By Christine Eckhardt '05

"Really our hope, if nothing else, is to inspire the students of Deerfield to come to Africa in the spirit of service and personal growth, to help in the healing of a land," Hilary Matthews, this year's Wilson Visiting Longfellow, said. Mrs. Matthews. along with her husband, David Matthews, were offered this fellowship which has brought them to Deerfield for the 2002-03 school year.

In South Africa, from the 1940s until only recently, a government policy called apartheid was in place in which citizens were separated according to race. This policy made it difficult for blacks to receive quality education. To avoid these prejudices and distinctions, Mr. Matthews moved to Botswana to start a school, Maru a Pula. The school was successfu1, and Mr. Matthews served as the headmaster until 1991 when he retired to start what could be considered the Matthews' greatest achievement: The Tiger Kloof School.

Tiger Kloof was originally a missionary school closed in 1962 due to apartheid. Mr. Matthews did not open it again until 1995. "He literally resurrected a school dead for forty years, rebuilt, brick by brick, a school reclaimed by the wild," stated Mrs. Matthews. Tiger Kloof was a school started not only to educate, but also to let students appreciate themselves.

Tiger Kloof embraces Gandhi's value system of rejecting the seven modem evils: 1) pleasure without conscience; 2) wealth without work; 3) education without character; 4) science without humanity; 5) worship without sacrifice; 6) politics without morality; 7) rights without responsibility. Mr. and Mrs. Matthews try to instill Gandhi's values in students in hopes of developing deep moral consciences in their students. They operate on a policy that "everyone must pay something." Even the poorest child must pay a small fee to attend the school. The amount is not important, it is the principle, as students will learn to receive what is priceless: dignity.

Upon entering Tiger Kloof, one is greeted by music: the endless singing of students as they go about their day "We are strong. We are proud. We are marching with courage!" can be heard by a group of young men prior to a math exam. There are other cultural differences. For example students will not stand when an adult enters a room since it is viewed as a sign of disrespect, nor will they greet an adult before they are first greeted.

Many of these students live in abject poverty. They know hunger: their only meal may be the teatime at Tiger Kloof. They know cold; most return home to houses of zinc, card board, and plastic. They do not have the vast richness of resources found at DA: the number of highly educated faculty, the books, beautiful buildings, or advanced technology.

Despite the major difference between Tiger Kloof and DA, the students are still very similar. Many wear Nike or other designer labels. The students also love cell phones and use computers. More importantly, they have the same hopes and dreams. Mrs. Matthews feels this is an aspect which all DA students should know: "I want Deerfield students to know that people get by, and do get by, with a lot less. I do not want them to feel guilty, but be aware of the great bounty around them, and these are young people struggling with the same challenges, just not the same support system."

Besides their association with Tiger Kloof, Mr. and Mrs. Matthews also happen to be the aunt and uncle of Dave Matthews, from the popular Dave Matthews Band. Crash is the favorite album of both Mr. and Mrs. Matthews.

The Deerfield community is fortunate to have such a pair visit the school. These two individuals have given so much of their lives to South Africa's cause, and the education of young people everywhere.

"Tiger Kloof is a courageous, brave vision, a vision people catch, an energy," said Mrs. Matthews. This vision is truly a tremendous creation, its existence due to their ceaseless dedication.