has a time, a setting, a unique emotional mood. It's called, "Bus Station Blues" and we can do it at Troy Lucketta's studio in Murfreesburo. Troy loves Jesus and arranged the VH1 concert for the fire in Rhode Island. Anyway, the song goes:
I've been waiting for you/Since a half past two/Feeling the bus station blues/Well, who knew?/ It's late/I can't wait--
Why can't I find love for once? Why can't I find peace for once? Can't I have you for once--or twice?
Last bus has come in/My patience has run thin/It happens once again/I can't win/I can't go/So be a no show--
Why can't I find love for once? Why can't I find peace for once? Can't I have you for once--or twice??
I love how you explain both sides of the story. I remember when I first started working in a hospital, 17 years ago, I had to work on Christmas. All of my friends & family were upset, and I acted like I was sooooo noble "I'm going to work so I can take care of the people who *can't* go home" (poor, sick patients). So I go to work, acting all high & mighty, and the bleep hits the fan-computers go down, analyzers break down, the phone rings off the hook with angry nurses screaming at me, and I can't keep up with all of the demands and I fall off of the little pedestal I had put myself on. I really meant well, but obviously I was full of myself. America in Africa can be the same way. Never really saw it that way before. The lyrics gave a very strong clue, but your explanation really hits home. I think that what you said can apply not just to Africa, but how a Christian treats a sinner, or how a passerby treats someone on the street, how people from vastly different backgrounds/wealth/culture/class treat each other. We are all human beings. Get rid of the pedestal, dig your hands in the dirt. Awesome.
Thank you for putting out there the uncomfortable truth! I work in Development and at conferences etc we often hear about how we need to build the capacity of local people in developing countries. My job in essence it to build the capacity of Australians - to learn to know that we don't know best, to learn to value and respect the worth and wealth of the local people, the local culture and the local wisdom and what they are already doing and dare I say it they within their context, that they know best! It is not a popular discussion amougst Australian communities but essential. So thank you for this, I will be reposting and using it as a resource!
NKF - Interesting thoughts and experiences, UnitingWorld (Aust) supports a project in Zimbabwe where local reletives or family are being supporterd and assisted to foster local children classified as orphans. This is not our solution but the solution of Astonishment, the local Zimbabwean Director and it is having awesome results. He is also supporting farming gardens, the establishment of clean accessible water, education etc It is a priviledge to partner with them and to support them in this and learn from them. I did like your take on work goroups being about meeting people and learning about the local context. I would only say, its is best done with (alongside local people) as opposed to "for" especially in cross-cultural contexts!