Apropriate Development

I am not sure how I feel about Oprah's school in South Africa. She's gotten lots of publicity for it, and I have held off writing about it until I could come to some conclusion, but I still haven't been able to. When I watched a story about it during primetime television, I was moved. And when I caught part of one of the episodes of her talk show telling about the school and the girls, I again was moved. But something continued to make me cautious. I haven't figured out what it is, but my RPCV friend Deidre sent me a link to an article in the Jamaica Gleaner yesterday. Give it a read if you have time: http://www.jamaicagleaner.com/gleaner/20070529/news/news7.html The author talks briefly about how the white residents of the town are happy to have the school and think it's a good asset to the town, while a couple of black men sitting on the side of the road and smoking ganja felt otherwise. They felt that no one local benefited because all jobs were given to outsiders. I think giving people possibilities and new experiences, chances, are usually always good, and I lean towards being supportive of the school, but the excessive publicity turns me off, and so I still haven't made up my mind.