Africa’s youth unite to discuss social media for peace

International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) and the Namibia Youth Development Organisation joined forces on Saturday 27 June 2020 for a webinar on how Africa’s youth can use social media to spread a culture of peace during the covid-19 pandemic.

The two youth groups have held a series of webinars, the Youth Peace Classroom, during Youth Month with renowned activists for change and participants from across the African continent. 

Saturday’s panel of speakers included Kudakwashe Mushonga, a Zimbabwean UN Association Program Manager and peace and conflict resolution graduate, Naftalie D-Naff Amukwelele,  a Namibian multiple award-winning rapper, Ruvimbo Nyikadzino, a Zimbabwean TV presenter and motivational speaker and South Africa’s Masego ‘Maps’ Maponyane, TV presenter, actor and entrepreneur. The event was held on Zoom and streamed live on Facebook to over 90 participants.

The first speaker, Kudakwashe Mushonga, urged all young people to consider personal opinion versus informed opinion, thinking carefully and seeking our fact before posting, commenting or reacting to anything online. 

“Are you following the crowd or are you making a stand for what’s right?” said Mushonga. In reference to the leaders and influential figures we follow online, “we shouldn’t deify or demonise them,” he said, adding that they are people and will make mistakes. 

Mushonga urged the youth to remember that their comments and opinions matter but it does not mean that these opinions are fact. 

“There’s still a certain amount of bias involved in your opinion. Give room for someone to come in with a different perspective… Be open minded. You’re allowed to defend your opinion but allow that others will have different opinions to you.”

Mushonga also urged youth to have a life outside of social media, noting that mental health and face to face interaction with people is important. 

“Look around and see what you can do to improve your surroundings… and read a book!”

Naftalie D-Naff Amukwelele, a respected influencer in the music industry, urged musicians and celebrities to be conscious of the fact that to fans, anything they say will be perceived as truth. 

“We need to distance ourselves from negativity…we should not be speaking unless we are bringing in peace,” he said. 

“For us in the spotlight, we have the power to influence. If we do not use this platform to speak into the communities, there will be a void in history,” he said, adding that all must think of future generations. “History will not remember you if you were silent when history gave you a moment to act.”

“These platforms are not just for us to enjoy, but for us to make a mark in our communities.”

Ruvimbo Nyikadzino went on to motivate with her talk on “social media: a tool or a weapon?”

Highlighting the fact that social media can be used as a weapon and do harm, making reference to the people who have committed suicide because of social media, she encouraged all to use social media rather as a tool to aid one in accomplishing a task. 

“What message are you communicating to people? Are you going to build someone or destroy someone?” said Nyikadzino. 

“Political leaders can use social media as a weapon but we are not for that,” she stressed. “Use it as a tool and be known for the right things. When you use it as a weapon, it’s not going to take you anywhere. Let us use social media positively and let’s strive every day to be as peaceful as we can.”

The final speaker, South African ‘Maps Maponyane as he is known to fans, philanthropist and UNICEF advocate amongst his many other projects, spoke about the power of social media for achieving sustainable peace. 

“Believe it or not if you are on social media right now, each and every one of you is in this modern age, a celebrity. You have the power to start a conversation. 

“Youth really need to consider what messages they are putting out. You need to perceive your social media as being a billboard on a busy highway that everyone sees.”

“Often the things we say are driven by what will give us the most likes and support and often are not driven by what we know to be morally right. This is a great time for us now to consider. How can we possibly use these mediums to make it cool to care? How can we make this cool, spreading this empathy for each and every person?”

Maponyane also stressed, as Mushonga did, to use social media positively for one’s own sense of peace and mental health.

“This used to happen to me so much. You’ll post something you truly believe in, it will get many positive comments but then one or two negative ones. But we ignore all the positives but take the negativity to heart.”

Maponyane urged all to consider that in previous generations they couldn’t spread a message as quickly or as far-reaching as the youth can using social media today. 

“We have so much power but we are lacking the discernment to use it properly to leave a positive mark. 

“In Africa sadly we’re in a situation where our leaders are on average 72 years old. Africa is so young so why are our leaders so old? We have the power to spread whatever it is we want to spread. We had the power they never had. This is the best way for the youth to have a voice, to have a positive message and spread it in a cohesive way.”

“Let’s start with ourselves and how we engage. That’s how we can build positive and sustainable peace and make this a continent where everyone can have success and thrive.”

From the very active webinar chat to the speakers’ presentations, what really stood out was the same, cohesive message. Let’s drive peace forward as our main message using social media as our tool, not a weapon.

As Maponyane put it, let’s make it #cooltocare.

Follow @IPYG_Africa on Twitter and @ipyg_za on Instagram.

Follow the Namibia Youth Development Organisation on Facebook.

SA commemorates 65th anniversary of the Freedom Charter

South African flag

Photo credit: Unsplash.

The celebration to mark the 65th anniversary of the Freedom Charter this year were held virtually with President Ramaphosa the keynote speaker. The president commended those who were at the forefront of the Freedom Charter as it paved a way for the current democratic country.

On Sunday 26 June 1955, the Congress of the People gathered in Kliptown, Soweto and adopted the Freedom Charter. 

In 1955, the ANC sent out 50,000 volunteers into townships and the countryside to collect “freedom demands” from the people of South Africa. This system was designed to give all South Africans equal rights. 

Demands such as “land to be given to all landless people, living wages and shorter hours of work, free and compulsory education, irrespective of colour, race or nationality,” were synthesized into the final document by ANC leaders. 

The document is notable for its demand for and commitment to a non-racial South Africa.

The National Arts Festival is live – catch it online until 5 July

National Arts Festival

Photo by NationalArtsFestival (@artsfestival) | Twitter

The annual National Arts Festival, the largest arts festival on the continent, has gone virtual, kicking off on Thursday 25 June. The festival will be held entirely online for 11 days and will run until 5 July 2020.

Held for the past 46 years in the Eastern Cape town of Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), the Festival has ranked as one of the largest performing arts festivals in the world for visitor numbers. With this year’s virtual event, the organisers hope to deliver the usual amazing celebration of the South African arts but this time, into every home across the country.

The festival is a yearly celebration of South Africa’s rich and diverse cultures and the wealth of homegrown talents born out of our country. All creatives, from artists and poets to stand up comedians and designers, can get the opportunity to showcase their creativity. Now, their reach can go even further. 

If you’re an avid yearly attendee or have never been able to visit, now’s your chance to experience the country’s greatest artistic talents from the comfort of your home. Expect the usual jam-packed daily programme, showcases of artists and exhibitions, webinars and workshops.

There is even a “virtual Green.” Visitors to the Fest in years gone by will fondly recall hours spent tramping around the Green, coffee in hand to ward off the winter chill. The Green is the festival’s craft fair that usually showcases around 300 of the area’s most skilled craftspeople and creatives. Now, website visitors can browse each virtual “stall” and contact the owner for questions or purchase items. Browse a selection of exquisitely crafted clothing, textiles, earrings, home decor, toys and more. 

The Standard Bank Jazz Festival is for many, one of the festival’s highlights. For 33 years, the Jazz Festival has been wowing audiences with its showcase of exceptional South African jazz culture. The programme features mainly local musicians, many of which are remarkably young. This year’s reimagined festival will be showcasing an edited version of the originally planned event, based around artists able to record under the COVID-19 regulations. It’s sure to be an event you will not soon forget. 

Each year, the festival pays homage to a renowned local artist. 2020’s Featured artist is musician, composer and storyteller, Madosini Latozi Mpahleni, better known as Madosini. She is doing the important work of keeping alive the oral Xhosa musical tradition that may otherwise have faded from memory. Festival participants can enjoy 11 episodes of Madosini performing in a variety of settings.

Photo by Facebook National Arts Festival Photos

The website details how to buy tickets and passes for shows and performances and how to participate in the free webinars. There are a variety of passes available from all-access festival passes to day passes or simply purchase a ticket for a single show. The exhibitions and webinars are all free of charge – simply view them on the day they become available.  

Don’t “leave” the virtual festival without:

  • Browsing vFringe art
  • Catching a show
  • Browse for handcrafted goods on the Virtual Green 
  • Check out Creativate’s Digital Arts Festival – learn in digital art workshops and marvel at boundary-breaking digital performances
  • Check out the incredible up and coming talent in the Standard Bank Young Artists Award

The Festival usually attracts a large number of local visitors as well as those from further afield and is one of the most significant contributors to the local economy.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to still support the festival and South Africa’s most talented creatives. 

Find all details on the National Arts Festival website and follow on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

Experimental Research for Covid-19 Treatment Gets Boost from 4,000 Shincheonji Church Members

About 4,000 recovered Covid-19 patients from South Korean-based Shincheonji Church of Jesus will donate their blood, also known as convalescent plasma, for use in the research and development of a new therapy that could reduce deaths related to the illness. 

Antibodies found in the blood of recovered Covid-19 patients could help fight off the disease. A recent pilot study conducted at three hospitals in China found that immune antibodies harvested from recovered patients appeared to shorten the duration of symptoms, speed up recovery and improve oxygen levels in those infected.

Researchers hope the blood of recovered patients can be used to treat the critically ill and that it may curb current death rates. To progress this research and develop the treatment scientists need the blood of individuals who have healed but battled to find willing donors. A previous trial was called off due to low participation.

To aid in the global search for a safe and effective treatment for Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, Shincheonji Church has urged its members to become donors, with roughly 4,000 are expected to give 500ml of blood. 

Shincheonji leader Man Hee Lee, who is an advocate for world peace, personally advised recovered congregants to donate their plasma for the general good of humanity. “As Jesus sacrificed himself with his blood for life, we hope that the blood of people can bring positive effects to achieve a world of peace for future generations,” said Mr. Lee.

After discussions with South Korean health authorities which highlighted the need for resources to progress treatment research, the church decided to create a plan for the donation. “Some of the recovered members have already donated individually, feeling thankful for the assistance from the government and medical teams,” a Shincheonji representative said. “They expressed their willingness to make this contribution to society.”

There is currently no vaccine or drug proven to be widely effective in limiting the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, though various nations are researching treatment options. A breakthrough in the search for a cure from South Korea would help to lower the mortality rate in Southern Africa, and to contain the economic damage suffered from lockdown measures. 

South Africa, which has the highest number of infections in Africa, is particularly vulnerable, having the world’s largest HIV epidemic. Since wider easing of restrictions on trade and movement in the country in June infections have escalated sharply.

COVID-19 field hospital opens – thank you Volkswagen Group SA

Covid 19 field hospital

Photo credit: algoafm.co.za

Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) constructed a field hospital in Nelson Mandela Bay and handed it over to the Eastern Cape Health Department on Tuesday 23 June. The hospital will be operated and staffed by the Provincial Health Department. 

The collaboration between VWSA, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the German development agency GIZ, the Eastern Cape Department of Health, Nelson Mandela Bay and the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, is a R100-million project. The hospital will provide 1 485 beds during the first phase, including 202 beds for patients needing high care and five isolation beds. The hospital could facilitate up to 3 000 beds at completion.

VWSA will not only hand-over the facility but will help source the necessary equipment to improve the process flow of testing, with the goal of increasing the current laboratory daily average output of 1 500 tests to more than 3 000 tests.

“This pandemic requires us to act decisively and with speed. VWSA has answered this call by completing and delivering phase 1 of the medical facility at a time when it is desperately needed by our Metro which is currently experiencing an alarming increase in infections,” said VWSA chairperson and MD Thomas Schaefer.

Image credit: Volkswagen Newsroom

The field hospital has been named the Rev. Dr Elizabeth Mamisa Chabula-Nxiweni Field Hospital, after a health community activist that played an important and successful role in reducing the deaths of initiates. Chabula-Nxiweni said she was honoured by the gesture. Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize said that the name was fitting as Chabula-Nxiweni had left a legacy of excellence and compassion.

The new hospital may attend to COVID-19 positive patients, but it remains the responsibility of South Africans to continue to adhere to the regulations put in place by the government. In his address Minister Mkhize called on South Africans to take responsibility and wear masks in public, practice social distancing and good hygiene.

Afrika Umoja and Black Farmers Association of South Africa (BFASA) Collaborate to Help Tackle COVID-19

Afrika Umoja announces a partnership with the Black Farmers Association of South Africa (BFASA); BFASA is an Association that has the best interests of the farming community at its core; The partnership will enable BFASA to set up and distribute disinfecting products throughout the country.

Afrika Umoja, an initiative started by Cape Town temporary architecture specialists HOTT3D, the African Energy Chamber – Africa’s leading chamber of successful networks and partnerships – together with pan-African energy event organizer Africa Oil & Power, is proud to announce a partnership with the Black Farmers Association of South Africa (BFASA).

BFASA is an Association that has the best interests of the farming community at its core and has a membership of 50,000 black subsistence farmers including farmers on small pieces of land, farmers with a small turnover and smallholder farmers in all nine provinces.

The partnership will enable BFASA to set up operational deep-cleaning and sanitizing teams and build hand operated stations that spray mist onto surfaces and sites throughout the country, as well as supply the market with their unique product, Santab. Santab is produced in South Africa and is sold as effervescent tabs that can be dissolved in five liters of water. The tablets are compact and easy to transport.

Afrika Umoja and BFASA will use their networks to distribute the Santabs and disinfecting products across South Africa, and also intend to educate people on how to sanitize, especially in rural areas.

BFASA has also partnered with the House of Monarch and King Mthimkhulu III, whereby BFASA will manage agricultural activities on the land owned by the King. The King will authorize the agricultural activities of BFASA, including the cultivation of land for the local market as well as for the export market. Other activities and sources of employment and income such as the alignment with Afrika Umoja will benefit communities greatly.

“BFASA is a vision I have held for some time and the joint activities with Afrika Umoja, supported by our close association with King Mthimkhulu III and House of Monarch, will enable us to achieve many of our objectives. Our Members, small farmers, tenant farmers, will now have an additional, credible, sustainable career path and source of income for themselves and their families,” notes Dr. Lennox Xolile Mtshagi, President of BFASA.

“I admire the work of BFASA and support their joint activity with Afrika Umoja. This arrangement will ensure commercial opportunities for our People,” says King Mthimkhulu III.

“We are very excited to be able to work with BFASA on this initiative, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact globally and we at Afrika Umoja are happy to provide businesses and national and provincial governments with solutions for the challenge of distributing products to help sanitize their work places and homes,” says Katie Brock, Director for Afrika Umoja.

#WomensLivesMatter – hashtag trends on social media

During President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address to the nation on Wednesday, 17 June 2020, he highlighted that there is “another pandemic that is raging in our country,” as 21 women and children have been murdered in recent weeks. 

The country has among the highest levels of intimate partner violence in the world.

According to the latest statistics from the South African Police Service, an average of nearly 58 people are murdered every day, of these one woman is murdered every three hours. The death of 27-year-old Altecia Kortjie and her 7-year-old daughter in Cape Town on 12 June; and the horrific incident of 28-year-old Tshegofatso Pule and her unborn baby, who was stabbed and hung from a tree, has gripped South Africa. 

Amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, the youth of Port Elizabeth, and other cities, have taken to the streets to make known their stance on gender-based violence. #FillUpStandford, has made waves on social media, getting the city of Port Elizabeth to stand together against gender-based violence in the city’s main road. Many men and women from around the city turned up for the event. The initiative now takes place every Saturday between 10am and 12pm, and they are urging more men to take to the streets.

Prayer service at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium

Prayer Service Nelson Mandela Bay

Acting Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Thsonono Buyeye. Photo credit: Twitter/NMandelaBaymuni

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and the religious leaders of Port Elizabeth came together to host a prayer service for the COVID-19 patients at the Stadium. The service commenced at 9am with Councilor Buyelwa Mafaya as the host. All Port Elizabeth residents were invited to stream the service live on the municipality’s Facebook page. Approximately more than 20000 users were reached through the live broadcast.

Reverend Mbulelo Xalabile of the Methodist church and Minister Mpumelelo Mzizi of the Enlightened Christian Church led the service. Patients greatly enjoyed the service. 

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality council speaker said, “ I decided to organize the program after seeing a video of the patients on social media, where they turned their isolation suite into a worship room.”

The service was attended by the acting Mayor Thsonono Buyeye. He shared with the patients how he was proud of them as many people are refusing to isolate and be quarantined. 

During the service, social distancing was maintained, regular washing of hands and the attendees had to adhere to wearing a mask.

The patients were filled with joy as the service provided much needed spiritual upliftment that the patients were longing for.