Random Thoughts on Influence

Random Thoughts on Influence:

9 january 2012

Since coming home to South Africa I have had several discussions on influence and identity with family and friends. We are a culture with so many traditions, cultural differences and yet we are influenced greatly by Other cultures! Let me explain... See I work and live in a society that has influenced the world greatly. Its Music, Hollywood, Celebrity… America. But as far as I know only a very small percentage of that world actually cares about the beauty that is Africa. The Essence of our Continent that makes us Unique and different.

The Minority of Celebrities who have either been here on tour, who have fallen in love with our people, those who have organizations to feed and help the homeless & Then a selected few who have either been here on a missions trip or generally know the beauty and come here to appreciate it. Yet even with All the above that I have mentioned, It is a very small percentage. And Yet, We Marvel at the very existence that is America! Every move they make, their accent, the way they dress, their music, the extravagant way of living presented on television that is Not necessarily a true reflection of the entire nation.

Look I’m not pointing any fingers as I live there and in many ways have also been influenced but I guess in coming home I always look forward to our different accents and dialects which I have tried to maintain while living there. And after 5 years of being there, I still sound the way I did when I left for the most part! So I have been brought to question myself…. As they ask in Music, who are your greatest influences…. I loved coming home looking at television and hearing different sounds, cultures. Seeing different looks. But this time I was a little shocked. BAD Weaves galore, fake eye lashes on every corner. Besides our local soapes and news channels, so much has been influenced. ARE WE LOSING OUR IDENTITY AS AFRICAN PEOPLE? There are so many American South Africans who’s biggest dream is to go to New York, which is a great aspiration to have and I encourage it greatly, but it seems that we haven’t taken the time the teach our children about beauties of The Drakensburg, The Garden Route, The Kruger National Park, Table Mountain, God’s Window in Sabie, then to extend the beauty Zanzibar, The Victoria Falls, the White beaches of Maputo and so much more. We have so many treasures that we will never experience because we don’t know we have it. We are pressured to go far far away. And yet quality and beauty is right here… Some of us have never even been up table mountain and yet people from around the world come to see it!

For those who have travelled around the world, they will tell you that South Africa is still one of the most beautiful countries to behold and yet we don’t realize the gifts we have. The gift of family dinners every night. A simple smile given to our neighbors. The respect for our elders and each other. A hug and a kiss, which comes so naturally. We are slowly becoming a culture of me and mine. This saddens me so much.

Walking in the mall looking at little girls with their mom’s wearing wigs from the age 6 and up really troubled me GREATLY!!!!! What are we teaching our children? Our children only model after what they see, so if mom allows me to wear a wig at 6 by 15 skin lightening and soon after a boob job is in order. Not saying that any these are wrong but we open the doors for low self esteem and self hatred of which I know too well and as I look at these little children my heart breaks!! The pressure society puts on our kids is leading to a large number of unhealthy children with self inflicted diseases on the rise like anorexia an bulimia amongst boys and girls. The Hollywood we See, Love and Model after looks nothing like America as a whole. If we would just take the time to know that we have something really good!!!!

I walked around my hometown on New Years day. Nasaret Middelburg Mphumalanga. I saw kids who grew up right in front of my eyes some who have chosen to be different worked hard and some under the influence of alcohol and drugs at a very young age. Someone said to me…. Hey when you go back to America, tell little Wayne my kids said hello. And although it’s an innocent request from a dad to make his son smile, is this who we have chosen to be the models that our children follow after?

I guess this Blog is not directed at you, but rather at me. Moving to the states really made me very Patriotic about being South African as i realize how much we as a country actually know about others. We are Not Ignorant when we travel, we always take the time to find out more about other cultures and languages. And we are very loving, kind hearted people. We love to love and to give and to DANCE.... So I guess as I go back to the States I’m torn slightly, looking at myself wondering what is your biggest Influence Lois? And what is it that makes you who you are in the world you live in?


As I continue find myself a little more each day and as i journey, traveling the world, Learning from other cultures and countries. I hope I will never forget those who set the standard! The heroes we as a country celebrate and All those unsung Heroes No one Knows about. My desire is to NEVER forget, lose or change who I am! I AM AN AFRICAN… PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN! Let's not forget that that:)

The following biographies are taken from the South African Hall of fame.

Those who have expanded our horizons. 

The stuff of legends.

Nelson Mandela
1918 - ? Freedom fighter, boxer, lawyer, political prisoner, president and 'Father of the Nation'. He founded the ANC's armed wing 'Umkhonto we Sizwe' in 1961 and led his country into the post-Apartheid era in 1994. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.

Chris Barnard
1922 - 2001 Surgeon who performed the first human heart transplant in the world, in 1967. He was also the first to do a "piggyback" transplant in 1971, and the first to do a heart-lung transplant. He pioneered a system of post-operative intensive care that markedly decreased patient mortality.



Desmond Tutu
1931 - ? Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Cape Town, head of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and activist. He boldly engaged in a nationwide defiance campaign under Apartheid. Winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.


Steve Biko
1946 - 1977 Activist and black consciousness leader who preached Black solidarity to “break the chains of oppression”. He died in police custody after being beaten and interrogated for 24 days.

Miriam
Makeba
1932 - 2008 Singer and human rights activist was exiled for 30 years from her home country and is the first South African to win a Grammy award. She twice addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations and is a winner of the 1986 Dag Hammerskjold Peace Prize.



Saartjie Baartman
1789 - 1816 The 'Hottentot Venus', as she was called in Europe, was a Khoisan girl who was misled and humiliated in her short and tragic life, only to have further indignity bestowed on her after death.


Albert Luthuli
1898 - 1967 Mission teacher who became a leader of the ANC. He believed in non-violence and defied the Verwoerdian administration with protest actions such as passbook-burning. He was awarded the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize.

Enoch Sontonga
circa 1873 - 1905 Composer and teacher who created the song "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika", which became the anthem of three countries and generations of Africans.

Olive Schreiner
1855 - 1920 The first South African novelist of consequence, and one of the most significant feminist theorists of the twentieth century. Her most famous works were "Story of an African Farm" and "Women and Labour".

Nadine Gordimer
1923 - ? Novelist, essayist, screenwriter, political activist and champion of the disenfranchised won the Booker Prize in 1974 for 'The Conservationist' and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991.

Charlize
Theron
1975 - ? Oscar and Golden Globe-winning actress, dancer and animal activist had a major role in a hard-hitting anti-rape campaign in South Africa and frequently acts as an unofficial, but highly effective ambassador for her home country.



Those who have inspired us. Those who have defined us.
Those who have shown us our common humanity.

Saartjie Baartman
1789 - 1816 The 'Hottentot Venus', as she was called in Europe, was a Khoisan girl who was misled and humiliated in her short and tragic life, only to have further indignity bestowed on her after death.

Herman Charles Bosman
1909 - 1955 Irreverent and controversial master of the short story, once a death row inmate, who broke new boundaries with his satirical portrayal of backveld Afrikaners and the more seedy characters found in metropolitan Johannesburg.

Alison Botha
1970 - ? Rape survivor who was left for dead after suffering a horrifying attack that shocked a nation. Today she is an international speaker on rape and a successful author.

J. M. Coetzee
1940 - ? This Professor of Literature and author became the first writer to win two Booker prizes. He won the first in 1983, for the "Life and Times of Michael K." and the second in 1999 for "Disgrace". In 2003 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Bram Fischer
1908 - 1975 Rhodes Scholar, lawyer and anti-Apartheid revolutionary who defended Nelson Mandela at the Rivonia Trial and died serving a life sentence for treason.

Athol Fugard
1932 - ? One of the country's premier playwrights whose works, many which were previously banned, deal with contemporary South Africa and the psychological and physical barriers confronted in trying to overcome Apartheid.

Emily Hobhouse
1860 - 1926 Humanitarian activist who exposed the horrors of concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer War. Her ashes are buried at the foot of the Women's Memorial monument in Bloemfontein.


Mike Horn
1966 - ? Adventurer and extreme sport enthusiast that has set several world records and firsts, among them the solo, unpowered circumnavigation of the globe.


Nkosi Johnson
1989 - 2001 Aids activist who was the longest surviving child born with the virus in the country. He became a symbol for sufferers after an emotional speech he made at the World Aids Conference.

Hugh Masekela
1939 - ? Renowned trumpeter and musical innovator who has popularised his particular brand of African music accross the globe for over four decades.

'Baby Jake' Matlala
1962 - ? Four-time world flyweight boxing champion who was the shortest man in boxing and retired successfully defending his crown, at the age of 40.

Precious McKenzie
1936 - ? South Africa has a hero who remains unsung in his country of birth. Precious Mckenzie had to overcome numerous trials during his lifetime to become the sportsman who some herald as one of the all-time greats.


Alan Paton
1903 – 1988
Former principal and famous author of Cry, the Beloved Country who tirelessly campaigned for a better South Africa during its dark years.

Sol Plaatje
1876 - 1932 Journalist, author and activist who wrote Mhudi, the first novel by a black South African. He was also a founding member of the ANC and had a major role in establishing Nkosi Sikilel i'Afrika as the anthem of freedom.


Gary Player
1935 - ? Golfing legend and philanthropist who has won 160-plus tournaments worldwide, including 9 Grand Slam tournaments. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.

Walter Sisulu
1912 - 2003 Activist and patriot who was jailed for life in 1963, along with Nelson Mandela. He became deputy president of the ANC after his release in 1989 and has been the cornerstone of the "old guard" in the struggle.

Tokyo Sexwale
1959 - ? Freedom fighter, Robben Island prisoner, politician and entrepeneur who became the first premier of Gauteng, only to retire from politics when his term ended.

Zanele Situ
1979 - ? Javelin and discus athlete who became the first black South African to win an Olympic gold medal at the paraplegic games.

Josiah Thugwane
1971 - ? Hijack survivor, marathon runner and the first black South African to win a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Shaka Zulu
circa 1787 - 1828 Military strategist who assumed the throne of the Zulu Kingdom. After he reorganized the Zulu into a military clan, he soon forged them into a force unchallenged in Southern African kingdoms.



Some of the Heroes we know about! We All have our personal heroes let us not look too far For greatness, it's right in front and inside of you!!

Use your Influence for the Good!!