Last week I did something, I can’t recall doing too often across 30 years of running businesses. I bunked work, but with good reason. I had the rare opportunity of a private tour of the Brenthurst Library[1].

 I love the headline and wish it were mine. It comes from an interview with Bill Drayton (Founder, Ashoka) by Dana S. Gulley

Drayton notes that for the last three centuries, the rate of change and the degree and extent of interconnection have both been increasing exponentially.

Africa is overflowing with potential. Our landscapes and people are beautiful, our land is rich and resourceful, our cultures are diverse.

In response to: How can young people work with their governments and civil society organizations to respond to the impact of COVID-19 and build a stronger post-pandemic economic and social system? 

Photo by Asiama Junior from Pexels

PUBLISHED BY AFRO-BAROMETER
https://afrobarometer.org/

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set ambitious targets for countries and societies to improve lives and livelihoods around the world. While the expectations of meeting these goals largely fall on governments, it is widely recognized that joint efforts by citizens and their governments will be needed to achieve the best outcomes. Citizen action takes place in many forms and forums, including organizing and working together on shared goals, providing mutual support and assistance, campaigning or advocating for shared needs, and engaging with governments, making demands on them, and holding them to account. While some citizens may become involved in a formal capacity, such as through paid employment in nongovernmental advocacy or service organizations and through employment with governments or other service providers, large numbers will – and must – be engaged in a voluntary capacity. Understanding the nature of this voluntary engagement is a key goal of this analysis.

Published by Civicus 3 October 2018

Republished with permission from Civicus Media

By William Gumede

Let’s imagine for a moment that aliens had visited South Africa in late 1993, abducted an ordinary South African, then returned him or her home exactly 25 years later.

The abductee might very well be shocked at how our democracy project has turned out – at all the changes we’ve gone through and where the country is today, particularly politically. But among the things they would see as having largely maintained course in that time, would be the role and impact of civil society.

As we celebrate our diverse cultures on Heritage Day, worth celebrating also is a civil society culture that has not only promoted cultural diversity but that is itself diverse, with a hard-won heritage of tirelessly fighting for the rights of the people in this country.

2020 has become a year to forget. Coronavirus is a pandemic that has affected everyone globally. Our government has encouraged South Africas to stay at home and distance themselves from others to help reduce the spread of the virus.

Many LGBTQI community members live under a cloud of stress and fear, they experience barriers to economic and social inclusion related to structural inequality and social stigma along multiple axes. According to research, over 60% of the LGBTQ community deals with some form of mental health illness.