One Man's Idea, One Man's Dream And One Man's Power
The township of Mdantsane is since a couple of years the home of the second biggest shopping mall in the Eastern Cape "Mdantsane City". Only Greenacres in Port Elizabeth is bigger.
The mall has been surely a great addition to the township amenities and has made life so much easier for many residents, by enabling them to shop where they live without having to travel 20 km to the City Center of East London.
But Mdantsane City serves more than one purpose, as we have found out recently.
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| Mdantsane Basketball Coach Aya Making His Dream Come True! |
The most energetic "Coach Aya" who lives in NU 9 in Mdantsane has made his passion almost his profession. Every second week of each month Coach Aya trains youngsters in the art of basketball playing on the large parking space of the Mdantsane City Mall. And he is really good at it.
The tournaments he organises have started to attract large crowds.
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| Girls are training under Coach Aya's Eye On The Parking Space Of The Mdantsne City Mall |
Girls and boys alike of different age groups train under Coach Aya and he is determined to help the really talented ones to reach professional levels.
On the 17th of November we had the chance to see Coach Aya and his teams in action during a tournament organized by him, held on the cement floor of the outside parking area of Mdantsane City.
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| Coach Aya giving tips to the young players |
There is no greater power than sport and many have recognized sport as a force to overcome ethnic and tribal rivalries in Africa and to drive Africa out of poverty and dependance. For a nation to be powerful it has to be united. Union is not always easy to achieve when one country is home to dozens of different cultures, beliefs, religions, political convictions and traditions.
Diversity is a beautiful thing, but to live in diverse union and to celebrate diversity everyday is something, that has to be learned.
However, the learning process can be a long one, because it is all about opening your soul and mind to others, the ones you normally call strangers, and to things, that are entirely and completely different from what you know and what you are.
The key to this is you have to start at a very young age. And somebody has to guide you a little along the way. It helps if somebody shows you a vision and walks a little with you.
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| Sport Gives You The Power To Free Yourself And Become Happy At Least For A While |
Sport is the means to overcome stress, worries and the emotional burden, that poverty brings to one's life - at least for a while. Sport is a peacemaker and can give new direction to the lives of people who are without orientation. Sport, no matter what discipline, has proven to be one of the most powerful weapons to fight crime and reunite people. Sport gives a sense self worth.
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| Basketball Without Borders - Coach Aya's Brand |
Mdantsane has already the reputation to be a "boxer's township". So may be in a while we will see it become a "basketballer's township" as well. With a dedicated, energetic man like Aya it is possible.
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| A Basketball Tournament Is Played On The Parking Space Of Mdantsane City Mall And Not Only The Players Enjoy It |
To help Africa's youth through the establishment of proper sports clubs and organizations, that are coached by the right people is a vision many Africans would like to see become a reality. It's a powerful vision and it concerns the whole continent.
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| Everything great has started small with one man's idea |
But it starts small. It starts with one man's idea and one man's will and determination to do something about something.
The basketball project " Basketball Without Borders" is one man's idea, one man's dream and one man's power. Coach Aya did not stop at dreaming, he went a step further.
Choosing the Mdantsane City Mall as a training ground was a brilliant idea. South Africa is not a country where a lot of basketball is played.
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| Already Becoming Professional...... |
And we still have to ask Coach Aya where his passion for this sport comes from in a country where Rugby and Soccer rules.
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| Concentration And Speed Is Needed To Play Basketball |
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| Coach Aya Firing On His Teams |
More people will be attracted to this sport while shopping at the mall and more youngsters will be attracted to his training.
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| A New Way Of Becoming Fit And Exercising Team Spirit For The Mdantsane Youth |
Sport has motivated people where everything else has failed and what Coach Aya needs now is more supports in any form and proper training facilities.
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| Moving Away From A Couch, TV And Video Culture |
Thanks to our young 20 year old free lance anchor and German volunteer Jonas Krombach, living in Mdantsane since 9 months, who attended the tournament, we can show you these beautiful images today.
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Let the images speak for themselves!
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| A View Of The Township In The Distance |
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| Coach Aya always supportive |
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| All Age Groups And All Skill Levels |
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| Our Very Young Free Lance Anchors Theresa Ekpa And Jonas Krombach With Coach Aya |
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| Theresa, The Coach And Jonas |
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| The Right Feeling For The Ball |
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| A New Generation Of Young South African Women Has Been Born, They Want To Be Slim, Fit And Free |
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| Mdantsane Basket Ball Girls In Action |
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