Africans do we still have Ubuntu?

FEW years ago, just before the Covid 19 lockdown. I had the pleasure of meeting up and be part of a small acting workshop group that met every Sunday afternoon at the workers museum in off Mary Fitzgerald Square down town Johannesburg. Back then, I was preparing and focusing on going full time on my art.

By then, I had done everything that I thought would please amongst others, my father who was against the idea of me becoming a full time artist and making a living out of it as my childhood dream. I had ticked all the boxes to prove not only to the public but to myself that I was educated enough to make and maintain myself through art.

Through working as a domestic worker, security guard and later print journalist. I had earned all the experiences needed to manage, budget and use my money wisely. So financial savy that, when I started my beads business, I had no car instalment as the Toyota Etios 2012 model payment was long over even before I purchased my second property.

My surburb flat allocated at the back of the fluent surbub of Melrose Arch, a five or ten minutes drive to Sandton Mall and a walking distance to Alexandra Township together with my son were the only huge responsibility I had then. I was so prepared for the future that even in my wardropethrough out the years,had special clothes for that audition job for a TV presenter/ talk show hosts or a role of a classy businesswoman on the biggest South African Soap Opera, Generation the Legacy.

I could speak at least seven South African languages then and the magazine and TV had trained me enough on what to expect. So me being with this crew on a Sunday was a step closer to my dream world.

One of the sister, I met at Melrose Arch Camphor Cream advert auditions told me about these classes which were offered for free for any inspiring actor. But the lady forgot to tell me that the person giving them was a Nigerian national.

I'm not sure if she had kept that information from me deliberately, knowing how I will act towards the information. The only part I got was that, he was the director of of Isibaya, a popular drama series that was airing on Mzansi Magic daily,it was quite big on our telies then. His name he did tell me, but out of arrogancy, I thought he was either Vhenda or xhitsonga or Pedi.

So there I was in the workers museum every Sunday amongst other inspiring actors some who had done a bit of TV work while others were still hustling to get in.

The guy was so nice. Coming to his work shops made me forget my troubles with the big Sunday national newspaper then. Lets just say, it had some attachement issues and I was just enough with being bullied for a salary. The bullying had made the passion for writing and reporting on national stories on print vanished. Instead, I was looking at the other means of telling and documenting our African stories. Coming to the acting workshop though was a therapy, it reminded me of the 90s British sitcom, Mind your language which aired on SABC1 but this was an African version of it. The Mr Brown was this Nigerian guy, with students from all over the township of Johannesburg. He spoke English, his students could hear him but others find it very hard to express themselves in the language. As a reader, you need to understand how apartheid affected especially the black men's education system in order to know and enjoy how these young actors reacted. But the nicest thing, the master was patient, no one had wrong answers in the class. Some answers were right but not for use in the current moment, they were prophetic answers. His work ethic made me forget one of my my life rule ie....Stay as far away from Nigerians as possible especially when have no back up. Sorry Nigeria but in South Africa, Nijas are notorious for many things ie abduction of girls and forcing them into prostitution. As a journalist, one of the most inhumane brutal stories ive ever done was that of a small body of a teenage girl thrown out of the fourth floor building in Central Port Elizabeth. The three Nigerian men who were well built and more masculine than her were trying to force her to take drugs. This was a high school girl from New Brighton, a member of an Apostolic church and the only child her mother had. Nor will I ever forget the humiliation, dissappointment and betrayal of Nolubabalo "Babsie"Nobanda from Grahamstown. She was well educated, came from a well off family what she did didn't add up with her character according to what I picked up from relatives and friends. But like all stories, there was a Nigerian man behind her betrayal. I interviewed her family soon after her arrest and dumped the SA drug mule in Thailand. Her story read like something in the movie and yes, there was a Nigerian brother played with her innocense. He didn't care of the pain, humiliation he had caused to not only the family but the community and South Africa at large. Trust was already broken even if you met a nice one there was always that...."But you are Nigerian my friend, I dont trust you" Anyway, the guy heading the workshop was generally nice had his coworkers from the drama coming in to talk to us or help him out. I remember one of the event he took us to Sandton convention centre to present our short theatre play on xenophobic, it was so nice I even twitted about it,

Khanyiswa Ndabeni🇿🇦 (@ndabenik) posted at 9:14 am on Sun, Nov 17, 2019: Nigerian artist, @iam_kcee and I were preaching the same message at the @RiseupNija an event aimed at uniting Africans and saying no to Xenophobia https://t.co/eS8nlVdJKk

I was sold to the whole Idea, with little knowledge of what the root course of the so called xenophobic attacks.

But I was all over preaching no xenophobic and even gunned an interview with NijaTV. Telling the whole continent and the world how we needed to stop the hate and start loving each other.

Lets just say, ugal was already running with the vision with no direction. But the little information from the stiries i picked up and read while doing full time print journalism. To be quite honest, it is only now when I think of it.... Were South Africans really xenophobic or were bullied by our own African brothers out of everything they had. No one dared to really listen to the voice of SA then, it is only now through drips and drabs that we seeing the real cause.

Bullies have been at it and got away with it for a long time while even the good guys were painted with the same brush. As Africans, what happened to our communal set up. Why would a fellow country men keep quiet when another is doing wrong as this affects the image of everyone from that country. Black leaders, do they stop to lead and guide their people once their outside their homestead? Im saying this because I've seen for myself that some of the incidents could have been avoided had a leader rose up and told their people to stop it.

Bracken High will get its R750 000 netball court....Vumani Bo!!

VUMANI BOOOO!!!!

As the ancestor of Bracken High class of 2000. I want to prophecy.... So,can I get an Amen!!! From the readers of this blog. Those who are Christians and those who are not....Just say, Aaaamen!!!! Or better yet, can we do this the African style way....I say, Vumani Bo!!!

Can all those who believe that the ancestors of South Africa can make things happen, say Siyavuma. I say, Vumani Boo!!! Well my fellow readers, a couple of months ago. My son and I visited Bracken High school... Vumani Bo!!! On our visit, we met a young white gentleman by the name of of Nick Nunes.... Vumani Bo!!! Nick is the founder of Go Alumni. This is an online platform that is set up to link past and present learners of the school based in Alberton Area, Gauteng South Africa....Vumani Bo!!!

This gentleman, who also hails in the Alberton area, told us of his plans to revive the now deteriorating Bracken High School structure with the help of past students... Vumani Bo!!! According to annonymous sources of the blog, since I left the school and the province in early 2000s.

Alliens and witches who could not even speak English invaded the area and run down the school...Vumani Booo!!! Former teachers were bullied and left powerless when they tried to confront the alliens and those that remained couldn't really speak or had any one to turn to about the alliens abuse of power....Vumani Booo!!! The Alliens did as they wished, running the beloved school to the ground and only to hand it over to the newly appointed principal, Mr Mochaki in the shadow of its former glory. It is said that MR Mochaki has done many things in the school since his appointment in 2023 this includes the upgrade of the entrance of the school. On top of Mr Nick Nunes to do list is the upgrade of a netball court of the school. On the Go Alumni page, almost R5 000 has been raised and he is calling on all former student to come and help make the netball dream come true. "It doesnt matter how much you contribute, it could be R100 monthly" said Nunes who is planning a reunion for former learners soon. To date, the site has registered about 196 Alumni from the school that was formed in 1981 with the aim of being an institution of excellence, dedicated to producing responsible well rounded and capable citizens like me. I was straight out of Woolhope High in Malabar, Port Elizabeth when I joined the school in 1998.

Having been a grade A students in Mathematics and Science in the Indian school for two years 1996 and 1997. This after running away in Gauteng When a former Afrikaans school, Help My Kaar in Braamfontein,now known as Rand Girls High was forcing me to repeat grade eight also known as standard six even though I had passed. The school then had a programme called standard six bridging class. Clever and intellegent me, who had passed with flying colours at my art primary school...The Open School On the Move in down town Johannesburg.

The same student who attended Saturday classes at PACE senior secondary school in Jabulani Soweto. The girl who went to Christian camps to learn how to swim in order to be prepared for the former white school. As well as assisted by senior mathematics studdents at Youth Alive Ministries Dube Soweto in order to cope at these schools was told in January of the school beginning that I have failed a year that I haven't even started studying. Yes, I stick it out for 12 months thinking the teachers and the department of education had made some mistake or it was a test but when that report came saying I passed standard six bridging class, I went looking for a school that was serious about me doing the next grade. So I said bye bye to Johannesburg and hello Port Elizabeth. Luckily for me, the Indian school welcomed me with open arms like all the other students. Boy, I did excell in both grade nine and ten with mathematics and science my majors. I still had an attitude towards Afrikaans and this together with the change of province, culture, language and everything else affected my grade 11 class. Mr McKelvin who had done my interview to the school had predicted my failure and the everything that might cause it. There was no arguing with him at the end of that year. I had seen for my self where I was battling.

I had not chosen Geography out of interest. I took computer science even when I had no computer at home and couldn't do the home work or understood it. I had an attitude towards Afrikaans and it was a the school's second language so to say, I had failed it made sense to me. I was battling the whole year. I knew now I needed to drop the computer science subject because I couldn't do the homework nor understood it. I changed Geography to Business Economics because I have always been a business person and it made sense to do business than geography. I still understood maths and science and received good results in both subjects plus they were easy for me so keeping them also made sense. All in all, this was a failure that was out of love and correction. The standard six failure for me then was out of hatred and was not explainable, it was dictated and no matter how much I improved my results during that year still the witches had forseen the future and my God was refusing to bow down.

Coming to Bracken high though, the Alumni has registered 196 students to date. Nick want to create a school legacy by helping the school either raise funds or anyone with skills to do anything come and volunteer. There are planned Alumni programmes that will kick off next year. This includes the reunions of all the ancestors from 1981 when the school was established.

Yesss gal, the doeks are on FLEEK!

Yes, ladies, when the doeks are on fleek! You better wrap it up like your momma taught you. Wear your crown with pride, celebrate who you are and connect with other women who might hold your hand in times of trouble.

These are the messages behind Doek on Fleek, the annual women's gathering which seeks to empower women from all walks of life. The third annual Doek on Fleek will be hosted at Moses Madiba Stadium in Durban this August with hit maker Busiswa billed to set the dance floor alight. This is on South African based Women Movement, Doek on Fleek is a brain child of accountant and entrepreneur, Thandi Mavata. Mavata the 36 year old mother of three is also known as Babes we Doek by the thousands of women who have made connections and life long friendships with other women at the events. Mavata hails from Port Elizabeth and is now based in Johannesburg from where the event was born in 2016. "We women go through a lot and there's a perspective out there that we pull each other down and dont support each other. In this event we also encourage women to speak to a stranger to release the burden they carry. It's not a church conference but we do begin each section with prayer," said Mavata. Mavata says her journey has not been easy as she lost it all and suffered from clinical depression. She hopes her soon to be released book #ThemakingofstrongWOMEN about how she overcome hurdles will help other women. *Add details about the book* She says she was inspired by her late entrepreneur grandmother. *insert grandmothers quote here* Doek on Fleek a trending hash tag on social media is this accountants childhood dream of making female empowerment a reality. "It was meant to be a once off event but after seeing the beauty and interest for the event I decided to look into having it monthly. It's then when it became a passion project for me. I had always been a strong advocate for empowerment . It saddens me that in our society there's a notion that women do not want other women to succeed, and I felt compelled to dispel that by proving that women could indeed stand together and support one another." The initial focus was to provide women from all walks of life with a platform where they could sell products as a means to provide themselves with financial liberation. And, if you have never been privileged to swaai a doek, lessons are on offer at these events. Mavata has successfully hosted more than 80 events not only in South Africa’s nine provinces but has spread to Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland the event draws a crowd of up to 7000 people. Doek on Fleek has "now become a powerful movement. In my quest to empower women I have found that there are many women that share my sentiments." "I have also started to partner up with ladies who wish to host a Doek On Fleek events in their areas, where I come in and assist with capital and human resources and in this way they are guaranteed to have additional income without risking their own funds." Here when a woman has her hair in a doek it is a way to show respect to those around her. "So for me, Doek on Fleek was a way to say to women, let us stand together - all races and tribes - and wear our crowns [doeks] proudly while still showing one another respect. We went with doeks as opposed to African attire because we wanted something that could be inclusive of all women, not only African women." Her goal is to unite the women of SA regardless of age, race or creed. But she doesn't compromise on men who are barred from these gatherings. It’s not an event but a lifestyle women especially those who need time off. We currently have over 100 000 ladies across the country growing the movement everyday. Story and pictures supplied and adited by Dineo Matomela

If you can dream it you can live it..vision board coach Rebecca Kano

On Saturday, I was reminded of a Biblical scripture, "Where there is no vision, the people perish.

Listen, Rebecca talks

This is because, I had found myself in the vision workshop of Zimbabwean born public speaker, author and life coach, Rebecca Kano.

Vision Board

The Fourways based single mother of two, had all the attention of visionaries, strategist and 2019 year planners  eating in the palm of her hands. This as she explain the importance of having your dream in front of you with pictures and positive words that will help you get to where you want to be in life.

Ladies at the workshop busy writing their 2019 goals

As a child, Kano's family lost everything when she was a child in Zimbabwe. She was later adopted by an American family where she also worked as an aupair. She came to South Africa just a few years ago, where she is starting a new chapter as a divorcee.

Love hug from another sister

"Anyone who plays a role in society or at home, ie mom, dad, son and daughter. You are still an individual. You need to know who you are and who you becoming. Once you know your character and what you love doing then it is easier for you to fulfil the role of being CEO or leader in the society," said Kano to a group of mainly ladies who attended her workshop on Saturday.
She operate  the workshops through request from the public other times, cooperate invitation and family bookings.

Rebecca encouraging woman to live their dream

"It is always wonderful to see people transform or see what they visioned actually come to pass. I've been using this method since 2011 in my life and started giving workshops full time in 2016.

https://www.facebook.com/khanyiswa.ndabeni.5/videos/10218259795185271/

Just like last Saturday, her class held in Fourways north of Johannesburg, South Africa was packed with women from all racial and different backgrounds. A stand up is planning to give a door to door  comedy service to his clients. The comedian  argues, with these economic times, people want to cut cost on going out. A Spanish woman recently moved to South Africa and is not social media savvy wants to connect with business minded people. She also teaches Spanish.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BtG4Ob3HoDP/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=1fjfl83zfjqra

With the powerful music background music of American Icon singer Beyonce Knowles, "I was Here" song,  the group of women were encouraged to write down their goals in each of the the following categories, Relationships, Health and Wellness, Spirituality, Education learning and development, Finance, career and business.
"The exercise is to encourage your inner character to come out," said Kano.
She uses everything from  her body language and demonstration to show her students, the process of going after your goal will not be easy. But they must always find a way to win.

Goal focused

"Finding a way of going after what you need might mean the road will not be always smooth and straight. Sometimes you will need to take the longest route to where you going but you will always find a winning.

Her class are also interactive and guest are also encourage to introduce themselves and exchange business contacts before the class ends, the students are asked to write down three things that will stop them from achieving their goals. A lot had fear, doubt and procrastination as their biggest stumbling block.

"Last year, I had a Zulu men who came through with his wife to class. He had to understand what the whole exercise was about before he partook on the process. He gave me a hard time, but I think he also wanted to know the process before he could commit to it.It is always nicer for each person in the family to have their own individual visual board. It is a constant reminder of where you want to go and the goals you want to achieve. I encourage people to look at their vision boards every three months and tick off things that they have achieved," All the goals are achievable you need to work on getting to your dream house or car. Everything needs action.

To be part of Rebecca's class please call 0840383458 or follow Rebecca on rebeccatalks on facebook, and @rebeccakano on twitter and instagram. 

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I am pleased to announce that due to your support we were able to buy these shoes for 12 primary pupils and chess sets. Keep sharing 

School shoes we donated to the Nalusana programme in Port Elizabeth

Thank you letter from a Chess Club in Port 

Let Benoni's cake master worry about your birthday cake

The smell of butter mixed with eggs, milk, sugar and flour in the oven hits you the moment you enter Nyathi Street in Benoni, South Africa.