Hellos, Goodbyes, and Podcasts

After an awesome week in Durban, I'm back from visiting my colleagues from the Everett Program, Andrew and Jessica. They were exceptional hosts and took me with them everywhere they went, and introduced me to the community members of Kenneth Gardens all along the way. It was great seeing them in action with community members. From hosting tech workshops with elder leaders to help them set up email and navigate the internet, to hosting creative drawing sessions with the children. The city of Durban is absolutely amazing, and has a very unique vibe to it. I think I might like it too much.

Right around the corner 

Monkeying around in KG

Love Durbs

Following my return from Durban, I was off to Rustenburg to follow-up with the Digital Mapping group and conclude their month-long project. Thanks to the Everett Program grant and donations made to the project, we were able to provide Community Monitors members Steven Ramokhula and Buti Botopela with two tablets for an intensive mapping project that commenced on August 2nd. Their objective was to travel around their immediate community and map everything from top to bottom. The team knocked the project out of the park, and we now have a greater understanding and ideas of how to best utilize the information they provided and the resulting map. Sadly, it was time for me to depart the Rustenburg group this week. I take with me many wonderful memories.

I'm now back in Johannesburg teaching the Bench-Marks Foundation members how we utilize the map thus far. I will be working with the foundation up until August 28th. 

I would also like to give a massive shout out to Mr. Bobby Marie, whose work has deeply inspired me. Mr. Marie has taken some time off for a well deserved vacation, and by good fortune I was able to see him before him left. He is the bond that holds together the Community Monitors, and he does his extremely complex job incredibly well. Each month he travels between 7 different communities collaborating with young adults to build their skills. Bobby works with each individual to promote self-expression through writing, poetry, and podcasts. He treat everyone he meets as an individual and helps them see their own potential. He has housed me through all my travels and without his support and dedication this project would absolutely not have been possible. So, thank you Bobby. 

Did I mention I hate goodbyes?

I mentioned in a previous post that I would try to get up one of the poet's pieces and I was finally able to get it online. Enjoy!

Also, new editions of the most recent Community Monitor reports are now available here. I have a podcast interview in the Action Voices Radio July Edition speaking on the project.

Tyler

Kenneth Gardens 8.21.15 (Carrots and Peas Video)

Hello Slugs in South Africa readers,

It's been awhile since I posted and hope everyone is doing well. I've done a bit since I last published a post. I'm living in Kenneth Gardens now. With someone who has lived in Kenneth Gardens over 40 years. Kenneth Gardens is municipal housing estate in Umbilo, South Africa. We've (Jessica Crosby and myself) have been working with two NPO's in the community of Kenneth Gardens and have photography and web content developing and coming soon to share. Something I've learned since being here is don't take WiFi for granted (we've been using are phones to create WiFi hot spots.) The second is Durban is Beautiful. A quote from a colleague and friend to prove the beauty of Durban “I'm going to move here.” - Tyler Spencer. Which leads me to the next update that Jessica, Tyler, and myself had the opportunity to come together and share project updates in person. Tyler was able to meet amazing leaders in The Kenneth Gardens community that work through passion to make a difference.
Here is a video I created featuring one of the NPO's Carrots and Peas:

Peace,
Andrew Blackwelder

Mpumalanga

My time in Mpumalanga has unfortunately come to an end. I was blessed to have an amazing host family that treated me as if I was one of their own. I will still be working the team over the rest of the duration of my time here in South Africa and even once I've returned. We have established a team of seven in the area who will continue working on the project in the region as well as traveling to train others. The poets that I told you all about have asked me to come up with a piece.

Foreign

My eyes are foreign to these lands

But I can see that it is not that different

My ears are foreign to these languages

But I can hear the sincerity in your voices

My hands are foreign to the feel of barbed wire fences everywhere

But I can feel the deep wounds of time

My mind tells me that I'm foreign 

But my heart tells me I'm perfectly where I need to be right now

I arrived in Durban on Wednesday, and gave a presentation about the mapping project to students and staff at the Durban University of Technology on Thursday. The presentation went extremely well and City Architect Prof. Jonathan Edkins is starting to prepare a Crowdmap in collaboration with DUT students for future plans of the campus.  It's been great catching up with Andrew and Jessica and hearing of the progress of their project and exchanging stories on our time here. 

Uzinakekele - Take Care

Tyler

Training others

Elands River Falls

God's Window

Mpumalanga Youth Against Climate Change group. They got me a shirt!

Host fam

Presentation to DUT

Women's Day, Youth Lab and Computer Trainings Aug. 11

     This past Saturday Andrew and I participated in our second digital media archive lab with the Kenneth Gardens youth at DUT. During the session we were able to talk about the benefits of community journalism, while also having the youth work in pairs to report on issues impacting Kenneth Gardens. We were also able to do computer training and work individually with Senzokuhle and Carrots and Peas on navigating Gmail and other important computer functions. It was wonderful to have that one-on-one time and we are looking forward to doing more trainings in the near future. 

      On Monday, Andrew and I had the great pleasure of participating in the National Women's Day celebration held in Kenneth Gardens. Women's Day commemorates the march of 20,000 women held in 1956 on the Union Buildings in Pretoria to petition the laws requiring black South Africans to carry internal passports. These passports served to uphold segregation and managed migrant labor. Today the holiday is observed on August 9th and pays homage to the women of South Africa who fought against apartheid. The friends and women of  Kenneth Gardens gathered to celebrate the holiday with food and dancing, while also beginnging a discussion around creating positive community change and paying respects to the community members who had passed this year. 

     It was so special to be included in the celebration, and I am so impressed with all of the hard work that Carrots and Peas and Senzokuhle put into planning and preparing this event.There are so many dedicated, strong and caring women that live within Kenneth Gardens that I cannot imagine a better group to celebrate our first Women's Day with. Be sure to check out the photographs below that Andrew took of the computer lab, computer trainings and the Women's Day celebration.

Until next time!

Jessica and Andrew

 Photography By: Andrew Thomas Blackwelder

Kenneth Gardens Aug. 4th- 5th

Hello Slugs in South Africa Readers,

Enjoy the photographs! It's a visual narrative of Senzokuhle a Health Center in Kenneth Gardens. It also features a Kenneth Gardens artist, Auntie Muke, and her fabric work. The amazing work of Carrots and Peas Kitchen feeding over a hundred people every week. Lastly, some atmospheric Kenneth Gardens shots!  

Peace,
Andrew Blackwelder

Photography by Andrew Thomas Blackwelder

Photograph by Jessica Crosby