Art and Leadership

Posted August 30th, 2008 in Leadership Academy, South Africa by Frérieke
Check us out with our students! Each Friday we are teaching those brilliant COSAT students 1. leadership skills and 2. having fun with arts. Keep an eye on the love2theworldwebsite , some great material coming up.

Eline, my Dutch fundraise buddy and I are finalizing a great proposal which will a. create a way for students to earn their university fees by practising their leadership skills in their community and b.make it fun for you all to connect to those inspiring individuals and sponsor them and the projects that matter to them.

Exciting times in Africa!

For the tech savvy people… I attended the first Wordcamp South Africa last weekend…very inspiring. Especially WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg is an incredible human being who I enjoyed meeting a lot.
Jep… I still know that internet is the way for me to combine my passions: art and humanity, with what really matters to me: having people to know that their voice matters, have them create incredible connections.

Art and Leadership Academy

Posted August 24th, 2008 in Leadership Academy by Frerieke

flag south africa

The Art and Leadership Academy is providing the fundamentals of leadership to previously (and in most instances, still) disadvantaged youth from across the Cape Flats. The Academy excavates the repressed and undiscovered self-love and pride in being South African in COSAT students as a vehicle of empowerment.

The students learn public speaking, debate, critical analysis, and team-building to identify social problems that are negatively impacting them in their community. Through the integration of the arts: creative writing, theater, music, photography and film, the students analyze alternative and effective ways of expressing emotions and protest while learning from the Masters.

In direct response to the resignation regarding the ongoing social problems in their community, the students then create viable and sustainable solutions through their development of community projects that they will learn how to manage. These projects will involve members of their community who will work in partnership with the students. This awakened and empowered love for their community is the driving force for them becoming the powerful and well-trained leaders of the country in a few years time, as they will have a first-hand experience of making the difference that matters.

The Arts & Leadership Academy was a big hit in it’s limited run with a select group of 11th and 12 th graders from COSAT earlier this year. Love To The World is thrilled to be providing this training and development to the entire 10th grade of COSAT High School.

‘Strike a woman, strike a rock’

Posted August 9th, 2008 in women empowerment by Frerieke


black and colored

By Frerieke van Bree

20.000 women marched on the 9th of Aug 1956 towards the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against the pass laws (special identification documents which curtailed an African’s freedom of movement during the Apartheid era.)
that proposed further restrictions on the movements of women.

Those brave women risked to be arrested, detentioned or banned. They demonstrated courage and strength and proved that they could organise themselves, that they were not powerless, that the commonly accepted stereotype of women (tied to the home and not politically mature) was outdated and inaccurate.

Wathint’Abafazi Wathint’imbokodo! (Now you have touched the women, you have struck a rock.) was what the women were singing during their march. The latest incarnation of their song: ‘Strike a woman, strike a rock’ has come to represent women’s courage and strength.

The 1956 March helped to shape the ideologies of many, particular those that drafted the South African Constitution and the Commission of Gender and Equality. August 9th is now celebrated as Women’s Day in South Africa.

Women are driving forces in the transformation of South Africa. Within the black community for example they are the ones that 1. Stand for their family, 2. Work, 3. Do all the cooking, housekeeping. Cape Town’s mayor (and national opposition leader), Helen Zille is a perfect example of a woman with courage and power.

Personally, through my profession (building industry) and experience of working both here in South Africa and in The Netherlands, I can conclude that traditional role-plays (women at home, men in power) are still much more accurate here in South Africa compared to Europe. ..That is one of the reasons why I would like to give extra credits to Helen Zille and all those other great female activists here in South Africa!

The attached photograph shows two beautiful young South African women. One being from the Xhosa culture the other from the Coloured Community.

Posted August 9th, 2008 in South Africa by Frérieke
09.08.2008
‘Strike a woman, strike a rock’

20.000 women marched on the 9th of Aug 1956 towards the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest against the pass laws (special identification documents which curtailed an African’s freedom of movement during the Apartheid era.)
that proposed further restrictions on the movements of women.

Those brave women risked to be arrested or banned. They demonstrated courage and strength and proved that they could organize themselves, that they were not powerless, that the commonly accepted stereotype of women (tied to the home and not politically mature) was outdated and inaccurate.

Wathint’Abafazi Wathint’imbokodo! (Now you have touched the women, you have struck a rock.) was what the women were singing during their march. The latest incarnation of their song: ‘Strike a woman, strike a rock‘ has come to represent women’s courage and strength.

The 1956 March helped to shape the ideologies of many, particular those that drafted the South African Constitution and the Commission of Gender and Equality. August 9th is now celebrated as Women’s Day in South Africa.

Women are driving forces in the transformation of South Africa. Within the black community for example they are the ones that 1. Stand for their family, 2. Work, 3. Do all the cooking, housekeeping. Cape Town’s mayor (and national opposition leader), Helen Zille is a perfect example of a woman with courage and power.

Personally, through my profession (building industry) and experience of working both here in South Africa and in The Netherlands, I can conclude that traditional role plays (women at home, men in power) are still much more accurate here in South Africa compared to Europe. ..that is one of the reasons why I would like to give extra credits to Helen Zille and all those other great female activists here in South Africa!

The attached photograph shows two beautiful young South African women. One being from the Xhosa culture the other from the Coloured Community.

Posted August 6th, 2008 in South Africa by Frérieke
06.08.2008
Me in the media

A Dutch regional newspaper has published an article about me (and my activities for humanity here in South Africa) …….the interesting thing is: I don’t know anything about this! Please let me know if you do, i would love to see the article. I heard they have even included a picture…interesting!

Yesterday evening during my seminar, one of the ladies in the seminar came up to me, saying: I’ve heard you on the radio! HUH…What??? nooo that wasn’t me…but yess she said…my funny dutch accent ….and then I remembered this…a few months ago, Anasuya and I were interviewed about our activities with Love to The World. We took 2 of our students with us to the studio and the 4 of us spoke about the Leadership work we are doing in Khayelitsha, the workshops with HIV+ women… unfortunately the radio station never told us when it would be up in the air. We’ll try to get a copy of the interview!

For my Dutch speaking readers…Petra Kroon, founder of Goedgeefs (a Dutch organization that forms an intermediate between Dutch Corporations and projects in South Africa) has published another conversation of me and her on her blog, this time about the rising food prizes here in South Africa…
have a read… http://www.goedgeefs.nl/#/weblog/
Have you got any specific questions that you would like to see answered? let us know and we can discuss your topic of interest.

I love all this unexpected media attention! keep it coming!

Posted August 4th, 2008 in South Africa by Frérieke
04.08.2008
Two Years and counting…

I am here in Cape Town exactly 2 years now!

Wouw.

First intention was: a year and then up to another continent (South America?!) . Haa and here I still am….South Africa. And what’s next? I am staying for a bit.

I have started a new and very exciting job at www.makekadesigns.com > we are making architecture that is able to compete at a world scale (check us out in China! www.ordos100.com ) and in the same time we are dealing powerfully with local issues. We are working on the Cape Town train station, a development plan for Township Khayelitsha, an ecovillage, a campsite for Table Mountain National Park. A vibrant place. I managed to arrange a work week of 4 days, to be able to do all the other fun stuff…

I started teaching (art and empowerment) in the Township, which is awesome! Visual arts, art and revolution, team work, community building, Photography…

Anasuya and I are creating more and more opportunities to work with the COSAT kids. We are so behind with all our online updates on our website www.lovetotheworld.org …but we’ll promise to make some time, so keep an eye on the site.

Together with an awesome lady in The Netherlands, we are creating a winning fundrais proposal, which will create even more opportunities for the students here, which will kick off www.umeebee.com and now for real. The Umeebee team is still alive and waking up from a winters sleep with Eline on board.

The summer is almost here again. Days are getting longer. The mountain still impressive
Our house is still lovely (so great to live with good high school friend Edith).

I have started a great, intense Leadership course, so some good personal challenges the next 6 months!

Jep…I am hanging around here a bit longer. Too many good things. I’ll only move on to another place with an excellent plan. A plan that will excite me more then what is going on for me here at the moment…for this is good, challenging and new!

Come join me here, or come visit
or…we’ll skype

(the pic: one of our favorite lunch spots, just around the corner)