The Madiba Shirt ... Sonwabile Ndamase

Prince Sonwabile Ndamase, designer and creator of the world-acclaimed Madiba Shirt, has built Vukani! Range Creations situated in the heart of Joburg, into one of South Africaís leading fashion design houses. Hailing from the Royal blooded family in Pondoland, Prince Ndamase became a household name in tantalising African trends of fashion. Today he is a world renowned activist for his creativity and leading role in SAFDA.

"Fashion is revealing. Clothes reveal what groups people are in. Styles show who you are, but they also create stereotypes and distance between groups. Fashion is a language which tells a story about the person who wears it", says Sonwabile. " Clothes create a wordless means of communication that we all understand". 

Such an honour to have had this wonderful man with his great sense of humour, sharing and telling the story behind the story of the Madiba Shirt on the iStart2 Show. " I wanted to honour and thank Mandela for his magnanimous bravery by giving him his own style as a way of saying thank you".

"iStart2 Believe I can fly" - Sonwabile Ndamase

To listen to South African greatness and the success story of the Madiba Shirt in the words of its creator, just click play below:





Thought of the Day:

The iStart2 Show is broadcast at 17h30 on Thursdays on Radio Today 1485 AM, nationally on DSTV Audio Channel 869 or worldwide on www.1485.org.za. The show is hosted by Pierre du Toit and the beautiful Keitu Gwangwa.

God Bless Africa ... Karen Hauptfleisch

Karen Hauptfleisch is maybe better known for her passion for the environment and underprivileged/vulnerable children which led her to the establishment of the non-profit and non-governmental organisation called SOAPkidz (www.soapkidz.org).  SOAPkidz has to date taken over 17,000 children and volunteers into nature where they are made to feel special and they are each taught about nature and their environment.  Through this stimulating experience, they are also taught that they have a role to play in the future of this planet.  

Karen Hauptfleisch with Deon Warrin, Keitu and Pierre

" iStart2 make a difference"

Karen has started a personal dream to be the first South African and woman to clean the highest peak in each of Africa’s 54 countries.  To date she is halfway and has had the opportunity the “see” the sunrise on 33 peaks throughout Africa.  This endeavour is affectionately called Sunrise on Africa’s Peaks (SOAP) and it started with a trip to Kilimanjaro in 1992.  

On each of these trips she takes the opportunity to interact with the local communities and clean up the litter on top of the peaks: "I always cry when I get to the top of a mountain. The destruction on some of the mountains, however, is heartbreaking".

We chatted to Karen on the iStart2 Show this week. To listen to this remarkable woman, just click play below:



Thought of the Day

The iStart2 Show is broadcast at 17h30 on Radio Today 1485AM in Jozi, nationally on DSTV Audio Channel 869 or worldwide on www.1485.org.za. The show is hosted by the beautiful  Keitu Gwangwa and Pierre du Toit. You can listen every Monday at 17h30 and the show is repeated on Thursdays at the same time. Join us! 

Confluence ... Steve Dyer

 "I haven't seen artists with musical instruments wanting to go to war," says Steve Dyer. He believes artists have a positive role to play and that we need to learn to accommodate each other. "The more dignity you give to others, the more dignity you give to yourself." 

This man is a beaming reflection of diversity in this country. Not only does he speak a few of our official languages, including Sepedi, but he continues to celebrate South Africa's sense of diversity through his work. We chatted to Steve about the role of diversity in his music and life and he shares his views on sustainability issues; "There is no monopoly on culture", the art of life; "Humans not finding the value of the other,"  and lessons learnt in his long and illustrious career where he has "migrated" to a number of countries. 

" iStart2 live a life where I treat everybody with dignity and respect"
- Steve Dyer on the iStart2 Show

If Jazz is your thing, catch Steve performing with Nono Nkoane in Tshwane on the 13th February at the Rendezvous Theatre. To listen to the interview and some tracks from his latest cd, Confluence, just click play below:



Thought of the Day: #ForeignFear

The iStart2 Show is broadcast at 17h30 on Radio Today 1485AM in Jozi, nationally on DSTV Audio Channel 869 or worldwide on www.1485.org.za. The show is hosted by the beautiful Keitu Gwangwaand Pierre du Toit. You can listen every Monday at 17h30 and the show is repeated on Thursdays at the same time. Join us!