The Beauty Of The Xhosa Language - A Poem And A Song

This short movie has a group of children performing a kindergarten poem and a song in the beautiful amaxhosa language.

Jonas Krombach Living In Nu 9 In Mdantsane - They Gave Me The Best Time Of My Life

The House of Jonas Krombach's Guest Family in Mdantsane NU 9

Jonas Krombach is the other half of the twin volunteer team, that was sent to Mdantsane for a year to assist and coach an environmental youth club at a High School in Nu 6.
Well, they are not real biological twins but they became twins in spirit during the course of one year. We have spoken a lot about Theresa Ekpa's experiences, she made during her stay in Mdanstane. Ladies first and that is the only reason. But now it is Jonas's turn. 

Jonas, Jonas, Jonas.... what we can we say!

This guy is the archetypal German man. He is straightforward, controlled, as punctual as it gets and hard working. Often he can also be full of sh......!

But he belongs to a new breed of Germans. 

He is a wonderful representative of a new generation of open minded, exploring, very well educated, adventurous but all the way still careful young men, who are not afraid to show their emotions and who have made it their mission to transcend the boundaries, they were raised in and to see and understand as much as possible of this beautiful world we live in.

Over The Roof Tops In Mdnatsane

One year ago Jonas said to himself, after he had finished his abitur which is the German version of the matric: "I want to see and experience something completely and totally different from what I know."

And Jonas came to Mdanstane and he got a full dose of what he had asked for. 

The Sisters Star And Nolubabalo - Jonas Krombach's Two Mothers in Mdantsane

Yebo! For our foreign readers one more time: yebo is something like a South African exclamation for OK!

Jonas came to live with two sisters, Star and Nolubabalo, who became his mothers in Mdanstane.

The first thing he was confronted with, was the fact, that family structures in Mdantsane differ very much from what is considered a classic family in Germany. 

Of course, you can find the classical core family like everywhere else with a simple father-mother-and-children structure, but very often households are headed by women only. The are headed by grandmothers, sisters and even young children. The reasons for this are the high aids mortality rate in South Africa and the loss of the old South African moral family values in the black and white culture.

Star and Nolubabalo live together and raise the two children they have in their house in NU 9. No husband, no man. Just the women.

A typical dirt road in Mdantsane NU 9

And Now Jonas. 

Jonas faced many challenges, like having to deal with electricity cuts or no lights at all, having to shower with a bucket and cold water. Yeah, and the occasional mice and other rodents making their way through his new home. 

"But there was so much love", he said, "the love of Star and Nolubabalo and the two boys was simply unbelievable. I will miss them so much. It is hard to believe that someone can give so much love to a stranger who has just come to live in his house".

Jonas with his younger brother Lilitha

Jonas is a single child, he does not have any brothers or sisters in Germany and out of a sudden he was living in the second largest township in South Africa, had two mothers and two younger brothers and was sharing a small house with them. 

He is passionate about handball and plays in Germany in a club. Handball is not a sport that is known and played a lot in South Africa. So everything familiar and known had been taken away from him!

You can call that a culture shock!

"But was that not exactly what you wanted, Jonas", we ask?

Yes it was!

"And I have grown so much through this intense life experience", he says. 

This is the exact and best term to describe it - an intense life experience, that has the power to change you from the inside out in a relatively short time.

Between Houses in NU 9 In Mdantsane

But belonging to that new breed of young German men we mentioned before, there was no doubt, that he would cope and that he would enjoy his stay thoroughly including the fact, that he now had to share a small space and was not the only child in the house anymore.

We can only say, well done German man! Well done Jonas Krombach! 

Jonas with his two younger brothers Lilitha and Lutho in the families home in NU 6

Jonas experienced strong contrast. Contrast of all sorts. Contrast between rich and poor in the Mdantsane township itself. Contrast between the German life and the South African township life. Contrast is not easy to understand, when confronted with it in a harsh way. There is a big difference between watching a "documentary" on television or being thrown into the documentary and being part of it in real life.

"It takes you one year before you really know and understand how life functions here in the township. In the beginning you are just an observer and you have to find your way. This can take a long time because you have to overcome your own insecurities to socialize with the people", he said.

Corrugated Iron Shacks In NU 6 In Mdantsane

Why is an intense life experience so good! Why are we advocating this and are talking so much about these young Germans?

Because it is the first step, the beginning of a long journey, helping you to transcend the boundaries in which you have been raised and which hold you back. 

It is the first step, that makes it possible for you to keep the love for the place you were born and to treasure it, but to move on and free yourself from its limitations.   

And it is so good because you drag others into it, like your parents, friends and lovers who get send on the same path by you, just by knowing you and following you. 

And gradually it is the only way of freeing yourself and others of prejudice, racism and  the fear of foreign cultures.

Jonas And His German Parents Who Came To Visit Mdantsane With His Mdanstane Guest Family

The moral of the story: Do something extreme to yourself and not to others!

Jonas Celebrating Birthday With His Mothers And Brothers In Mdantsane

All Images Jonas Krombach, Article by Chocolat

The Queue Sisters - True Zulu Jive found in Mdantsane

Our publisher Chocolat and her brother Chris collect African sounds on vinyl and shellac for the love of music - not profit. Africa is blessed with an incredible diverse heritage of music that must be passed on and appreciated again and again.

In The Mdantsane Way Mgazine we try to keep it local and focus on out of print South African, and other African music, that is very difficult to find. We make the sounds available on our youtube channel.

Today we are happy to present you one of (many of) Chocolat's beloved babies - true Zulu Jive found in Mdantsane. On our trips through the township we have been buying vinyl and shellac records as often as we could. 

Khulumandoda by the Queue Sisters is a very rare species because it is not even 33 rpm pressing. It comes as a 78 rpm shellac record and is played here on one of Chocolat's President gramophones. You are listening to a very rare jive, that was pressed on the Gallo New Sound label in the late 1950's. We do not have an exact year.

Gallo, the leading record company in South Africa, introduced the New Sound label in 1958 as a marketing strategy to brand their more popular jive and kwela releases. 

And the label has an interesting history.  All about this label here. A blog that many South African music lovers will enjoy.
http://flatint.blogspot.com/2013/06/new-sound-label-lp-ep-discography.html

I Wish I Could Stay Longer - Interview With German GIZ Volunteer Theresa Ekpa

In a 26 minutes long and very personal interview, 19 year old German Development Volunteer Theresa Ekpa talks about the experiences she made during her one year stay - which has come close to an end - in the second biggest township of South Africa, Mdantsane. Theresa was part of a volunteer program of the GIZ (German Cooperation For Internationl Development) and lived with a guest family in Mdantsane.
She has come in contact with a multitude of new things, that have changed her thinking and the way she approaches life.

We have enjoyed her open, unpretentious and refreshing way of talking and as we have said before: this 19 year old young lady has some considerable presence for her age.

Theresa Ekpa - My Year In Mdantsane

Theresa Ekpa came to South Africa to spend a year in Mdantsane as a volunteer

It is with greatest pleasure, that I am sharing with you today my interview with German volunteer Theresa Ekpa. I have met Theresa a couple of month ago in Mdantsane while shooting our documentary movie at the Inkwenkwezi High School in Nu 6 in Mdantsane and this interview has been long on my list. 

This talented, humble 19 year old young woman deserves some exposure.

The Beauty From Two Different Parts Of The World

Theresa is a sweet, thoughtful and very tall girl. She is also an incredibly beautiful girl, who has been blessed with the best two different continents have to offer.

Yeah! That is what we have always said! Girls and Boys do not stay at home, go and visit foreign places and fall in love with someone, who is not like you!

Born to a German mother and a Nigerian father she has all, what nature can give to someone. And more than that. Theresa's head is sitting straight on her shoulders and this young lady has the confidence of a 30 year old.

Theresa- My Year In Mdantsane Has Changed My Life And The Way I See Life

When we sat down in the lush, tropical gardens of Green Living activist Annegret Mostert, where half tame horn bills were watching us from a distance, waiting to be fed, we discovered, that Theresa is at ease in front of the camera, as she is in a simple conversation with you. We were able to record an one hour interview with her, that was a walk in a park compared to other interviews we have done. Theresa knows exactly what she wants to say and how she wants it to say.

There is great sensitivity in the way she formulates her sentences and when she asks you to give her a moment, to think about a question before answering, she gets this dreamy look in her eyes. Was I like this when I was 19?  Hm, well......

Her calmness and self assurance can be may be attributed to the fact, that she grew up with two cultures and with the inborn understanding, that each culture deserves respect in this world.

This made her also a perfect candidate for a volunteer position in Mdantsane.

Hornbills were waiting to be fed in Annegret Mostert's Garden

After completing her German matric, Theresa followed her heart and looked for a volunteer position in another country. 

She saw an opening for a volunteer position at a High School in the second biggest township of South Africa - Mdantsane, that was offered by the German Development Organisation GIZ (Gesellschaft Fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit). The position required of the succesful applicant to work and coach an environmental youth club at the High School Inkwenkwezi in collaboration with WESSA, a South African division of the WWF(Worl Wide Fund For Nature).
She applied and she got the position. 

Theresa followed her heart and her roots to Africa and came to live in Mdantsane with a local guest family for one year. This is huge!

The Theresa Ekpa interview with Theresa in Annegret's dream garden was a walk in the park. And she sort of belonged there.

This is really huge! 

For the ones, who do not know Mdantsane - still today Mdantsane is an exclusively black township. Browsing through government statistics, you will find that the graphs show a 3 % population of white people. White residents! But we wonder where are they?

And hey, with a population of close to 500.000 people according to government census, this would give us a number of 1500 white people living in Mdantsane? 

We are coming to Mdantsane since five years and we have not met one single white person living in the township.

So for a young girl from Germany like Theresa, to come and live in a different culture, and to live like the local people do, take the taxis for transport or walk, eat the same things your guest family eats  - that is a huge thing and a huge challenge. Let's hear what Theresa has to say!

Tell us a little bit about yourself? Why did you want to come to Mdantsane?

I am nineteen years old and I have been living my whole life in Germany. My father comes from Nigeria, he is a metallurgist and works now in England. He has lived for over thirty years in Europe in different countries. I have been to Nigeria only once, when I was eight years old. But I want to get to know Africa and the reason why I applied as a volunteer with the GIZ was, that I wanted to meet different people and get in touch with different cultures.

How to you see yourself today, coming from a multiracial background?

I definitely do not see myself as half German, half African. I am German, I live in Germany but I want to go and visit Nigeria again, my father's country, so that I can understand my African heritage better. The position in Mdantsane was a start to get in touch with the African continent. My father and my mother both are very proud, that I am doing this volunteer year in Africa.

What was your first impression of Mdantsane? Did you know about the history of townships in South Africa?

My first impression of Mdantsane was, that it is a place with incredible vibes. It is so colorful and energetic. Alone, to watch Hi-Way scenes during one day is incredible. I did my research before and when I found out, that Mdantsane is the second biggest township in South Africa, I was very surprised. I only knew about Soweto and when I read, that Mdantsane is second biggest I applied for the position. I did not want to be in a very small place.  

How is it to live with a local guest family in Mdantsane?

It was very, very challenging. I think experiences are different with different families, but the problem probably was that my arrival had not been properly announced and when somebody comes to live with a family for one year and the family is not prepared for this, it can cause problems.

Did you encounter security problems in Mdantsane?

I was warned about the security issue before many times. And I am definitely more aware of my environment here in Mdantsane, than I am in Germany but in general I was safe so far. I have not encountered any bad or life threatening things. I just live my life like I would live it in Germany. I am also not too scared.

 I was not too scared, I just live my life like in Germany

And Night Life? The famous Mdansane Night Life?

Unfortunately not! (A big sigh comes in our direction). My guest family was very strict and I was not allowed to go out at night. I would have loved more to dive into the music scene, go dancing, meet more people. I know that everybody goes to the Endaweni lounge but I have not been there. But it is on my list. I will go there one evening before I leave.

Any Boyfriends? 

No, I feel not that I am ready for a boyfriend or a longer relationship. It will come at the right time.

Did you make friends?

Oh yes I did, I found genuine friends and I know that some of these friendships will endure time and that they will last even when I am gone. 

What did you learn from your work as a volunteer?

It changed my life. I learned not to freak out always, to become calmer and develop more patience. I could see people live differently than we do in Germany and they are also happy and satisfied. The idea or objective of our volunteer programme is not so much to develop or help other people but to grow and develop our own character, so that we can take back what we learned to our own country and transform our country from the inside, by being less racist, less prejudiced. I do not think we are really capable of helping the people of Mdantsane, especially the youth, but we can inspire them as well, so that they will take steps in life. that they would have not taken otherwise without knowing us 

Theresa's Love Affair With Tea

We are going to stop at this point. Today's interview was supposed to make you a little curious what else this courageous young woman has to say. We have prepared a long interview with her, that is going to be uploaded on youtube in the next days.

Thanks Theresa for your time and patience.  

Donkeys In The Mist - Rob Mellin

Donkeys In The Mist At Kwelera, Eastern Cape - Photography By Rob Mellin

Inkciyo - The Magic Of Old Xhosa Bead Work - And Its Value On The African Arts Market Today

I want to seize the moment to thank our readers for the appreciation and interest they have shown in our article "The Significance of Beads and Bead work in the Xhosa Culture".

When preparing and writing this article, I was not aware, that it would fall into and fill a niche of interest on the Internet and that it would bring us hundreds of new readers. We thank you for all your emails and again we can only say, you are the ones, who inspire us and make us come up with new ideas for the Mdantsane Way Magazine.

Because of my passion for old African Trade beads, African Art and Jewelry I have been ordained to continue writing on this topic and I thoroughly enjoy doing so, but we will get a little bit philosophical today.

The Province of the Eastern Cape is home to many ethnic groups, and although it is the poorest  province in South Africa, it has an incredibly rich culture and African heritage. 

Genuine old Xhosa bead work pieces, coming from the villages and the rural areas of the Eastern Cape, that have been used in traditional ceremonies are extremely hard to find and are seldom sold to foreigners or even locals. Their symbolic value is priceless. The fact, that a piece has been used continuously in rituals and initiation ceremonies makes it "holy" in a way.

The Tradition Is Alive

The tradition of beading is alive throughout the Eastern Cape and beaded jewelry and adornments have taken on modern shapes and designs. Bead work can be bought everywhere, on the street markets, in shops, airports, hotel boutiques and even in shopping centers. 

Many designs are exact copies of the bead work pieces created from the 1930's onwards in the Eastern Cape, when glass beads became a definite part of the traditional way of dressing in the Xhosa culture.

But it is rare to find old Xhosa bead work pieces for sale on the market, that are 50 to 70 years old.

The genuine old pieces are treated as heirlooms and they are treasured by their owners and kept in the families.

Old Xhosa bead work radiates some sort of magic, that is hard to grasp. Holding them in your hands, you can feel the pulse of the culture and the heritage they embody. They have transcended the lives of the many people who have worn them at very important, life changing stages in their lives. 

Am I romantic, or even a poet? Yes sure I am - but I believe, that this is true. The feeling a person has, when wearing a piece of jewelry, a special piece of jewelry made for a specific occasion, descends into the piece of jewelry.

Today we are dedicating time to a very special type of bead work item worn traditionally since centuries by the young girls of the Xhosa and Thembu clans - the Inkciyo.  The Thembu speak the Xhosa language but they belong to an independent kingdom.

An old Inkciyo exhibited in the King Williams Town Museum in the Eastern Cape Of South Africa

The Inkciyo is a sort of apron, specifically made for the young girls who have reached the stage of becoming a woman. 

Amongst the Thembu and Xhosa people, when a young girl gets her first period, she withdraws for a whole month from the members of her community. She goes into seclusion. 

She becomes a Ntonjane. Ntonjane is a term, that could best be described as the life stage of evolution from an insect pupa into a butterfly.

It is the transition phase where a girl matures to a woman. During this important time, the girl is instructed in the tasks, accepted behavior, costumes and responsibilities, that a Xhosa woman has to comply with in her culture. 

Usually, a woman from her father's family, for instance the sister of her father guides her during the period of seclusion and teaches her everything she needs to know for her life as a woman. Her first task is to bead her Inkciyo or "cache sexe" (the french expression for a pubis apron), which is the only garment she is permitted to wear, except for a blanket.

A Thembu Girl Wearing The Inkciyo

During the one month long period seclusion the girl wears nothing but the Inkciyo. Her breasts are bare and she stays in her natural beauty. 

The period of Ntonjane seclusion ends with a celebration and a feast welcoming the girl into womanhood.

After the seclusion, has ended the apron is not worn by the girl anymore. Most of the time it is kept and passed on to the next girl, who has reached the stage of becoming initiated.  After all girls of the family have matured and there is no girl left to inherit the apron, it stays in the family as a heirloom.

But often the Inkciyo is taken apart and the beads are re-used for beading a new Inkciyo for another girl when her time comes to be initiated.

 

I have also heard the saying, that some Thembu women wear them under their full skirts. 

The Ritual Is Important

Understanding the tradition of handing down an item from one person to the next in a family for a certain ritual, makes it also clear why heirlooms are more than symbolic objects and why they have spiritual, emotional and mystical qualities as well. This does not only apply to African societies.

Just think of the engagement ring your husband gave you and that your granddaughter is now wearing. Or the wedding dress made of old ivory colored, lace that hangs neatly packed away and untouched in a cupboard in your basement or in a store room. And nobody is allowed to touch it without your permission.

Think of pressed flowers, that a woman has kept for many years between the pages of a book. The flowers do not only serve as a memory to her. When she is looking at them, her hair already grey, they seem to carry the words, that once accompanied them, when they were given to her by the one she loved.

I believe that whatever you do in great passion, deep sincerity and with a strong belief transcends the object, that you use while doing it. That is the essence of a ritual. Through your own inner conviction and determination the ritual gets the strength and power, which in turn flows into the objects, that are used to fulfill the ritual. The ritual itself gets reinforced through the spiritual power of the whole community believing in it.

Still many people use lucky charms in 2013.

It is understandable now, why people, who think this way are willing to spend enormous amounts of money on old genuine bead work, African artifacts, masks etc.of different origins.

Not only the object is acquired but with it comes the power, the tradition of a foreign place and  the strength of it.  

The International African Art Market

Looking at the dynamics of the international trade of African artifacts, including trade beads and beaded jewelry, it is easy to see, that many people in this world believe in the soul of an object.

On the international online market place E-bay many traders deal with items coming from Africa since years and some have acquired great expert reputation by now. Xhosa bead work jewelry pieces and adornments range among the most desirable and fetch prices of several hundred dollars per piece.

Africa Direct is a trader operating on E-bay since 1997, specialising in African Trade Beads, African Art and African Jewelry. With a feedback of 43367 and 99,8% positive rating they are counted amongst the power sellers on E-Bay.

They have been honored with E-Bay;s hall of fame awards and by E-bay giving works through which they have raised more than 86.000$ for charity. Africa Direct is owned by two American women Elizabeth Bennett and Sarah Luther.

It all began after a year of wandering through Southern Africa in their van with their multi-racial family, they say!

A delightful apron made out of cotton thread fringes decorated with glass beads with strip of yellow beads. The strap of yellow beads has ritual purpose. The yellow color is said to induce fertility ( see Marie-Louise Labelle, Beads of Life, p. 121).

Here is what they have to say about their passion: "African art, trade beads and ethnic jewelry are both business and passion for Sara and me. We started buying African art twenty years ago as gifts for our children, four of whom are adopted and are African-American. We had been active in anti-apartheid politics for some time. In 1994, when Mandela was elected, we took the three still-at-home kids out of school and moved to southern Africa for eight months. We bought a used food panel van, converted it into a camper and traveled fifteen thousand miles through South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Swaziland. We weren't consciously beginning a business...but we noticed we were buying more than we could keep, give away, or sell at garage sales. In the beginning, we did shows and held open houses. Now, most of our sales are online".

Xhosa beaded pubis apron Inkciyo by E-bay seller Africa Direct

"We go on six-week buying trips to Africa every few years, and bring back containers. We also have African traders in our driveway almost daily. We buy from more than one hundred traders (including two women!) who come from both coasts, fly in from France and send shipments from Africa. We care about supporting living artists, and buy from co-ops in South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Uganda, Swaziland and other places."

Some of the most beautiful old beaded Xhosa adornments and jewelry pieces have certainly found their way into homes in foreign countries.

Glass beads, Cotton threads, buttons made of mother-of-pearls

 

Beaded detail of an Inkciyo sold by Africa Direct on E-Bay

 

School Education Going Industrial In South Africa?

Today's article was written by a 2^nd year journalism student of the Walter Sisulu University. Nobesuthu Beya investigates a new clocking system for teachers which has been proposed by the Department of Education. 

Despite government’s good intention, there has been mixed emotions when it comes to the proposed finger clocking system for teachers.
R480 million is to be invested in a proposed biometric clocking system for schools, aimed at curbing teacher absenteeism and bettering the education system in our country. This was announced earlier this year by Education Minister Angie Motshekga at a media briefing.
A recent survey showed that South Africa has the highest teacher absenteeism rate in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), according to the South African Government News Agency.  

       
SADTU Deputy General Secretary Nkosana Dolophi said he did not reject the proposed system
but questioned whether it is a priority given the current state of the education system.

Nozihle Mbokomba, a teacher at Dumisa LP School in Mdanstane, said: “My only wish is that if this system comes to pass it will be implemented at both provincial and national level and that senior officials will also clock in using the same method.”

Learners are often found outside their classrooms during school hours. The proposed new clocking system for teachers might result in less teachers being absent and more learners attending classes.  

According to the World Economic Forum South Africa is among the lowest ranked countries when it comes to the standard of education, due to staff shortages, poor teacher training, lack of educational resources and lack of support for pupils both at home and at school.

Sinovuyo Makhenkane, a former pupil at Msobomvu High School in Chalumna, said: “Surely an investment of R480 million towards skills development would benefit the country better. In grade 11 we did not have an accounting teacher for three months and when he finally arrived most of us failed the subject.”
“The money could be channelled towards scholar transport too, as it is a major problem,” said Nozihle Mbokomba.

Currently teachers clock in by signing a book to record their attendance. But the system has proved to be a failure as it can easily be bypassed, as teachers simply ask their colleagues to sign in for them when they are absent. The biometric clocking system will enable the Department of

Education to collect real-time data.Nkosazana Jamelani (72), a grandmother of six said: “I send my children to school so they can be educated and become leaders one day but if there’s no one teaching them at schools, they won’t get anywhere in life. This system might help in assuring that my kids are guaranteed to get education when they go to school.”Even though this system is still in the pipeline it has been under a lot of scrutiny in the media as many people feel it is a waste of money and it would be attempting to treat only the symptoms and not the core issues that face the education system in our country.
Article and Image by Nobesuthu Beya/Walter Sisulu Univesity

Mdantsane Coach Aya's Dream Is Basketball Without Borders

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.  

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.

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.  

.

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.

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. 

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.

 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.

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.

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.

Concentration And Speed Is Needed To Play Basketball

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.

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.

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.

Let the images speak for themselves!

 A View Of The Township In The Distance

Coach Aya always supportive

All Age Groups And All Skill Levels

Our Very Young Free Lance Anchors Theresa Ekpa And Jonas Krombach With Coach Aya

Theresa, The Coach And Jonas

The Right Feeling For The Ball

A New Generation Of Young South African Women Has Been Born, They Want To Be Slim, Fit And Free

Mdantsane Basket Ball Girls In Action

The Inkwenkwezi High School Environmental Youth Club - Turning Waste Into Art

A Movie by Theresa Ekpa And Jonas Krombach