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Showing posts from September, 2013

Every small trader has a Coca Cola connection!

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Perhaps my scotoma around Coke has just been lifted . Suddenly I see that every single small trader appears to have the coca cola branding next to the name of the shop or splashed on some part of its facade. Red shop close to Steenberg railway station I first noticed this trend when I drove down Military Road in Steenberg. Military road is lined with small traders that serve the neighbouring Steenberg working class communities. The first shop to catch my eye was a brightly coloured orange-painted shop- the Fanta brand colour. Now, why would the owner choose such a brazen colour, I remember thinking. Then it hit me: almost every other shop was either painted largely red or had the coca cola branding taking up half of the façade of the shops! Of course, I made a special effort to see if coca cola had indeed stamped its dominance in working class areas via its unmistakeable curly brand name and the cola-red shaded bottle with the curly writing on it. Yep, it was indeed fol...

Sauls Family Reunion celebration on Heritage Day

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Finally, we pulled off our Sauls Family reunion on Heritage Day this year. There we were , the Sauls descendants of Maamie and Paapie Sauls, aka Hendrina and Andrew ( or is it Andries) Sauls. Our only surviving aunt, Aunty Henna, was our guest of honour. Aunty Henna kept the tradition alive by opening our event with a prayer, a bible reading and the singing of a chorus. Then Hilary led the war cry. Give us an "S", she bellowed and we followed enthusiastically. When we had completed our war cry, the hall was on fire. We are the Sauls Family! Sauls Family Branch Members with the vegetables symbolising our rich heritage Blast from the past We had an awesome time together and the young ones thoroughly enjoyed the information about their great, great grandfather and grandmother. We hear that Paapie had 5 children from his first marriage and then he married my grandmother, Hendrina Alexander and they had 7 children. My dad, Peter, was the youngest and he was know...

Metro South Education District travel to !Khwa-ttu to celebrate Heritage Day with their San cousins

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Arriving at !Khwa-ttu cultural and education centre Our arrival at !Khwa-ttu was like a massive homecoming. There were crackling fires lining the circular stoep with flames bouncing about excitedly. Then there was Michael, our chief tour guide and his team of San descendants displaying a continuous circle of smiles and walking in step with us to the dining hall. Steaming, frothy coffee and tea served by an ever charming catering team joined the welcome. Any one watching the dining room would have seen a wondrous blend of happy sounds, sights and smells from a group of people celebrating life. We were SO ready for our San experience here at the !Khwa-ttu Cultural and education centre! In the dining hall at !kwa-ttu on arrival San Storytelling circles Effortlessly, we slipped into the world of the San, circling from one San storyteller to the next. We learn about the tools, utensils and accessories that were made from natural resources such as duiker and eland skin, calab...

I hope you have a Devine Fisher Friend in your life as well

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" I grant I never saw a goddess go; My friend D when she walks, treads on the ground. And yet, by heaven, I think my friend D  as rare As any she belied with false compare. ( With apologies to Shakespeare, Sonnet 130) Again, apologies to the Bard, but Sonnet 130, with a slight revision, captures exactly who my bestest friend, Devine is.   Introducing Devinity Do you have a friend who somehow knows when to contact you to either share something, create space for you to celebrate a moment or bemoan an issue ? Don't you feel that your friend seems to posssess ESP and can use her mental powers to transcend time and space to reach you pronto? Now, this is  what my friend, Devine ( or as I fondly call her 'Devinity') is.like It doesn't matter how far we are separated, Devine will find me when I need her most. She is simply amazing. My biggest cheerleader Devine is my biggest cheerleader in all aspects of my life and my most ardent mentor and coach. She ha...

When only an African proverb can help me tell my story

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The power of African proverbs I love African proverbs. They are powerful treasures of wisdom. In one stroke, an African proverb will teach you a life lesson. Achebe Chinua said that proverbs are the palm oil with which words are eaten. This is so true. The brevity of words, the sharpness that can sting and the clarity of meaning of most African proverbs have a lasting impact. They are condensed, thought-provoking conversations that can be peeled back layer by layer at your own leisure, long after the storytellers have departed. If ever I felt the urge to peg a story within the tapestry of African proverbs, it is the story that I saw emerging from Shafiek, the regular busker, on a sunny winter's day. Shafiek crooning, oblivious of his audience Shafiek, the busker Whenever I visit TEARS, one of my favourite charity shops, I see Shafiek, the busker. I must confess I deliberately dawdle in the area or sit in my car when I hear a few of my favourites “like Hey Jude ...