i love how in the darkest and longest of rooms, the moment you light the smallest candle, it can be seen from anywhere else in the room. [Unless of course, you’re hiding in a cupboard, but then, Narnia!]
Whereas in the lightest and brightest of rooms, you introduce a little bit of darkness and nothing much happens. You introduce a lot more darkness and things just get a little bit dimmer. Finally, you flood the room with darkness, leaving just the smallest bit of light and the light can still be seen.
We spend far too much time trying to snuff out the darkness.
Let’s light some lights.
As we’ve been having conversation about the #UniteAgainstCorruption marches or #ZumaMuseFall as they have more commonly been known, and as we’ve looked at the question of, “Can we stop saying it’s about Race?” it has seemed like a lot of the people critiquing us [which is good and welcome and must continue as long as it is honest and kind and true] sit with the assumption that because we are saying it’s not just about Zuma falling, that we are giving Zuma the thumbs up and defending him and saying we agree and think he’s doing a good job…
Not at all. Read Craig’s piece again. This is not suggesting for a second that we back or support him and think he is a good leader. But we are saying that it is far more than that. And that the inquiry HAS to begin with ourselves [after all, who do we have the greatest sway over when it comes to change and a shift in mindset or trajectory?]
As i wrote one of my many status updates this last week i tagged it with the #SouthAfricansMustRise and really liked the idea of that. Within thirty minutes i had seen the tag in two other places so i don’t think i came up with it, but many many of us did at the same time. That doesn’t matter at all. What does matter though, is that #SouthAfricansMustRise is a candle being lit, not a darkness being chased away.
[But i’ll let you into a secret… a candle being lit ALWAYS means that some darkness is being chased away. Maybe not all of it, but some, and the next candle adds to that, and the next one. You don’t need to focus on darkness-chasing when you’re busy lighting candles]
The image of the Pheonix – the mythical flame-breathing birdlike creature rising from the ashes. That sounds appropriate to where we find ourselves at the moment, yeah?
As you head into Christmas and as 2016 is just around the corner, let’s start thinking and conversing and dreaming about ways in which we can rise – as an individual, as a family, as a local community and as a country.
Let’s make it practical.
Let’s make it intentional.
Let’s try and be that extra bit more kind to the person next to us whose #SouthAfricansMustRise moment might look different than ours
Let’s pull people along with us instead of trying to beat them down.
Let’s rise.
Let us make #SouthAfricansMustRise the Cry of this Beloved Country.
Who is with me?
How? Where? When? First step?
Stick with this blog Kevin and you will find many opportunities. My wife and I host dinners to have deep dive four hour conversations around these things to bring people of differing views and experiences together to try and really push in to come up with some practical suggestions or steps forwards. First thing is really to engage deeply and build friendships with people from other races and backgrounds and really start listening to their stories and pain without being quick to defensively explain them away. To sit together with he awkward and uncomfortable and painful and together figure out ways forward. To walk alongside someone who is not like you and maybe help out with your resources, networks and money to uplift another or help them get to the place of lifting up themselves – cos we do not need more white savior complex so we have to be sensitive about how we go about hear things. To learn an African language if you don’t know one so that you are not always expecting others to speak to you in their second or third or seventh without you taking a step towards them. Start reading books by authors who do not look and sound like you so you can have your predominant mindsets challenged and be able to try see things from a different point of view. But mostly by listening to understand and not to be “right”.
I worry what will happen next year as all food prices go up. There will be marches #foodpricemustfall but it will be mainly low income black people marching. The whites might say it doesn’t affect them too much or why should they as only a few thousand blacks marched. We should all get together and march. Food prices are ridiculous at the moment. Let’s get behind that one.
Great point Thabang and the challenge is for white folks and others to be showing up even when the issues don’t affect them. However this particular blog piece was aimed at moving away from a #MustFall mentality to a #MustRise one so how do we shape your comment so it makes the same point but in a #MustRise kind of way? Something like #LocalPeopleProducingOwnFoodMustRise or something like that – I love the idea of collaborative food gardens especially if there was a way to see rich and poor working alongside each other to grow food together.
I think is a good idea. Community gardens or home growing vegetables. I am not sure how you feel about marijuana as a source of income for south Africa. It is legal in many states now. I do not smoke the herb but for medicinal or other uses it could provide billions for our country. #theherbmustrise.
Do you have advice on how to begin with growing food for the family or settlement? Should it be in your back garden area or a community garden? What crops must be grown to maximise land, time usage and productivity purposes?
Lastly I worry a lot about genetically modified foods. My fear is that Europe and Russia have banned this thing. Why is south Africa not also? Are we poisoning ourselves by eating it? Is it making us sleepy or lose power? Causing cancer or illness?
If you know, please do something on here a guide on where to begin. I want pure seeds as God made, not some lab seed thst I do not know what it does to a person. A Frankenstein seed. Did you know in Hungary they burnt the lab seeds. It is a real concern. Why is outer country using so many. Grow less, but better crops and we can be fed better. A lab mielie in poor soil or a true mielie in good soil, big difference.
This us a way to rise. #cropsmustrise #gmmustfall #naturalmustrise.
Car tires is good for growing potato’s. You add up a tire every month as it gets tall. Plant potato skin dry. They grow.
Why are we playing soccer when we can take this field and grow food for all the people in the town? This is where the real money is. You can’t eat paper even if it has Tata on it. It will not feed you. Money is not riches. It’s growing your own food. Why can’t we see this.
Not sure how to begin but I know some do grow potatoes. I don’t know if it’s Frankenstein or not, but it grows in tires. I have quit alcohol also now. It is a way to keep a man as a slave. No more of this drink.
Grow food, no alcohol, no tobacco. No genetic food. These must rise. Grow tomato’s it’s easy. Maybe you know an agricultural man and he can write a guide.
You make some really good points here Thabang. I don’t have any helpful thoughts on marijuana – grew up being told it was bad so sill think that but seems to be it might be better than cigarettes and alcohol and drugs so worth looking at I guess. But would rather stick to vegetables. Love your tyre idea – did not know you can grow potatoes just from skins. Which is why we have to work together on this – I might know something you don’t and you have already taught me – I like the idea of everyone growing something so maybe tyre potatoes at home – another model I have seen is a door shaped garden which you rotate plants on depending on the season. I don’t know how it works but I know people who do any maybe next year I will try get some to write here. But then also a communal garden where people can work side by side cos that helps build relationship which this country desperately needs. Thanks so much for these thoughts.
I really, really like this focus around not just pointing out what is broken in the system, but finding ways to unite around positive change. Love the hashtag!!
Thanks so much Steph. There is a long road ahead and it will probably be more bearable if we all start working towards something instead of fighting against something…