Social change non-governmental organisation, Heartlines, launched its latest values-inspired campaign called, What’s your Story, on 21 September in Dunkeld.
The launch aimed at tackling some of South Africa’s deepest divides. It aims to build understanding, trust and reconciliation through the process of storytelling.
“We live in a world of stereotypes; until we get to know each other’s stories, we will treat each other according to the opinions and assumptions that we make. The only way to break this pattern is to get to know each other’s stories, only then we will see the human being behind the stereotype. This is the way forward for our country,” commented Heartlines founder, Dr Garth Japhet.
Through the sharing of personal stories on multi-media platforms, What’s your Story hopes to address the suspicion, fear, prejudice and racism that plague our interactions with one another. “Stories are all around us – they are what move us, challenge us, anger us, make us feel alive and inspires us. We use stories to make sense of life and the world in which we live,” added Japhet.
The event was attended by actor, Israel Sipho Matseke Zulu (formerly known as Israel Makoe and affectionately known as Ma-Orange), who shared his personal story of growing up with a single mother in Alex, his jail time and subsequent rise to fame, often playing the role of a baddy or gangster on TV shows and movies such as Gaz’lam, Tsotsi, Four Corners and more.
“A person goes deeper than any first impressions they inspire and Zulu’s narrative is particularly relevant in demonstrating the power of storytelling to engage, transform and facilitate empathy,” said Japhet.
What’s your Story can be accessed online. Visitors to the website will be able to watch, read, listen and act as part of the campaign. Everyone living in South Africa is invited to write and submit their own personal stories for the platform. Community organisations, NGOs, religious groups and companies are also able to request facilitator guides and workshop resources.
Details: www.whatsyourstory.online
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