Ke Nako Celebrate Africa’s Humanity Mandela Grace World Cup Soccer Our World in Your Country
Posted: Sunday, July 11, 2010
by Michael Gaffley
flatlinetochange
Ke Nako Celebrate Africa's Humanity 2010 FIFA World Cup Soccer Slogan in Action. Our World in Your Country
It was a magical moment to see Madiba at Soccer City. Mr. Mandela, Mr. President, I salute you sir. Now the real meaning of the World Cup slogan, Ke Nako should be put into action. The success of this world cup makes it imperative that the legacy is a life-long celebration of Africa's humanity. Slogans are good to grip the imagination. Slogans are good to get the adrenalin pumping but slogans, unless they are concretized through effective action, are just that, slogans.
My road map for celebrating humanity includes the following changes that I want to see in South Africa:
1. The value of women should be extolled. South Africa should no longer boast a statistic that every ten seconds a woman or child is being raped. And even when they have been raped they are subjected to that humiliating experience or second process designed rape when DNA is being collected and never used to seek convictions. Why strip a woman naked in front of strangers, put her under a black light, and let strangers scrutinize her body and comb her pubic hair? Why do you subject women to this insulting process, however needed and then not go after the rapist and seek a conviction. It still beats the hell out of me. I have worked with children who were raped by friends and family and the children were punished and removed from their family while the rapist could masquerade and overpower its next victim. Do you know the pain of powerlessness? Do you even care? Rape is not about sex; it is about power.
2. Child abuse and neglect should statistics has to be reduced drastically. Statistics feel no pain but victims do. Oh the shame of child abuse. Or the shame of someone exploiting a child. You bastard you should have been still born. I cannot help or undo your abuse but I sure as hell should do everything in my power to stop you from amassing victims. Why a child should bid farewell to the innocence of childhood because the government lacked the political will to protect them, its most valuable asset continues to baffle me. The great Archbishop Tutu used to say, "Children are not our future; they are now". They should be able to enjoy life without interruption of their childhood.
3. Family and domestic violence is never good for nation building. Far too many women continue to use make-up or cosmetics to ameliorate the scars caused by the brutality so that they can at least go to work and earn their pennies. Again, the government should be very clear that domestic violence is a growing disease that will no longer be tolerated.
4. Crime, oh what do we do about organized crime? A famous New York City Major halved the crime statistics through visible policing and zero tolerance. It is great that the South African Police is known as the South African Police Services (SAPS). Upholders of the law you are not supposed to serve the means and ends of crime bosses. You have to curb crime. IN many instances in the past the police were in cahoots with gangsters and crime.
5. Fraud and corruption has to stop. South Africa has enough for everyone's needs without the waste caused by corruption. South Africa can become a role model for Africa and the world.
For starters pay people what they are worth for doing the job. Do not waste. Use yoru common sense of value and return on investment (ROI).
6. Showcase the beauty of South Africa. Promote "staycations" by developing affordable programs that will allow South Africans to explore their country that was previously out of bounds for most of its peoples. Promote "Our World in Your South Africa". Invite visitors to come and explore the splendor of South Africa. South Africa is the gateway to Africa and the world.
7. Of course number seven the Biblical number of perfection, completion is reserved for education. Start with investing in early childhood development. Make sure that teachers love to develop a love for learning in children. Build the infrastructure. Get rid of the container and containment mentality. We have gripped the imagination of the world now tell the World Bank and the IMF what we need to build on the legacy of the world cup and to improve the quality of education in our beloved country.
8. Do we have to talk about poverty; no. WE need to tackle poverty. Poverty is not a shame; it is just a shameful inconvenience. Poverty leaves deep scars on the mindset of the poor. Poverty is a mindset. Please change the paradigm by letting South Africans enjoy and share the wealth of the country.
9. Unemployment statistics has to change immediately. Families need access to opportunities in order to provide for their families. The world that big business created demands that you have money in order to have a voice and in order to participate in life. You can be alive but without money you cannot live.
10. Do not let big business enslave our beautiful rainbow nation. Big business is the new slave owner. Big business has taken away our ability to think and to be in control of our destiny. Big business has manipulated the issues strategically arranged the issues of life and death in such a way that whether we live or whether we die; big business ultimately benefits. Big business has killed the mom and pop corner shop in order to exploit unsuspecting villagers and gather all our money. Big business is a killer of civilization.
11. Market the vuvuzela as the musical instrument of choice for all sports around the world. When people blow their vuvuzelas the whole world will instinctively think South Africa and join with us in celebrating humanity. The vuvuzela is the call to action Ke Nako: Celebrate Humanity.
12. Transport should be kept at the service delivery level at the world cup.
13. Use the soccer stadiums for Celebrating Humanity Festivals. This can be a first in the world. Do you remember how we played together on a field or piece of gravel or grass? Let those stadiums become the playing field of the masses. It has to be organized very well. Standards should not be compromised. Brazil and New Orleans have its annual Mardi Gras and Spain has its run of the bulls and the tomatoes festival. We can have a Monthly World Cup Stadium festival that is affordable for locals to attend en mass. Launch a competition to see who can attract the biggest crowd and not who can make the biggest profits. The products and crafts of the region can be showcased. This should be seen as an education and culture venture. Market South Africa to the world.
14. Stop driving this non-racial society myth as a pretext for reverse apartheid. Stop Black Economic Empowerment that benefits only bona fide blacks. We should allow all people access to opportunity, now. Let white, Indian and coloreds also share in the prosperity of our land otherwise this is all bigotry and politics of the worst class. Job reservation belongs to apartheid even if we now call it affirmative action. If we build the nation through our investment in our children now, we will make the need for affirmative action later, obsolete.
Ke Nako: Celebrate Humanity
I would like to hear from you about the development of the ideal country of your dreams.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Heartfelt and inspiring, Michael. I love your suggestion about the stadiums. I think you have a great vision for South Africa and that these things are achievable.Lets do it
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