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| SGI Around the World |
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[Courtesy, January 2007 SGI Quarterly] |
| South Africa |
| Greeting the Dawn--SGI South Africa |
By David Le Page, Cape Town Young Men's Leader
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When people started chanting in South Africa, it was,
perhaps, during the very darkest period in the country's
history. The 1980s saw the struggle between the racist
government and those struggling for democracy reach new
levels of violence and bitterness. In townships across the
country, where most black people were compelled to live
under the apartheid system of forced segregation, political
violence was rife. Students and ordinary people fighting for
change faced a brutally repressive police force and army, as
well as shadowy assassination squads.
At the time, it was difficult to imagine that freedom,
peace, democracy and justice might ever be possible.
Nonetheless, a small group began to consolidate around 1985,
after experienced SGI members had moved here from the U.K.,
and locals like current national men's and women's leaders,
Jonny Blundell and Jane Roach, were introduced to the
practice in the United States.
The first national meeting was held on May 3, 1987, in
Johannesburg, and soon small groups started up in the
Atlantic and Indian Ocean coastal cities of Cape Town and
Durban.
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The membership of SGI-South Africa reflects
the diversity of the society |
At first, most of those chanting were white and middle
class. But with the release of Nelson Mandela from prison in
1990, change accelerated. A wave of members from among
Taiwanese immigrants was quickly followed by increasing
numbers of black members. In recent years, as South Africa's
position as the continent's dominant economy has grown, yet
another wave of new members has been apparent: people from a
wide range of other countries in Africa. SGI-South Africa
has become as diverse as Africa itself, with meetings hosted
in homes ranging from suburban mansions to corrugated iron
shacks.
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| A Sense of Mission |
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Discussion meetings are core SGI activities
around the world |
Key to building our sense of mission for peace in South
Africa were simultaneous monthly chanting for peace meetings
in the U.K., Ireland and South Africa, initiated by Mr.
Causton in 1989 and which continued for nearly 15 years.
Throughout this time, SGI President Ikeda encouraged the
handful of members in South Africa with messages of
inspiration and support. Shortly after Nelson Mandela's
release from prison, he and the SGI president met in Tokyo
and shared a dialogue. Mr. Mandela had read about President
Ikeda whilst in prison and had expressed a desire to meet
him. The two met again in July 1995.
Currently, the organization has around 400 members, spread
between Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Recently, a
number of people have also begun to practice in Mpumalanga
Province in the northeast.
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| The Struggle Continues |
South Africa has achieved democracy and stability, but not
necessarily peace. Crime rates are high, and so scheduling
Buddhist meetings at night is often avoided for reasons of
security. More than 5 million people (the total population
is 45 million) are infected with HIV/AIDS, and close to 2
million have already died from the illness; xenophobia
toward African immigrants is another problem. Though many
jobs have been created by a strong but unequal economy in
the last few years, unemployment remains desperately high,
at 26 percent, and the country continues to straddle
extremes of wealth and poverty. All these problems affect
our members, who work with great courage to win in their own
communities.
South Africa is a vast country: flying from Johannesburg to
Cape Town takes two hours. Public transport is frequently
unreliable or dangerous. Getting to and from meetings
presents great difficulties for many members.
We are also a diverse nation, with no fewer than 11 official
languages. Different languages, and widely varying standards
of education, often make it difficult to accurately convey
the essence of Nichiren's Buddhism. We are making tentative
progress in translating some key texts into African
languages such as Xhosa and Afrikaans.
In 2001, SGI-South Africa became a full-fledged, registered
organization under the leadership of current general
director Loren Braithwaite. Not long afterwards, we opened
our first community center in a former lawn bowling club
nestled amidst the leafy suburbs of northern Johannesburg.
SGI-South Africa has worked very hard in the last few years
to develop public understanding of Nichiren Buddhism and SGI
President Ikeda's dialogues and work for peace.
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At the World Summit for Sustainable
Development in 2002 |
In 2002, the World Summit for Sustainable Development was
held in Johannesburg, and SGI-South Africa mounted an
exhibit on the Earth Charter, coupled with screenings of the
environmental film, A Quiet Revolution. The 15,000
visitors to the exhibit included South African President
Thabo Mbeki and then Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi. The exhibition was cohosted by the Earth Charter
Initiative and included nature photography by SGI President
Ikeda. From a total of 600 exhibits, it won third prize in
the Independent Exhibits category from the summit
organizers.
In 2004, the Gandhi, King, Ikeda exhibition was mounted in
Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the exhibition's initiator,
Dr. Lawrence Carter of Morehouse College in the U.S.,
visited to join in associated events. These included
workshops on nonviolence for school children, jointly
organized with other peacebuilding civil society groups.
A remarkable page in South Africa's history was written by
Mohandas ("Mahatma") Gandhi and his comrades. Gandhi lived
in South Africa from 1893 to 1914, during which time he
developed the principles of nonviolent resistance that were
later deployed in the struggle for independence in India.
September 2006 marked the 100th anniversary of the
beginnings of the satyagraha movement in
Johannesburg. SGI-South Africa, in conjunction with the
Gandhi Development Trust, held commemorative events in
Johannesburg and Cape Town.
SGI-South Africa is developing steadily, seeing increasing
self-reliance amongst members and vibrant gatherings from
which rise music and the voices of true South African
bodhisattvas.
Website URL: http://www.sgi-sa.org.za
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