Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Freedom Day - 27th April



Let’s all take time to count our blessings on this journey and to count our blessings for everything that has been achieved and for the breakthroughs.  In the spirit of Ubuntu we must find solutions in areas that still need help.   

As we start our journey into our 21st year of democracy, we must ask ourselves what new vistas and commitments will we explore in order to serve and make an impactful and sustainable difference  to our fellow citizens as the public broadcaster in the areas of:


1)           Driving democracy, education and instill the nation to uphold human rights, dignity and values
2)           Celebrating 20 years of freedom in a democratic country
3)           Creating a platform and space for sharing moments of greatness and success stories
4)           Acknowledging and recognising individuals you continue to make a difference in the lives of many
5)           Reflecting the country’s positive achievements
6)           Encouraging economic freedom through a culture of creating and preserving wealth
7)           Fostering justice, tolerance and fairness
8)           Investing in education, health , youth and early childhood development
9)           Showing the public that their participation can make a difference
10)        Inspiring and stimulating willingness and ability to resolve disputes peacefully instead of violently.
11)        Improving basic skills including critical thinking and the ability to communicate power of observation and problem-solving techniques.
12)        Informing the public about the health priorities in our country on a holistic level
13)        Informing the public about the education priorities and gaps in our country especially in Maths, Science and Technology and encourage career pathing in scare skills
14)        Focusing on children as they are our future, we must ensure early childhood development and participate in National campaigns for a formalised Grade R
15)        Driving youth development in all aspects of their lives in a holistic manner (emotional, psychological, intellectual, spiritual, social, political, economical)
16)        Eradicating poverty and hunger in a Patriarchal World empowering citizens to participate in finding answers and creating solutions
17)        Searching and exploring ways for job creation in a non-linear manner in order to empower citizens to create jobs
18)        Prioritising safety and security especially in areas that continue to threaten communities and loss of life thus collectively building a violence free society
19)        Encouraging environmental care and sustainability and healing the Earth with Care and Concern
20)        Driving back to school campaigns to encourage universal access and to encourage students and learners to take responsibility to have a culture and spirit of learning
21)        Inspiring fathers and young men campaigns with the view to a balance between genders and roles
22)        Inspiring the setting of realistic targets of reducing road deaths
23)        Reducing women and Child Abuse.  The plight of women, infants and children continues to grow and we must engage all stakeholders to find an answer
24)        Encouraging rehabilitation of drug and alcohol addicts as they continue to be a contributor to crime, violence, disease, unemployment death and an endless list of challenges
25)        Strengthening society through values and morals
26)        Encouraging unity in diversity
27)        Improving maternal health and Child mortality rates
28)        Encouraging global partnerships and experiential learning
29)        Encouraging rule of law, justice and democracy
30)        Keeping the Mandela legacy alive through service to the community and telling stories about the history of his journey as a freedom fighter and father of our nation
31)        Upholding honesty, integrity, loyalty, respect, concern for people, justice, fairness and a peaceful co-existence
32)        Inspiring harmony in culture, belief and conscience
33)        Reconciling with Indigenous Peoples
34)        Securing Food and Water for all
35)        Creating platforms and a space to discuss and dialogue on Social Cohesion
36)        Sharing Wisdom in the Search for Inner Peace
37)        Creating a platform for the nation to dialogue on issues that affect us all and facilitate critical enquiry and dialogue
38)        Encouraging citizens to be accountable for their own responsible citizenary
39)        Pausing and reflecting on sustainable solutions for our own issues
40)        Celebrating greatness, positivity and the things that work to inspire hope
41)        Inspiring participation for the forthcoming elections and celebrations of 20 years of democracy and freedom
42)        Utilising moments that worked and engaged audiences throughout the Farewell to Madiba period
43)        Telling stories about Indigenous knowledge, history of untold stories, African languages, science and technology, etc.
44)        Educating the nation to plan effectively for retirement in advance in an innovative and action-orientated manner
45)        Sharing the wisdom from the elderly as they have already walked the journey and have a deeper understand than the younger generation
46)        Utilising the power of social media in a positive way
47)        Encouraging the study of and  effective utilisation of media law
48)        Creating and preserving wealth through effective and sustainable saving methods
49)        Encouraging the culture of reading and writing through quizzes, competitions, debates
50)        Empowering staff to face and adapt to change within their own environments
51)        Focussing on the essentials of broadcast management
52)        Driving campaigns that facilitate the healing within from past injustices
53)        Pioneering the establishment of a shared and co-owned South African identity
54)        Driving innovation and creativity and new ways of engaging audiences
55)        Using opportunities to tell positive stories and resurrect positivity, hope and zest for life
56)        Empowering citizens on:
-             Capacity and capability building for digitisation and a multi channel environment
-             Multi channel environment and acquisitions
-             Essentials for digital media management
-             Managing commissioned programme production
57)        Driving R&D of new formats and programming ideas as well as new partnerships
58)        Understanding audience psychology in a digital space
59)        Reflecting on gaps and duplications and develop stories and programmes that will take the audiences to the next level
60)        Exploiting new opportunities for resources (cash and in kind)
61)        Being a catalyst for social change in alleviating the plight of child head homes
62)        Continuing to search for new answers and addressing the gap on how our stories and programmes address and engage the issues that affect disabled people equitably with their full participation and representation
63)        Re-awakening the power of art, song, poetry to drive national agendas
64)        Encouraging the need for reading in a knowledge economy in a fast paced digital environment where knowledge flow is quick and cannot only be accessed through workshops.  Yet at the same time encourage workshops as they add value in providing guidance on How To’s as well as stimulating debate
65)        Sharing and peer to peer collaboration, co-operation and co-ownership for our stories
66)        Being your brother and sisters keeper, pick up the flaws and faults first and assist to make changes
67)        Inspiring self esteem campaigns for youth


Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending
Carl Bard



Let us seize every opportunity we can to uphold our democracy and realise the pillars of our constitution (democracy, equality, reconciliation, diversity, responsibility, respect and freedom)  and entrench our:    

·         Human Rights
·         Continue to edcuate and inform our country about the universal declration of human rights and other human
·         Children’s rights
·         Politiical rights in a democracy
-          Freedom of expression
-          Participation in democratic governments
-          Reducing the abuse of power
·         Social and economic rights
-          What are social and economic rights?
-          What are our rights against discrimination?
-          What are our family rights and protection?
-          What is our right to adequate education?
-          What is our right to adequate food, housing and health care?
-          What is our property ownership rights, private rights and public rights?
-          What is our right to work:  Conditions, pay and abuses?
·         National security and fair procedures



Any Renaissance must correspond to a period of strong emotions, intensive creativity … – an exceptional period when a generation's Creative genius discovers its mission, fulfils it to its best … It should correspond to great moments in history and great works. All peoples want re-birth after misfortune: wars, genocide, holocaust, ignorance, obscurantism, colonialism.   Rebirth is a positive attitude of hope.
Theophile Obenga

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