The Neighborhood Watch analysis PDF - Rem'y Ngamije
A Silent Song and Other Stories
Characters in The Neighbourhood Watch
- Elias
- Lazarus
- Silas
- Omagano
- Martin
- Mrs Bezuidenhout
The Neighbourhood Watch is a story by
Rwandan-born Namibian author Rem'y Ngamije that highlights the struggles of
surviving as homeless people on the streets.
- Teamwork is necessary for endurance
- In difficult circumstances, intelligence or wisdom is essential for survival
The Neighbourhood Watch Summary
"The Neighbourhood Watch" is a clique of five derelicts;
Elias, Lazarus, Silas, Omogano (the only woman in the group) and Martin, who is
the newest and youngest member.
Elias is the oldest and the leader of the group. Lazarus is
his de facto second in command.
Needless to say, the conditions on the streets are
difficult. The clique spends cold nights under a bridge. They sleep on
cardboards. They have no food for
breakfast so instead of chomps all you hear when they wake up is yawning,
stretching and grumbling.
Despite this, their unity is apparent. They share a can of water which they each use to wash their faces. The can goes from Elias to Martin in a hierarchy.
The closely-knit crew has certain codes that guide them as they struggle to survive on the streets. For instance, stealing is frowned down upon. However, they have to defend their territory from rival gangs from time to time.
It is clear that the crew members care for one another.
Although Omagano uses her fingers to comb her hair, she is responsible for
shaving Elias’s hair. When Elias suffers
a worrying incessant cough, he reassures others that he is okay when they show concern
about his health.
Elias and his posse have one mantra: today you need to
take care of today. In their quest to survive on the unforgiving streets,
their focus is on getting food and shelter to survive today.
On the streets they are forced to survive on leftovers and
decaying food. Elias is known to most of the kitchen staff in the city hotels.
They sometimes give him leftovers which he shares with his gang. The staff has
to take some leftovers to their own families and so Elias is not always lucky.
Other times, they have to rummage through bins to find edible throwaways. The
disciplined crew members arrive rather early in order to find semi-fresh morsels
before the food starts rotting and crawling with worms: “The neighbourhood
watch knows: The early bird does not catch the worms.”
Sometimes the clique clashes with guards in their search
for food. They have to part with a 10 or 20 dollar bribe in order to access
some bins. When Elias has no money, a guard would demand sexual favours from Omagano
in exchange for access to the precious bins.
Survival on the streets is quite difficult. That
notwithstanding the group is organized and they work as a team to ease the
burden of finding food and other valuables necessary for survival. Elias,
Lazarus and Omagano are always on food duty while Silas and Martin look for
other essentials. They then share their food when they meet late in the
afternoon.
Elias and Lazarus always warn Silas who has the propensity
for stealing. However, when he finds something valuable they sell it and share
the proceeds.
In the suburbs like Pionierspark, the crew faces resistance.
They have to contend with peering eyes, dogs, patrolling vehicles and angry
men.
Elias and Lazarus do not like talking about the past.
Everyone brings a past to the street. Nonetheless, the only worry they have is
the present hunger pangs.
In spite of that, we have a peek into their past lives.
Lazarus was a prisoner while Elias faced gunfire against the
South African Defence Forces in the jungles of Angola.
When they first met, they remained dumb about their past- they
have their minds firmly fixed on the trials of today.
“The streets snacked on those who regretted, those who
dreamed of a tomorrow that still required today to be survived.” (pg. 79)
Elias shared some street wisdom with Lazarus in their early
days: “the street has no future, there is only today … Today you need to
take care of today.” (pg. 79)
Elias and Lazarus talk about the past to Martin, Silas and Omagano
to share street survival tips. The experience has made them street savvy.
At first, they used to go everywhere flicking through
different bins, in poor neighborhoods of Katunura, Hakahana, Goreangab, Wanaheda
and Okuryangava in their desperate efforts to survive.
Now they know better than that.
In the beginning, Elias and Lazarus were always desperate
and hungry. They would spend the whole day miserably searching for food to
survive. They faced stiff competition from other gangs.
In the poor neighborhoods, people have nothing to throw away by themselves.
The crew understands that it’s only white people and black people trying to be white people that have enough to throw away. Elias and Lazarus who are fed up with the blistering search for food with little reward in the poor neighborhoods.
They were smart enough to know it was time to upgrade when they found a dead baby in the garbage.
Their relatives lived in
such neighborhoods but they had to go through them anyway.
“To survive, mos, just to survive”
They used to find nasty garbage for example old food, used
condoms, women’s things with blood, broken things and even dead babies! Elias
says it is okay to find a dead dog or cat even a dead person is okay but a dead
baby is evil! Martin recoils in shock and Silas laughs at the cringing
newcomer.
Elias and Lazarus make a smart decision to move away from
the poor neighbourhoods. They are so systematic that they decide to align their
search for food and essentials based on the municipality rubbish collection dates.
They make a timetable.
The streets are rough, needless to say. Violence is a common
occurrence. It is not strange to experience young upstarts beat an old man in a
dispute over a territory while trying to find food. Lazarus has the reputation
of the tough guy in the neighborhood watch. The crew lost a former member in a
squabble that turned fatal. Amos was famous for his audacious impertinence
whenever he was drunk off Zamalek or cheap whisky. His insolence resulted in a stabbing incident that left him dead one fateful Friday night.
Whenever someone is killed on the streets, no one is ready
to volunteer information because the police are brutal and inefficient. The
investigation involves ruthless battering and kicking of the suspects. Whether
innocent or guilty, the “interrogation” would leave the witness with cuts,
bruises and bumps.
Sometimes, when the spate of murders and robbers become unbridled, a derelict would agree to incur punishment in cahoots with the corrupt police force on
behalf of the real criminals just to escape the harsh life on the streets. In
jail, you get better conditions – free food and shelter.
“The streets are not for everyone” (pg 81)
When Amos was killed, the police tried to frame Elias and
Lazarus for his murder. The two were beaten till they were bruised and bleeding.
They were allowed to go but after a stern warning and with swollen eyes, three
broken ribs and limbs that took days to heal. The two chose to avoid Khomsadal
neighborhood where Amos was killed for fear of more violent attacks from the
murderer.
The crew spends Fridays and Saturdays under the bridge at Headquarters. It is safer there because police patrol on those days. Elias advises his friends to remain at the bridge. However, it is difficult to tether Silas and his itchy fingers. When he tries to get Martin to go with him on his escapades, the older members block his attempts.
Of the five, Martin is the most hopeful. As much as Elias insists that the streets have no future, Martin believes that maybe the future holds greater promise. For Elias, “every day is today.”
The crew enjoys visiting the rich neighborhoods of Eros and Klein
Windhoek on Sundays. Here the dogs are safely confined, the neighbourhoods have
high walls and the bins are easily accessible on the pavement. The garbage is
recycled and sorted in separate plastic bags. Some people even wash the trash
before disposing it. It helps the scavengers to save time and what’s more, it
is not far from Headquarters.
The crew has an unlikely benevolent friend, old Mrs. Bezuidenhout, in Eros. She gives them foodstuffs like peas, beans and bananas and
essentials; a mirror, pair of scissors, old clothes, jerseys, old books and
even a rosary.
The Neighborhood Watch thus relies on three reliable pillars
that provide essential support: Elias says street savior-faire, Lazarus contained
violence and Mrs. Bezuidenhout’s generosity.
Mrs. Bezuidenhout is so kind hearted that even Lazarus who
is not a believer believes she is worth praying for. She is the only one who
asks them how they are and what they need.
Silas once asked Elias why he never asks for toothbrushes or
soap, or medicine or space in her garage. Elias learnedly tells him that by giving them the things they needed, she was raking the street away from them. We need all of the street to survive the street. He further displayed his usual street acuity when he added: “soon she will not be around to give and give but we
will still need to take and take.”
They anticipate Mrs. Bezuidenhout’s
kindness but are afraid that one day she will no longer be around.
They break their one rule: they start thinking about the
future. They start having a glimmer of hope.
How do members of 'The Neighbourhood Watch' apply street wisdom, past experiences and unity to survive?
Next: December analysis
ESSAYS: Read A Silent Song and Other Stories Essays and Answers PDF here
