by Nokwanda Sihlali
Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of the world wide sensation Eat, Pray, Love released another ground breaking classic in 2015 entitled Big Magic. It’s a book centred on how to illicit creativity. Gilbert’s contends that ideas exist as entities similarly as humans and animals do.. Their manifestation is blocked by our own creative will. She engages with the concept of inspiration similar to the way genius was spoken about by ancient Greeks. Humans possess a genius, they are not geniuses. The psychic sphere is where the ideas are held, forcing us to manifest them physically. Critics explain that this is a book that’ll provide you with the courage to pursue your creative ideas by teaching you how to navigate your fears, see ideas and how to act on them whilst minimising stress from the creative process. I still haven’t read the book, I plan to, but only after finishing the other 10 books I purchased in 1856! It is a book that even in its summary captures a beautiful concept I had never really been able to articulate, ideas as “things” that float around in the universe and search for the best person to make them come true.
It really resonated with me because I had been wanting someone to host an event for young black women in my township for a long time. An event that allowed us to meet in a non-elitist space that disintegrated cliques amongst young women. For me the perception that women living in shacks with degrees cannot engage on an intellectual level with women living in the suburbs who only have matric is unequivocally unfounded. Because from my own personal experience having engaged with black women of all intellectual abilities and economic backgrounds, the common thread that cuts across all our lives is always the ability to problem solve. As a young black woman who was raised in Tsakane township, in the east of Johannesburg, I grew up in an environment that was designed to be a breeding ground for the collective inferiority complex of Black people.
However, for me it was a space that nourished my curiosity, grew my passion for the human condition and cultivated my ambitions. Tsakane is a township located in Ekurhuleni Municipality with a population of 135,994 according to the 2011 South African census, of which 50,32% are women. Its nickname is Mashona and the literal English equivalent of Tsakane in XiTsonga is joy or happiness, which to me it has brought a lot of. But as a place that rarely has Arts Festivals, career expos or educational conferences the Masikhanyisane Tsakane Women’s Gathering offered a chance for young women to congregate on their own issues with their own voices. Since no one was moving forward with implementing this event, I felt for some reason I had to do it. Essentially, I learnt when you want something and it does not exist, you must create it. Thus, the Masikhanyisane project was born! Something I had envisioned when I neither had the time or the courage nor the financial backing to fulfil this dream. Three years later at the start of 2020 I had the time and the courage; however I did not have the money. Whilst this was a vital resource, for some reason I knew that it should not be a barrier to the fulfillment of this goal.
The first thing I did to make it real for myself was write a concept note with all the ideas of what I’d want it to be. You must take on this task as though you are writing a wish list of endless possibilities and most importantly, write a date or give yourself deadlines. A date made everything tangible because I had a target, that I could work myself towards. When undergoing such a venture you must also understand that your dreams will need you to be the first financial sponsor and that’s how you’ll get buy in from others. I emailed my concept note to EVERYONE and EVERY business or organisation I wanted to be involved with the event. I mean EVERYONE even Beyonce at some point. You have to be able to put yourself out there and approach people. The worst answer you could get is “no”, but at least you would’ve tried. Even though Beyonce didn’t respond to my DMs many other people came to my aid, especially my friends. Through them I was connected to many other women in my township who did similar work and had similar passions for young black women in townships. They themselves taught me simple fundraising skills like approaching local business people for catering instead of writing a whole application to Woolworths. So here’s another little gem, start locally. You’ll find many people who are willing to assist you and more often than not, they have more experience and expertise that they are willing to share.
Following from this, donations, sponsorships and pledges towards manifesting the event were coming together in the most unbelievable way possible, but the initial date of 18th April 2020 was postponed due to the outbreak of the global pandemic that had radically changed our lives. On the 27th of February 2021, however, 40 women gathered in Tsakane to engage with five speakers who navigated us through four broad topics centred on educational prospects, career advancement, spiritual health and relationships. I was happy that what I had initially captured in my concept note manifested. Especially the part about engagement, which was at the heart of this gathering. A fundamentally important aspect for the 10 senior high schoolers who were in attendance. So when you have an idea for something, realise it is an entity that has chosen you to fulfil it and will remain only if sustained and realised by your desires to manifest it.
