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FromSelf-helptoCharityin DisabilityService:theJairosJiri AssociationinZimbabwe PATRICKDEVLIEGER University ofIllino is atUrbana-Champaign, USA

ABSTRACT Intoday’sZimbabwe,anextendednetwork ofinstitutions whichserv epersonswith disabilitiesare th elegacy of Jairos Jiri, one of thegreatestA fricanph ilanthropists. Starteda s apersonalinitiativeto helpA fricans withd isabilities, it becamepart of alarger self-help movement in colonialRhodesia.T hism ovement wascha racterizedbytheid eato establish independent African-controlledschools a ndb lack-run businessventur esin aneffortto uplift Africans. Jiri’sactivitiessta rteda searly as1945but gainedm omentum intheearly 1950swith theestablishment ofaleathershopfollow edb yinstitutionalexpansion all overthecountry.The period19 50±60is ch aracterizedby Ja iros Jiri’seffortto buildA fricanconsciousnessandthe solicitation of ®nancialsupport for Africansw ithdisa bilities.In thisproces s, the® nancial contributions from non-Africansandfrom overseas, institutionalexpansion,andtheid eain the 1960thatpoliticalcontrol would uplift AfricansovershadowedJiri’ sself-help philosophy. Inthe 1980sand1 990s, disability advocatesportrayedthe A ssociation intermsofcharity ratherth an self-helpth us underestimating theliberating role Jairos Jiri playedprior to independence. This articlecha llenges theassumption thattheJairos Jiri Association ism erely aninstitutional effort, devoidof thelibera ting philosophy of thedisability movement.

Introduction

Manypeople in Zimbabwespontaneously linkthethoughtofhandicap ordisability to`Jairo sJiri’.This indicatesth at then ameofthefounder ofw hat becamea movementis muchp art ofZimbabweanp ublic discourse.In contrast, professionals andadvocatesrec ognize andsometimescritic ize Jairos Jiri asan `in stitutional’ effort Downloaded by [The Library, University of Witwatersrand] at 08:10 26 September 2013 which favors an attitudeofcharity aso pposedtothe m uchyo unger disability movementwhich advocatesan integrated community-basedapp roach.R eferringto JairosJiri, it wasre cently statedby adisabilityadvocate that the`ro le ofin stitutions is toh elp usbycontrollingus,n otliberatingusfromall that holdsusdown’ (Charlton,1993). Suchstatementsre ¯ectan enormousdigressionfro m`self-help’, theideathat people with disabilitiesdothings forthemselvesandare self-suf®c ient contributorsto th eir communities,thevery foundation ofJairosJiri’ smovement. In this article,I explore theevolutionfromself-help toc harity. My®ndings are forthemostp art basedon n ewspaperarticleswhich appearedbetween1950± 60 in

0968-7599/95/010039-10 Ó 1995 JournalsOxford Ltd 40 P.Devlieger

the Bantu Mirror .First, Iconsider thec harismaofthe m anJairo sJiri. Second,I outline theidea ofself-h elp in thec olonial context.T hird, Iinterpret theshift from self-help toch arity bylookingat thein terfacebetweenself-help, raceandinstitu- tional development.

Jairos Jiri

Theb eginnings ofthe Jairo sJiri movementcould hardly bedescribedwithoutalso givingcredit tothe charis maofthem an.Virtually uneducatedan donly havingheld several menial jobs,th epitifulsight ofthe`cripple sandblindpersonshesaw go a-beggingin fromstore tos tore tobe give namorseloffoodandat other timesto be kick edaw ay likeunwanteddogs’[1] perhaps precipitatedJairo sJiri’ s interestin thep light ofthe sep eople.A bouthis motives,hesaid `It wasa pain Ifelt in mychestw henIsawth esep eople andit becameworseevery timeIsawan other’ (Farquhar, 1987, p.18). JairosJiri’suniquepersonality characteristics contributedmuchto his success. The® rst,u ndoubtedly, wasa great amountofstu bbornness.D espiteon going dif® culties,® nancial asw ell asprob lemsoflo yalty in thefo rmation oftheo rganiza- tion,Jiri stubbornly continuedtod owhat hethought hehad tod o.T heothertrait washis ability tore ach outtoau diencesandgain support, which hesuccessfully usedas a fund-raiser for theo rganization.Moreover, noimmediate personal gain resultedfromJiri’sactivities.T othecontrary, his biographyreveals that JairosJiri’ s attachmenttohis activitiesresultedin several divorcesandthat hen everenriched his family (Farquhar, 1987). Becauseof this lack ofs eekingpersonal advantage he wasd escribedby onejournalist asthe `the u nassumingandunknightedgallan tof Southern ’ [2]. Othersd escribedhim asth econtinent’smostfam ous African philanthropist (Iliffe, 1987).

Self-help

Asan initiative forAfricansbyAfricans,the Jairo sJiri activitiesbecamepart ofa larger movementofself-help in thecolonial context ofthe1950 s.T hemovement wasm ostly characterized bythedevelopmentofind ependentAfrican-controlled institutionsandservices,esp ecially in the® eldo feducation.TheN yatsimeCollege scheme,conceivedb yStanlake Samkange,is anexam ple ofthemostsuccessfuland ambitiouseducational project(W est,1990). Theration ale for suchd evelopment Downloaded by [The Library, University of Witwatersrand] at 08:10 26 September 2013 centeredo nelevatingAfricanseconomically. Only after the1960s would political control becomeacondition forAfricanin dependence. Theideaofself-h elp applied equally in the® eldof philan thropy. Philanthropy is understoodhereas the goo dnessonepersondoesto an other personw ithout assuminganydirectgain.This more inclusive de®n ition mustbedistinguishedfrom amoren arrowde®nition which stressesuponth ebuildingandsupportingofa ®nancial andadministrative systemin support ofphilanthropic activities.Jairos Jiri wassu ccessfulin both interpretationsandhis movementthusformedanotable exception in thetrendofself-help initiativesin philanthropy. West(1990) notesthat FromSelf-h elpto C harity 41

attemptsto ® nancepro jectsof a philanthropic nature were generally more notable fortheir attemptsthan for what theyactually accomplishedfo rtworeasons:(a) the generally lowdisposable incomesof A fricans,an d(b) then on-existenceo fa non-kinship philanthropic traditionamongAfricansin SouthernR hodesia.Jairos Jiri built his movementonexten sive kinship networks andobtainedthevo luntary cooperationofpe ople suchasa basketmakerandacobbler who helpedtrain the people with disabilitieswhomJairos Jiri wantedto he lp (seeF arquhar 1987, p.23). Referringtoself-h elp,theJiri movementp laceditself within thefram eof political dependence.A letter tothe C hief Native Commissioner reads:`T he South-Rhodesian Governmenthas donetremendouswork fortheAfrican in many ways.Toshowappreciationandgratitudeforthis work, Ifeelthe A frican himself at this stage mustd osomethingin thew ay ofhe lpinghimself andthusrelievingthe Government,by ahundredth ofth egoodw ork theyhave sofar done,are doingat presentandwill doin future fortheblack man’[3]. AsanA frican philanthropic initiative forpersonswith disabilitiesrelyingonthe idea ofs elf-help,theJairos Jiri Associationmeta favorable colonial climate.T he depressiono fthe1930s andthepolitical urgency fromriots in theWestIndiesled tothe establ ishmentofaSocial Welfare Committeecolonial of®ce bythelate 1930s. PatternedalongSouth African lines,the d evelopmentofsocial welfare servicesin limiteds ervicesto n on-Africans.A nideology ofcommunity developmentreplacedthesoc ial welfare motif in the1940s. Britishadministratorsin Africa promotedthis idea toen courage untrainedA frican initiative rather than dependontrainedpro fessionalEuropeansoc ial workers.It was`constructive’ rather than`re medial’,active andvigo rousrather than patientandgradual (Iliffe, 1987). This climate may have helpedtheJairos Jiri Associationobtain initial municipal supportin 1952 followedbygovernmentgrantsin 1956, andoverseass upport in the early 1960s. Further,as a secular movement,the Jairo sJiri movementrepresented agenuinely African initiative.In 1942,provisionfor African personswith disabilities waslim itedtoon emissionschool for theblind,an old age homein Salisbury, and someindividualcare at missionstations.A part from somesmall grantsto m issions, thestate acceptednoresponsibility for thewelfare ofAfrican children(Iliffe ,1987). In the1960s,theB ulawayo municipality developedan extensive systemo fwelfare. This system,headedbyDrE.H.Ashton,becametheadministrative forceo ftheJiri movement.T hegro wth oftheAssociationbetween1950 and1960 bene®ttedfro m thesed evelopmentsin colonial Rhodesia.A lthough Jairos Jiri startedoperations around1945, notu ntil 1950 did his activitiesprogre ssan dreceive public support. Downloaded by [The Library, University of Witwatersrand] at 08:10 26 September 2013 OnOctober15, 1950 theB ulawayo City Council grantedpe rmissionto o ccupya buildingforhis trainingscheme(Farquhar, 1987). Jairos Jiri recalled this date asthe start ofhis work in rehabilitation. Mucho fthecriticis mofc ontemporary disabilityadvocatesre sults fromthe education ofthep olitical liberationin Zimbabwe,w hich obviously wasab sentin Jiri’swork. However,su chcriticis munderestimatesth eliberatingrole JairosJiri played priortoin dependence.Theliberat ingrole oftheJairos Jiri movementmust beju dgedin thecontext ofth econditionsakin toap artheidw hichexistedin the urban areas for all Africansin colonial Zimbabweuntil them id nineteenseventies. 42 P.Devlieger

WhenJairos Jiri wasfo undedin Bulawayo,anA frican manw asalm ostthele gal property ofhis employer, had novote,could notownlandandwaslegally referred toas a `boy’.Within suchacontext,Jairo sJiri had aliberatingimpactonthe m ost dehumanizingaspecto fbeggingandpoverty which coexistedwith theco nditionsof theurban situationimposedo nAfricans.

Self-helpan dPhilanthropy

Theid ea thatpeople with disabilitiesn eededtobe train edin ordertod osomething forthemselvesis essential in theidea ofself-help.W ithin theco ntext ofphilan- thropy, this waslinkedtoa trulyhumanconcern.`This[humanconcern],more than anythingelse,c onvinced[JairosJiri] ofthenecessityof teac hing[personswith disabilities]tow ork for themselvesan dtolead alife asrespectable andusefulasthat ledb ynormal people everywhere’[4]. In this sense,JairosJiri waspictu redas`a symbolofwhat theAfricanswered oingtohelp themselvesan dtheir people to-day’ [5]. Trainingandteachinghasb eenfundamental in theconcept ofself-help and upliftingunfortunate people,rather thanpo litical action. Theadverb describingJiri’sintentionsas`tru ly’ humand emandsane xpla- nation.It has beenargu edthat thedevelopmentofservicesfor personswhoare disabled arisesnotn ecessarily becauseof hu man concernb utsometimesfroman effort toe xcludethemfrom them ainstream ofsociety.E ssentially this view implies that there is somethinginherently wrongwith personswith disabilities(R yan & Thomas,1987). Proofthat JairosJiri heldth eoppositevie wresidesonhis statement thatpersonswith disabilitiesc andosomethingforthemselves ifgiventheopportunity . Jiri arguedin an interviewwith theBantuM irror: `if only theygotsomethingon which tom ake astart, theyare prepared toh elp themselves’ [6]. The®rstproducts producedby thepersonswith physicaldisabilitiesin theleather workshopunder- linedthat people with disabilitiesc and othings.T his wasco mmunicatedeffe ctively in thepressasthe title ofa BantuM irror article reads:`C ripplesdoexcellentshoe repairing’.Theth emethat people with disabilitiesare able ofd oingsomething worthwhile is still very popular in contemporary Zimbabwe.`Disability doesnot meanin ability’ is aslogan oftenheard [7].

Self-helpan dRace

TheJairo sJiri Association originatedin an African initiative.Butits growth de- Downloaded by [The Library, University of Witwatersrand] at 08:10 26 September 2013 pendedo nsupport fromindividuals andinstitutionsacrossracial groups.Farq uhar (1987) notesthat Jiri wasstim ulatedin takinginitiative byacontact with American Airforce Of®c ers,andthee xplanation ofwhat wasd oneforpeople with disabilities, `particularly bytheNegro people in America who bandedtogeth ertohe lp their disabled World War Iveterans,an dthesupport this receivedfro mboth their Governmentandthepu blic’(p.20). Initial support forJiri’sactivitiescam efromtheB ulawayo City Council, which offeredJiri aplacefreeofrentfor his workshop.L ater theCouncil also proved helpfulin thed evelopmentoftheA ssociation[8]. AsJairos Jiri choseaninstitutional FromSelf-h elpto C harity 43

approachtopro moteself-h elp forpersonswith disabilities, support soontran slated intom oney, anddirectly re¯e ctedu ponthe ec onomic relationsbetweentheraces. Theexistenceofaphilanthropic tradition(seeB oswell 1988), theavailability of monetary resources,andthein stitutionaldirectionofJiri’ sactivities placedwhitesin apositionof su pportingtheJairosJiri movement.S uchsupport becameespecially visible in donationsat theo ccasionoftheyearly Christmasparty [9, 10]. Some white businessesan d®rmscontributed®nancially toth eJairosJiri Association. Moreim portantly, charity, asan institutional concept for thecare ofpersonswith disabilities,originatedin western thought (Stiker, 1982). Forthis reason,such support appealedm ore tow hitesth anit could toblack sasa rightfulsolutiontothe plight ofp ersonswith disabilities. TwoEuropeans®guredp rominently in theB antuM irror, partly becauseo f their positionsin theco lonial governmentwhichassignedthe mtow ork forthe improvementofAfrican conditions.TheBulawayo City Council Director ofAfrican Administration,DrE.H.Ashton,servedasC hairmanof th eCommitteeofthe African Physically Defective Society, thusaddingagreat deal ofw hite in¯uenceto themovement.A nother early white supporterofth eJiri movement,the R everend PercyIbbotson,wasthe O rganizingSecretary oftheFederationofNative Welfare Societiesin SouthernR hodesia (seeIbb otson,1943). Ibbotsonplacedthemove- mentin alarger framework.A toneChristmasp arty hestate d`that thec oming togetherofAfricansandEuropeanswould arousein thehearts oftheA frican people agreater interestin thevaluable work beingdonefor theAfrican cripples’[11]. His commentindicatedthat them ovementwasan o ccasionfor AfricansandEuropeans toco metogether.T heJiri movement,ho wever, neverintendedtos ubvert the differencesbetweenth etworaces.It operatedw ithin thosed ifferencesbutintended, through self-help,to im prove thesituationofAfricans. Support from theIndian community, too,is reportedat several occasions. Startingwith in-kindsupport for aChristmasp arty byan Indian couple [12] and clothesd onatedby theIndian community [13], Indian support gradually became larger. Expressinggratitudeforagift fromtheIn dian Community ofB ulawayo, JairosJiri wrotein 1956 that thegestu re `continuedth efriendlinessth eIndianshad towardstheA fricans’[14]. Support bytheIndian community also becameen- meshedw ithin apolitical agendadesignedtom ake thedifferencesbetweenthe Indian andEuropeancu lture more understandable andacceptable.Indiansstarted gift givingat theo ccasiono f their Christmas,im plyingthat theyhadth eir own Christmasan dthat it also involvedhelpingthed isadvantaged.T hesubtitle ofa Downloaded by [The Library, University of Witwatersrand] at 08:10 26 September 2013 BantuM irrorarticle,onth eoccasionofamajorgift bytheB ritish IndiaAssociation, read:`It Is Part OfOurReligion ToHelp TheN eedy’.Giftsfor theJairo sJiri movementre¯ectedIndian interestin amore positive pro® le in society aswell asthe ambiguity oftheir contributiontoth ewelfare ofAfricans.T hesec retary ofthe Indian Association`expressedthe ho pethat there will bem ore assistancefro mthe memberso f[Jairos Jiri’s]community in thefuture’[15], suggestingthat if African support had existed,therew ould have beennoneedfo rIndian support. Onthe sameoccasion,DrAshtone xplainedthat theC ommitteeoftheSociety wasan inter-racialonewith Europeans,In dians,C oloredsandAfricans.Thushep aid 44 P.Devlieger

tributeto the in volvementofth eIndian groupin theSociety butalso,b ycitingthe differentracesin this particular order,he c onsolidatedtheS ociety’swork onthe hierarchybetweenthe race s. Although support camefromdifferentracial groups[16], thevery idea of self-help foundedon tryin gtom anage withoutoutsidehelp [17]. Thein itial lack of supportbyAfricansforJiri’ sinitiativeswasw idely reported,partly asaresultofJiri’ s major efforts togain suchsu pport. Jiri encouraged Africanstojo in handstohe lp thosew hocannoth elp them- selves.C ontemporaries ofJiri claimedth at `whenA fricansceaseto ® ndfault with oneanotherandwork together fortheir welfare they are capable ofachievingwhat anygroupofworkersw ould achieve for themselves’[18]. In amore positive vein,Jiri arguedth at`unlessAfricansjointo getherandwork forthatwhich is forthec ommon goodoftheir poorpeople,there canbe n ohopeforabrightfuture’[19]. In his argument,Jiri wasad dressing all Africans,n oto nly thes o-called`enlightened Africans’[20]. Although Jiri receivedmuchsupport fromAfricansin hise arly efforts,b oth in-kindan dsome®nancially, requestsfor support becamemore andmore solicited in ®nancial terms,es pecially asthe organ izationbecamelarger. Onmanydifferent occasions,® nancial support from theA frican community wasso licited.Jiri at- temptedtop ointouttheindifferencew ith which his Society had beentre atedbythe African community in 1953, thusre¯e ctingthe®nancial needsofhis philanthropic activity[21]. From amore European-colonial perspective,Ashtonstatedin 1955 that`African people should learn tohelp sufferersfor thesakeo fhelping.Theymust notalw ays expectto re ceive rewardsforwhat they do’[22]. Jiri appealedto respectedA fricansforsupport andreceivedit. Onesuchpe rsonwasM rSipamban- isoK umalo,describedas a well-knownreservem an ofMatabeleland.Kumalo reiteratedJiri’sappeal maintainingthat it wasth eduty ofth eAfricanpe ople toh elp their poor people ®nancially andgave an example bygivingacertain amountof moneytoth esociety [23]. Recurrent®nancial problems,m uchth eresult oftheinstitutional approach, forcedth eJairosJiri Association too rganize avariety offund-raisingapproaches(i.e. concerts,app eals toa variety ofdonors,suchasm issionsbutmoresu ccessfully, governmentinstitutions).Onhis fund-raisingtours,Jiri neverfailed tobrin gthese problemsbacktoA frican people in thevillages andtownships;nordid hefail to communicate themu nequivocally toth epress.A 1955 article entitled`Physically Defective Society CannotMake EndsMeet’,reportedJiri’ sdesperate appeal for Downloaded by [The Library, University of Witwatersrand] at 08:10 26 September 2013 funds.Theartic le revealedthat at that timeonly oneAfrican,aretiredmemberof theBritish-South African Police,s enttheSociety ayearly donation[24]. In an effort toin creasetheinvolvementofAfricans,acommitteew asformedin Bulawayo consistingofAfricans.T hecommittee’spurposefocusedonfund-raising in theA frican townships.Jiri stressedat theoc casionthat `TheSociety isfo rall Africans’.Othersad dedthat help had beenforthcomingfrom people whowere non-Africans[25]. Thesupport fromAfricansappearedtoin creasein 1957. Under thetitle, `Africansrespondtofu ndforhandicapped’,onearticle reportedthat Africans, FromSelf-h elpto C harity 45

mostly businesspeople,c ontributedd onationstowardsthebuildingofanewcenter. Onthat occasion,Jiri commentedthat it wasn otagoodthingforAfricanstoleave fund-raisingtoothe rraces[26]. Similarly, seniorAfrican employeesfrom atobacco ®rm contributedto th eSociety in 1958 [27]. Jiri explainedin a1958 interview that `theappare ntlackof[® nancial] support from themajority ofAfricansis by nomeansduetoap athy andunwillingnessb ut becausem ostofthe m,particularly theru ral Africans,are ill-informedofthe fundamental reasonsforwhichtheS ociety is in existence’[28]. Perhaps Jiri wasto o well aware that thep hilanthropic idea,red ucedtoa ®nancial contribution,was foreign tom anyAfricansandthat it neededanexplan ation.Atthesametime,the concept wasa familiar oneformemberso fother races,which contributedtohis success. In myopinion,Jiri could have Africanizedhis call for support somemore[29], forexample,by usingexpressionsthat appealedto A fricans.H owever, bydoingso, hemighthave turnedawaythesupport ofEuropeans.Jiri relied onA frican resources forthework andorganizationofthemovement.H ealso relied onA frican cultural notionsofhuman relations.Farq uhar (1987) notesth at `[JairosJiri] could not acceptthat noGod,or ancestral spirit, would give credit toa manw hoallowedto begorstarveÐorboth’.Muchless c ould herely oncu ltural conceptsthat disability arisesfrom punishmentcausedby supernatural phenomenawhichimpededaction in favorofp ersonswith disabilities.M uchwork still needstob edonein clarifying acultural concept ofd isability in Africa (seeMallory, 1993; Devlieger, 1995).

Self-helpan dInstitutional Development

The10-yea rperiodbetween1950 and1960 is certainly them ostimportantin terms ofinstitutionaldevelopment.Jiri wasan African expansionist in thetru esenseof the word.S tartingin Bulawayo with ashoerepair shopwhich eventually developedin alarge center, anewbran chwaslau nchedin Salisbury (nowH arare) in 1955 [30], followedby onein Fort Victoria (nowM asvingo)in 1959 [31]. Bythetu rn ofthe1960s,Jairo sJiri had establishedcen tersfor personswith disabilitiesall overthecountry in aneve rexpandingeffort toserve pe rsonswith disabilities.This lead tonationalandinternationalrecognitionoverthen ext 20years ofhis life. Part ofthe rec ognitionresultedin international study-tours,th e®rst of which hestartedin 1960 leadinghim ona eight month trip tothe U nitedS tates, Britain,GhanaandNigeria [32]. This would eventually result in international Downloaded by [The Library, University of Witwatersrand] at 08:10 26 September 2013 fund-raisingeffortstorelieve theincreasing®nancial burdenofa growinginsti- tution.

Discussion

Jiri’sideaso fself-help contain avery positive ¯avor, both forpersonswhoare disabled asw ell asfo rAfricansin general. However, theid ea ofself-help asa framingidealostits impact with thein stitutional developmentandgave way tothe idea ofch arity. This is duetothe n ature oforganizational developmentin arapidly 46 P.Devlieger

growingmovement.T hen eedfor effective ®scal managementbecamean endin itself.T heresult ofthis expandinginstitutional developmentandthegrowing ®nancial burdenm ay eventually have focusedmore attentionontheinstitutionand ultimately onfund-raisingandcharity while helpingpeople help themselvesassumed asubsidiary role.T his developmentgrewintoa major crisis oftheJiri associationin theearly 1980s. Inmore recentyears,the m ovementhasbeenviewedbypeople with disabilitiesas co ntrollingversusliberating.Self-help alsobecamelessim portantdue toth elargerpolitical movementsin Zimbabwe.A sreconciliationbecamethe importantword in post-independenceZ imbabwe,reh abilitationefforts became gearedtoward integrationaso pposedto in stitutional efforts andexpectationsfrom thegovernmentrathe rthan private initiatives.L astly, JairosJiri’sdeath in 1982 also is likely toh ave contributedto th echange in focus,sin cethem ovementwash eavily dependentontheman’svisionandcharisma. Theoriginaleffortsof Jiri certainly intendedfor people with disabilitiesto h elp themselvesandresultedin manypeople workingin integratede mployment.In itial objectivesincludedrehabilitatingfor open[33] andself-employment[34], butas fewpositionswereavailab le,theA ssociationalso providedshe lteredem ployment [35]. Byadoptingthis enlarged role,theA ssociation assumedth epositionoftakin g society’sburden.Theo ver-zealousnessoftheA ssociation may have workedagain st its owngoodan dits noble intentions.In lateryears, someparentsp erceivedthe JairosJiri associationasapossibility ofrelinquishingresponsibility over childrenwith adisability.In professional arenas,th ealienatingeffectso finstitutionalization becamecriticized.Asinstitutions,someofJiri’scentersm ayhave contributedtothe alienationofp ersonswith disabilitiesrather than toth eir self-help. Theideaofself-help asan initiative ofA fricansforAfricansbyAfricanswas certainlyusedtoincreaseaw arenessam ongtheA frican groups.However,in practice themovement¯ourishedwithin thefram ework ofan existingracial hierarchyin colonial society.A san institutional andphilanthropic initiative,Jiri’swork found acceptanceam ongtheEuropeansrulers,as w ell asam ongIndian groups,w ho contributedwith private andgovernmentfunding. Thefo rmationofamulti-racial executive committeecontributedto the eros ionoftheideaofself-help in the managementofth eassociation.Further, although it is part ofthe self-h elp ideanot tod ependoncharity buttorely onone’sownresources,in practice,the m ainte- nancean dexpansiono fthein stitutionsdemandedever increasingfund-raising efforts.It canthu sbeconcludedthatself-help in philanthropyasit wasp racticedin theJairos Jiri movementbecameinterspersedwith eclectic concernsthat made Downloaded by [The Library, University of Witwatersrand] at 08:10 26 September 2013 things work. Perhaps Jiri’ smostlastingcontribution is thegenuineco ncernfo rtheh uman personin anyAfrican andanypersonw ith adisabilitybyan African person.Given theopportunity, asJiri argued,sucha personcan doasw ell justas an ybodyelse. Within thesometimessto rmyinstitutional developmentoftheA ssociation,this messagem ay have beenove rshadowedat times.T heAssociation,in its continuing effort tose rve individuals with disabilities,would bene®t byremindingitselfattimes ofth einitial idea ofse lf-help. Thehistor yofphilanthropy in Africa may bene®tby preservingthiso riginal contribution. FromSelf-h elpto C harity 47

Acknowledgement

Iacknowledge thesupport ofP rofessorMichael Westfor several instructive conver- sationsonthe to pic asw ell asthe care fuleditingby Billie-Jo Rylance.Thearticle alsobene®ttedfro mthecommentso ftwoanonymousreviewers.

Correspondence: Patrick Devlieger, DepartmentofA nthropology, 109 Davenport Hall, 607S.MathewsAve,Urbana, IL61801, USA.

NOTES

[1] The Bantu Mirror ,7July,1956. [2] The Bantu Mirror ,7July,1956. [3] NAZS2791/6CorrespondenceStephen J. Kowenda,Secreta ryof The Bulawayoand BikitaPhysica llyDefectiv eSocietyto The Chief NativeCom missioner, Salisbury, 17 July, 1951. [4] The Bantu Mirror ,7July,1956. [5] The Bantu Mirror ,12 February,1955. [6] The Bantu Mirror ,8August,1953. [7] Titlessuch as `Blind M anTypes Letter’ ind icatesthe excitem entan dsurpriseofwitnesses anddispels the m yththat people with d isabilitiesare unable, TheBantu Mirror , 19 December, 1953. [8] Forexamplethe City C ouncilwou ldlend a hallto the Society for fundraisin gpurposes, The Bantu Mirror ,12 March, 1955. [9] Dr Ashton,Chairmano ftheCom mitteeof theA fricanPhysica llyD efectivepoin tedo ut thatthe Christm asPartyin 1954 wasprim arilym adepossib leby the suppor tofEuropeans, The Bantu Mirror ,8January,1955. [10] The Bantu Mirror ,2January,1954. Underthe title `M rJiriT hanksHelpers ’,personsand institutionswhofreely gavedo nationsfor theChristm asparty are listed.Allm onetary contributionscam efromwhites,an in -kindcontribution,vegetables,w ascon tributedby a blackperson . [11] The Bantu Mirror ,26 December, 1953. [12] The Bantu Mirror ,31 December, 1955. [13] The Bantu Mirror ,18 April,1953. [14] The Bantu Mirror ,10 November, 1956. [15] The Bantu Mirror ,27 December, 1958. [16] Noeviden ce wasfoun dof systematicsu pportby colo reds. [17] The Bantu Mirror ,21 February,1953. [18] The Bantu Mirror ,7February, 1953. The Bantu Mirror

Downloaded by [The Library, University of Witwatersrand] at 08:10 26 September 2013 [19] ,18 April,1953. [20] Inan articlein TheBantu Mirror ,7February,1953, entitled`T heNeedsoftheN eedy’,the argumentis m adethat enlight enedA fricanscanhelp their less fo rtunatepeople especia lly bysupportingalread yexistingEuropean-sponsoredo rganizationsuchas theR edCross and thePriso ners’A idSociety .Doingso,theyw ouldgain a lotof knowledge aswell as encouragethose Eu ropeansalreadyinterest edin the welfare ofAfricans. [21] The Bantu Mirror ,18 April,1953. [22] The Bantu Mirror ,8January,1955. [23] The Bantu Mirror ,25 September, 1954. [24] The Bantu Mirror ,12 March, 1955. [25] The Bantu Mirror ,7July,1956. 48 P.Devlieger

[26] The Bantu Mirror ,28 September, 1957. [27] The Bantu Mirror ,19 April,1958. [28] The Bantu Mirror ,25 January,1958. [29] Iespeciallyam thinkin ghere aboutthe id eaof `harambee’as it was pro mulgatedby Jom o Kenyatta,the F irstPreside ntof Kenya. [30] The Bantu Mirror ,26 February,1955. [31] The Bantu Mirror ,30 May,1959. [32] The Bantu Mirror ,19 April,1960. [33] Discussingthe n ecessityof anewcen ter, Jirisaid: `It is ou rdutyto teach them a joband thenrehabili tatethem in society ’, TheBantu Mirror ,30 May,1959. [34] Toassist perso nswith d isabilitieswho quali® ed in a particulartrad e, modernequ ipment wasprovid edto facilitat eopeninga shopand m akea livelystart in bu siness, The Bantu Mirror,7July,1956. [35] See, for example, TheBantu Mirror ,14 September, 1957.

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