Mbulelo Hohlo: Writer, Director, Actor, and Poet

Mbulelo Hohlo came to Bush Radio to talk about his upcoming theatre production called Take Me Back. He is both the writer and director of the production and will be acting as well. His creativity doesn’t stop there though, Mbulelo also writes and performs poetry.

Mbulelo speaks to all the artists, writers, musicians, and performers out there and encourages them to keep pushing, to keep writing and performing. Even when it gets difficult, his message to striving performers and writers is that “you are still standing there because there is somewhere you want to be,” so continue with your craft.

We witnessed Mbulelo perform a poem live in the studio, which you can hear below in the recording. He performed the poem in Xosa and said that each language gives a different feeling to the poem. If he translated the poem to another language, the poem would change from a performance to a reading.  

Mbulelo’s lasting message is that “your craft is worth more than you think, so let’s respect our craft and let’s do our best with it.”

Production details:

Written and directed by: Mbulelo Hohlo

Performance director: Yongama Siwangaza

Cast: Mbuluo Hohlo, Zizipho Gege, Yongama Siwangaza

Date: 22 July 2017

Location: Nkqubela Community Hall

You can follow Mbululo Hohlo on his facebook: Mbulelo King V-Star Hohlo 
You can also find him on these Facebook pages: Curtain Call African Speak, Umbono Wethongo

Presenter: Mkhuseli Khusi Veto
Producer: Sophie Breck

Creating jobs and business leaders: First Car Care College

Jaques Erasmus and Abigail Warwick from First Car Care College came to talk to us in the studio. First Car Care College is a fully functional auto-body repair shop and a practical private college based in the Western Cape. The college trains students in artisanal skills such as spray painting and automotive body repair and then helps those students find employment. 

Jaques says his goal is to help take people off the street and give them a skill, employment, and future business skills. The college currently has 65 students and almost 95% of those students receive sponsorships to attend the college so that they do not have to pay the full college fees. Artisanal training and low fees... sign me up please. The aim of First Car Care College, Jaques says, is “not only to create artisans, but also to create future business leaders” so that they can turn around and employ more people. 

Abigail Warwick, a current student at the college gave us a personal insight into the life of a First Car Care College student. She began her studies in 2012 and is now a qualified spray painter. Not only does she have a certificate in spray painting, but she is also starting her own panel shop along with two of her colleagues. She says she is “looking forward to helping other people find jobs."  Her success story shows women and men alike that the First Car Care College helps students not only become skilled workers but also business leaders.

Presenter: Mkhuseli Khusi Veto
Producer: Sophie Breck

HOPE Cape Town

This morning we spoke with Marlene Whitehead, Brett Steensmia, and Kelsey who spent their 67 minutes on Mandela Day helping the organisation HOPE Cape Town. The organisation strives to improve the quality of life of children and families affected by HIV/AIDS and related illnesses. Marlene has been working with HOPE Cape Town for the past seven months and told us about the clinics, soup kitchens, gardens, preschools, as well as other resources that HOPE Cape Town provides for children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. 

Brett Steensmia believes that organisations are more powerful when they work together, so his organization, We Can Together Foundation, joined forces with HOPE Cape Town to make a larger impact on Mandela Day. We Can Together Foundation focuses on giving at risk youth skills, resources, and training with a special interest in bringing youth into platforms of technology and education. 

Kelsey from the Duke Engage program in the United States also brought volunteers from her program to help out on Mandela Day. The Duke engage program is an immersive service program that brings Duke University students abroad on 8-week service programs.

We asked our guests what they think is one of the greatest challenges for NGOs and Marlene responded that the main stress is competing for resources with other NGOs. She believes as Brett does that collaboration between NGOs “brings about unity” and that organisations should focus more on working together to increase the successes of both organisations.

Listen to the whole conversation here and check out the organisations: HOPE Cape Town, We Can Together Foundation, and Duke Engage.

Presenter: Mkhuseli Khusi Veto

Producer: Sophie Breck

Western Cape Cerebral Palsy Association

Sharon from Western Cape Cerebral Palsy Association discussed her organisation’s role in providing services for children and adults with Cerebral Palsy. This disorder affects the voluntary movement and coordination controlled by different regions in the brain. The organisation provides support through medical clinics, special education, residential areas and more.

A highlight from one of the many services that Western Cape Cerebral Palsy Association offers is a clinic for parents raising a child with the disorder. Together, parents and their child can learn how to overcome the disorder.    

On Mandela day this year, Sharon will be dedicating her 67 minutes of Kindness by talking to marketing executives in order to build Western Cape Cerebral Palsy Association into a strong brand. Sharon’s vision is to raise awareness about not only the organisation, but also the disorder itself so that children and adults with Cerebral Palsy can find the resources they need. 

Presenter: Mkhuseli Khusi Veto
Producer: Sophie Breck

Christine Souffrant Ntim and Entrepreneurship

We spoke with Christine Souffrant Ntim who is a self-proclaimed, “Entrepreneur, traveler, and go-getter”. She is here in Cape Town to give a series of talks on how to become an entrepreneur. Raised in Haiti and educated in the U.S. Christine has a wealth of resources and tips to share with anyone looking to learn how to turn their skill sets and interests into a business.

After studying in the United States, Christine turned back to her roots in Haiti where she was raised in a family of street vendors. She combined her new skills with her background to create an app that allows street vendors to find customers. She describes the app as a “directory and photo log” of local street vendors, which allows vendors to gain a larger market of customers. She recently made the Forbes list for her entrepreneurship and now she is sharing her skills and resources with the public.

So what is the secret to creating your own business? Christine emphasizes life-long learning. She says, “If you want to be successful, you need to learn the art of learning”. Christine is constantly challenging her mind to learn more by travelling across the globe and throwing herself into challenges that she knows will help her grow as a person.

Here in Cape Town tonight at the American Corner located at the Central library, Christine will be talking about three things:

1. How to understand what your skill sets are and how to use them

2. How to pitch your ideas

3. How to find helpful resources to get you started

Christine’s lasting message to any listener is that “normal people can do great things”.

Presenter: Mkhuseli Khusi Veto

Producer: Sophie Breck

Nancy Richard from Woman Zone

Tuesday 11 July 2017

Nancy Richards and Mkhuseli Khusi Veto

Nancy Richard from Woman Zone was here in studio to tell us all about their aims and programmes. The group is sustained by two pillars, one is bringing women of all different races, ages and backgrounds together and second is to celebrate what women are doing.  Women Zone went to different communities for a year and gathered empowering stories from women which was then recorded and put into a book called, Being A Woman In Cape Town. 

Nancy Richards and Mkhuseli Khusi Veto

They have managed to orchestrate a women’s library and centre at Artscape with story cafes and story sharing to revel the power women have. We spoke about the Woman’s Arts Humanity Festival held at the Artscape and their Women’s Humanity walk from St. Georges Cathedral to Artscape which will take place on Women’s Day this year and all are encouraged to join. 

The group works and interacts with women of all ages, from little girls to old ladies. Another topic of conversation was gender violence and abuse, it’s not getting better for women. Women have to work together with each other and with men to fight against these oppressions.

 Blog: info@womanzonect.co.za

Email: www.womanzonect.com

Facebook: Woman Zone CT

Cell: 083 431 9986

Presenter: Mkhuseli Khusi Veto

Producer: Kristin Engel  and Tracy Mlungwana