September and October 2019 have been exciting months for the Institute for Social and Health Sciences (ISHS) and surrounding communities, as the main events of the annual Thembelihle Friendship and Hope Campaign commenced for the year. Constituted by an intercommunity sports tournament hosted in Thembelihle, south-west of Johannesburg, and a walk spurring the values of friendship, cooperation and shared fun, the events searched to create a dynamic environment encouraging dialogue, conversation, connectedness and inclusion.
The Campaign itself is a continuous movement conceptualised and implemented by the community of Thembelihle in collaboration with its neighbours and various stakeholders. Through the processes of collective organising, networking, and participation in various events, the Campaign aims to bring people together, strengthen community connections within and between Thembelihle and its neighbours, and celebrate local resources. The Campaign looks towards the promotion of positive human development and health, and sets its sights to imagining a more peaceful, participatory, diverse, and sustainable future. The Campaign forms part of a response supported by the ISHS against epistemic, direct and structural violence, especially as manifest in inter- and intra-community tensions, the essentialisation and reductionism of narratives about Thembelihle, and the social suffering experienced by many as a result of poverty and inequality.
The Campaign itself was led by a Sports Tournament, which was ignited through fierce competition, as rivalling netball and soccer teams of diverse ages and genders contended in playoff finals. Witnessed by supporters arriving from various areas of Thembelihle and surrounding communities, the event was characterised by a heathy, engaging spirit of competition. This was accompanied by a different kind of festive cheer as participants enjoyed half-time entertainment shows from local dance groups Amavinkivonko, Amagigi, “Young Boys”, as well as speeches by Regional Director Mickey Padiachee, Ward Councillor Ezekiel Mosotho Tsotetsi, UNISA staff, and representatives from the community that spoke to the themes of diversity, cooperation, and shared friendship. Significantly, the tournament addressed aims for new experiences, conversations, and stories to be shared between participants and families, creating potential for future collaboration, understanding, and improved multiracial participation. In the words of one of the organisers and head coach at the Thembelihle Sports Association, Abel Tau: “Nothing can bring unity, understanding and cooperation between separate communities better than sports can.”
The second event, a 6.5 km walk led through the borders of Thembelihle and into neighbouring Lenasia Extensions 9, 10 and 11, took participants from the different communities through an experiential telling of both what is vibrant and challenging about lives, livelihoods and circumstances in the neighbouring communities. Led by voices united in song, it offered a unique view of the area not always represented in media or by common perception. This was intermingled by a rest stop on the path of the walk, where members of the Islamic religious community in Extension 9 provided homemade refreshments, a welcome break to the participants, and an opportunity to reflect on the proximity of the lives of all of the participants involved. The walk and song additionally resonated with other struggles for justice in the world, as participants brought with them their support and solidarity for the Palestinian movement. Organisers of the Campaign had arranged for Palestinian supporters from Thembelihle to attend the Palestinian Freedom March the week previous, and this momentum was carried forward through support and solidarity in the Friendship and Hope walk.
The walk ended in further reflection, through the showing of Thembelihle: Place of Hope, a documentary offering deep insights into the experiences and narratives of residents and leaders in Thembelihle. The screening supported the call for the walk to represent an intentional and agentic invitation to other communities to participate in the building of friendship and hope in a fashion un-dissuaded by narratives of fear and distrust. This was accompanied by brief reflections on the documentary and the walk: “I am from Thembelihle, but today I am from Lehae, from Vlakfontein and from Lenasia” was heard amidst these conversations.
The main speakers following the walk included Imams from the Extension 9 community, Regional Director Mickey Padiachee, community leaders from Thembelihle, and representatives from UNISA, the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, the Palestinian Solidarity Alliance, the South African National Zakah Fund (SANZAF), the Muslim Students Association (MSA), and the Thembelihle Crisis Committee (TCC). Each offered words of encouragement, commitment and engagement towards further relationships, sponsorships and sustainable dialogues such that the movement might develop, grow and continue to challenge artificial boundaries dividing the communities and stakeholders.
The Campaign is filled with possibilities, some yet to be fully fulfilled. The Campaign has begun to scaffold a platform from which further conversation, dialogue and cooperation might begin to develop. While it achieved much in this year’s iteration, and has extended the process of joint and inclusive organisation, as well as networking between stakeholders and communities otherwise often alienated from each other, the potential for deeper and wider engagement remains an open and exciting opportunity.
Publish date: 2019-10-14 00:00:00.0