Communities come together in the spirit of humanity and equality

A group illustration of the most important issues that need to be addressed within the community

February 12, 2010 – The third community conversation event for Durban’s Albert Park community became a joint celebration of the rights of individuals, as it took place on the 20th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. This was a timely event for the community, which, after going through a series of action-planning exercises, was looking to create a better future.

This programme focuses on understanding the underlying causes of anger and frustration in communities affected by incidents of violence against non-nationals. Through the process of dialogue among community members, the programme aims to develop innovative solutions to promote peaceful co-existence between nationals and non-nationals. Towards this end, the Nelson Mandela Foundation partners with organisations working with the Albert Park community – among them: the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council; the KwaZulu-Natal Refugee Council; the Refugee Social Services; and the Union of Refugee Women.

Gugu Shelembe, of the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council, convened the event and welcomed the 72 attendees, who represented a diversity of cultures and countries. These included Kenya, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Somalia, the United States, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The significance of the day was commemorated and Nelson Mandela’s fight for the freedom of all South Africans was acknowledged. Mr Mandela was honoured for being “a leader who led by example” who “made sacrifices for all of us”.

Mr Mandela was held up as an example of personal dignity and pride, who had a vision of the kind of society he wanted to be a part of. Pointing to Madiba’s example, Shelembe set the tone for the day by drawing from the biblical message in Song of Songs, which reads: “I am black, but I am beautiful”. She inspired those present, to “take pride that our roots are connected to the soil of Africa” to create a community in Albert Park, where all races and nationalities could live peacefully side by side.

During his welcome address, the local ward 32 councillor, Vusi Khoza, who represents around 28 000 residents of the Albert Park inner-city community, reminded the community that they were “living the dreams that Madiba strived for”. He recalled at one time how the majority of places in Albert Park were no-go zones for black people, and the striking contrast with the cosmopolitan nature of the area today.

“Today we have all nationalities in Albert Park – black, white, Indian, many African countries [are represented here], and even [people from] Pakistan [live in Albert Park]. We need to appreciate this,” he said.

As part of the Community Capacity Enhancement (CCE) methodology’s cyclical analytical process, facilitator Baruti Amisi reported back on the action plans the community had developed during the previous conversation. These included actions to be taken in relation to five key areas – addressing crime and insecurity, improving access to local resources, increasing awareness of the diverse range of cultures in the area, improving communication and participation in local leadership structures, and tackling the challenge of moral degeneration in the area.

The community was briefed on positive developments such as: the presentation of a petition which called for a reduction in the number of liquor outlets in the area, ongoing discussions to integrate migrants into the community, and an audit of the skills possessed by foreign nationals in the area, which could form a basis for skills sharing programmes with locals.

Major challenges, acknowledged by the community during the past conversation, included the low levels of literacy and access to information that, in the long run, hamper social cohesion.

The community was informed of three recently introduced projects that seek to respond to these challenges: the development of an inner city community radio station to “tell our stories”; a multi-lingual community newspaper; and a multi-lingual inner-city school.

Elaborating on these projects, Khoza explained how the three were designed to bridge the communication gap, and had been identified in the earlier conversation.

“We need to cleanse the mind of pre-conceived ideas and work towards a united Africa,” he said.

During the discussion that followed, participants agreed that communication through these projects could be used to promote peaceful co-existence and overcome the challenges imposed by the language barriers sometimes experienced in the area.

Khoza likened the Albert Park community to “a sample of the whole of Africa”.

“You will find all the languages of Africa here,” he added. “We need a platform where we can all talk and dissipate some of the tensions and suspicions that build among us.”

Through the dialogue process, the community is taking ownership of the process and responsibility for addressing its concerns. As one participant put it, “We are responsible for improving our living conditions; nobody else will do it for us.”