Wow...I know I was one of those critics who disapproved of Oprah's "neocolonialist" fantasy of building her "dream" school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa. It was actually my very first in-depth post that I entered into the blogosphere. Despite all my concerns about the implications of African American myopic visions with regards to helping out Africa, I must say that I did not foresee this latest drama! Apparently, one of the school girls had recently run away from the academy and told authorities that she had been sexually molested and mistreated by one of the school matrons.There obviously must be some truth to the allegations for "Mama Oprah" herself made two recent visits to South Africa to investigate the situation and has since given a public apology.
"I've disappointed you," our favorite talk-show queen said through her tears.
Sigh.
But one father replied, “It’s not your fault. We don’t blame you... You trusted them. You have more passion for the school and its existence than anyone else in this country, including us parents.”
Ah, let's always forgive Americans for our cultural ignorance and "innocence." We always, always mean well, don't we?
Not sure what to think, especially since the academy has been plagued with so much criticism and complaints from the get go- including from parents who bitterly complained that they were not allowed to keep in touch with their daughters (to which Oprah haughtily replied that if these parents didn't like the rules that were set up, they can take their daughters out of the school since there were many other girls who would willingly take their place).
Still, concerns that the school was run like a "prison," and "cultural differences" that led two students to quit the school, all seem to read like one of the worst offenses in colonial history. Why, oh why, do these stories sound so much like the kind of abuses that Native American children suffered when they were forced to attend boarding schools run by missionaries and scary officials who did treat boarding schools like a "prison" or military training camp?
Obviously, this darker, far more sinister allegation is starting to turn her "dream school" into a nightmare. And I'm not feeling too sympathetic to "Mama Oprah" (as the girls have been encouraged to call her), whose ignorance in local customs and in South African history (this is after all a country not too long ago that practiced legal apartheid in which the young girls who were gathered into this academy would have been treated with the worst contempt: it sounds like the treatment continued, regardless of the fact that they were enrolled in such an elite, posh academy) repeats the worst offenses of African Americans - who still think we can create common bonds through skin color without bothering to understand local differences within the African Diaspora and the distinct flavors of global racism in transnational contexts. Still, Oprah's own early beginnings in a racially apartheid state like Mississippi should have provided her some cautionary knowledge that her screening policies should have been far more critical when selecting teachers and "dorm matrons" for her school.
How did things degenerate so quickly? The year isn't even over! I was already concerned that not enough cultural understandings were in place to ensure open lines of communication - I was very disturbed, when watching Oprah's TV program special about her school, that she showed nothing about the school itself in terms of the curriculum and how educators were selected. Instead, we were treated to all the details of the luxurious surroundings of the students' new dorms (replete with flat-screen TVs in their rooms and fine-linen spreads and not one detail about what they were going to, in fact, be learning). Such a superficial focus, in light of the latest scandal that has emerged.
I guess we will have to see what develops from this venture of Oprah's, as I fear that this is just the beginning of her troubles with this "leadership academy."
13 comments:
you know, i was against this thing from the begining in a very complicated way--i have NO problem with spending 40 million dollars on young black girls (which seemed to be a big issue for a lot of people, how dare she spend that kind of money on black girls who were used to living without???)--I have no problem with her helping to educate etc etc--but I *did* have a problem with her spending money over there when our girls here need that kind of money so desperately (clearly not as much as they do, but still).
but when I heard about these charges of sex abuse and all that--although it makes me extremely sad, I wasn't surprised, and i wondered at not having thought of it before. why oh why do we all seem to think that it's *ok* to remove poor indigenous children from their families and have them raised by surrogate families/mothers? Why oh why do *we* always think we are better parents than *them*? that one "mother" specially chosen by god or the vatican or the canadian/u.s./australian etcetc government, or oprah herself, is somehow a better mother, more able and better equipped to teach young indigenous children how to grow up?
and why do we think that when we set up situations where "parents' are left with unchecked authority over young children, nothing bad is going to happen?????
I'll be the first to admit, I didn't see it coming, and I am well aware of the history of colonial abuses through the use of boarding schools. It makes me sick at heart to know that another generation of young women face this kind of abuse without the protection of their families--I only hope that Oprah is serious about making changes and doing something differently....
"why oh why do we all seem to think that it's *ok* to remove poor indigenous children from their families and have them raised by surrogate families/mothers? Why oh why do *we* always think we are better parents than *them*? that one "mother" specially chosen by god or the vatican or the canadian/u.s./australian etcetc government, or oprah herself, is somehow a better mother, more able and better equipped to teach young indigenous children how to grow up?"
Thank you for raising this astute point, bfp! It was a power dynamic that many of us overlooked, precisely because we were so enamored with Oprah's "American mythic" pulling-herself-up-by-her-bootstraps-and-now-she-can-teach-the-same-principles-to-others tale. So, no one bothered to address why this school and its systemic power differentials was indeed problematic. Let alone to even question who, in fact, would be supervising this school for girls, given that Oprah would not be there on a regular basis.
While I agree that too many people's racist and sexist instincts were to question the "wisdom" of spending 40 million on young African girls, I still think that this materialistic value system was so capitalistic and Americanized in its thinking and didn't even question how indigenous African values could be considered in the counter-balance.
Now, Oprah is in an untenable situation where she had better hope no one takes advantage of this scandal and treat her the way the media treated Michael Jackson!
Just an unfortunate situation all around.
yup, I know I definitly didn't get critical in the way I usually would have because of the money--boarding schools are horrible and evil places that have no heating and serve rotted food and turn kids into servants, etc. They certainly aren't 40 million dollar dream worlds--how on earth could sexual abuse happen when there's a spa and massage parlor just down the hall????
It kind of reminds me of other ways we privilege class with the benefit of the doubt--rapes murders and interpersonal abuse don't happen in "good" neighborhoods--it's only out in the 'hood, you know?
I certainly let class/money blind me this time...but in the end, it all goes back to what you said about indigenous african values conflicting with u.s. materialistic values--girls wanted to go home and parents wanted to see their daughters *even when there were no accusations of abuse*. what's any u.s. citizen, (even if she is black and rich and a woman), got that's more important than family?
I linked to your article from Oprah should have helped US Blacks
okay maybe i'm not understanding but ...its not like Oprah molested anyone.
Someone in the school is a pedophile. Or someoneS. But could Oprah control that?
I am going to take a risk and say:
I hope that whenever a black person tries to do good, that people (especially other BF) don't just sit and wait for the "other shoe" to drop -i.e. the bad news, the failure, the not right thing to happen.
That's too much negative energy focused on black projects.
Bernie -I read your "let Africa Die" post.
OMG.
First of all, bernie, I'm not at all comfortable with your linking my post to your blog, since we have very different positions about Africa.
My critique of Oprah's neocolonialist endeavor is not the same as critiquing any efforts at all with regards to helping (in a way that recognizes the true equality between Africans and others) the continent.
Miriam, if you read my post on Oprah earlier this year in March, you will see that this issue isn't about attacking black women's efforts to give to charity but to really question the very problematic nature in which Oprah approached her leadership academy. There was deep cultural ignorance on her part, as well as a very arrogant "Americanized" version of helping that presumed that all of our capitalist materialism trumped any other values that South African indigenous culture might play, not to mention not thinking through the local and national repercussions for what her school would be able to accomplish.
My predicting that her school will meet with more troubles is based on the problem that plagues anyone who doesn't do thorough research that goes beyond the superficiality of helping someone just to feel "pretty" (like emphasizing a beauty salon at the school without emphasizing the kind of good education and teachers who can provide the best guidance and care).
I for one am not blaming Oprah for the abuse but I do blame her for setting up a situation that might have enabled it to occur, especially when she's not around to monitor what goes on in her absence.
I wish her, the girls, and the academy the best. But, yes, I agree the show was more fluff than substance. Take care.
Wow! The arrogance of all of you to decide how someone else should or should spend their money. Hindsight really is 20/20. If I were a rich celebrity I would just party and spend my money on myself and to hell with any causes because it seems as though you just damned if you do and damned if you don't.
Why we blacks fine it so easy to tear down each other, when something goes wrong ,i am just praying for MAMA OPRAH AND HER SCHOOL.
Why is it that any kind of critical view of what "our" black celebrities do have to be interpreted as "tearing down"? If Oprah is perpetuating an oppressive worldview, shouldn't we call her on it?
Re: "The arrogance of all of you to decide how someone else should or should [not] spend their money."
I don't care if celebrities toss their money into a fireplace. Let it burn - what do I care? On the other hand, when Oprah says that black girls in America are beyond redemption, beyond hope or help, then we all, black or white, have a right to tell her that she is sending a terrible message of despair to all young American black youth that they are not worth one dollar of help.
Just because you have a lot of money does not mean you can toss it into a crowded street and cause an accident or death. Her tossing the money into Africa was careless and inconsiderate. Blacks in Africa have problems but so do they all. There is very little psychological damage since everyone there is in the same boat and with very little expectations there is very little disappointment.
But here in America, where there is a huge discrepancy between those who have and the blacks that do not, between the expectation and the reality, between the dream and the waking life, there is tremendous anger, despair, frustration and disappointment. It is precisely young blacks in America that need the help, not those in Africa.
When you go into the Korean community in New York you see other Koreans helping fellow Koreans. It is no accident that there are thousands of Korean delis in New York City. They did not have delis in Korea and that was certainly not their business, but one Korean starts up a business here in America and in short order he helps others get into the business. Wealthy Koreans help others Koreans.
And what do we see wealthy blacks do? Well, Oprah sent money to Africa to people she didn't know and to a community that she never grew up in. Black leaders focus on race relations and the politics of white blame rather than on encouraging blacks to help each other. Racism only holds people back so much, but without a strong black community helping each other there can be little improvement.
Blacks need to help other blacks and forget about whitey. Using racism as an excuse doesn't hold water anymore.
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