1. Overheard: Cultural practices should not be made illegal. The law should be there to protect and preserve them -- they are above and beyond the law.
2 " Africans have this thing called UBUNTU: it is about the essence of being human, it is part of the gift that Africa will give the world. It embraces hospitality, caring about others, being able to go the extra mile for the sake of others. We believe that a person is a person through another person, that my humanity is caught up, bound up and inextricable in yours. When I dehumanise you, I inexorably dehumanise myself. The solitary human being is a contradiction in terms and therefor you seek to work for the common good because your humanity comes into its own in belonging " (Arch-Bishop TUTU )
BUT UBUNTU IS DEAD !!!
3.In South Africa we work from a strength-based perspective..... this must then surely mean we can no longer talk of a "disorganised family" or a "dysfunctional family".
3 thought-provoking statements Barie. I am responding to no 3. Strength-based approach / perspective does not mean that one should deny that the "dysfunction" exists in a family. I understand it to mean that within the dysfunctional situation one indentifies the strengths of the family. No matter HOW dysfunctional or disorganised or chaotic family situations might seem, there ALWAYS are strengths to find. The strengths then become the starting point and foundation of the work with the family. This might be simplifying it a lot, but unless these families are assisted to find their strengths, the cycle simply continues. Identifying the developmental areas would certainly mean one needs to give it (the developmental areas) names - not label families. Naming problems are not labeling. "dysfunctional" I assume would be the opposite of functional - why would it not be developmental to identify that as an area for development - certainly there is a continuum of the levels of functionality of people and families. Facinating topic! Sandra
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