White People Problems

As I write this, a (white) colleague rolls his eyes and says the words #WhitePeopleProblems. I don’t even know what he was talking about - could be a case of ‘hashtag taken out of context’ but I find it quite interesting how related it is to the names I’m thinking of giving to the book I’ve been reading on and off for the past few days; ‘Gareth Cliff on Everything’ by err, Gareth Cliff.

The names I would’ve come up with for this book are, ‘Diary of a Gatvol White Person’ or ‘Chronicles of the Cliffhanger’. I quite like the second one because it’s relevant to the overall impression I have of Cliff’s book (published by Jonathan Ball Publishers).  My impression is that Cliff has put together a mash-up of his blog entries, radio rants and tweetfarts; and decided (alongside his publisher) that this is sufficient to publish a book with. I personally do not feel that it makes for great reading - I like a coherent beginning, middle and end in my literature. I find it frustrating when authors (and editors who allow it) move from one thought to another (unrelated) thought. But then again, I don’t think Cliff is much of an author (unless publishing a book is all that is required to qualify as an author). I do think he’s a great entertainer though.

There was another thing that frustrated me about this book - his pessimism (I want to call it bitching, whining but he’s already used that in the book). This brings me to the first name ‘Diary of a White Gatvol Person’. A lot of the opinions Cliff shares and his choice of topics (WineX, Nigella Lawson, The British Empire, Dinner parties, Holidays etc.) scream of #WhitePeopleProblems (to borrow my colleague’s hashtag). I know about these because I listen to 702 every weekday morning and spend a lot of my waking/ working life in the Northern Suburbs.

I’ll admit there are a lot of truths to his book, especially if you’re an optimistic and proud South African citizen, who wants to be part of the change not the chain of complaints. I’ll write about these truths as soon as I put them together into a puzzle that paints the bigger picture (i.e. read through the rest of Cliff’s book). This may take a while as I constantly need to take a chocolate/ pick-me-u break between these depressing anecdotes. Look out for these in my next blogpost...

Ow, in the meantime, I’m giving away a copy of the Gareth Cliff on Everything book to anyone who is as proud of being South African as Cliff and I are. Just tell me why.

Love + Freedom

I recently found myself sitting right in a valley of love, surrounded by nature in its peaceful and tranquil splendor. Started reflecting on how incredible it felt to survive on basics. Reflected on how abundance flows from the deep crevices of river beds, the roots of plants - watered by generous rain waters and the intoxicatingly sweet-scented aroma of lantana flowers. That kind of love and abundance is limitless...

The simplicity in the ways of life here, the depth of breathe, the instinctual sharpness and the relevance if all the rest of it. The spirit of love, the feeling of unity, trust and security; the ability to truly be yourself without fear and inhibition. The determination of existence through love and oneness with nature. A space where money doesn't determine how and what we do, but breathing does.
                                                    
Stars laid out in milky splendor; darkness is a comfortable blanket and not a cause for panic. Silence is a teleconference with the gods, not an awkward pause.

Love times love.... When souls find each other at the most appropriate setting. It's the most natural thing.

The love shaped leaves that sprouted freely all around the Peace and Comm-Unity huts. It was quite surreal how many of them there were. Or maybe it just reflected where my headspace was.

 True love knows nothing better than blossom.

 The love that radiated from the youth of Steynsdorp 2 was humbling. *I asked the two boys what they were listening to on their cellphone radio and the one on the right responded and said 'Bricks, the jahman!' (Bricks is a dreadlocked kwaito / hip hop artist from South Africa. Natives sometimes call all dreadlocked people Jahman or Rasta) - thought that was funny!

 The godfather *said in a deep bellowing voice* Haroun Kola (an incredibly warm spirit with a beeeeeeg heart and a happy, bouncy child inside of him. He's a joy to watch around children...) He's also a geek (we love geeks!) and a great Kahuna massage therapist. Oh and he's a feminist....we LOVE feminists. The angel next to him is Fleur... she epitomises LIGHT! What a happy, loving child.

Love in a time of Lantana! These aromatic flowers were all around us. At some point, we went through a 20meter long dense bush of Lantana. It was a bitter-sweet experience. An incredible one nonetheless.

The labour of love.... At the eco-village working on building on the space is truly rewarding and of course, great for the land.

 This is the lady at the heART of it all. Sarah Motha makes me so proud! About 5 years ago, we sat at the same spot she was sitting on, where she was telling me her vision for this village she was at the preliminary stage of building. Today, her energy and compassion can be felt all around the village. Her deep humility and compassion is incredibly inspiring. Love her to bits.

These lovely bags, made with love by Sarah Motha; worn by another lovely, lively soul Carolyn Howell - she took us through a few spiritual chants, storytelling and Tai Chi. She radiates love! She reminded me of what it means to be free -- completely free within your spirit and to transfer that energy to people around her.










Umphakatsi Peace Ecovillage is in Steynsdorp, Mpumalanga), 10km from the Oshoek, Swaziland border and a mere 1hr from Mozambique.

Refl-actions

"DREAM wide awake and just DO your part. Everything will fall into place. Simply put: Find or create a passion, keep grinding on it until something becomes of it. BE OPEN to do whatever it takes to make it happen. Stay AWAKE (aware). And importantly, always keep a trustworthy support system (family, real friends), you’ll need them to remind you of who your true self is". by: Nonkululeko Godana (Just reminded about the advice I gave on http://frochic.wordpress.com/2010/05/06/nonkululeko-godana/ -- reflected back at me)

See

"See the beauty in every moment; the poetry in every road sign; the meaning of every gesture; the emotion behind random acts of humanity... that is what makes you a great artist and interpreter of the human experience." Samuel Tettner (Digital Native extra-ordinaire and great couch surfer - comes recommended)

Poetic Sins by Nonkululeko Godana

Poetic Sins by Nonkululeko Godana by missgods

A (s)word started it all

Formed a sintence

That (b)leeds us to this verse

Poetry rushes down the veins

That make U and I

Brother and sister

Incestuous kisses

Lead us into bleeding temptation

Long drives in poetryships

Take us onto

Offramps to enslave us

Into curves of ‘high accident zones’

Passion’s fires

Toast magwinya dreams

In Khosi’s eden

Lust cannot be glossed

As his tempting aroma

Travels into young Eve’s naked mind

And chokes her with images

Of a protesting infant

Suckling on precious milk

Sweetscented caresses

Start to taste bitter to the skin

And remind us of why

U and I

Shouldn’t share in this sin.

                                                                          © Nonkululeko Godana 2003