Honouring the women of our past

Journalist Nicky Willemse gets a quote from keynote speaker Chief Margaret Coetzee Williams

  
I obtained a "B" for history in my final exam in matric a few decades ago. Perhaps I obtained the symbol because I studied it as if I was a puppet and had a great memory. But that was way back then.

Oral history is much more exciting and I can just imagine hanging on every word of people like Saartjie Baartman, Dora Nginza and Molly Blackburn as we would walk back into time.

Guest blogger Roslyn Baatjies

Beautiful panels against the walls and hanging from the ceiling of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s exhibition centre - perfectly laid-out by the NMMU graphic designer Elmien Waring – tell these stories as the exhibition pays homage to the role of women in the shaping of the Eastern Cape’s history.

And no, it is not only the stories of the contributions of the well-known women like Sarah Baartman, Dora Nginza, Molly Blackburn whose names are synonymous with changing times in the Eastern Cape that can be viewed in this exhibition.

The opening of the exhibition last night gave us the opportunity to view and/or read the contribution of so many other fearless women covering the period from the late 1700s to contemporary South Africa.

The exhibition includes factual and anecdotal information, poetry and photographs. Among the stories documented are those of the province’s first missionaries and settlers like Janet Soga, a Scot who was married to the first black Xhosa minister; Harriet Ward, the province’s first journalist, and botanist Mary Elizabeth Barber, who used to exchange ideas with Charles Darwin.

Having been born and raised in the city’s northern areas, it was interesting to note that the Gelvandale area was named after a strong woman -  trade unionist Katie Gelvan. And was I surprised when I saw that the women of Kirkwood, where I spent my high school years, were also featured. Yes, I was!

Adding to the beautiful event were the speakers like Chief of the Khoisan people Margaret Coetzee Williams who, in her address on Sarah Baartman, focused on the importance of how Saartjie’s return home should remind us of the restoration of the dignity of all "the people in the womb of Mother Earth".

NMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz welcomed guests at the launch of the exhibition

Verne Harris from the Nelson Mandela Foundation focused his address on "Patriarchies of the Post-Apartheid" and imparted insight into the late Nelson Mandela’s respect for and empowerment of women.

But what would an event like this be without ingredients like the perfect location, good food, drink, music and company. The lawn in front of the NMMU Governance Building on the Second Avenue Campus was the perfect spot for the event in a big tent; even the flowers in the garden smiled at being part of the occasion.

I have to return to the exhibition to read all about these strong women. Perhaps I will be motivated to make a greater contribution to the area where I live.

The exhibition is open daily until November 2015.

 

A reflective piece by Magda Minguizzi about being foreign 

Elhaam Bardien inspects one of the exhibits

NMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz interacts with guests at the exhibition

Add caption

The exhibition honouring Eastern Cape women throughout our history

Among the tasty eats at the launch ... 

Hear ye … calling all matrics

Calling all matrics ... don't procastinate

An antiquated “hear ye” is unlikely to do it, but we need to use whatever tactics, communication platforms or gimmicks we can to ensure matrics and other prospective students get the message.

That message:

• Applications to study at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in 2015 close on 5 December.

• Online applications close on 30 November

• Failure to get your name into the system by then means you are likely to miss out on the opportunity of joining us next year.

Please share this news. Call your friends, text them, nag them, do cartwheels, shout it from the rooftops at Plett Rage, but please, please, please ensure that they know that 5 December is the late application deadline.

Far too many matrics lose out every year because they naively wait until receiving their final marks. This is too late.

Indeed, many of the 450 programmes offered by NMMU are already full (see list below).

You need to apply now (it will cost you R360) if you are to give yourself any chance of studying at NMMU in 2015.

The University has already received more than 39 000 applications and provisionally accepted more than 7 000 students. NMMU can only take about 6 000 new first years.

You do the math.

You need to get into the system – with a provisional student number - by 5 December to give yourself any chance of becoming a Madiba next year.

Here are some pointers to help you with the application process:

· Download a form from our website (www.nmmu.ac.za), print it out, complete it and either fax it back or personally deliver it to the university by 5 December.

· You can go straight to online applications www.nmmu.ac.za/apply

· If you need further guidance call our contact center on 051 5041111.

The application process is such that you will receive a student number which you can track to see how far you are in the system.

Apart from meeting the deadline with all the right documentation (school marks, a copy of your ID etc.), you also need to be real about your marks. Don’t apply to study Pharmacy, for example, if your Admission Point Score (APS) is presently 10 points below what is required for that degree.

But whatever you do, do not delay.

Get your application into the system before 5 December.

And do not consider the following “full” programmers as your first choice:

1. ND: Inventory and Stores Management

2. ND: Public Management

3. BTech: Public Management

4. ND: Agricultural Management

5. ND: Nature Conservation

6. ND: Agricultural Management Extended

7. BTech: Agricultural Management (George Campus)

8. BTech: Nature Conservation

9. BTech: Forestry (Full-time)

10. BTech: Radiography

11. ND: Logistics (Full-time)

12. BPharm

13. ND: Engineering: Civil

14. HCert: Business Studies

15. BTech: Management (Full-time)

16. ND; Forestry Extended

17. ND: Information Technology: Software Development

18. Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)

19. ND: Logistics Extended

20. ND: Sport Management

21. ND: Game Ranch Management (George Campus)

22. Bachelor of Radiography (Brad)

23. ND: Human Resource Management (Full-time)

24. ND: Human Resource Management Extended


ND stands for National Diploma; BTech is the equalivalent of degree - your fourth year after completing a diploma; HCert is Higher Certificate and B is for Bachelor (a degree).

We look forward to welcoming you to NMMU next year … just get those applications in.

Our art students ... what were they thinking?

What are they thinking ... check out the art in K Block's studios

I find art fascinating. I might not know too much about it, but I find the result – the completed pieces of artwork – hugely interesting. I find some art beautiful, some blatantly ugly. Other pieces still, deathly dull.

But I am always intrigued.

What were they thinking?

I asked myself this question all over again – as I do every year – when I visited the Fine Art Graduate Exhibition in K block, North Campus, by our final year art students.

What were they thinking when they conceived their paintings, drawing, ceramics, glasswork and sculptures?

Both sculptures by Phiwokwakhe Tshona

What drove them to throw a myriad of three-dimensional shapes together to form giant kites? What caused a student to choose to merge man with frog, fox and elephant? What triggered an onslaught against diet cooldrink and media messaging; what pushed a student to delve in new techniques; what evoked the collection of thumb print …

Yes, it’s the thinking behind the art that intrigues me.

But let’s see what you think of the work by:

Robyn Munnick, Chelsea Bell, Kent Cairncross, Erica Fu, Gabriel Chaponda, Suzette Crafford, Sipho Makhanda, Namhla Mbalane, Neil de Lange, Sarah King, Justin Lucas, Pieter-Jan Kilian, Maqhawe Mkwanazi, Kyle Hamann, Nadia van der Merwe, Thabiso Patsi, Anja Roestorf, Ilse Volver, Dané Strydom, Phiwokwakhe Tshona, Sukesh Moodaley, Nadine Moolman, Midian Thackwray, Karen Yew-Sioung and Mandy Ndesi.

Their work can viewed until 4pm on 27 November.

The Fine Art work of the BTech students can also be viewed at the Athenaeum, Corner of Belmont Terrace and Military Road, Central, from 9am to 4pm daily, also until 27 November.

Three works by Dané Strydom

Glass works of famous faces

Digital print on enhanced matte by Sipho Makanda

Anja Roestorf' produced several skilful morphed drawings 

Midian Thackwray's wonderful mobiles and wall hangings are a show stopper  

Ceramic work titled the Puppet Master by Pieter-Jan Kilian 

A spider takes centrestage among the sculptures

Seeking a sense of self?  

Making art out of our identities?

A painting of a tumour

Archbishop Desmond Tutu by one of the Class of 2014

The long-awaited history of EC heroines

CELEBRATING STRONG WOMEN ... A glimpse of the exhibition panels that tell the fascinating stories of  Eastern Cape heroines

When I was at school, I hated history. It all just seemed to be about meaningless wars and expeditions in distant times and places. And dates, dates, dates. I dropped it as soon as I could.

But, as an adult, I’ve developed a love for past events, a curiosity for finding out why things happened – and I’ve discovered incidents and people far more interesting than the dreary textbook stuff we were force-fed at school.

Guest blogger Nicky Willemse

I was recently asked to edit the panels for NMMU’s upcoming exhibition, titled “The role of women in the shaping of Eastern Cape history”. I was educated, to say the least, reading about the achievements (often against all odds) of strong women from the late 1700s to the last century.

And I had a lightbulb moment.

I realised that in all the years of history I had to endure at school, the heroes profiled were men. In my junior school in Pietersburg/Polokwane (in the heart of Voortrekker country), we learned ad nauseum about the achievements of Jan van Riebeek, Piet Retief, Andries Pretorius, Andries Potgieter and others. Later, in Port Elizabeth, I was introduced to Bartholomew Dias, Vasco de Gama, Rufane Donkin.

All white men – at my white schools (I finished school in ’93).

Black leaders like Shaka and Dingaan were included too, but more as anti-heroes, conquests of the Brits and the boers.

At high school (Standard 6 and 7), history went overseas to World Wars and ongoing Middle-East conflict. But again, there was never a mention of any heroine.

Reading the panels was an eye-opener. How much more interesting history would have been had these women been included? People like Mary Elizabeth Barber, Nontetha Nkwenkwe and Yetta Barenblatt. No, of course, you haven’t heard of them.

Mary, a settler, was the Eastern Cape’s first botanist. She even used to exchange ideas with Charles Darwin. He even thanked her for her assistance in one of his publications.

Nontetha Nkwenkwe faded into obscurity because the government at the time was threatened by her and had her confined to one mental hospital after another, until she eventually died in isolation. There was nothing wrong with her, other than the fact that she was trying to make sense of a world where her long-held Xhosa traditions were being wiped out by colonisation. She did this by starting a church in the 1920s which preached a synthesis of Christian and Xhosa spirituality – she was influential and had a large following. And so she was locked up.

Industrialisation in the Eastern Cape brought with it the establishment of factories, which were filled with women. First white women, then coloured and later black women. Factories brought with them the trade unions, and many strong (but socially repressed) women suddenly had a voice, and they made it political. Irish-born Yetta Barenblatt was a skilled union negotiator in East London who would later become secretary of the Congress of Democrats and be detained during the 1960 State of Emergency.

I purposely chose these women, because they have faded into obscurity, but there are others profiled in the exhibition who are better-known: Saartjie Baartman, Dora Nginza, Molly Blackburn. Their stories are just as fascinating.

There are equally fascinating true tales of prostitution, assault and murder – real page-turning stuff. How could I ever have thought history dreary?

I know South Africa’s history textbooks have changed. I haven’t seen them, but I can only hope that they include some of the stories of these amazing women, who were working against the grain in strongly-patriarchal times (which we have not completely overcome yet).

These are stories that must be told.

• The exhibition – which includes factual and anecdotal information, poetry and photographs on 18 attractively-designed, ceiling-high panels – is on public display in the Archive Exhibition Centre on NMMU’s Second Avenue Campus, from Tuesday (25 November) to November next year.

'I met the developer'

Formulation Science students (from left) Mcquillan Moyo, Sindisiwe Bala, Angel Magudulela, Michelle Jacobs, Wesiwe Stephen, Ndumi Koza, Nandipa Nelani, Asanda Sihewula, Cloudius Sagandira

It astounds me what students come up with when no-one is watching. They develop products such as surface cleaner, wood oil preservative, environmentally friendly varnish, novel plasticisers, headlamp restorers and hair products.

Guest blogger Roslyn Baatjies

Talking to each of the product developers at the BSc (Hons) Formulation Science product exhibition, I learned how passionate they are about the course and their final product. For some of them, perfection is the only option, and they will further develop the products.

The entire setting was professional - from how they were dressed, to their presentation table to having product samples and flyers available. They knew their product – they developed it after all – and answered all the questions about it; and added additional information.

Not many of us would bring automotive paint and the eucalyptus tree together. That is exactly what Plascon employee Ndumi Koza did. Her product, Bio plasticizer EUCITREE, is non-toxic, environmentally friendly, it improves inter-coat adhesion between paint film and prevents the automotive paint from chipping. The mother of two says the journey has been challenging; yet rewarding.

Made from essentials oils like geranium and tea tree Zimbabwean student Mcquillan Moyo’s McClean surface cleaner is a one-stop kitchen hygiene solution. He explained to me that the product distinguishes itself from others because the essential oils inhibits the growth of bacteria; thus disinfecting the surfaces.

In her research, Michelle Jacobs asked if people ever get annoyed by the smell of paint and how sure they are that the paint they apply to their walls and trims is safe for the family. Keeping the safety aspect in mind she developed a superior quality varnish for interior use. Easy to apply with a glossy durable finish and no odour, it makes it suitable for all interior wood surfaces.

And as I listened to Sindisiwe Bala, Angel Magudulela, Wesiwe Stephen, Nandipa Nelani, Asanda Sihewula and Cloudius Sagandira explain their products to me, I realised that if they keep it up they are headed for the big time.

I tried to get samples of the products but left with nothing because they were watching. But when I see it on the shelves in the future, I will be able to say “I met the developer”.

Kicking failure into touch – and remembering Ubuntu

ALUMNI ACHIEVERS … The winners at NMMU’s annual Alumni Awards evening on Monday were (from left) Dr Amber Anderson, Dr Hanningtone Gaya, Nomkhita Mona, Baxolile Mabinya, Nicholas Hafner, Deon Schoeman, Tracy Cheetham and Garret Barnwell.

By Guest Blogger (Nicky Willemse)

This week, NMMU celebrated the cream of its alumni crop – those who have graduated from the institution and gone on to achieve great things.

People like South African cricket coach Russell Domingo, Tracy Cheetham, who manages SKA SA (Square Kilometre Array South Africa), the biggest science project in the world, wine guru Nicholas Hafner and Dimension Data’s Baxolile Mabinya, who is the group’s strategy director for the Middle East and Africa.

Then there was author Isla Morley, Coca-Cola Fortune’s HR exec Dr Amber Anderson, the president of the South African Association of Doctors Without Borders, Garret Barnwell, Kenyan brand and marketing authority, Dr Hanningtone Gaya, and the founder of Klinicare Pharmacies, Deon Schoeman. And one of last year’s winners, Safcol CEO Nomkhita Mona, was also in town to belatedly collect her award.

It was a glittering event with speeches galore – some short, some (a tad) long, some clever, some humorous.

But in the speeches, there were two common threads – and that’s what really stood out most for me.

The first was that a number of these top achievers had experienced failure along the line. In fact, three of them were hauled over the coals as university students for dismal marks and told to buck up or get out. Deon’s pharmacy lecturer, appalled at Deon’s 19% for a test, told him he wasn’t a “pharmacist’s backside”. Tracy’s told her she had to improve her marks or get kicked out of architecture, while Isla’s lecturer called her essay a “howler” – when she asked what he meant, he said it was so bad, it had made him howl with laughter.

They could have lost heart, fallen out the system, tried something else (as other students have probably done). Instead, they chose to prove their lecturers wrong – and have gone on to excel beyond their lecturers’ and, more importantly, their own expectations.

For these three individuals, those comments marked a turning point in their lives, where they shifted gear from mediocre to excellent.

A little bit of failure can work wonders.

The other thread that stood out was the spirit of Ubuntu. Just about all the recipients thanked those in their lives who had helped them get to where they are today. Many recited the Ubuntu philosophy: I am because you are.

Their achievements are not theirs alone. They are the result of the endless support of parents, spouses, lecturers – and their awards are an indication not just of the talent of the recipients, but the talent of the people and places that have “grown” them.

Congratulations to all.

And as you go forward, “just believe” (to quote the catchy mantra of Computing Science’s Prof Jean Greyling, as recounted by award recipient Baxolile).

Just believe … in yourself, in your ability, in the things that keep you going forward (your faith, family, friends, colleagues – all the things you mentioned in your speeches) – and keep making your alma mater, city, region and country proud.

Excellence is for us all

NMMU's Marketing and Corporate Relations team subscribes to excellence 

Excellence. It’s a scary word, is excellence. Well, for this typical “above average” student it is. That’s because it denotes special achievement, outstanding capabilities, top of the class …

It is something with which I had never been familiar nor thought possible until I came to Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. I had happily accepted that my EQ (emotional quotient) was far higher than my IQ (intelligence quotient) and that excellence was an elitist privilege reserved for the brainy few. (And certainly not for the likes of me).

NMMU changed all that.

I now know that excellence has nothing to do with brains, and everything to do with attitude and habit.

Excellence is one of the university’s six values.

And, as I now understand it, excellence is about striving and working to be the best that you can be or your team can be. It’s not just about being the best.

It’s about getting the best out of yourself, regardless of the quotients of emotional and intelligence with which you are blessed. It’s about attaining top standards; standards to which others aspire; it’s about inspiring others to follow your shining example.

NMMU's MCR team won the most awards at their annual Excellence Awards conference for higher education

Or to quote Aristotle, it’s about: “What we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but a habit”. In other words, if the will to win, the desire to succeed and the urge to reach your full potential are key – then unlock the door to personal excellence.

That’s what NMMU inspires us to do – and certainly the team within Marketing and Corporate Relations has personally inspired me to strive for excellence.

What joy then to be named the top institution in higher education and training when it comes to marketing, communication and branding.

The inaugural Severus Cerff Award for Consistent Excellence went to NMMU’s Marketing and Corporate Relations (MCR) Department for winning the most excellence (eight) and merit (nine) awards in 2014. We have bragging rights for a year! (But we won’t be doing that since bragging is not an excellent or responsible thing to do.)

We’ve benchmarked ourselves against other universities and come out on top thanks to our commitment to excellence and professionalism.

We may not have the biggest budget or the largest marketing or communications team, but we possibly have the most creative, hardest-working group of individuals who understand the need to be excellent in what they do – and are excellent in the service they provide in promoting and positioning NMMU.

Well done team MCR!

For the curious, the awards were for following:

Merit

Social media – Micro Blogging for its NMMU4U Twitter handle

Electronic media – Live streaming of graduation 2014

Printed publications (external) – Reasons to be Proud

Integrated campaigns (events) – Graduation 2014

Printed publications (external) – Undergrad guide & Z-card

Social media – Social networks Facebook

Printed publications (internal) – talk@nmmu

Electronic media (Mobile Apps) – My NMMU

Electronic media (Mobi Sites) – NMMU Mobisite



Excellence (above 80%)

Integrated campaigns (branding) – Where dreamers become doers (NMMU’s national branding) campaign

Printed publications (internal) – Student Diary 2014

Advertising (broadcast) – TV and radio see http://ow.ly/EoxeA

Audiovisual (video) – values ambassadors see http://ow.ly/EoxxM

Printed publications (external) – In Touch

Integrated campaigns (student recruitment) – Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship Programme

Integrated campaigns (marketing) – Undergrad Closing Date campaign

Advertising (outdoor advertising) – Billboards: schools, airports

Bianca inspires us to give of ourselves

Guest blogger Ros Baatjies

I’ve never met Bianca-Anne Harper Agherdien. Like the rest of Nelson Mandela Bay who make it their business to keep abreast of what is happening in the region, I knew that she was Miss Port Elizabeth 2010. I also knew that she was a Pharmacy student at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University at the time of winning the title.

She often smiled at me from the photographs of mutual Facebook friends. She also often smiled from the pages of the daily newspaper. And wasn’t that smile just bright and beautiful.

People might ask why there was so much hype about her motor vehicle accident, the appeal to donate blood and her passing last week.

Bianca was the sweetheart of the city.

Goodwill did not end when her reign as Miss PE ended. It went far beyond that. She lived an inspiring life. Trying to live an inspiring life puts the focus on others and that is what she did as a young woman in her twenties.

NMMU alumnus & Miss PE 2010 Bianca Harper Agherdien leaves us an inspiring legacy.

She gave herself away so that God could use her. I am sure that many citizens of the beautiful Bay can share stories of how she touched their lives.

Bob Marley once said: “The greatness of a man is not in how much wealth he acquires, but in his integrity and his ability to affect those around him positively”.

But let us spare a thought for her husband, Anver, her parents, Denzyl and Patty, and her brother, Charles. Judging by their Facebook appeals for blood donations, they would have done anything for her to survive. Their love for her was obvious in the words of the stories in the newspapers.

She, no doubt, inspired them to do their best and focus on the needs of others rather than their own needs. And the legacy she left is one of giving of yourself until it hurts.

Perhaps your name is not Bianca-Anne and you were never a beauty queen, but you do your bit for the community, the sick, elderly and the disadvantaged. You may not have featured in newspapers, but you feed the homeless every week. People might not know your name; yet you are famous in the area where you serve soup and bread at community clinics.

Keep on doing it, because your greatness is in your ability to affect those around you positively.

I’ve never met Bianca-Anne Harper Agherdien, but her short life has inspired me to be better, do better and do more to make this life better for others. 

Planes, flying dinosaurs and feathered “cameramen”

HIGH FLYERS ... NMMU marketing and corporate relations staff flew to Sun City today for the Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education (MACE) Conference.

By Guest Blogger (Nicky Willemse)

A whole bunch of staff from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s marketing and corporate relations team boarded the 6.10am flight to Joburg this morning, en route to Sun City for this year’s Marketing, Advancement and Communication in Education (MACE) Conference.

One of them was particularly nervous about the flight, which got me thinking about flying in general. I’m super-relaxed about flying (I even enjoy a bit of turbulence) but it does still baffle me that these massive machines are able to defy gravity and travel through the sky.

Though I write dozens of articles about science, my brain is more wired to English than engineering, and the technology that enables man to fly is nothing short of a modern miracle (well, to me, at least).

While I was contemplating modern flight, I couldn’t help calling to mind an article I wrote recently on ancient flight – or, rather, one of the earliest fliers – which one of NMMU’s scientists recently helped to put back in the sky.

Archaeopteryx, a 150-million-year-old prehistoric bird, was long thought to be the first flying bird. A fossil of the bird was discovered in Germany way back in 1861. It had feathers similar to a bird, but teeth, claws and a long bony tail like a reptile, so was widely accepted as evidence of the evolutionary transition from reptiles to birds.

But then in 2010, two British scientists produced a paper which said the early bird couldn’t fly after all. They said its main feather shaft would have been too weak for powered flight.

But NMMU’s Prof Theagarten “Solly” Lingham-Soliar, a biomechanist-palaeontologist, has put paid to this theory. He believes the foam core (essentially air-filled cells) that forms the central shaft of all flight feathers in birds was crucial to the increased strength of the feather shafts in Archaeopteryx, which were slightly thinner than those of modern birds.

“The principle of the foam is to take bending stresses but without the weight of a solid … Mechanical tests by many of the top physicists, including most recently, German scientists Ingrid Weiss and Helmet Kirchner [from the Liebniz Institute of New Materials in Saarbrucken, Germany] show that the foam core absorbs 96% of the load (buckling) imposed on the feather during flight.

“It probably wouldn’t have been the best of fliers but rather shows the beginnings of flight,” said the Prof.

So Archaeopteryx has recaptured the sky once again.

Archaeopteryx, the early bird that theorists in 2010 said couldn't fly. 

This got me thinking about modern birds and how scientists are conducting research related to their flight.

NMMU’s Dr Pierre Pistorius, a senior lecturer in Zoology, is running a long-term monitoring programme on the Cape gannets on Bird Island. As part of this project, tiny video cameras have been attached onto the backs of the birds to see how they observe and interact with their environment.

He hopes the video footage will enable a better understanding of these birds, and also provide some insight into why this particular population of Cape gannets (which is the largest population of this species in the world) is growing, while other populations are declining.

So scientists are able to tag along for the flight, thanks to this cutting edge technology.

Planes, the first bird, modern technology wired up to modern birds … all pretty amazing really.

Where will flight be a century from now? And how will scientists be conducting research relating to flight? Just the thought of all this, and the possibilities that no doubt are just waiting to be discovered, baffles this non-engineering mind even more!

Cape gannets on Bird Island

Interview with a visionary Xhosa Chief

VISIONARY LEADER … Chief Ngwenyathi Dumalisile of Shixini Great Place (second, from right), leader of the Amajingqi Traditional Council in the Willowvale area, former Transkei, visited NMMU recently to discuss projects in his area supported by the university. He is joined by (from left) Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz, Centre for Community Technology’s Prof Darelle van Greunen and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Engagement and Research Prof Thoko Mayekiso.

By Guest Blogger (Nicky Willemse)

I'M a city girl. Besides my place of birth (the small town of Bindura in Zimbabwe), I’ve always lived and worked in cities – sometimes massive ones, including London, Istanbul and Cairo.

But one of the things I’ve noticed about cities is that the people who live there often think they’re a cut above those who live in “dorpies” or villages in more rural areas. They think they’re more sophisticated, cleverer, that they know better. They sometimes forget the rich values, the sense of Ubuntu, the togetherness that is usually more prevalent in places where communities are more tight-knit. They forget that one of the world’s greatest leaders came from the small village of Qunu.

At the end of October, I had the privilege of interviewing Chief Ngwenyathi Dumalisile of Shixini Great Place, a leader within the Xhosa Royal Kingdom and of the Amajingqi Traditional Council Chief, which oversees 22 villages in the Willowvale area in the former Transkei.

You can hardly get more rural than this. The nearest bank is 90 minutes away and you can only access this area by 4x4.

I had heard the Chief was a visionary, but I was in absolute awe of what he has managed to achieve.

He is determined to make his people part of the global village – and is doing this through a visionary plan for “rural-based industrialisation”.

It is not industrialisation in the urban sense (there won’t be any factories going up) – but rather getting the 22 villages wired up to the latest technology, boosting education in the one high and seven primary schools and harnessing the area’s potential for tourism.

It’s a long-term plan, and he’s partnering with a number of stakeholders to do so, including government, parastatals and NGOs. A key partner is Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), with whom he has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for research and engagement opportunities.

The result of this partnership has been the establishment of the area’s first ICT Resource Centre. It has 14 tablet PCs, all online, and computer literacy training has been introduced at the eight schools in the area. The Chief’s parents are learning how to do their banking online and the Chief himself conducts meetings on Skype on his tablet.

Thirty teachers in the area have also received skills upgrades in maths and science from NMMU’s Govan Mbeki Mathematics Development Unit, which has developed a high-tech teaching and learning model, available on laptops for teachers and tablets for learners.

There’s even been a careers exhibition (hosted by NMMU), which was attended by 900 pupils in the area – and the Chief’s son is a student at NMMU.

It’s no secret that he values education. In fact, he says: “Education is the engine of true liberation.”

There are other projects too, including the investigation of natural resources in the area and the potential for tourism development (and, most recently, the development of a mobile tourism app), the establishment of a website to highlight the history of the area and also a beading project, to be marketed on line.

He has managed to achieve great things in a place most of us have never heard of. He’s achieving what many would have considered impossible. He is sowing into his people, building them up.

I have met few urban leaders as sophisticated, clever or visionary as Chief Dumalisile – and can only wish that more people like him would emerge in both rural and urban areas throughout our country.

Imagine the change – in values, in education, in everything.

TRADITIONAL DRESS … Some of the elders who accompanied him on his visit.

VC’s Cultural Evening – feast of the senses

NMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz is joined by Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching  and Learning Prof Denise Zinn (left) and Lorraine Lawrence

“If it is true that a nation’s character is defined by the stories it tells about itself to the world, then ours surely could not have found more eloquent and amazingly talented voices than in the stunning performances of Gcina Mhlope, Steve Newton, Mahesh Narotam, and our awesome students. Such a rare feast of all the senses!”

That’s as Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University boss man Prof Derrick Swartz captured the essence of the annual Vice-Chancellor’s Cultural Evening – and we couldn’t have put it better ourselves.

An evening that traditionally celebrates the arts in its many forms, this year told a wonderful story of ourselves – as a hurt, confused, diverse, enthusiastic, talented, vibrant and ever-hopeful people.

That hope, “that hope in our eyes”, was captured in the opening poem by Gcina Hlope, who was every bit the dynamic storyteller as I’d hoped she’d be.

The audience immediately warmed to her, with her easy interaction and ability to pin-point home truths.

And there were more home truths and opportunities to reflect on all that makes us who we are, with the poetry, acting, singing, music and performances that followed.

I particularly like the “potato vendor” student and her humourous monologue on living the values (it’s just her pursuit of excellence in dusting her potatoes that attracts customers not the witch doctor’s muti), along with the sultry sounds of our jazz musicians.

At one stage, the entire well-heeled audience was on its feet dancing to Miriam Makeba’s click song … yes, it’s the kind of event that makes you want to celebrate. And yes, the VC’s Cultural Evening is a highlight for the 150 people in attendance.

This year the event was hosted at the Boardwalk Conference Centre and as plush as it is, there are many who prefer the artistic haunts of the city’s historic heart – the gallery or the athenaeum. Hopefully, with the refurbishment of Eendrag on the university’s Bird Street Campus, we can match the artistic performances with a more suitable backdrop and take this special evening back to Central. But that’s just me …

While this blog is unable to share the auditory benefits of the 5 November event (we are working on this and other additions), here are a few visuals of those who were fortunate to attend.

Melvin Syce and Willeen Syce

Lungsie Mhlantla and Kaya Mhlantla

Naydene de Lange, Willeen Syce and Melvin Syce 

Loshni Govender

David Blignaut, Hilda Israel and Nicole Ho Chong 

Silas Nkanunu, Sonja Tifloen, Mandla Madwara and Mzi Mangcotywa

Michael Barry, Merilyn Barry, Jacqui Lück and Gerhard Lück

Evatt Knoesen, Ilze Olckers and Adv Shauib Rahim 

Yanga Lusasa and Zizipho Matandabuzo