Upstart 10 Nov 09.pdf - Grocott's Mail

UPSTART 10 NOVEMBER 200911Yoga, HIV/AIDS and Mandela/Rhodes ScholarsUpstart members wereinvited to the Mandela/Rhodes Scholars conferenceon 6 September to listen toZackie Achmat’s openingaddress. The Sakhuluntucultural group gave us awarm welcome with theirchoir performance. Afterthe choir performance, theRhodes Vice-chancellorwelcomed and introducedZackie Achmat.Zackie Achmat and NelsonMandelaZackie, who belongs to theTreatment Action Campaign,talked about his life story andUpstart members fromArchie Mbolekwa, TEMMrwetyana and Nombuleloschools went to a 'MakingPeace' exhibition about ChiefAlbert Luthuli and formerPresident Nelson Mandela atthe Albany Museum. Whenwe first arrived we weretaken by Mr Matshoba toa room where he showedand told us about NelsonMandela and Albert Luthuli'shistory and the difficult timesthat they have been through.He told about the similaritiesbetween them. For example,they both joined the armedstruggle, they were botharrested for treason in 1956and they both fought forpeace.We were shown poems thatwere written about the goodthings that the two men havedone for our country. Whenthey were arrested Mandelawas sentenced to spend timein prison while Luthuli wasgiven house arrest. Mandelastudied while he was inprison and got his degree inlaw and he was also a gardenboy along with his comrades.Mr Mandela and Luthulinever gave up even though itwas a difficult time for themhis journey with HIV/AIDS,how he grew up poor andhow he almost died a coupleof times because he stoppedtaking his medication. Andhe gave a special shout outMandela Rhodes scholars and Upstart members do yogaNobel Peace Prize winners Mandela and Luthuliin prison. Mandela's friendsin prison wanted him toescape but he told them thathe would wait for the whitegovernment to come set himfree all on their own becausehe was an innocent man.During apartheid when whitepeople saw you forming apower fist you were takento prison because the fistmeans 'amandla ngawethu'(the power is ours). Whitepeople believed that theywere made by God andblack people were not fromGod. Therefore they treatedblack people in a bad way.Students were forced to dotheir studies in Afrikaansand they could only becometeachers, nurses and socialworkers if they did not wantto be garden boys anddomestic workers. They weretold that those were jobs forblack people and that is whatMandela and Luthuli foughtagainst.Luthuli won a Nobel Peaceprize while he was still underhouse arrest and he wasonly allowed to go accepthis prize and come back. Hedied in 1967 when a trainhit him. Mandela continuedto the Upstart members andthat was very cool.Xolela Fatyi, Mawande Tyatyaand Lwando Manyonta Grade 10Nathaniel Nyaluza High Schoolfighting and was set free in1990. He was also given aNobel Peace Prize for makingpeace in South Africa. Nowwe are all equal in front ofthe law, it is not about beingblack or white, rich or poor, itis all about the freedom thatMandela and Luthuli broughtus. On April 27 1994, allSouth Africans voted for thefirst time and had a say in thegovernment.After the exhibition we weregiven exercises to do byMrs Nozipho Madinda. Oneof the exercises was aboutMandela's birthday whichis celebrated on 18 July. It iscelebrated by children andadults all over the world, butmostly in his home in Qunu.At his home they celebrateby cooking traditional foodand decorating his home intraditional decorations. Weas the citizens of South Africawere asked to celebratehis birthday by helpingpeople less fortunate for 67minutes everywhere. Maybeyou are wondering why 67minutes? It is because MrNelson Rholihlahla has beena political activist for 67 yearsthis year.The following day therewere four Mandela/Rhodesscholars who came toNathaniel Nyaluza to spendthe day with us. The afternoonstarted off with yoga andexercise, then we played thebroken telephone game.Later we played the planecrash game where they puta big poster on the boardwith a list of people to saveincluding a pregnant woman,an 80 year old doctor and adrug dealer. They told us wehad a few minutes to decidewhich people to save andeveryone chose according towho needed the most help.Then they showed us anotherposter that explained that thedrug dealer was your brotherand the pregnant wants anabortion and they told us tochoose who we would saveUpstart members at the Albany History Museumagain. I almost did not choosemyself. This exercise showedus that we need to think fastand that we need to thinkbefore making decisions. Wehad an awesome time and itwas helpful.Zimkitha Benni and Zintle NgoyiGrade 8 Nathaniel Nyaluza HighSchoolBy: Athenkosi Office Grade 10 Nombulelo High SchoolYanga Nohaji Grade 8 Archie Mbolekwa Senior Primary SchoolSibusiso Klaas Grade 9 Nombulelo High SchoolLutho Gqirhana Grade 9 Archie Senior Primary SchoolPhilasanda Skweyiya Grade 10 TEM Mrwetyana High SchoolDrawing by:Mcvay Boko