Cascoland Journal

Monday 13 February

Art students from the Stellenbosch University, mobilized by the Cascoland initiative, revealed their projects in their support for the people of New Crossroads last Monday. Before an interested audience at the Mayenzeke Center, the students proposed seven projects that can inspire the residents in community building. They also promised to come and present practical workshops on income generating activities before and during the Cascoland presentation from 2 to 12 March 2006.

One student put it quite right in the presentation that she had been working on. That all the support from the students of the Stellenbosch University is done because the South Africa of today is indeed a rainbow nation. And all people, without regard to color or racial background, should assist each other as one people. It set the pace for a remarkable round of presentation, which represented a gesture of solidarity with the people of New Crossroads.

Take for example the Boxcar project. Besides promoting team spirit amongst teenagers in this race that will take place on Tom Street, the students also expressed their wish to make this event a yearly reoccurring day of leisure. At the moment they are in negotiations with Coca Cola to sponsor it.

The Xchange project, Leli Lixa Bendilindele (I am the moment I have been waiting for), with a primary school class was also very interesting. Children of one class of the Andile Public Primary School are participating in that project. They have to bring an old t-shirt and get a new shirt with a positive message written on it. Afterwards the old t-shirts will be woven together to form a tent in which pictures of all the participating children will be hanging.

The most promising and viable project in future, as an income-generating tool, was the Paper Machete project. The students are going to teach basic skills how one can make paper, with very little means. And not just simple paper. ´This paper is sold for a very good price to European markets´, one of the students emphasized. For this reason knowledge about how to get buyers is of utmost importance. In the spirit of sharing, as expressed by the students, they will teach how to make paper with old newspapers, water, sunlight soap, stotch and natural color ingredients. They promised to give the first batch of ingredients for free to start of this endeavor. The negotiations with a local businessman in Cape Town are already underway to acquire old newspapers.

A man in the public greeted the project enthusiastically. He clearly saw potential in it and said that it could benefit the jobless youngsters in New Crossroads. He pleaded to be informed in time so that he could bring his children to attend and learn. A woman expressed her frustration when she said that New Crossroads had been neglected for such a long time and that this project is an opportunity that should be embraced.

Another project that focuses on developing a community spirit was Iqela Lidlala. By using used materials that are easily available a set of games were proposed for the children and teenagers within the community. Especially one game that was presented caught the eye of many residents. One that is all about trusting the other players of the game. It goes as follows: Four chairs are placed together. Two chairs are facing the other chairs sideways. On each chair somebody is sitting. Each person has to lay his head and upper body on the lap of the one sitting next to him or her. Then other people slowly remove the chairs. Miraculously the four people have formed a position together whereby there bodies are hanging in the air in a position that is not possible for a single individual. This was definitely a mind blower.

Paint your flavor project

What the Stellenbosch students of the ´Paint your flavor project` propose is to gradually, in a period of two years, paint al the houses in New Crossroads. Each house resident has to register, on a day that will be announced, and give his or her color of preference for their house.

According to the students each community needs a common foundation that has a common ground upon which it can build, just like a house needs a good strong foundation on which it can build. A strong foundation means a strong community.
In their presentation the students went into much detail. To do all this work first of all paint, lots of paint, is necessary. Besides that they will need brushes, ladders, transport costs have to be covered, paper and print costs for registering the residents of New Crossroads, for all the advertising materials like poster and flyers etc etc. If this project can be materialized a number of residents who have skills in painting will be employed and get a salary for doing this job.