Greetings from Calitzdorp in the Western Cape, the heart of the Karoo. I’m Eslin Arendse an ambassador for the IJR, did my ambassador training and a facilitation course in May earlier this year I’m very honoured to have been elected as an ambassador the reason I said yes to do the training is because I’m very passionate about community work and the development and prosperity of my community and also like to work with people as I’m also a football coach and chairperson of youth organization. It was important for me to gain more knowledge and influence change and to learn new things up and till now it’s been an amazing journey working with IJR, it has been very educational. I learned a lot about social justice peace building, conflict resolution, reconciliation, anti-racism and gender, fundraising, advocacy and activism we also were sponsored with food gardens by IJR (Social change model) and (Youth Identity) project in August. We firstly did socio economic workshop and dialogue about food security and food sovereignty and how to grow and sustained gardens and the importance of planting organic food and contributing towards a greener environment the project was a pilot project so the whole idea is to encourage more people to plant food to bring self- sustainment and to combat hunger also boost food security and food sovereignty.

Growing up in Calitzdorp having back yard gardens wasn’t a new thing, I didn’t see the importance of it until the socio-economic workshop, were I gained more knowledge and I definitely want to learn more and continue planting. It has been nice experience growing my own food watering it and watching it grow is very awesome and also receive lots of good compliments from other people in the community; and also from some international friends and colleagues who are also encouraged by what they see and also want to implement something similar where they can so it’s so this is very much inspiring. It is very nice to eat from your own home grown food, for now it was just about starting and know how to do it so in future I will look at growing to shell and maybe starting my own farm. I also want to take this opportunity to encourage people to start growing their own food and I would also like to thank you the IJR for your investment in me as a person and also my community it has really been of great help and very much informative the workshops and dialogues did very much good and is very positive and mind changing. I’m really glad knowing more about social justice for me it was something not easily learned in my community and town for me being more aware and seeing things differently now and think it’s very important going forward in bringing awareness and inspiring more people and bringing social justice. Where we can and reconciling our nation and building fair inclusive and free society together I am very much on board in doing this work and honoured being part of this journey of IJR and the important work they do in their entire line of work so thank you IJR the donors, the employees, the project leaders and everyone for the contribution in bettering our society.

Eslin Arendse

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IJR Ambassador [Warrenton Northern Cape]

The institute for justice and reconciliation has empowered communities with lots of knowledge in social justice and nation building, through memory arts programmes, community healing, gender justice Ashley Kriel youth programme, respect in education and how to compile an oral history.

I have had an opportunity to participate on all the workshops of the institute for justice and reconciliation throughout the years, all the workshops are exciting and the information that I receive makes me view and do things differently.

I was introduced as an ambassador of the institute for justice and reconciliation in one of the conferences which took place in cape town back in 2014 and I was invited to cape town again in 2016 for the ambassador’s training which is accredited. The project leaders/staff of IJR saw it very necessary to include the ambassador from different parts of south Africa to acquire a qualification be part of most of the conferences in Cape Town.

We had a programme of gardening in 2021 of which we were given seeds to start vegetables gardens at home and at creches around Warrenton. I have personally name it a “covid 19 relief project” as it came at the time when most families could not afford to buy food to survive. We were again invited to a conference in cape in December 2021 from the 27th to the 4th and we were workshopped on how to fundraise funds, given information on different platforms of fundraising, during the conference we went through a presentations of identity and a Xhosa widow which reminded us of our identity and culture and how we see each other. A presentation of metal health and exercises were done and that made me think deeper on my mental health, which is something that I had ignored in my life. Another presentation was advocacy and it has also picked the importance of advocacy information sharing. We also did a conflict resolution which has put me in a better position to be able to play a mediation role should there be a need in our community and a presentation that stood out for me was social cohesion and nation building by Dr Serote from the department of arts and culture it is very close to my heart as it is one of the fundamental objective of IJR. I would like to see our communities come together black, white and Asians to be able to tolerate and live together as a dream of one nation. During the workshop in December 2021 the institute for justice and reconciliation has brought us together under one roof from 6 different provinces across south Africa from different backgrounds and languages but, we were able to tolerate, participate and mingle with each other throughout a week stay in cape town. All ambassadors and the project leaders started a day early in the morning with a team building exercise at the beach to warm up for the day and every province had an opportunity to lead in those exercises. Accommodation and food which were provided to us were all very good.

As the institute for justice and reconciliation will be fading out of our town soon the project leaders have brought us together again as two provinces of the northern cape and the north west in Kimberley for a wonderful workshop that gave us a recap of identifying topics and make research on it so that we may be able to facilitate of present a dialogue. It is a way of investing in our communities so that we may always be there when the institute for justice and reconciliation in no longer doing programmes in our communities.

– Jerry Mathonyana

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“MANA KANCANE NGKHULUME”

1. Ngibhala lenkondlo ng’hlengezela, izinyembezi
Angazi ngithini ngawe Mbokodo…..
Kuphela nje ukukuhalalisela konke okwenzile
“Mana kancane ng’khulume”

2. Mbokodo………… Wena ‘UYIMBOKODO’ ka-Magaya
Eyagaya yahlulela, Yagaya yahlanganisa
Engani uth ‘upheka ngapha, nezimbiza zikubuza igama
Umshini ozishimtshayo, njenge skhali esandleni seSotsha.

3. Nengane emhlane wakho idinga wena
Futthi nasemva kwayo sekonakele
Nogulayo embhedeni umemeza wena
Kuleli gumb ‘okulo kushunq ‘intuthu mina nghlulekil ‘ukuyimela
‘’Ngithe kuwe Mana kancane ngkhulume……….’’

4. Engani nosezofika emhlaben ‘ulethwa nguwena
Ziyi- Sishiyagalolunye 9) izinyanga, ezinyaweni zakho. Umthwalo, ukuwe.
Njengamazolo, otshanini. eLindele uNina, ashabalala.
Nkinga zomhlaba zingehlulile, ukukhala kwe-Ndoda, imemez ‘u-Nina (Mbokodo).

4. Kodwa wena mbokodo mukhala, ubhekisa ku-Mdali wakho, I mean ku-Jehova
“Argah – Sies Maan………“ Mina lento lento futh ‘isiyangidina
Sengbonile kungani, u-Nkulunkulu. Aletha, u-Eva ku- Adamu……
Nkinga zomhlaba, zingihleli phezu kweziphanga njenga Mahlombe.

5. “Mana Kancane Ngkhulume…………………..”
Mbokodo ka-Magaya, Ngiqinsile! Ngqinsile ngithi kuwe________
Uma kungasithela, u-Mdali, uMhlaba wonkana, uyodumisa wena.
Shono Sisi nawe Bhuti, uthi……………….. Mana Njalo Mbokodo!
Mana Njalo Mbokodo! Mana Njalo….. …. … .. .

Ibhaliwe ngu: Sizwe Masondo
Usuku: 08/01/2022