Contrasts converge in South Africa to create a vivid culture that is legendary and matchless. Races, religions, languages and cultures are vibrant accents rather than divisive polarities. Ocean, desert, forest, mountain, grassland - all form part of the flamboyant landscape tapestry. But the characteristic paradox that makes South Africa such a unique nation casts a shadow too. The gold underground does not wipe out extreme poverty. Patchwork shacks fringe luxury estates. Our state-of-the-art weapons cannot defend our threatened wildlife.
The San, a nomadic people that lived in harmony with the land, first inhabited this beautiful country. The nation was shaped by trailblazers searching for good grazing, pioneers seeking a new future and adventurers seeking changed fortunes. This spirit of exploration, resourcefulness and reverence for nature is the bedrock that this country was built on. It flows in the veins of every South African, regardless of our distant origins.
But we have forgotten our identity as pathfinders and indomitable changemakers. We are disconnected from the land that sustains us. The vast need that confronts us daily overwhelms us. Obstacles block our paths. As individuals, we know we cannot repair it all and so have settled into passive resignation and self-absorption.
But some refuse to admit defeat; they insist on being the change they long to see. They are using what they have; beginning where they are. They did not have any control over the reality they inherited from their ancestors. But they know that they are the masters of the legacy they bequeath to future generations.
