South Africa’s prickly pear spikes poverty
|
|
Troth Wells
|
Women in South Africa’s Fort Beaufort township can make a little money by selling prickly pear fruit on the streets, but a larger source of income comes from brewing the fruit into beer. Prickly pear, native to Mexico, was introduced to South Africa over 200 years ago and became a plant invader. Its succulent fruit is covered by tufts of tiny spikes (glochids), which can pierce the skin. Mrs Nowinile Ngcengele (see photo) and her friends gather about 50 kilograms of fruit per day from an abandoned farm, prepare the fruit, boil it, then add the fermenting agent – a root called mula. Next day the hooch is ready. Beer-brewing may be done by women, but most of the drinking is done by men, coming in their ones and twos to buy either a beaker of beer, or a litre container for 2 rand (33 cents). As the sun rises, so do people’s spirits – the men’s from the alcohol and the women’s from the income. While pensioners in South Africa receive 700-800 rand ($114-130) per month from the State, over the three-month prickly pear season the women can make as much as R1,000 ($163) a month extra from beer-brewing and fruit-selling – a welcome boost to their incomes.
Join over 30,000 people just like you. Get e-mail updates about new content, action alerts, contests, and more!
Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
