On October 24th, I went to see the movie I am not a witch. In this movie, a young girl shows up out of nowhere, and because of that, she is blamed for being a witch. She never denies this accusation, so she is taken to a “witch camp.” She is put on a ribbon, told she can stay a witch if she keeps it there, or she can cut it and she will turn into a goat. The next morning, they go see what choice she has made, and indeed she is still a “witch.” While in this camp, she befriends the elderly women who are also there. They give her the name Shula because she does not have one. The movie also has scenes where there are tourists coming to view these camps. Since she is younger, these ladies do not want her doing the fieldwork they have to do, and while she is sitting, a government official, Mr. Banda, begins to make her his personal helper. He takes her to court and demands she use her witch abilities to discover who has committed the crime. For a time, she continues with this and she meets his wife, who was also deemed a witch as a child. Mr. Banda takes her to a talk show, and this is the first place the audience is able to view that Shula is not happy. She sheds a tear while being interviewed on the show, but never speaks a word. Shortly after, she is sent back to the fields with the other “witches.” Shula tells the women she should have been a goat. In the middle of the night, she leaves, and the next morning she is found dead.
This movie impacted me in a variety of ways. From a Westerner’s perspective, it is crazy to think that there still are places today around the world that view witchcraft as an actual phenomenon. Since it happened in America over three centuries ago, it seems that events like this would be occurrences of the past for all countries. However, that is not the case. I researched the director, Rungano Nyoni, after watching the movie, and preparation for it, she spent over a month in an actual “witch camp” in Ghana. Typically, the individuals in these are elderly and women, as depicted in the movie. They are often placed in these because they have become a financial burden on their families and they do not know what to do with them anymore. That would explain why in the movie, it is such a big deal that Shula is a child.
This was relevant to International Affairs because it is easy to ignore or forget things like this when they do not happen in our country. It put things in perspective about what still goes on in other countries. When it is brought to the forefront of our minds, we remember again why it is a problem. This goes back to what I learned in my Anthropology class because we cannot be ethnocentric. When viewing a movie that portrays a different culture, it is always necessary to keep an open mind and think about why other cultures act and behave the way they do, so as not to ridicule them. We must take into consideration their background and not view them with our background. Overall, this was a great movie that was very eye opening.

On August 25^th, I went to Pay It Forward’s Community commitment day. This was a service event, and the group I was in went to Goodwill. Since all of us in International Affairs walked over together, most of the people in my group were in IA. Being that it was the first week of classes still, this was a great way to meet others in IA that I had not talked to yet.

Before I was there, I never put much thought into what goes on before the clothes and other items are on Goodwill’s shelves. I just assumed that they did not do much but hang clothes on the racks they belonged on and then replace them with new ones when more came in. However, when we got there, I quickly realized that was not the case.

All of the clothes were marked with different colored plastic tags, and our task was to find the ones with the green tags. We were to take all of the ones with this color off of the shelves and to the back room. They were probably out there for too long and the employees were looking to restock with newer brought in clothes. Just like other stores, they have sales and certain tactics to sell their items. I did not know how many items Goodwill kept in the back of their building either.

It did not take us much time to complete what we needed since there were so many of us. Since it did not take us very long, I assumed it would not take anyone much time. However, as we were leaving, the woman who was instructing us on what to do told us that what we accomplished in only a few hours, would have taken them much longer since there are not as many of them and they have other things to do such as help customers. She thanked us, and then we went about our day. Every time I volunteer I am reminded how much donating a small amount of your day can really help others in ways you could not imagine. It is often the little things we do that make the most impact on those around us. Had we not been there, it would have taken them at least a day. Because of that, they would not have been able to get the new clothes out as fast which would have prevented them from selling more of the new items. It is a great feeling to know you have helped others.

Not only did this open my eyes to volunteering, but it also relates to International Affairs. Compared to other countries, Americans have many more material possessions. This was evident in the amount of clothes and other items brought to Goodwill. It was good to see them being donated instead of just thrown away.

Overall, this was an event I am glad I attended. I got to make new friends and help others in the process.