Mandela's Children

by Deon-Simphiwe Skade

A view from a village called Nxasa in Tsolo, Eastern Cape. Photo: © Deon-Simphiwe Skade

  

There are folds in the sky above the village of Mpunkone near Tsolo in the Eastern Cape. The folds are so grey and so tremendous – so sinister! The large wrinkles also appear to be like a blanket in the sky that is drooping so low it may tear in the middle to pour out large rivers of rain. There is going to be a huge downpour! And those boys below that big fruitless tree better run away and hide. Otherwise, they may be soaked by the imminent rain and possibly catch cold or fever. Getting sick may be the last thing they need. For their dreams may be interrupted for a few days; so is their playing in the fields and their learning! This inevitably means that the boys under the tree would not be seen together for a few days. Only the ones who would have taken precaution against the rain would be free to roam about the village and play. But even so, playing and learning would be less fun now that there would be a few of them out there. Children cannot afford to have these kinds of interruptions. They are Mandela’s children and the old man wants to see all of them dream and prosper in good health. That is why that lot below that big fruitless tree need to stay clear of the coming rain, before it starts pouring down. They have South Africa’s dreams to protect – Mandela’s dreams! And just how big those boys’ dreams are is a wonder. I suppose their dreams could be as big as the universe and as infinite as their imaginations allow them. They are children after all; their minds are always hungry for meaning and relevance.... THE COMPLETE STORY CARRIES ON ELSEWHERE...

Don Mattera and the Religion of Compassion

by Monde Mdodana




Monde Mdodana (left) seen with Elder Don Mattera (middle) and Mpumi Cilibe (right) at the Nelson Mandela Bay Book Fair held at The Opera House on 14 March 2013 - Photo by Ras Luyolo Matshoba

Elder Don Mattera says Compassion is The Highest Religion. Elder Don Mattera says life is about "on your marks, get set, ready, but before you go, look behind to see who you can take with you".

Elder Don Mattera says Compassion is The Highest Religion. Elder Don Mattera says "everyone wants to cast a big shadow, but the best shadow to be cast is the shadow of caring and consciousness".

Elder Don Mattera says Compassion is The Highest Religion. Elder Don Mattera says Barack Obama is sending unmaned aircrafts to bomb people in the middle east, but here, in "our beautiful Azania", no one sees the need to do anything about it.

1. Begin from disappointment*

Reflections on The Way of The Outsider

by Monde Mdodana

My way, The Way of The Outsider, is a philosophy that begins from disappointment. Disappointment, that vague feeling of distress over unfulfilment is the first sign on The Way of The Outsider.

The Outsider, he has become an Outsider because of increasing disillusionment; he is becoming disillusioned with himself, he is becoming disillusioned with society.

There is a growing number of these Outsiders nowadays; they can see that society fails to create favourable conditions for the youth, instead they choose to motivate the young by setting impossible standards for them.

But The Outsider is disappointed more with himself. He can see that he hasn't been living his own life; he has been taking his cues from the expectations of parents, teachers and television.

Although it begins from disapointment, The Way of The Outsider is not a philosophy of disappointment, so let it not be confused with a philosophy off nihilism.

The Way of The Outsider is a Creative Philosophy; disapointment is viewed as a positive experience that provides an opportunity for the Creation of new meaning.

                              

* This is a tittle from Martin-Seaver, Madeline's essay on Black Existentialism available here