Development Talk

Refugee children promote love and unity with musical

 

July 21, 2010

A refugee girl in one of the tents used to house people displaced by xenophobic attacks in South Africa in 2008. Photo: Development Works

A refugee girl in one of the tents used to house people displaced by xenophobic attacks in South Africa in 2008. Photo: Development Works

Beautiful! Exquisite! Professional! Captivating! This is what everyone sang after a well-presented musical play by Lawrence House, a refugee children’s home, which forms part of the Scalabrini Centre’s welfare programmes.

The show, commemorating Lawrence House’s 5th anniversary, was entitled “Mad Word” and was advertised by word of mouth. The “mad word” spread and it generated more than a hundred audience members.

While some disturbing incidences of xenophobia have flared up in South Africa after the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and a number of foreign nationals have left their homes in fear, this show displayed the theme of unity and love and emphasised the importance of “a happy family”.

Formed in 2005, Lawrence House is dedicated specifically to the care of abandoned and unaccompanied refugee minors. Its motto is the Bible verse “I was a stranger and you accepted me”. The House and its separate teenager cottage can accommodate up to 30 children. Boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18 are taken in. Currently the House shelters children from Angola, DRC, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

We at Creative Consulting & Development Works are firm believers in equal rights and observing the Constitution of South Africa, that is why we have also worked with the NGO for refugees, Adonis Musati Project.

If children from different walks of life can come together and use their talents to put on such a wonderful show, why can’t we as adults bury our differences and work together as well?

Filed under: 2010 World Cup, Africa, Asylum seekers, CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS, DEVELOPMENT WORKS, Family, NGOs, Refugees, South Africa, arts, children, civil society, cultural issues, development, fundraising, xenophobia, youth — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 11:25 am

What next for South Africa?

 

July 12, 2010

Now that South Africa has proven that it can present a world class Cup and Closing Ceremony, what will it tackle next? Photo: AFP - Monirul Bhuiyan

Now that South Africa has proven that it can present a world class Cup and Closing Ceremony, what will it tackle next? Photo: AFP - Monirul Bhuiyan

The final match of the 2010 FIFA World Cup was played last night and Spain walked away with the cup. Now that the World Cup has come to an end, newspapers are already starting to ask “What next for South Africa?” How can we harness the positive energy generated during the past month to achieve much needed development objectives for the country?

IOL.co.za reports that “rarely can a global event have generated so much advance pessimism as the World Cup”, but South Africa has silenced all its critics by hosting a successful tournament. The closing ceremony held at Soccer City in Johannesburg last night was especially spectacular and of a world class standard. Images were projected onto the field, Shakira sang Waka Waka and hundreds of dancers demonstrated various South African dances.

Keep on Feeling it

Will the closing ceremony mean the end of the positive vibe in South Africa? Photo: www.shine2010.co.za via Flickr

Will the closing ceremony mean the end of the positive vibe in South Africa? Photo: www.shine2010.co.za via Flickr

“Feel it!” was the catch phrase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Ray Hartley writes “We felt ‘it’. Now let’s define and bottle ‘it’” in the Sunday Times. According to him everyone felt a certain emotion when Bafana Bafana sang the national anthem before the kick-off of this cup. And we kept feeling that emotion as South Africa showed that they could host a mega sports event.

Hartley says this “it” can probably be defined as patriotism. “True patriotism is very different to nationalism. It is closer to the notion of civic duty, the desire to do something to make your country a better place and to celebrate others who make the same effort.”

He says we should now find new outlets for this patriotism. “In this scenario, we would treat our major civic challenges – such as the delivery of houses, health, safety and education – in the same way we treated the World Cup.”

But our patriotism should not turn us into a “nation of spin doctors” that do not want to give criticism where it is due. After all, criticism can help you to recognise your weaknesses and improve on them.

Patriotism should also not turn into an ugly nationalism involving xenophobia, David Smith writes in the Mail & Guardian.

Olympic Games?

Should South Africa bid to host the Olympics? Image: Patrick Hoesley via Flickr

Should South Africa bid to host the Olympics? Image: Patrick Hoesley via Flickr

Some have suggested that South Africa bidding to host the Olympic Games next would be a way to keep the “high” produced by the World Cup going. But Danny Jordaan, chief organiser of the Soccer World Cup is quoted in the Mail & Guardian as saying:  “There is a sense of pride and achievement. We’ll have to see how we will ensure that pride is not the pride of 90 minutes in a World Cup but a permanent feature. Some people say find it in the hosting of the Olympics, find it another big event. I think we must find it in addressing some of the issues — housing, health, education, economic growth. We have to come together to deal with some of these issues.”

A renewed focus on development issues within the country, with renewed vigour and passion would be wonderful. It is something that Creative Consulting & Development Works, as a research, evaluation and communications consultancy working in the development sector definitely supports.

Also read our previous blog piece on the legacy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and leave your comment.

Filed under: 2010 World Cup, Africa, Asylum seekers, CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS, Communications, DEVELOPMENT WORKS, Homeless, Refugees, Research, South Africa, access to health care, civil society, development, economy, education, healing, healthcare, housing, inspiration, inspire, nationhood, poverty, sport, xenophobia — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 2:18 pm

We’ve come so far: 2010 FIFA World Cup and 1GOAL

 

July 9, 2010

Children have enjoyed the 2010 FIFA World Cup and if 1GOAL succeeds they will enjoy the benefits of education even more. Photo: UK Department for International Development

Children have enjoyed the 2010 FIFA World Cup and if 1GOAL succeeds they will enjoy the benefits of education even more. Photo: UK Department for International Development

We have almost reached the end of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Tomorrow Germany and Uruguay will battle it out for third place and on Sunday we will finally know who is going home with the cup when the Netherlands and Spain go head-to-head.

So much has happened in this past month! Just read through the blog entries we wrote every day to remember it all. In one of our first blog pieces we wrote about the 1Goal campaign, the charity supported by FIFA. Since we first blogged about it, the campaign has gone from strength to strength with many celebrities adding their voices to the cause of ensuring education for all.

On Sunday, before the final 2010 FIFA World Cup match kicks off, President Zuma will hold a summit on education which is to be attended by African Heads of State and Government, senior officials of the United Nations and African Union, celebrities and football stars.

What is 1GOAL?

According to www.join1goal.org 1GOAL:Education for All, “is a campaign that tends break the violation of children’s rights to education by using the power of football to ensure that education for all is a lasting impact of the 210 Fifa World Cup”. The aim of this campaign is to use the World Cup to focus attention on education so that 72 million children can have access to education by 2015.

The idea for the campaign started with the drafting of the Millennium Development Goals. Two out of eight goals involve eradication of poverty through education by 2015. The campaign was officially launched at Wembley stadium-UK by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan on 6 October 2009. 9-year-old Gugu Ngubane, from South Africa was the first person to sign up for the campaign.

Who supports this campaign?

1GOAL gives a bright future to little soccer fans.

1GOAL gives a bright future to little soccer fans. Photo: Media Club South Africa

Many well-known faces can be seen supporting the campaign. Among the people who linked up via satellite for the launch was President Jacob Zuma, President John Atta Mills of Ghana, former UK prime minister Gordon Brown, President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapetero of Spain, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and FIFA President Sepp Blatter.

Other people who are making a big difference towards the success of this campaign includes some of the biggest names in football, such as Pele, Rio Ferdinand, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, and Alessandro del Piero. Shakira doesn’t just have a beautiful voice, she also supports1GOAL and she believes through this campaign every children can have a chance to fullfill their dreams and live up to their full potential through education. Other celebrity supporters include Matt Damon, Jessica Alba, Bono, Kelly Roland and Mick Jagger, to name but a few.

You can also become a supporter by signing up on their website or by SMSing 31970 (if you are in South Africa). The video below shows why this campaign is important. This is the difference that an education can make in the lives of two women born on the same day.

Filed under: 2010 World Cup, Africa, Awareness, CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS, DEVELOPMENT WORKS, South Africa, Videos, basic human right, campaign, children, civil society, development, education, poverty, sport, youth — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 2:57 pm

What will the legacy of the 2010 World Cup be for South Africa?

 

July 8, 2010

Other than the stadiums such as this one in Cape Town, what legacy will the World Cup leave in South Africa?

Other than the stadiums such as this one in Cape Town, what legacy will the World Cup leave in South Africa?

This article originally appeared in our latest newsletter. We would love to hear from you regarding what you think the legacy of the 2010 World Cup will be. Read the article and please leave your comment below.  If you are interested in receiving our newsletter, please email lindy@developmentworks.co.za.

As the 2010 FIFA World Cup draws to a close, it is time to start asking ourselves what the real legacy of the event will be in South Africa.

This is what was discussed at a recent public dialogue seminar held by the Centre for Conflict Resolution in Cape Town. Taking part in the discussion was Dr Orli Bass, one of the editors of  Development and Dreams: The urban legacy of the 2010 Football World Cup and Prof Peter Alegi, author of African Soccerscapes: How a Continent Changed the World’s Game.

“If there are any benefits from the 2010 World Cup, they will be intangible rather than tangible,” Bass predicted. Initially many South Africans expected to benefit personally on an economical level. “Informal traders thought the event would improve their situation,” Bass said.

Tangible economic impact

Development and Dreams

Development and Dreams

In Development and Dreams mention is made of a survey conducted in 2007 by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) on people’s perceptions of the World Cup. As many as 50% of respondents believed that economic growth and job creation would be the two main benefits of the event and a third of respondents thought they would personally benefit from job opportunities.

According to Bass, World Cups are extremely profitable for FIFA and the 2010 World Cup will be even more profitable than the previous tournament held in Germany, but the same benefits are not usually felt by host countries. Bass said that according to their research the contribution of the 2010 World Cup to economic development, improvement in tourism and reduction in unemployment and poverty has been overstated.

In an essay entitled “Anticipating 2011” in Development and Dreams, Richard Tomlinson is critical of the economic impacts of the World Cup. According to him investments have been directed away from productive uses such as the upgrading of the Cape Town harbour to construction of unnecessary stadiums. Tomlinson even thinks that the event can create greater inequality.

Orli Bass discusses the views expressed in Development and Dreams regarding the 2010 legacy.

Orli Bass discusses the views expressed in Development and Dreams regarding the 2010 legacy.

Orli Bass discusses the views expressed in Development and Dreams regarding the 2010 legacy. Kamilla Swart and Urmilla Bob agree with this statement in their essay “Venue selection and the 2010 World Cup: A case study of Cape Town”. The fact that FIFA did not approve of Cape Town building a stadium in Athlone, which would have stimulated development in this low-income area, but pushed the city into rebuilding the Green Point stadium, is to them an indication of how inequality was increased.

In the essay “Sport, mega-events and urban tourism” in Development and Dreams, Scarlett Cornelissen cautions that tourism projections for South Africa after the 2010 World Cup might have been overestimated. She points out that the sports tourism that is generated after a World Cup, often replaces especially business-related tourism. However, the greatest benefit to tourism might be the improvement of the country’s image internationally.

Intangible impact

Peter Alegi, author of African Soccerscapes talks about the impact of soccer on nationhood.

Peter Alegi, author of African Soccerscapes talks about the impact of soccer on nationhood.

Peter Alegi, author of African Soccerscapes talks about the impact of soccer on nationhood. Despite their criticisms, the authors of Development and Dreams do think that the World Cup  will leave South Africa with an intangible legacy of increased national cohesion, an improved image globally, as well as a reduction in Afro-pessimism when it becomes clear to the world that we can indeed successfully host an event of this magnitude. The editors write that it is important to “keep sight of the notion that the 2010 World Cup presents an opportunity to rethink the manner in which African culture, gender and identity are experienced and represented.”

Alegi said that while researching his book African Soccerscapes he realised that historically soccer had played a big role in establishing national pride in Africa. The game was brought to the continent by colonialists, but Africans soon made it their own. “They refused to play the way the colonialists had taught them and brought their own style to the game.”

National unity might be one of the intangible benefits of the 2010 World Cup.

National unity might be one of the intangible benefits of the 2010 World Cup.

When Algeria, for instance, wanted to gain their independence from France, their soccer team traveled the world with their new Algerian flag, encouraging Algerian pride. As African countries gained independence, soccer teams, playing in new national colours, helped to increase a sense of nationhood, although it might have been fragile.

According to Bass it is clear that this expected benefit is becoming a reality when one looks at South Africans proudly displaying their nation’s flag on their cars, organising community gatherings to watch the soccer and taking pride in what their country has achieved in hosting this event.

Creative Consulting & Development Works would love to know what you think about the legacy of the 2010 World Cup. Please post your comment below.

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Million Flags March for the 2010 FIFA World Cup

 

July 2, 2010

Fly the South African Flag! Photo: Media Club South Africa

Fly the South African Flag! Photo: Media Club South Africa

The quarter finals of the 2010 FIFA World Cup are here and all South Africans are being urged to take part in a national march to make sure that the second half of this great tournament starts with a BANG!

Some notable corporate companies, as well as the Department of Arts and Culture, Gauteng Province and Gauteng Tourism have asked South Africans to take to the streets tomorrow, 3 July, and wave their flags in what they call the Million Flags March.

Artslink said in a press release: “All citizens of the country are urged to wake up with the same spirit that we showed on 9 June when the crowds gathered in Sandton and other parts of the country to raise the flag for Bafana Bafana two days before the kick-off on 11 June. The benefits of the World Cup in most countries go down in their history books long after the first kick-off. How we treat our visitors, engage with them and ensure their safety in our country is crucial to the county’s tourism efforts.”

Photo: Henti Smith via Flickr

Photo: Henti Smith via Flickr

A specific route is planned for the march in Soweto. It will begin at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital via Maponya Mall, then to Jabulani Mall, Dobsonville Mall, Meadowlands to Protea Gardens Mall, then end at the FIFA Fan Fest in Elkah stadium in Soweto.

But in all parts of the country people are called on to wave the South African flag in support of their country’s hosting of the World Cup. The flags of other participating countries are also welcome as South Africans should continue to support the remaining teams in the tournament, even though Bafana Bafana have gone out with their heads held high. And of course blowing the phenomenal vuvuzela is encouraged!

More about the South African flag:

South African soccer fans wave their flags. Photo: Steve Evans via Flickr

South African soccer fans wave their flags. Photo: Steve Evans via Flickr

The South African flag was designed by State Herald Frederick Brownell and was adopted on 27 April 1994, during the first democratic election in the country. According to Media Club South Africa the flag was first flown on 10 May 1994 – the day Nelson Mandela became president.

The “Y” shape of the flag symbolises the coming together of people from different racial, cultural, religious, political and linguistic backgrounds to form one united nation.

When displayed, the black triangle is meant to be on the left and the red band is meant to be on top. The South African flag is the only six coloured flag in the world and one of the youngest.

Wavin’ Flag

One of the official songs of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is “Wavin’ Flag”, sung by Somali-Canadian artist K’naan, who has lived through the Somali Civil War. It was originally written in honor of the victims of the 2009 earthquake in Haiti. K’naan
joined hands with a group of Canadian artists in a fundraiser video called “Young Artists for Haiti.”

You can watch the World Cup Celebration Mix of the song below to get you in the mood for waving your flag tomorrow!

Creative Consulting & Development Works thinks the Million Flags March is an great initiative to sustain the amazing spirit of nationhood that has been felt in South Africa since the start of this tournament. We will be sure to fly our flags tomorrow!

Filed under: 2010 World Cup, Africa, CREATIVE CONSULTING & DEVELOPMENT WORKS, DEVELOPMENT WORKS, Government, South Africa, Videos, arts, community, cultural issues, identity, nationhood, race, reconciliation, spirit, sport, ubuntu — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — admin @ 9:37 am
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