Show Us Your South Africa

During my preparation for #TEP2013 there are of course many challenges that come my way. The obvious one would be travelling a nation, something that on its own is a tall order. Similarly with an under-taking like this, a project with a small budget, it had to encapsulate the diverse nation that the world thinks they understand. The fact being that only locals understand South Africa, only South Africans have been a part of the nation’s history, and will be a part of its future, a nation that is not comparable to any other. Now I say this because non South Africans feel justified in labelling the country and its people. It is more complicated than that.

The Essence of the Traveller's Tale

The Evolution of The EXPEDITION Project

"But to look back from the stony plain along the road which led one to that place is not at all the same thing as walking along the road; the perspective, to say the least, changes only with the journey; only when the road has, all abruptly and treacherously, and with the absoluteness that permits no argument, turned or dropped or risen is one able to see all that one could not have seen from any other place."

James Baldwin, Go Tell it on the Mountains

Generalizations

I am white, and I am South African, so it would be easy to make a sweeping generalisation that because of the colour of my skin and my nationality, I am probably a racist. And because I am a white racist I am anti the ANC, have loads of money, a university degree, and not an ‘African’, simply a ‘South African’. Conversely, if I was black I would be pro ANC, the criminal element or a corrupt official, I would probably have AIDS, and I would be an ‘African’ through and through. It is therefore predetermined that generalisations will be made, no matter how ridiculous they are and so where better to generalise than a country with such a history as South Africa?

Racism

There are examples all over the world and the fact is every country has had and still has racial and culture conflict and this will probably always be the case. Where there are differences, be it in colour, religion, culture, there will be conflict in something as simple as a bar altercation right through to a civil war. In light of this South Africa has managed a transition in a proud and peaceful way, something to be satisfied with, and the country can indeed hold its head high. But right now it is time to get on with it. Move on. Move forward. What has happened has happened, we can all learn from it and the beauty of that is that we can grow even better because of it.

Jobs vs. Careers

So, to the present day, let us take this positive out of the darkness of Apartheid and turn it into what defines the country. South Africa needs jobs and so the country should be providing these and be building the supply and demand of local industry slowly up from there. It may not be as cheap as China initially but eventually South Africa will be able to cater in both price and quality. China didn’t get to the point it is now over night, it had a long term plan and so must we.

Freedom of Expression

'The Spear' and Freedom of Expression

I’m sure some of you have heard of ‘The Spear’ painting, the painting that has become the talk of the town (or I should say, talk of the country) in recent weeks here in South Africa. Brett Murray has just exhibited a new collection of his work, one in particular that has sparked a huge amount of controversy across the country. 

Are we all racist?

I am white, and I am South African, so it would be easy to make a sweeping generalisation that because of the colour of my skin and my nationality, I am probably a racist. And because I am a white racist I am anti the ANC, have loads of money, a university degree, and not an ‘African’, simply a ‘South African’. Conversely, if I was black I would be pro ANC, the criminal element or a corrupt official, I would probably have AIDS, and I would be an ‘African’ through and through. It is therefore predetermined that generalisations will be made, no matter how ridiculous they are and so where better to generalise than a country with such a history as South Africa?

Julius Malema - Right or Wrong? Does the ANCYL President have a Point?

How Long is Living in the Past Relevant?


Here's a touchy topic, but a none too relevant one. Examples can be seen the world over of colonialism, racism, prejudice, inequality and so on. But the question for today is - Once a situation is rectified, be it incomplete or not, how long does it become exceptable to re-address the past? Is it an impossible question or maybe directly proportional to the length of time of the atrocity occurred?

The EXPEDITION Project: Coffee Anyone?

Just a thought #6: Make things HAPPEN!

Nedbank has a fantastic advertising campaign at the moment – ‘Make it happen’. This campaign bases itself on the fact that we can’t sit around waiting for what we want, we must go out and get it, make it! The reverse is becoming true of our South African population. This is what we want, this is what we deserve, we have a right to this and that. The government owes us this and that!

Look at the UK’s ‘Dole’ system as an example. The state provides an income to young mothers, unemployed, disabled etc etc. This is great, but it leads to another problem. Abusing the system! The youth would rather live off this income than get a job. Many girls will fall pregnant so that they don’t have to get a job.

South African is suffering a less supported however similar mentality of this problem.

South Africa needs jobs! We need them so badly that the population don’t care what they are we just want them. We need to feed our families after all!

Apartheid ended in 1994 and ‘Affirmative Action’ was implemented. This meant that the previously disadvantaged population would get first preference on jobs. Once again this is great in theory. After all communism is great in theory too and we all know how that turned out.

Ok so back to our South African problem. The population wants jobs and the government has promised to provide them. The population starts to get the jobs they want; unfortunately, they then want higher salaries and better benefits. The population get the increase in pay and more benefits, but then the workforce gets lazy and unproductive because the population isn’t interested in the jobs they have, after all it is just a job isn’t it!?

Will better jobs be the answer or is it just a matter of never being satisfied?

The other point is in the rush to create jobs to chill the masses, the jobs being created aren’t necessarily sustainable.

You see where I am going?

Just a thought…

Just a thought #4: This is Africa!..oh wait or is it Britain?

The British streets are being rocked by riots, but what is the motive and what will the outcome be? How long has this been brewing for and what are the solutions?

Well, in a similar fashion the South African government is also under pressure to create jobs and the promise to voters in our most recent elections has been to do just that. Maybe both nations can learn from each other’s mistakes, successes and failures.

The formal British colony of South Africa is young in terms of colonialisation, even younger in terms of independence and yet younger still in terms of democracy. Can countries ever really learn from each other or do they need to make their own mistakes, much like children, before they learn the way forward?

In fact all nations strive for a stable economy and low unemployment, that’s a given. Unfortunately South Africa is a young country and even younger with its new government. Now this has its pros and its cons. One way of looking at it would be a young, fresh nation could learn from other nation’s successes and failures, and yet another view is that because we are young we have not learnt the lessons other nations already have.

All this being said, big strides have been made into environmental issues and the South African economy is more stable than most. The problem lies in the fact that the population is expanding rapidly as with any predominantly 3^rd world country and there unemployment is high leading to high crime in all areas especially the cities.

Solution?

Well, South Africa has promised to create millions of jobs by 2015, improve standards of living and service delivery of municipal areas and give the power back to the nation who voted for it.

Does this open up a huge opportunity or simply a dead end short term resolve?

South Africa could create jobs by whatever means necessary, satisfy the public and grow our economy. Or the nation could innovate and create sustainable jobs that provide long term solutions to local and international problems like renewable energy etc.

They are going to do the latter right?

Hopefully, however we fear that unfortunately the nation will be increasing nuclear power, building more fossil fuel power plants, increasing links with china’s plastics and allowing international fishing to go unthreatened in out waters, and generally making as much money as we can in as short a time possible while offering as many short term unsustainable jobs as possible.

But then again this is Africa so it doesn’t really matter…does it?

Just a thought…

Just a thought #1: What should we learn at school?

Have you ever considered how the syllabus taught in our schools originated? How, where and when it was formulated? And how often it is updated?

You may say of course it is updated, because our history books and science text books are updated all the time. But what I mean is the broader context of what we learnt and what our children are learning. I’m talking about the actual subjects not the contents of those subjects.

Let us take a look at the problems in our society for a moment. Unemployment, relationship problems leading to high divorce rate, materialism, wars, short term thinking. STOP.

Now let us look at what we spend 12 years and sometimes more learning about in school – cos and tan maths formulas, Shakespeare, periodic table of elements etc... Now don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with any of these subjects or that of learning about them, but be honest, when was the last time you used a cos formula in everyday life?

 Now, I am not saying that we must not teach our children how to read or write, or count and develop team skills, respect and all the other fine things developed over 12 years at school. But what I am saying is that it can easily be updated. And we could be the innovative change in doing that. Making that difference!

Could the specific advanced contents of subjects like maths and science and English be focused on in university or for students that show direction in those particular fields?

Is it far fetched to think that children of today could learn about relevant issues and solutions or maybe even come up with the solutions for THEIR future?

I can’t help my nephews with their homework when they need to do long division or collective nouns because they were long forgotten after I left my high school front doors.

Here’s an idea – teach kids of today things like – conflict resolution, relationship management, renewable energy, biomimicry, political policies, business entrepreneurship – things that will actually benefit them after they reach 18 years old.

How can we create a successful country and indeed a successful earth if we are not taught how to do it? That is where the ‘University of Life’ comes in, but cant we get a head start.

We need serious solutions for this century NOW, not tomorrow or in 20 years time. And where better to start than with our youth – after all aren’t they the future, aren’t they the ones that will have to deal with our mistakes and failures?

The human race has made some outstanding achievements in the fields of science, literature, arts, society, policy etc, but our advancement has also been out downfall. Let us move with the times and not wait for a solution to our problems but be a part of the energetic reason and sense creating a future for our children!

Just a thought…

One Person Can (Only) Do So Much!...

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.