What has Life during Lockdown been like? After a conversation with a friend of mine who happens to be a doctor, i came up with this idea. Simply ask for some South Africans who would be up to answering four simple questions around how they have experienced Lockdown so far. They were tasked with providing me with a one-sentence bio of whatever they would like to put in it, a photo of themselves of [...]
Some people are finding it hard to believe in God at the moment. During a pandemic that is threatening to wipe out so many people and cause a trail of destruction the notion of an all-loving, all-powerful God can feel completely absurd. Others are preaching that this is God's punishment on a world that has largely rejected God. Which is also a bitter pill to swallow. i have been wrestling with my faith in [...]
Just two weeks ago, an idea was born. i can't even remember where the inspiration came from actually but one day Character Stories for Children was not a thing and the next day it was. We have reached the end of our second week with 10 videos and two live stream Saturday morning shows under our belts. Character Stories has not been an overnight sensation. We haven't gone viral. And we don't have a [...]
Are you ready for some Quotes for Liberation? i am busy reading the Voices of Liberation book on Steve Biko by Derek Hook. And i am LOVING it! i have always been a huge fan of 'How can man die better?' by Benjamin Pogrund, which tells the story of Robert Sobukwe. And while i am aware to some extent of how important Steve Biko is in the story of South Africa, i really struggled [...]
i was given an opportunity to visit the Strandfontein site yesterday where around 2000 homeless people are being held. On Good Friday i had written this post about Strandfontein which had gained a fair amount of traction. Based on stories i had heard from people who are very well connected to some of the people who were at the site and also some articles i read and videos i watched. So when a friend [...]
It is Good Friday today. But very much the opposite of that in the Strandfontein sports facility where the homeless have been rounded up and moved. "It is like a concentration camp!" - these are words i just heard from a social worker who has been volunteering in the encampment where tents have been erected and none of the physical distancing that we have all been called to do is happening at all. She [...]
Monday sees the premiere launch of our new You Tube channel: Character Stories for Children. And as my friend Hairyette [who will be reading the very first story] tells me, it isn't actually only for little children - big children, even those of the adult variety, might really enjoy it too. Every day, from Monday to Friday, a new character will be reading a story, saying a poem and maybe even singing a song. [...]
How difficult is this idea that all of us really need to Stay At Home?= = = = = = = = = =A lady with a shopping bag is seen by a neighbour who asks her how her shop went. "Oh no, this is just a decoy so I can walk my dog."= = = = = = = = = =On the Twitterer a crossroads in a suburb is shown and then camera [...]
Imagine a better country! No, that is not a passive dream-about-it suggestion. It's an imperative. As in, while we are spending three weeks largely stuck in our homes, here is an opportunity for all of us to imagine a better country. Starting with you, government! My wife was saying this the other day - imagine if every business, school, government department used these twenty-one days to seriously brainstorm solutions for the country - Eskom, [...]
These are some ideas i have about surviving the first three days of hometivity! And just like that, South Africa was in lockdown. Today is Friday, and my advice for the first three days is quite simple. Let today be a day of slowing down - it's likely been a bit of a hectic week with rushing around and trying to get everything ready for the next few weeks. Be gentle with yourself and [...]
