Life, Above All

I nearly wept when I saw the movie, Life, Above All.  Though filmed in South Africa, the scenes reminded me of my trip to Zambia in 2003. I remember the red soil, a graveyard for the rich and the unadorned burial place for the poor. Open holes waited for more caskets.  Above all, I remember the Racecourse School on the edge of Kitwe.  When I saw it, the classes were housed in an empty tavern.  Small windows let in little light.  We had been asked beforehand to bring pencils as gifts for the children – their resources were so few.  Parents volunteered as teachers.

Before writing this entry, I checked the internet to see if the school was still operational. I discovered that the church I used to attend in Edmonton, Alberta began a fund raising program in 2004.  A new building has been erected and 19 teachers receive a small monthly allowance. Two other United Churches have been closely involved in a partnership with the school, as well as some families and benefactors.

The movie that began my musings is about the tragedy of HIV/AIDS.  Khomotso Manyaka brilliantly plays the part of Chanda, the young girl whose mother has the disease.   The movie raises many questions: the role of women, the tragedy of poverty and unemployment.  Hope in the film and in real life lies in the ability of communities both local and abroad to rally around the vulnerable.