Empowering and uplifting yourself through education
A tribute to Professor Axel
Rethwilm (Institute for Virology and Immunobiology (Born August 3, 1959 - died Juiy 29, 2014)
I was 12 years old when apartheid ended in1994. As I was still a child apartheid didn’t phase as much and I knew very little about my surroundings at that time. I knew that as a person of colour, a person of mixed race, we were only allowed to go to certain schools and have certain jobs. I was generally protected and unaware of the conditions in our black communities and the horrible poor conditions faced in everyday life in the townships or squatter camps. Aspirations of becoming doctors, lawyers, businessmen, leaders and even sport stars, were generally reserved for white people, although not impossible to achieve.
I come from a highly educated family, as my mother is a teacher, and many other family members as well. My parents believed it was imperative to have a good educational background in order to rise above our circumstances of the time.
To quote our beloved leader and world icon Nelson Mandela “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”.
Thus in 1994, when South Africa entered its democratic era, me and my sister were sent to what was then known as “Model C” schools, schools with education systems previously reserved for only the more privileged. This gave me the opportunity to excel in my education, giving me an advantage to achieve success in whatever career path I chose.
I always had a love for the world of micro-organisms and the diseases they cause. Therefore, I chose to study molecular biology at the University of Stellenbosch.
As HIV/AIDS touches everyone in South Africa I decided to specialise in medical virology during my postgraduate studies. In 2005, while presenting my Master’s work at a conference in San Francisco, US, I was approached by Professor Axel Rethwilm, offering me the chance to do my PHD at the Institute for Virology and Immunobiology at the University of Wuerzburg, Germany. He was tasked with initiating collaborations with universities in the Western Cape and with South African scientists working on HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases.
This led to a fruitful collaboration between Germany and South Africa, with many research projects still in progress.
After completing my studies in Germany I returned to South Africa, as this is my home and I feel this is where my knowledge and expertise are most needed.
With 11 official languages South Africa is a dynamic multi-cultural country with ample resources such as gold, diamonds, platinum and copper. It has the second biggest economy in Africa after Nigeria.
However, crime levels are still extremely high, especially in the poor communities. The levels of inequality caused by apartheid are still visible in everyday life.
Good quality education is still lacking and is sometimes only accessible to the more privileged middle and upper class.
“According to the World Economic Forum report South Africa ranks second last in mathematics and science education in the world. The poor who want to educate themselves at higher education institutes still mostly rely on government grants, private funding or high bank loans, which often take years to pay off.”
Thus, there are many challenges that South African scientists face today.
As a result of apartheid and the education system, we still lack many good quality scientists. Those who are qualified often leave our shores for more lucrative job opportunities in places like England, Europe, US and Australia. There is a push from the government to
increase the number of Phd-qualified South Africans and to keep qualified professionals in the country.
However, it will probably take many more years to achieve education levels as seen in the First World. As a medical scientist we are faced with the task of doing research to help improve the quality of health in South Africa. Diseases such as H[v/aids, tuberculosis and heart diseases are all common.
Research in these fields is not always supported as many of the local cultures believe in traditional medicine, rather than taking the medicine and d*gr from the Western backed pharmaceutical companies.
For myself, the biggest challenge is to use my knowledge and scientific background to teach others, from all cultures and races, to uplift and empower themselves through education, despite their social and economic backgrounds. I sincerely hope that my research into HIV/AIDS in South Africa makes a valuable contribution towards curbing the epidemic we are fighting every day in my country.
Dr Graeme Jacobs (PHD magna cum laude University of Wuetzburg, Germany): Medical Research Scientist, Division of Medical Virology, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa