Viva those who give on Tata’s birthday VIVA!
I was listening to 702 on my way back from Slovoville today and a young man who had written damning ‘charities’ was on the radio.
He contended that we were sullying the name of Ex President Mandela by giving our time and resources to those who need them as a birthday present to him...that we need to fight for equality and ‘go to jail’ for I beliefs. I suggest he runs that past his mom, granny or aunty and see what they have to say.
I can only suppose he is young – emotionally or just very young – and also still without any real responsibilities.
Now that I am past 50 and look back at the 70’s and 80’s with sadness and a memory of some really traumatic times all I can say is this:
Being an anti-apartheid activist was hard and sometimes really frightening. I was one of the victims of a political trail and also was shot in the back through my bedroom window by someone who didn’t like my anti-apartheid stance and work; just some of the challenges I endured in those times. I worked hard and doggedly like many thousands of others who wanted to see the end of an inhuman system.
BUT!!!! Now that I am an NGO worker my work is much harder, needs much more thought, wrestling with the ethics and responsibilities of helping others to build up a better life.
We are not fighting anymore – we are building now.
And giving respectfully to those who need a helping hand to build a better life for themselves and the small children in their care is I believe more valuable than the most vitriolic piece of writing. Yes, we must highlight and criticise constructively when we see wrongs, we should even protest when protest is called for.
But we should always remember – protest is much easier than the hard work of building up young children, young people and communities.
So pick up those paintbrushes, spades and sticky tape and get to work!
So Viva those who give on Tata’s birthday VIVA!