We have spend quite some time on screening many organizations doing great work on the ground in South Africa.

Today we are happy to announce a far reaching partnership with the South African organization Sonke Gender Justice. This is a milestone for Ubuntu Now / South Africa Project since we consider Sonke Gender Justice an excellent partner for our rape & HIV/AIDS prevention program. They have an amazing team and their programs, including One Man Can, are simply outstanding.

We will be using cause marketing and social media activities (including web videos) to raise funds and increase awareness to support Sonke Gender Justice.

Sonke Gender Justice has a partnership with Grassrootsoccer and has many very credible supporters such as the Ford Foundation, WHO, World Bank, Unicef, UNHCR, & the International Women’s Health Coalition.

Don’t get the name Grassrootsoccer wrong: Their main goal is to use the popularity of soccer to provide African youth with the knowledge, life skills, and support to live HIV-free.

Additional information on Sonke Gender Justice:
The Sonke Gender Justice project, started in February 2006, addresses the social aspects of the HIV epidemic, with a particular focus on gender issues.

Sonke Gender Justice’s vision is for a world in which men, women, youth and children can enjoy equitable, healthy, and happy relationships that contribute to the development of just and democratic societies.

Brief description of their “One Man Can” campaign:
The One Man Can Campaign supports men and boys to take action to end domestic and sexual violence and to promote healthy, equitable relationships that men and women can enjoy - passionately, respectfully and fully.

The campaign encourages men to work together with other men and women to take action - to build a movement, to demand justice, to claim our rights and to change the world.

We couldn’t have formulated better goals and feel honored to join their club of supporters.

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Desmond Tutu was in Denver last night as part of the Insight Speaker Series. Thanks to the organizer Elizabeth Weiland I was able to score a front row seat and access to the reception after the event.
Mr. Tutu appeared still very dynamic and energetic at the age of 76. Stil a force to reckon with. Mayor Hickenlooper introduced him as one of the most inspirational speakers of the 20th century.

WHAT DID HE HAVE TO SAY?
He spoke a lot about humanity and gave a great definition of Ubuntu: ” It is the essence of being human. A person has Ubuntu. He/she depends utterly on others. A person with Ubuntu is meant to be in line with harmony. A person is a person through others”. These are the words that made us choose the name Ubuntu Now for our nonprofit corporation.

He then switched over to the power transition process of 1994 in South Africa. He was 63 and Nelson Mandela even 76 years old when they first allowed to vote in their country.

He also spoke about forgiveness and mentioned that “I am sorry” are some of the most difficult words in any language.

He spoke about the principle of “restorative justice” and that revenge never closes any matter.

MY TAKE
It was a very inspirational speech. It triggered me to make up with the 2 people on this planet that I am not on good terms with.

But I also noticed that he left out a lot of things he could have talked about. Most people in the audience have heard the story of 1994 before. He did not mention 2008 and the current struggles in South Africa at all. The words rape, violence, HIV/AIDS were left out even though often speaks about this at other destinations. He also did not mention the 2010 Soccer World Cup and the opportunities that arise for the country in that context.

I was able to spike to the Archbishop briefly after the event and wished him the he lives long enough to see victory in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic in his country.

I don’t get face to face time with Nobel Peace Prize laureates very often (this was a first) so this was a big day for me - regardless of the things Desmond Tutu choose not to mention last night.

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The new Health Minister in South Africa, Barbara Hogan just stated: “We know that HIV can cause AIDS”. It is hard to believe but this an almost revolutionary shift in South Africa’s official policy. She also stated that the “policy of our government has failed”. FINALLY!

So far scientists in South Africa have been oppressed and could not state facts about AIDS publicly without the fear of defamation or even further punishment. Even Nelson Mandela was reprimanded by the ANC in 2002 when he publicly stated that the cause for his son’s death was AIDS.

Time for some more numbers & facts:

• About 1000 people die every day in South Africa because of AIDS. There are also about 1000 new HIV infections per day. About 6500 people are estimated to be infected with HIV every day world wide.
• About 0.7% of the world population lives in South Africa. Compare this to 15% of all HIV infected in the world living in South Africa.
• Tabo Mbeki’s former Health Minister recommended Garlic, Beets and Olive Oil as a cure for HIV.
• Doctors that would cause AIDS as a cause of death still have to fear loosing their license.
• Over 50% of the admissions in South Africa’s hospitals are related to AIDS.
• The new president of the African National Congress (ANZ) Jacob Zuma stated in 2005 that he took a shower after having intercourse with an HIV-positive woman in order to protect himself.

Image via Wikipedia

This is the time to jump aboard and turn things around in this country with a lot of potential. Contact us if you are interested and we will point you in the right direction (s).

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In the United States, women have led most efforts to prevent domestic violence, this despite men playing
a critical role in setting social norms for other men and thereby being in a unique position
to influence subsequent generations. They have researched men’s views, feelings and
experiences about gender based violence and while most had been affected by it in some way, men only
showed a real willingness to intervene when it came to communicating with children –
perhaps finding them less intimidating.

Although I consider myself lucky to be surrounded by men who genuinely care and want to contribute to a better society without violence, I sadly admit the above finding resonated with me on some level. Personally and professionally, I have experienced gender inequality too many times to count. At times I questioned it, only to have it exacerbated. Other times I learned to go with the flow, become one of the guys, and shove my own needs aside to move up the ladder. I understand why we needed a feminist movement. But I often wonder if we as women have kept the good guys out of the solution, shoving them against the wall with the rest of the men who sexualize, abuse and rape. Since I’ve decided to stand up for my own rights and not tolerate inequality, I’ve also come across many men who are the “good guys”.

Although our current focus is on South Africa, gender based violence also occurs in our civilized nation. Statistics have shown that 1 out of 4 women and 1 out of 6 men have experienced abuse in the U.S. Certainly this affects more than just women. I propose that we become humanists, and come together to change the old societal norms that are no longer working globally. Yes guys can cook, knit and wear pink, and girls can play soccer, ride motorcycles and wear their hair short. Perhaps we can teach our children that the world can really be a safe place.

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Here is what we will do and won’t do with the group and the fan page:
We will act responsibly and will never send you any spam mails.   We will keep you posted about milestones for South Africa Project and let you know about major initiatives - including fund raising and awareness campaigns.

All other news will be communicated via our blog RSS feed or our Twitter feed. They will also be posted at our fan page & group but we won’t send you another message for that.

Why do we have a fan page and a group on Facebook?
The fan page let’s us post more information (i.e. the donate button;-). But the group makes it easier for you to invite your friends as well. Ideally we’d like to see you on the group and the fan page but if you only want to join one we’d prefer the fan page.

Why should I invite my friends to join your group?
We believe that our attempt of tying rape prevention & other causes into the 2010 Soccer World Cup is a big challenge but also a huge possibility.

The more people are watching us the more validity our project is getting. You inviting your friends to our group (and them doing the same thing) could actually make a big difference. It is the easiest way for us to show support for our focus areas.

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Most of the attendees were from the greater Bay Area Area but it was a very diverse crowd and some visitors came from as far a South Africa.

I arrived when everyone was standing in line to share what they wanted to talk about. Many interesting topics were presented stretching from IT development to female empowerment. I was pretty much last in line and choose “How to to use the 2010 Soccer World Cup for cause marketing projects in order to make a difference in South Africa”. There were quite some soccer fans in the crowd and the topic was well received.

The energy and atmosphere at BarCamp Africa were capturing. There was a common understanding that we are on the verge of a big trend: Africa WILL be taking some giant steps in the right direction in the very near future. Some of that is already happening but has not caught the attention of the broad public yet.

This was also an event where I could learn A LOT. A ton of information was shared by people doing work on the ground for many years already. What works and what doesn’t work was a common discussion topic.

Image via Wikipedia

A panel moderated by Guy Kawasaki discussed the success opportunities for the $100 Laptop developed by Nicholas Negroponte. It sounds like a great idea at first but all panelists were very skeptical about it for the same reasons
1. Internet access is scarce and expensive.
2. $100 is a ton of money and people will be tempted to sell the machine in lieu of other goods
3. Internet access happens mostly through mobile devices

So even a simple $100 laptop seems like overkill in most areas.

Of course it is always a pleasure to hear Guy Kawasaki  in a panel discussion - simply because he has a great sense of humor and provided some good laughs.

Guy asked the magic question: If I were to write a $1000 check today who would I give it to?
The audience came up with a number of suggestions - usually promoting their own organization but non was compelling enough for Guy to get his checkbook out at that very moment. I like a suggestions to train people to become activists (at $2 per one day training) in order for them to learn about financial resources available in their area and how to access them >> nice leverage effect!

Martin Fisher of Kickstart made the point that 95% of all money going into Africa is being wasted and/or never reaches its final destination. Another panelist stated that for every $1 send to Africa, 85 cents flow right back into the western world.

I heard a strong emphasis on accountability and measurable results during the Rocky Mountain Round Tables. Some representatives from Google.org were arguing the same way during the Barcamp. We I could also see the other side of people saying that things are simply different in Africa and that we don’t understand.

I think this is were the old and the new approaches towards making a difference differ: In our days we want to know what happens with our money, what impact does it have, and if the results can be measured and verified. It weeds out corruption and embezzlement which have always been huge traditional obstacles.

The official part of the days was concluded by Tom Rielly, Director at Ted but also the founder of movingwindmills.org. He told the amazing story of William Kamkwamba that started building windmills in Malawi simply by looking at a book in the library and figuring out the rest on his own.

The need for help in Africa is still huge. Therefore it was good that many different causes and organizations were represented - all of them valid.
The causes stretched from basic things like Google creating maps for remote areas in Africa to organizations, or nonprofits with a focus on clean water supply to smaller tech companies developing applications for mobile devices.

What’s next?
Ellen Petry Lense, the organizer of the event stated “This day was a chance to bring the best out of all of us. Let’s maintain it”.

I feel indeed that there is a huge responsibility on the shoulders of the attendees to keep the spirit and the momentum alive. I think the final goal is clear: Turn Africa into an equal partner to the the rest of the world that is being able to participate and contribute on an even level.

This event could serve as a starting point of a dialog on a larger scale: We can all learn from each other on what works and what doesn’t. We can share data and resources. We can also still all try to do our own thing and have 100,000 organizations do their own thing.

Why did BarCamp Africa matter?
BarCamp Africa showed that the interest in Africa is overwhelming right now. It is a “trendy” subject. This event had a ton of eyeballs on it. So the potential is clearly there. We just have to do get the following right:
1. Collaborate, share data & communicate
2. Focus on measurable results
3. Focus on models that are scalable or that can be replicated
4. Make sure no more money is being wasted - how about one central agency with an effective control system?
5. Plus a few more things smarter people than me can add to the list…

I’d like to say thanks to everyone who made this event happen: Ellen, the volunteers, the participants and all of you out there that followed the event online.

This is how Africa was being tagged at the event:

PS:
I can now officially confirm that GooglePlex looks like the biggest playground in the world - with a few few working spaces aligned in-between;-)

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I have received numerous requests from people that can’t make the event to send them pictures and tell them all about it. So I will try to play reporter as good as I can. But fortunately the organizer have already published many ways how to follow the event.

I am psyched - not just because of my involvement via Project South Africa but because I sensed a heightened interest to “finally get Africa right” at the Rocky Mountain Round Tables in Denver a few weeks ago. Finally enough people here and there seem to focus on the right things and Africa has a real chance to tap into its full potential.

Image via Wikipedia

So for me it was an very easy decision to make: How could I miss such a gathering of instrumental people dedicated to something I consider simply a necessity. Yes our focus right now is on South Africa. But it is our clear intension that the results of our work be communicated and hopefully can spread out. Sharing our data and story will be part of our work and we believe that our take rape prevention through empowerment can be applied to many other cultures as well (including the U.S.).

Enough said. Let me hop on the plane and tell you more when I am back!

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Note:
We are using the term “colored” repeatedly in this article. South Africa’s old regime established this term for everyone that was not “black”, “white”, “indian” or “asian” during the segregation days of apartheid. We are trying to tell the story as it is an therefore decided to go ahead with this odd convention. Please learn more at this Wikipedia Article.

We are certainly not trying to hurt or offend anyone and thank you very much for your understanding.

Let’s move on to what Mario has to share with us:

How would you introduce Mario Olckers? What are you most passionate about?
I’m obsessed with computers…? Joking aside, I spend most of my time in front of a computer screen and are very passionate about utilizing Information and communications technology as a mechanism for social upliftment in socio-politically challenged communities, and since I come from a community that is notoriously challenged by gangs, guns, drug abuse and violence, I feel all the more strongly about getting kids and young people off the streets and into the computer lab.

Even in the “new” South Africa only the corrupt few have benefited and while everyone focuses on the large black majority and their plight, everyone seems to have forgotten about the descendants of the legitimate right-holders to the beautiful Southern African region. If there is one thing that would define my passion, it would be a recognition by all the role players and politicians in South Africa today that the descendants of the Khoi and San indigenous peoples of Southern Africa, nowadays referred to as Coloured people, have been given a very raw deal by everyone and that we should start to include them at all levels of the political process and spend more time and attention in the Western Cape and the socio-economic challenges facing that community there and elsewhere in South Africa.

How have your feelings & perceptions about being South African shifted over the last 5 years?
I have become increasingly disillusioned and I would even go as far as saying disgusted with the way South Africa is turning into a haven for criminal and corrupt politicians who work the illiterate majority into a murderous frenzy to introduce disastrous policies based on outmoded socialist and communist theories that have been discredited and failed in practise elsewhere in the world.

Only in Africa do the political leaders insist on being headstrong and I believe it is ego-based and manifesting the worst aspects of human nature by showing a disregard for respectable human conduct and conducting themselves like an organised criminal gang enriching themselves and their loyal lackeys at the expense of the poor people who had faith in them and voted them into power.

I am ashamed to be a South African sometimes, especially when complete idiots are running the show and I feel powerless to do anything because it is not my vote and my will and my wish that is being carried out but the will of an illiterate majority that has been manipulated by a few dishonest crooks who treat the state as their own personal cash cow and use state power to play out their own criminal ego games.

How does being colored feel different from being black or white? At what times in your daily life is it the biggest factor? Do you at times forget the color of your skin?
Being coloured is a totally different experience than that of a white or black person. The white people in South Africa have a more European orientated cultural outlook and their daily lives also reflect that, whether they are of English or Dutch heritage.

The black people experience a totally different cultural life as well, depending on which ethnic group they come from, I know Xhosa people in the Eastern Cape and Zulu people in KwaZulu Natal and they all are very proud of their heritage and even though they live in a Westernized society, they still insist on keeping their cultural values and respecting the “old ways”.

The coloured community are in a twilight zone culturally, they mostly speak and act culturally in a more Westernized way since the ancient Khoi and San languages and cultural practices have been destroyed and wiped out with the advent of colonial domination by both the Bantu tribes and later European colonial settlers.

While being mostly Westernized, we have seen an upsurge in indigenous pride taking hold amongst some intellectuals and politically conscious individuals in the coloured community and the old Khoesan languages and history being talked about again, but it is very low-key and some coloured people are very ashamed to know they come from Bushmen and Hottentot forefathers, a result mostly of history lessons and misinformation during various political epochs dominated by peoples who would love for the indigenous culture to vanish off the face of the earth so they can complete their genocidal projects.

What is your take on the current rulers? What needs to happen to resolve the current crisis?
The current rulers are people I have neither voted for nor supported in any way whatsoever. I do not support their policies and their political outlook. I do not identify with them and I do not believe they have the best interest of my people and my cultural heritage at heart.

I do believe they act and conduct themselves like an organised crime organisation with all the corruption and criminal scandals surrounding them and the way they channel scarce resources that all the taxpayers have contributed, now being funnelled to finance their corrupt lifestyles and their families and friends’ business interests.

Also the way they whip up majoritarian sentiment in the masses of uneducated people to vote them into power through sheer number majority, nevermind the fact that those majority with voting powers are not educated or sophisticated enough to understand the issues at hand or have not contributed to the economy in a significant enough manner, which is the responsibility that comes with the right to vote.

You do not just hand over the decision-making process over your and your loved ones’ lives to a faceless mob that has none of your interests at heart and unfortunately that is what happened in the case of South Africa.

What are your suggestions on better dealing with minorities in South Africa in the future?
Give them equal representation at state, provincial and municipal level, do not simply overrun and overwhelm everything with majoritarian glee and spite. Just because your population is exploding out of control does not mean you must overrun and demand and consume all available scarce resources at the expense of minorities in the country.

Other people demand a decent quality of life and they should be granted that right too, just because they lack the numbers to make a significant impact at the polling booth does not mean you can disregard their needs as a people and a community with different values and cultural priorities.

What is you think of grassroots organizations in townships trying to make a difference? Do they have a chance or will they be swept away?
Education is key, education is key, education is key! Grassroots organisations are good, but if they lack education in the leadership, they become nothing more than an emotionally frenzied mob and a criminal gang that erupts to destroy property and intimidate people at election times.

Also psychological therapy needs to be a pre-requisite for people who wants to pretend to be political leaders , community leaders and organisers. Many times it is people with frustrated personal lives and inadequate psychological development that gets voted into positions of power because their deep emotions and hurt and unresolved issues enable them to tap into that energy and whip people up into frenzied activity without necessarily understanding the complexities of the issues involved.

We then have a situation like you have with the present South African political leadership, people with unresolved traumas and unconscious psychological material from living in an apartheid state now suddenly being thrusted into positions of power and having to manage and allocate huge amounts of scarce resources and then you get the result you have at present, corruption and incompetence and everything falling apart and the competent few having to carry the burden and the corrupt majority grabbing what they can while things fall to pieces around them.

What are your thoughts on South Africa Project - Time for Ubuntu? Does our focus on rape prevention and empowerment make sense or would you rather focus on different subjects?
Every project that aims to help those less fortunate and those who have been victims of some sort of injustice or criminal behaviour should be commended and supported, that is a compassionate thing to do and should be supported.

It is just very important for us to examine our motivations and intentions in doing so and if we are willing to tell the truth and work toward justice, otherwise it becomes another marketing and PR campaign to serve the egos of whoever it is that runs these things.

What is your take on the Soccer World Cup 2010? Just a little party or an opportunity to turn things around?
I am not a fan of soccer, I do not play soccer and I am not supporting the South African soccer team because I do not know those people and the culture surrounding the game, it is something completely removed from my sphere of interests.

I believe and have said so on occassion in the past, the only people who will benefit from the 2010 World Cup is the politicians and the contractors who build the stadiums and the couple of businesses licensed to sponsor the event.

Afterwards, the South African taxpayer will sit with the bill as they already do from the huge expense in building the soccer stadiums and infrastructure to host such a type of event.

I believe the SA government is being overambitious and overplaying their hand and the whole thing will blow up in their face and the people of South Africa will have to bear the burden because of a few politicians’ hubristic attitude and overblown egos.

Mario, thanks very much for your time and your honest words!

You might also want to follow Mario on Twitter @marioOlckers.

Here is how we are using it for @saproject:

1. Subject of Postings
@saproject will keep you in the loop about the progress if South Africa Project - Time for Ubuntu. That’s it. We will post new blog entries, milestones or truly relevant information. If you want something with a more personal touch you can follow or reach out to some of our team members at @klaus2go, @DaveTaylor, @zsazsa, @ChrisKauza or @felix_holzapfel. We will not use @saproject for other purposes that are not related to South Africa Project.

2. Following Policy
We know that ratios and # of followers are important to many users of Twitter. Therefore we decided to return the favor and follow you back. This does not apply to spammers. We will block them and do not support their practices since they harm the integrity of the Twitter community.

Please note that @saproject following you means that you should send us direct messages. Contact us or befriend our team members on Twitter instead.

3. Conversations
Sending us a DM to @saproject is not the best way to initiate a conversation. I’d recommed to contact us through our website, reach us via our Facebook Group or Fan Page or befriend any of us on Twitter directly (accounts listed above).

4. Confidentiality
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. If you decide to share something that is not meant for the public it will stay where it belongs.

Since Twitter changes all the time this policy will be subject to change as well…

With so much understanding of the arts and cultural scene in South Africa we were of course very interested in having Sarah answer a few questions for us.

Beware: This is a long but real worthwhile read.

What led to the creation of Represent?
I had been back living in Johannesburg post a short stint in Europe, and during this time I was extremely motivated by the rapid societal, developmental and cultural changes I saw around me, particularly in my city of birth, Jozi (this is what we affectionately call Johannesburg). I have always been a kind of ‘conduit’ between different cultures and I found myself happily taking friends, family and visitors around to atypical places, promoting a multi-cultural and open-minded approach to living and loving in the transforming city.

At the beginning of 2005, a friend from Belgium came to visit, I was on holiday, so I spent a week showing him around my favourite hideouts and talking nonstop about the urban, arts and youth culture in South Africa - he was suitably over-stimulated and encouraged me to gather all my ‘bits and pieces’ into one place as a record of the cultural ‘zeitgeist’, so to speak. At first I visited the idea of a print magazine, which has always been a dream of mine, but my partner convinced me to go digital by designing me a beautiful website magazine instead.

A few months later, based on the growing popularity, my super digitally-savvy brother Chris introduced me to Wordpress and convinced me to convert the magazine into a ‘blog’ format, it was the first time I had heard of the term ‘Blog’. And so we did. And Represent the Blogazine emerged. I have not promoted it much, but prefer for it to grow organically and attract its own crowd, luckily it has consistently grown (thanks to everyone that selflessly helped me!Sharpile!) and I am pleased to say the content is now strongly driven by it’s readers and citizens.

How important is music in South Africa’s society?
I believe it plays an integral part in everything we do, everything that we are. South Africans by nature are generally happy-go-lucky people, we love nothing more than a good song, a deep beat, an impromptu dance or just hanging out with friends and family - we are very sociable people, the weather helps of course. Music marks our past and plots out our present: put on a popular song and typically many people will be able to tell you where our country was in our history at that moment.

Unfortunately some popular music is still culture-based due to hangovers from our disparate past and the damage caused by separate media channels, however that is changing as radio and TV stations (those with vision) apply non-clichéd, colour-blind approaches to playlisting. I remember in the 90s reading at university that more South Africans have radios than mattresses. Makes you think! (Some would argue it’s for the sports coverage  )

Who are the most influential artists in South Africa today?
Wow, that’s a tricky question that could get me into a lot of trouble - I’d rather focus on music styles if that’s ok. We have a large country as you know, with so many different people spread across numerous provinces, all coming from different cultures, with different tastes. You can’t really put us in a box.

So let me talk about the urban youth, as this is the market I am most familiar with. Whilst amongst the majority of urban youth our original hybrid music style known as ‘Kwaito‘ has dominated CD collections and party playlists for more than a decade, homegrown HipHop (using indigenous languages) has gathered in momentum, consistently attracting a somewhat niche audience seeking an outlet for conscientious expression.

Contrary to world trends, House music has retained its pull factor, as fans continue to flock to clubs to get down to their favourite local House DJ’s, who are considered legendary. Then there’s Afro Pop that has a broader audience and while less innovative than Kwaito or HipHop, it provides the ‘hits’ a more mature crowd are looking for at a wedding or bash and crosses through generations and cultures. We’re also a country of romantics, Sunday is not only the day of rest, it’s also the day of RnB ballads sweeping through many a South African lounge or… bedroom.

I have, however, also noticed a counter-trend to all the above mass trends: cross-genre collaborations caused a stir a few years ago and continue to be experimented with, think HipHop meets Rock as an example, consistent with global trends; and there are also many curious and quirky music rebels who go against the grain and the stereotypical music genres in SA, preferring a global, non-local flavour. We’re diverse, what more can I say?

Can you list some examples where music has led to shifts in behavior (in South Africa)?
The most memorable for me would have had to be the introduction of Kwaito music across cultures in the early 2000’s, kicking off with Mandoza’s hitsong Nkalakatha that was being played across all stations and at all barbeques (braai’s) cross-culturally (although the track is considered passé now) - this was an important shift that united cultures and backgrounds – it was needed.

A more recent example could be DJ Fresh, adored for his seminal house music collections that have always brought cultures together, who recently released an ‘electro’ CD, a music style typically associated with contemporary cutting-edge Western culture, Fresh has always been edgy and is hugely influential on urban youth so we await to see the takeup… I must reiterate that we don’t like to be kept in boxes, so an Electro album from Fresh was not necessarily surprising, just noticeable for those of us that observe music and culture closely.

What is required to stop the current trend of rape and violence in South Africa?
It seems like a fight against windmills?
SHO! I am certainly not qualified to answer this question, not only as it is not in my expertise, but because it is clearly not a simple problem - and it therefore does not have a simple solution. In my non-expert opinion though, the culture of violence and rape is a multi-faceted issue, symptomatic of our divisive, destructive and unjust past that lingers… It is worrying and heart-breaking for all good citizens of South Africa, we all abhor and are distressed by rape and violence that touches on many of our lives.

The situation is aggravated by ongoing issues of unending poverty, the lack of education and job opportunities, which all result in despair and hopelessness; I truly believe it should be a top priority for our leaders across the board. Many selfless community members work tirelessly to make sense of, understand and stem the violence, but it I believe it is also the responsibility of every citizen to work towards eradicating violence within our society, guided by our leaders and wise elders, within a community context.

What is your personal advice for Project South Africa - Time for Ubuntu?
Where would you start and what would you focus on?
Ubuntu is all about the community. So, I would start with an intensive period of immersion within South Africa of all the key members of your team (the entire team if you can afford it), where you surround yourselves in the diverse communities and learn about the country from inside out, during a viable period of time, remember it’s a big place. I would also urge you during this period of immersion, to identify and connect with South Africans on the ground who could ‘twin’ the members of your team, bringing their grassroots knowledge and hands-on expertise to the party, making the project a true collaboration.

Unemployment is rife in South Africa and by twinning your team with South Africans resident within the communities, you not only will change the lives of many (Ubuntu style!) but your project will be so much more authentic, meaningful and welcomed. Us Africans tend to be skeptical and have a negative perception of outsiders ‘coming to save us’ who may ‘talk down’ to us or impose their typically ‘Western’ rules and life knowledge onto us, without getting to know our narratives, systems and way of life.

This is the ugly history of our entire continent, hence our skepticism. However, we do respect those that get to know us from amongst us, and those that make a real effort to listen to our stories, understand who we are, where we are from and why we are, like we are. This is important in Ubuntu.

Would you encourage someone to start a business in South Africa?
Absolutely. Firstly, the inherent talent in so many of our people is waiting to be shared. We are so far down South and our people tend to be quite modest, so we don’t always brag about the talent innate in nearly every citizen, but after your visit, you will know exactly what I refer to here.

Secondly, it is a growing, exciting, vibrant and fast-moving economy, those that work hard within it, generally reap the rewards due to them.

Thirdly, unemployment as I mentioned, is sadly way too high, we need all the investment we can get, you will be amazed at the response to your recruitment drive. Fourthly, to live in South Africa is to truly feel alive and a part of a dynamic, incredible society, it will change your life and you will never be the same again. This is a gift, if you are able to take it up, I urge you to do so.

The last reason is obvious, the people, the nature, the weather and the diversity is overwhelmingly pleasurable, it is a good life, with good people. What of the risks? Well, if you follow my advice on immersing yourselves within the culture first, you will be guided by caring citizens as to our ‘way of life’ and you will soon learn how to live within our society and be empowered with the rules and ’streetwise’ approach we all adhere to, that will help you avoid potentially difficult or trying situations.

We cannot deny that there is a lot of crime in South Africa that again touches on all our lives, but this should not limit your desire to invest in our country. We need creative, innovative and optimistic businesses in our country, if you can offer that, then don’t hesitate.

What are your feelings about the 2010 Soccer World Cup?
I will never forget the sheer joy and delight experienced by all of us the day it was announced. We have had a tough history and though we continue to suffer some minor (and some not so minor) setbacks, we are a resilient, brave people and we somehow manage to pull together and overcome them.

For me, it was only a question of time before the world recognizes Africa’s and South Africa’s value and potential on the world stage. I firmly believe our time is now, Africa’s time is now, so… I advise you to get amongst! Quickly!

Sarah, thank you so much for your in-depth answers!