Dear South Africa... And so the letter begins. A letter penned to a nation. Well, not 'penned' per say, because who does that anymore? Typed. A letter typed to a beloved country. But what type of letter might that be? How would yours look? Would it be filled with hope or be more likely to resemble a tired, worn out missive of anger and accusation? Might it call people out to be what we've seen [...]
We had a dream our lives would be... So different from this hell we're living So different now from what it seemed, Now... Life... Has killed The dream... We dreamed... The dream to some it seemed started in '94 as lines of voters snaked around fields Filled with the anxious anticipation of first-time voters eager to claim their rich inheritance Before the years were peeled back to reveal that perhaps the vote was all [...]
Dear Principal, This week we have all been shocked and deeply dismayed to witness the Selborne College Class of 2017 scandal with the dog-faced Hector Pieterson photo incident. Another week, another SA school making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. I’m sure you hope your school isn’t next - there are no quick fix solutions, but there are proven strategies available to ensure you’re not. As the person overseeing an educational institution in South [...]
Last night tbV and i attended the end of year function - AGM and celebration - of the local non-profit organisation Bottomup. Who are Bottomup? i will let them introduce themselves to you in their own words: What is Bottomup?: Bottomup positions itself as a catalyst for organizational change in the under-resourced schools in the Grassy Park, Lotus River and Ottery area. We aim to apply an assets based approach, assisting schools to leverage their existing [...]
Let me introduce you to Ujamaa... Definition: The Swahili word ujamaa means 'extended family', 'brotherhood' or 'socialism'; as a political concept it asserts that a person becomes a person through the people or community. Yesterday i was given the privilege of hanging out with a small group of truly inspirational people doing small but country-transforming things. The Ujamaa Collective, as they are known, are in the middle of a seven-day walk, starting in Khayelitsha where [...]
Can't we all just be a little more kind to people online? And maybe offline too..? i would say, "Yes, absolutely!" But also, "No!" Well, i mean kinda, but probably not in the way you understand Kindness. Because often when somebody posts an inspirational or challenging message like this, what they are actually wanting people to be is nice. And it isn't super helpful to confuse Kind with Nice. Exhibit A Your three-year-old kid is [...]
What a week, South Africa. Of old flags and racist rants and countrywide demonstrations and polarised conversations and threats of rape and questions of intelligence and more. How do we move on from here? i wrote this post to try and invite people from both sides to consider the opinion of the other and step towards them, at least in understanding if not agreement. One aspect of last week that came up was conversations about [...]
So #BlackMonday was a thing. And wasn't, depending on who you were. And was accidentally so for tbV and others who just happened to realise into the day that they had unintentionally worn black. For me it had to be a lot more intentionally as probably eighty percent of my shirts are black. So i wore my blue 'Peace to the world' shirt which felt somewhat appropriate. What i found interesting when looking on my [...]
Yesterday i shared a whole bunch of thoughts - mine and others - about the concept of #BlackMonday and wearing black to honour the lives of farmers who have died. Two statuses i added later in the day, which many may not have seen, but which i think sum up some of my thoughts on the matter were this one: People who have been murdered on farms is heart-breaking and horrific and i imagine that [...]
Today's Facebook status with regards to the #BlackMonday in response to farm murders has garnered a lot of attention. This is what i wrote: Anytime someone is murdered it is a tragedy. But, if you are concerned about the farm murders to the point of wanting to wear black for the victims, but have never considered wearing black for the black, coloured or indian victims of murder [which check your statistics, are all being killed [...]
