Remembering June 16, 1976 ... Sibongile Mkhabela

"The South African story is not about how wonderful the big leaders were, but how amazing the ordinary people were. We are our own liberators. We liberated ourselves," says Sibonglie Mkhabela, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Childrens Hospital Trust, on the iStart2 Show.

"The real story was about young people making extraordinary decisions because they faced extraordinary circumstances. I knew when Hector Pieterson was killed there was no turning back. It was about our survival as people. What kept us strong were the amazing community leaders."

"iStart2 think about intergenerational conversations and taking us forward in connecting the dots" - Sibongile Mkhabela on the iStart2 Show

"I believe Africa is ready to play a bigger role in the world. The time for Africa to be a basketplace is over. I believe that holding our leaders responsible is the first step," says Sibongile. 

As a teenager, Sibongile was one of the leaders of the 1976 Soweto uprising. She was an executive member of the Soweto Student Representative Council and the South African Students Movement's General Secretary. Sibongile consequently spent four years in prison at Constitution Hill, partly serving time for ‘sedition’.

Sibongile's story about her life is a story of hope and survival against the odds. We also chat about her book Open Earth and Black Roses, her views on creating a more sustainable world and the legacy of Nelson Mandela. Click play to listen to the show (repeat):




Thought of the Day:

Upcoming show:

Nirox Sculpture Park - 18 June 2016

Featuring original compositions from a collection of the finest guitar players in South Africa, including: Derek Gripper, Steve Newman, Pops Mohamed, Sibusile Xaba, Richard Bruyns and Michael Plaxton-Harrison. Their warm sounds will wander through our grassy amphitheatre beneath a sunny Winter sky.

The concert will be held on Saturday 18 June amidst the NIROX Winter 2016 Sculpture Exhibition: A Place In Time with over 40 outdoor sculptures on display by local and international artists.

There will be a fully stocked bar offering a delicious selection of drinks – including Glühwein – to refresh and hydrate as music lovers explore the landscape of Nature and Art.

See you there!

Sustainability Conversations ... Black Roses

Can a city really be sustainable?

What are the biggest challenges in making cities greener?
What would you say is the biggest threat to the climate within cities?
What can the people in the cities do to try to minimize their impact?
So how should cities be implementing these changes?
Follow the conversation here

Hope is stronger than fear


Crucially, that change is now beginning to take hold, with clean energy on the march and the low-carbon economy becoming a reality on the ground, rather than just a PowerPoint aspiration.

There is hope in the many voices who are now calling for action from their leaders.
There is hope in the rapidly falling cost of renewable energy that is starting to transform our dirty energy system.
There is hope in the pledge by G7 countries to phase out coal power.
There is hope in the communities and innovators around the world who are getting on with the job rather than waiting for the politicians.Read the story of hope here

Why climate change needs 60 000 artists to tell its story?

Climate change exceeds modern humans’ cognitive and sensory abilities.To overcome this impasse, climate communication needs to engage people at a philosophical, sensory and feeling level. People need to be able to feel and touch the new climate reality; to explore unfamiliar emotional terrain and be helped to conceive their existence differently.
How is this to be done? The world must turn to its artists: storytellers, film-makers; musicians; painters and multi-media wizards, to name a few.
Read article here

REVERSE GRAFFITI: 

Street Artists Tag Walls by Scrubbing Them Clean

When is cleaning the sidewalks a crime? When you're doing great art. Obviously! Using an innovative practise called Reverse Graffiti, these artists seek out soot covered surfaces and inscribe them with images, tags and even advertising slogans using scrub bushes, scrapers and pressure hoses.

See more here

Tune in on Thursday when we chat to Sibongile about June 16, 1976, her life, her book "Open Earth and Black Roses," her views on creating a more sustainable world and  the legacy of Nelson Mandela. Sibongile is concerned about the fact that  "Green Environment" issues are often elitist. She asks questions about who really benefits from going green and feels strongly that the time for Africa to be a basket case is over.

Keitu Gwangwa & Pierre du Toit host the iStart2 Show on Thursdays at 17h30. Radio Today broadcasts on 1485 MW (AM) in greater Johannesburg and countrywide on ‪#‎DStv‬ audio channel 869. 

Radio Today also streams globally on www.1485.org.za. 

It is time to make the change - thank you 

for playing your part in creating a more sustainable world!

A license to be ... Ruda Landman

"We all grow up in boxes with people who are like you. You choose people as friends who laugh at the same jokes you do," says Ruda Landman on the iStart2 Show this week. "Journalism kicks you out of that. In South Africa we have an advantage (in that) we have to get along with people who are very different to us. We must count our blessings." 

Ruda Landman starts2 on the iStart2 Show

Widely regarded as one of South Africa’s most respected TV journalists, Ruda Landman chats to Keitu and Pierre about changes in her career, her life, her new show VeranderDinge and her perspective on the sustainability challenges we currently face in South Africa. 

Ruda is excited about having recently acquired a solar geyzer: "It works like a charm ... and we always have hot water. We have also just installed a rainwater tank. Johannesburg has water restrictions and we take that very seriously." Ruda irks about the heaps of litter in our small towns and the fact that only 66% of our people have access to refuse removal. "I believe that my life matters and that therefore I should live it responsibly towards other people and the environment."

To listen to the show and some of her favourite music by Wouter Kellerman, just click play:



Thought of the Day:

Upcoming Events:

Emperors Palace - 15 & 16 June 2016

In a historic moment for South African jazz, bandleader Jonas Gwangwa will share the stage with Hugh Masekela and Abdullah Ibrahim during a reunion concert at Emperors Palace, Kempton Park, on Thursday. “It will be a pleasure and a great moment for me,” says the veteran jazzman and leading trombonist, Jonas Gwangwa.

Nirox Sculpture Park - 18 June 2016

Featuring original compositions from a collection of the finest guitar players in South Africa, including: Derek Gripper, Steve Newman, Pops Mohamed, Sibusile Xaba, Richard Bruyns and Michael Plaxton-Harrison. Their warm sounds will wander through our grassy amphitheatre beneath a sunny Winter sky.

The concert will be held on Saturday 18 June amidst the NIROX Winter 2016 Sculpture Exhibition: A Place In Time with over 40 outdoor sculptures on display by local and international artists.

There will be a fully stocked bar offering a delicious selection of drinks – including Glühwein – to refresh and hydrate as music lovers explore the landscape of Nature and Art.

Enjoy your week!

Sustainability Conversations ... Snake Eagle Thinking

What does sustainability really mean for your business?

It is your way to say why and how your business is acting responsibly.
Your viewpoint should:

• Reduce barriers: Reduce consumer confusion around sustainability by describing positive values and impacts of buying your products
• Create benefits: Create an emotional connection by helping consumers feel they are contributing to a better world and are part of a solution when they buy from your company.
  Read more on what consumers want here
  

Tshwane greenest city on the continent

 

Mayor of Tshwane Kgosientso Ramokgopa heard this week that his city had won the Africa leg of the Earth Hour competition for its consistent green policies.

 

Mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa  was delighted to learn his city had won the Africa leg of the Earth Hour competition. Image by: SIZWE NDINGANE.
Read more here 
 

 

 

 

 Snake Eagle Thinking -

Sustainability-through-Art

Please take a few minutes and watch an extract of the Launch of the Snake-Eagle Thinking path in Matjiesfontein. Eugenie Grobler performed at this event and the video uses an extract of a live performance of the song “One Day” as background.

 Eugenie will be performing in AMSTERDAM Datum: DO. 30 Juni 2016,
Theater de Roode Bioscoop, Haarlemmerplein 7, 1013HP AMST
Telefoon: 020 6257500, Kaarten bestellen: www.roodebioscoop.nl 

Please support this extraordinary artist from South Africa. 

“I believe that each person has a story to tell and my life is informed and shaped by the stories I experience and witness around me. Alongside my love of story, both my personal and professional worlds are shaped by a life-long fascination with the study and teaching of the creative process and the possibilities it unlocks for transformative encounters with ourselves and each other. My career as singer-songwriter and facilitator of creative and social empowerment processes has been a reflection of the above”. - Eugenie Grobler

 

Our Sustainability Hero of the Week is Ruda Landman, widely regarded as South Africa’s most respected TV journalist. Tune in to the iStart2 Show on Thursday at 17h30 to listen to our interview with this incredible woman.

Keitu Gwangwa & Pierre du Toit host the iStart2 Show on Thursdays at 17h30. Radio Today broadcasts on 1485 MW (AM) in greater Johannesburg and countrywide on ‪#‎DStv‬ audio channel 869. 

Radio Today also streams globally on www.1485.org.za.

Something to think about:

Paul Hohnen wrote in his blogpost the other week that "where a decade ago there was still optimism that things could be turned around on issues like climate change, deforestation and over-fishing, people [sustainability professionals] are now openly saying that it is too late. Humankind will have to experience a profound crisis before it understands that the "doom and gloom" and "limits to growth" fraternity were right after all".

Have a wonderful week!

Song for Karen ... A Tribute

This week on the iStart2 Show we pay tribute to a remarkable woman with her favourite songs, personal stories, chats and memorable moments.

Karen Kotze passed away last week after a fierce battle with brain cancer. Karen was a driving force behind iStart2, always supporting, always sharing the weekly cartoon and radio show posts ... always inspiring our team to succeed and spread the message of sustainability through art.

Department of Justice pays tribute to Karen Kotze

We say goodbye to our favourite jurist, our loving team member and an extraordinary unique friend who will always be our guiding light amongst the stars.

Friends and family celebrating the life of an extraordinary woman

We salute you Karen Kotze!

To listen to the tribute show just click play below:



Thought of the Day:

RIP Karen Kotze

18 Feb 1964 - 23 May 2016

 "Song for Karen" - Pops Mohamed

Love and light!