by Writers & Thought Leaders
“Tiny drops of writing became puddles that become rivulets that become streams that become deep ponds.”
Roy Peter Clark
As we enter the final quarter for 2020, we can all agree that it was a difficult year in more than one way or another. It’s time to reflect on the outcomes of this trying year, and surprisingly there are so many positives among the negatives. We reached achievements one would think impossible giving the circumstances. We would like to thank all our incredibly talented writers and poets for their contributions over the last couple of months and for all our readers for their ongoing support.
As a final nod to 2020, we created a bumper edition that features extracts of all our writers and poets contributions for the year. Enjoy!
In this edition:
Poems
Selected Articles
Writing Series
Webinars
Poems
Collision’s Course – Dr. Zesi Ngubane
Do we need any sign
other than two variables,
suspended
in this constant, time;
at, this, exact moment.
A singular aim,
to expand the universe with the galaxies born of our collision.
Do we need any other sign,
to know We are the creator?
Ode to the woman – Noluthando Buthelezi
Ode to the woman who wakes up every morning
Puts a smile on her face
And musters the courage to seize the day
To the selfless woman who does it for her family
Who always finds a way
To the woman who’s a savior
Whose desire is to guide and be cherished
But instead suffers crucifixion at the hands of an angered man
Whose biggest sin is femininity
And greatest weakness is her greatest strength
That which lies in between her thighs
That gives a man his greatest high
And gives birth to a precious life
To the woman who laboured through hours of agonizing contractions
To deliver the fruit of her womb
So that the human race may bloom
To the woman who makes daily sacrifices
Who puts the happiness of her loved ones before her own
Whose arms provide a haven for cries and a home
Yet her sorrows echo, unnoticed, when she’s alone
To the woman turning rags to riches
Sealing her agony with stitches
While trying to look good for pictures
Because at the end of the day
Without her body, she’s seen as a mere fixture
To the woman who’s a fighter
The woman who lifts her family higher
To the woman whose image we see
When we think of a role model
The woman who is not defined by societal standards
But who has built herself her own pedestal
To the woman who’s a visionary
Who, despite living life constantly weary,
Manages to find her light
And keep her head high
To the woman who protects while her soul remains exposed
To the woman who dries tears
While pushing back her own and battling her fears
To the woman who gives warmth
While her back suffers the consequence of the world’s scorn
To the woman who gives life
Just for hers to be taken away by a single strike
To the woman whose love is infinite
Yet she gets stripped of it
To the women whose cries echo in every dark corner
To the women who have felt the taste of hell before they’ve experienced death
To the woman who, concerning their bodies, have little say
To the women whose lights have been forced off
To the women who have ignited their flames
To the women who feel, who cry, who fight, who try
Ode to the women.
I was planted under a Baganda rooftop
which fell in a Xhosa home.
Which am I?
Germinated & fertilised
to speak languages
vastly foreign
to both my parents
Distant to my mother seed
& “me”…
Languages from as far as Europe.
Watered by traditions from those
all around me when
my own would’ve been enough.
That once empty pit was covered,
Shaped to fit an arrangement,
molded to fill gaps
in that garden we all fall under.
And in each,
I became broken
into many petals,
Many identities.
Is each one a lie,
is there any truth?
Many know of me but none know me.
I relate to others but
only a few relate back.
Only a handful can grasp at the bouquet
I have made myself into.
I don’t exist as one,
I bloom as an abundance of cultural
diversity.
Sharing myself with you
I choose not to stunt myself,
rather I move
through each one of you,
displaying flowers
you find welcoming,
inviting ME in.
As the new day dawns, I rise
Remnants of my past
glisten as it slowly fades
I am here, why?
Each day is like the previous
The sun shows up without fail
Even on rainy days
It radiates behind the clouds
Other days, it peeks through the clouds
It is here, why?
Midday l stand elevated
As the sun takes centre stage
It glows brightly
Not in competition with anything
It is just here
It belongs
As the day passes
It is steadfast
It knows another is fast approaching
An opportunity to shine just as loudly
Its place remains
Bringing light to everything around it
It illuminates lively
It’s warmth irrefutable
A reflection of you
As you reflect the same light
Because the star you are
shines just as bright as
the Sun.
let its rays fuel you
let its warmth propel you forward,
Show up for yourself.
You belong
to this land
Walk with pride.
Stand tall.
let the hills be your stage
let the valley be your shelter
As your skin matches the soil
Welcome home.
You are The Son of a star.
Selected Articles
Economic cycles: A South African COVID-19 story – Nomtha Ngumbela
“The purpose of this series is to begin building a vault of investing knowledge for our readers, which will allow you to have a better understanding of your investments. Though this is a strong starting point, ultimately Ubumbo hopes to empower you, the investor, to make more informed decisions about money and work diligently to build your long-term wealth. As such, if there are questions or themes that the reader would like the investment writing team to answer or cover in more detail, please feel free to reach out to us.“
Where has the Village gone? – Kim Starkey
“Most born within a millennial generation, have been raised confident, ambitious, and achievement-oriented. Brought up on the belief that ‘we can be anything we want to be’ and that we should unashamedly pursue our dreams. With pursuing our dreams, the concept of mobility comes into play – the ability to move freely, to move towns, provinces and even countries. We needed to leave behind our ‘village’ and have now found ourselves living within an individualistic society, a society where the needs of an individual are prioritised over the needs of a group as a whole.”
Ears on Africa – Sibahle Magadla
“Most of us grew up believing Africa is the ‘dark continent’. So, in the spirit of celebrating South Africa’s Heritage Month, I’ve listed below 24 historical facts which highlight that Africa was at the forefront in terms of wealth; inventions which changed the world; and scientific advancements.”
Did you know?
Ethiopia minted her own coins over 1,500 years ago.
The empire of Mali, West Africa was once the richest in the world. Hmmm… I wonder if this is the reason why imali is the term used for money in the IsiXhosa and IsiZulu languages!
Under the orders of Mansa Musa, Malian sailors voyaged to America in 1311 AD, 181 years before Christopher Columbus…
Plastic and its ubiquity – Dr. Khosi Aghoghovwia
“Plastic products are often part of our everyday experience. While it is crucial to better manage the design, production, consumption and disposal of single-use plastics, multiple-use plastic products should be used responsibly. In South Africa, the retailer Woolworths will from 9 November 2020 have over 120 stores plastic shopping bag free. This will encourage consumers to bring their own shopping bags or pay R6.49 for a Woolies reusable bag instead of the current R0.75 for a single-use plastic bag. Each of us can make a good difference and collectively the impact of all types of plastic products on our environment and sensibilities can be less detrimental to ourselves and the environment. Perhaps, as a start, we need to reflect on our consumer behaviour tied with our throw-away culture so that we do not add to the anthropogenic environmental crises we have created.”
On Feminism, Blackness and Africa – Liziwe Chumani Ntshweza
“In a time where feminism is still perceived with the same scorn as common vulgarities and often positioned as a betrayal of what our circles believe should be our identities, I empathise with black women who choose not to take that label on. Having said that, I believe that black women have always been at the forefront of the fight against the oppression and erasure of women, and whether we choose to label it as feminism or not, those acts are by definitions feminism personified.”
Urban agriculture: no longer a nice to have – Phiwe Ndinisa
“Urban agriculture can contribute meaningfully towards the challenge of alleviating poverty and achieving household food security in South Africa. It can contribute to ensuring that people have access to adequate, safe and nutritious food. The State, as part of its poverty alleviation responsibilities should introduce more household level food production ssistance programme. Urban agriculture can also be a primary vehicle for job creation.”
Duty Re-Imagined – Anne Plaatjies-Hanase
“If I could re-imagine duty for us, as black people, as black children, what would that look like? To me, duty re-imagined, would be a duty that is nested in care and not forgetting; duty that acknowledges the ways in which sickness and ill-health tears at the emotional bandwidth of those involved in caretaking roles; duty that gives recognition that the weight thereof is heavy, and that we haven’t yet fully developed the muscles to shoulder it without faltering. In reimagining duty, the many roles we perform outside the house must be acknowledged, and home should not become another site of performance, especially not the performance of duties. Duty re-imagined to me, allows my tongue to say I am tired, without it tasting like betrayal.”
Shock over the ‘discovery’ of inequality is surprising – Nokwanda Sihlali
“Let us do a quick lexical analysis of the words that have been reiterated on all media platforms in the past several weeks. “Stock up”. “Be productive”. “Work from home”. Fundamentally, what does “self-isolate” mean to someone who lives in an RDP house with four other relatives? Words themselves are contextual and present certain narratives that create meaning and life. What does “stock up” mean to a grandmother who gets pension on the first of the month from one government location with no one to ensure that the people in the line keep their one-metre distance? What about those self-isolating with their abusers?”
In 2020, why should the quality of medical (or any other) treatment differ by race? – Aya Solombela
“However, we have a horrid history which promoted many false narratives about black people, which have led to many of these prevailing perceptions. Beliefs about biological differences between black and white people have existed in many shapes and forms across time and geographies. These were traditionally used to justify all manner of inhumane treatment of black people. Sadly, these beliefs have found their way into our present day – resulting in the unfair (and perhaps, unethical) treatment of black people across a number of areas (with pain perceptions and treatment being only one such domain).”
What’s in your name? Your identity – Lona Thomas
“Another reason of naming is to give an individualistic identity to a person. That sense of knowing that “There is no one else who is like me or named with the same sentiments as me” gives one that sense of belonging and confidence. In the world that we live in, that is cruel with suicide rates increasing and the ages at which people commit suicide decreasing to as young as 5 years old, it is crucial to take this as the first step in making one realise that they have a place in this world. Most importantly, they are loved and needed.”
The nexus between racism and gender equality: The missing Bantu in ubuntu – Siqhamo Yamkela Ntola
“How can it be, that as black men, we are so ignited to advance racial equality on the one hand, and dim in shouldering the advance for gender parity on the other? Evidently, we are as oppressive to women as the racist people and institutions we protest against. We have demonstrated an ability to deny women the very same humanity we assert in racially unjust spaces, and blissfully employ the same ignorance we condemn as problematic. Appropriately, we call on racist people and institutions to educate themselves on the origins of their racial privilege and harms therefrom but fail or grudgingly see the need to self-educate ourselves as men on our privilege and its harms to women. In their pleas for significant interventions to end femicide and advance gender parity, women are met, by men, with the same heartless character loathed by those protesting against racial injustice. Simply – as’nabo obubuntu sib’lwelayo, we lack the humanity we fight for.”
COVID-19 and homeless in Cape Town – Taruna Hariparsad
“The issue here is that the Displaced People’s Unit sits within the Safety and Security Directorate, under law enforcement, which is already stretched in terms of capacity. This means that homelessness is viewed predominantly from a law enforcement perspective, rather than a social development or humanitarian perspective, which only exacerbates the issue. This aspect needs to shift towards a more balanced approach, and more social workers need to be deployed when trying to deal with homeless people, particularly when trying to remove them from an area.”
If I had one wish for Womxn’s Month in 2020 – Bakang Tshepo Moetse
“Whilst it may seem terrifying, or inconsequential, every time we speak up for ourselves, we honour these womxn. When we speak up, in both big and small ways, it is a revolutionary act that demonstrates that we are worthy of being fought for. My hope is that for as long as there is Work to be done in achieving true equality for womxn, that we would not grow weary of speaking up and calling for justice. And not just during Womxn’s month, but every month, and every day. As Fatima Meer, one of the founders of the Federation of South African Women so aptly puts it, “Regardless of how many years we have spent in this life, we must get up and shout.”
The dawn of a new area for women’s sport in SA is near – Nqobile Gama
“We can’t deny the increasing interest and appetite for women’s sport both locally and internally. We can’t deny how fantastic our national women’s teams are doing, think of the Spar Proteas, Banyana Banyana and Springbok Women. We also can’t deny how incredibly well many of our women athletes are performing both locally and internationally, think of the likes of Thembi Kgatlana, Babalwa Latsha and Caster Semenya, just to name a few. So why as women’s sport and women athletes are we still struggling to attract and secure sponsorship?”
Women and water as sources of life – Thuli Montana
“This reasoning neglects the diverse employment opportunities that exist in the sector (i.e. water policy, water law, community outreach and engagement, climate research on floods and droughts, urban planning, water financing and economics etc.). Additionally, the scarce representation and visibility of female role models at senior levels reduces job attractiveness and prospects of career growth. Poor commitments from companies and governmental institutions to fully integrate gender-sensitive policies and empowerment frameworks also attribute to underrepresentation and lastly socio-cultural expectations of women may influence their career choices and pathways steering them away from the sector.”
Digging deeper: seeking joy in your daily routine – Lynn Klaase
“Incorporating this practice into your life can assist you in regaining your power and help you end off 2020 with contentment. If you choose to become disciplined about re-evaluating your habits it will ultimately lead to a feeling of daily freedom and joy whilst accomplishing your tasks.”
Finding courage and waking up to you worth – Nothile Majola
“Difficult circumstances are inherent in life. They hold us back; they cripple our abilities to do things that we would have been able to do under normal circumstances and sometimes even our abilities to do things under any conditions at all. It is in these difficult situations that understanding courage comes in vital.”
Change through kindness – Owona Madlingozi
“We are in the middle of a pandemic. I say this to centre myself on most days. We can be so overcome by the magnitude of what the rest of the world is going through that we forget to take a step back and take count of what we have achieved during this time. We may forget to take rest. We may forget to be kind to ourselves.”
Writing Series
Webinars
