Xenophobia gives birth to peace forum in Ramaphosa
Following the xenophobic attacks that engulfed the country in 2008, the Ramaphosa Ambassadors Youth Forum was formed.
The forum is a NPO that addresses social hot topics through drama, music, dance, poetry and debating.
The group of youngsters decided to launch the forum to change the way people view the tiny township, following the negative publicity of 2008.
According to Thabiso Motseatsea (21), he lost a friend during the attacks in 2008, which was a horrible sight to see.
“The attacks exposed the weakness of our social fibre,” he said.
”We were painfully made aware that we fared poorly in terms of understanding social, cultural, tribal and religious diversity.
“The xenophobic attacks, thus, served as the inspiration to start this group.
“We are also concerned about the struggles over employment and how many black children are failing to attend school.
He said they use dance as a therapeutic medium.
“We want to do good in the community and also engage other teenagers in choosing a better life,” he added.
”We encourage them to participate in dance, sports or drama, not crime.”
“The artistic director in 2009 donated his free time to share his experience, expertise and guidance.”
Members of the organisation were offered lessons and classes, where they learnt ways of dealing with organisational change and development.
In 2009, the organisation produced the Best Actress and Best Dance during the Heritage Day celebration in Tembisa and, in 2010, they received an award for their gumboot dance at the SACR East Cluster Festival. – @NalediBoksburg
