Cascoland Journal

Tuesday 7 March

If there was one local Cascolander who kept her cool throughout the hectic days of the festival it must have been Nozakuthini Florida Dudula, better known as Norma. Being involved in many different projects, mobilizing people of New Crossroads to participate, she was an invaluable asset to the Cascoland crew.

One often recognizes a good organizer by a certain degree of stubbornness. Not everybody might be happy with that or understand it, but to have a project succeed steadfastness is very important. Nozakuthini ´Norma´ Florida Dudula is such a person. Living for more then 22 years in New Crossroads she has become an opinion leader who can make a difference.

To reach that point Norma had to go through a lot to get where she is now. She says: ´Already at a young age my teachers in New Crossroads told my mother that I was very bright. One day they called her and told her that for me to develop my talents I better be transferred to a multiracial school in town. At first it was not easy for my mother to get the money together, but she succeeded.´

In a neighborhood were the drop out levels at secondary school are too high and where some students lack a sense of acknowledgement that schooling is a good thing, Norma went ahead to become one of the few University post graduates New Crossroads has. She says: ´I already knew at a young age that school was the best way to survive in the future and to make my own family prosper more. Some people hated me for it. For a long time they gave me the impression that they didn´t want me to succeed.´

Some young people might get very disillusioned by that and drop out of school. Not for Norma. She says: ´The fact that they didn´t want me to succeed motivated me tremendously. I made new friends at that multiracial school and got very much involved in netball. I would come home at five, eat something and then start studying. When I did my metrics and the final results came out in the newspaper many people were looking for my name. I made it and from that moment onwards I had won the battle and people started to acknowledge me. They started coming to me to write letters in English for them. I became very good at solving the problems of others.´

When she looks at her own neighborhood she has a strong sentiment why so many things go wrong. She says: ´It is too easy to say that it is because of Apartheid that there is this apathy in my neighborhood. Certainly the younger generation of today cannot hide behind that. Too many people shift the blame to others. I think people should do more soul searching and try to turn bad into good. My parents’ generation really had it bad, but my own generation should try more and not sit back. This attitude of youngsters these days, that schooling is no good, will bring us nowhere.´

Talking about the crime in New Crossroads she has strong views. She says: ´In my eyes the justice system doesn´t work. For years now the police react too slow when something is happening. To have them come we have to sometimes exaggerate the facts and say that the thieves have guns. For this reason people have become apathetical. Some years ago we were fed up by the slowness of the police. We sat together, formed a big group and rounded up all the little thieves. We called their parents and forced them to sign a letter that stated that when they would repeat their bad behavior we would intervene and punish them. But then the police came and told us we were not allowed to take the law into our own hands. But every now and again something happens again and the police leaves us in the cold.´

A personal problem for Norma is the fact that her high qualification as a postgraduate holder is a frustrating factor for getting a good job. She says: ´This country is still divided by the color of your skin. If you want to work for a white or a colored employer they will often rather have one of their own, who is less qualified than me, to work for them. It happened to me several times. It is a very stressful experience.´ Norma has been very happy to show her skills during Cascoland. She says: ´What I realized is that in life you shouldn´t focus on just one direction. In just a short time I learned about making animation films and other things. It is not smart to say ``that is not my style´´ without knowing what it is. You have to be open minded to make it in life.´

Norma with mother and daughter

Norma with son