Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika

Xhosa Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika
Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo,

Zulu Yizwa imithandazo yethu,
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.

Sotho Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho,
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso,
Setjhaba sa, South Afrika — South Afrika. our nation, South Africa — South Africa.

Afrikaans Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee,

English Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom
In South Africa our land.

iStart2... 

A “Sustainability-Through-Art” movement

 in which the global community will participate

in re-imagining and implementing solutions

towards ensuring

a sustainable future

for our children.

.

Homeless ...

A little Fable

"Alas," said the mouse, "the whole world is growing smaller every day. At the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running, and I was glad when I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner stands the trap that I must run into." 

Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Somebody sing hello, hello, hello

Somebody say ih hih ih hih ih
Somebody cry why, why, why?

"You only need to change your direction," said the cat and ate it up.

Otto: Avoid the green ones. They're not ripe yet.
(A fish called Wanda)


( A little Fable - Franz Kafka)

Emergency ...

An Imperial Message

The Emperor—so they say—has sent a message, directly from his death bed, to you alone, his pathetic subject, a tiny shadow which has taken refuge at the furthest distance from the imperial sun. 

He ordered the herald to kneel down beside his bed and whispered the message in his ear. He thought it was so important that he had the herald speak it back to him. He confirmed the accuracy of verbal message by nodding his head. And in front of the entire crowd of those witnessing his death—all the obstructing walls have been broken down, and all the great ones of his empire are standing in a circle on the broad and high soaring flights of stairs—in front of all of them he dispatched his herald. 

There's a virus in the circus
And the clown didn't hurt this
So much pain
Hurt it, hurt it

The messenger started off at once, a powerful, tireless man. Sticking one arm out and then another, he makes his way through the crowd. If he runs into resistance, he points to his breast where there is a sign of the sun. 

So he moves forwards easily, unlike anyone else. But the crowd is so huge; its dwelling places are infinite. If there were an open field, how he would fly along, and soon you would hear the marvellous pounding of his fist on your door. But instead of that, how futile are all his efforts. 

He is still forcing his way through the private rooms of the innermost palace. Never will he win his way through. And if he did manage that, nothing would have been achieved.

He was talking at a hundred miles an hour
Saying words that can only mend nations...

 He would have to fight his way down the steps, and, if he managed to do that, nothing would have been achieved. He would have to stride through the courtyards, and after the courtyards through the second palace encircling the first, and, then again, through stairs and courtyards, and then, once again, a palace, and so on for thousands of years.

 And if he finally burst through the outermost door—but that can never, never happen—the royal capital city, the centre of the world, is still there in front of him, piled high and full of sediment.

Something out of me
Something out of you
Something we started...

No one pushes his way through here, certainly not someone with a message from a dead man. But you sit at your window and dream of that message when evening comes.



Arno Carstens: Emergency … Something we started

iStart2…

An Imperial Message  

by Franz Kafka

Translation by Ian Johnston

We've only just begun ...

When we allow a sustainable world, when we let it sing from every village and every town, from every city and every country, we will be able to take hands and sing

"With our own two hands we can change the world".

Before the rising sun we fly,
So many roads to choose
We start our walking and learn to run.
And yes, We've just begun.

 

iStart2 is a “sustainability through the arts” initiative,  helping us to make contact with world leaders.  Our goal is to launch a movement in which the global community will participate in re-imagining and implementing solutions towards ensuring a sustainable future for our children.

Sharing horizons that are new to us,
Watching the signs along the way,
Talking it over just the two of us,
Working together day to day
Together.

We, iStart2 and members of faith and non-faith communities of southern Africa, are organising a rally and music concert to be held in the Kings Park Stadium in Durban, South Africa, on the afternoon of 27^th November 2011, the day before the UN climate talks, the 17^th Conference of Parties (COP), commences.

And when the evening comes we smile,
So much of life ahead
We'll find a place where there's room to grow,
And yes, We've just begun.

We need all the support we can get. This is a call to organisations who wish to partner with iStart2 and show support at this launch event. Contact Pierre du Toit at +27 82 900 6048 or email Pierre@istart2.com. We’ve only just begun.  iStart2-day!  

Fragile ...

You, the South African and International community, are invited to join us in Durban and to take hands with a rockstar “one punk level higher” than Bono. We have also asked a few international and local artists to join us at this groundbreaking event. Participate at the biggest rally to hit South Africa this year! No visa required at the stadium - a free event!

On the afternoon of Sunday 27 November 2011, music, dance, jokes and the sound of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu's signature chuckle will fill the Kings Park Rugby Stadium when people from all over the world will get together to sing “With our own two hands we can change the world” 

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will be hosting this event when 52 000 people will come together to call on political leaders to put ethics and life ahead of national self interest. Since climate change is the greatest threat to have confronted humanity, people of Africa and the world will call for a fair and legally binding agreement, with a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol and success of COP17.

iStart2 is a “Sustainability through the Arts” initiative, helping us to make contact with world leaders and will launch a movement in which the global community will participate in re-imagining and implementing solutions towards ensuring a sustainable future for our children.

Thank you Archbishop Desmond for showing us that we must never forget how fragile we are...

That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could

For all those born beneath an angry star

Lest we forget how fragile we are

On and on the rain will fall

Like tears from a star like tears from a star

On and on the rain will say

How fragile we are how fragile we are

Here’s to “The Arch”, showing us that we can only be human together. Showing us that it is okay to show our fragility,  and that without forgiveness there is no future ... and that it IS okay for people of different faiths and non-faiths to take hands. 

Happy 80th Birthday Archbishop Desmond Tutu!

iStart2 … i Star Tutu…

You can call me Al ...

The Place;

Martiniplaza, Groningen, The Netherlands, 29 September 2011.

A man walks down the street

He says why am I soft in the middle now

Why am I soft in the middle

The rest of my life is so hard

I need a photo-opportunity

Al Gore & Pierre du Toit in Groningen

 I want a shot at redemption

 Don't want to end up a cartoon

 In a cartoon graveyard

 Bonedigger Bonedigger

 Dogs in the moonlight

 Far away my well-lit door

 Mr. Beerbelly Beerbelly

 Get these mutts away from me

 You know I don't find this stuff amusing anymore

The Presentation:

The science linking the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather to the climate crisis has matured tremendously in the last couple of years. Think about the last year, we've had floods in Pakistan displacing 20 million people and further destabilizing a nuclear-armed country. We've had drought and wildfires in Russia. In Australia you've got floods the size of France and Germany combined. Then there's drought in Texas—out of 254 counties in Texas, 252 are on fire. In Nashville, where the city lost the equivalent of an entire year's budget from recent floods—the area has never been flooded like this before, so no one had flood insurance.

Al Gore & Wubbo Ockels in Groningen

That's the reality we've got to focus on. His presentation is a defence of the science and the scientists, against the timeworn claims by deniers.

 A man walks down the street

 It's a street in a strange world

 Maybe it's the Third World

 Maybe it's his first time around

 He doesn't speak the language

 He holds no currency

 He is a foreign man

 He is surrounded by the sound

 The sound

 Cattle in the marketplace

 Scatterlings and orphanages

The Invitation:

Invitation to Mr Al Gore

When we allow a sustainable world, when we let it sing from every village and every

town, from every city and every country, we will be able to take hands and sing

"With our own two hands we can change the world".

We, members of the faith communities of southern Africa, are organising a rally of faith members to be held in the Kings Park Stadium in Durban, South Africa, on the afternoon of 27^th November 2011, the day before the UN climate talks, the 17^th Conference of Parties (COP), commences.

The purpose of the rally is to call on our political leaders to put ethics and life ahead of national self-interest.  We believe moral principles – and not profit and economic gain – should be applied in the negotiations in order to secure our common future.   Since climate change is the greatest threat to have confronted humanity, we shall show that the people of Africa – and the world - are already experiencing its negative effects, call for a fair and legally binding agreement with a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol and pray for the success of COP17

iStart2 is a “sustainability through the arts” initiative, helping us to make contact with world leaders. Their goal is to launch a movement in which the global community will participate in re-imagining and implementing solutions towards ensuring a sustainable future for our children.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu will be hosting this event with 52 000 faith members and religious leaders from Africa and around the world.  It should receive world TV coverage.  We write to ask if you would be prepared to participate in this event where we will call on the governments of the world to arrive at a meaningful agreement.

We extend very warm greetings and good wishes to you. Hope to hear from you soon.

Bishop Geoff Davies                                                                            

Executive Director, SAFCEI

This invitation is extended by the Southern African Faith Communities' Environment Institute (SAFCEI) which is a multi-faith NGO working with a coalition of African and world-wide faith and justice organizations.

 He looks around, around

 He sees angels in the architecture

 Spinning in infinity

 He says Amen and Hallelujah!

Have you had a chance to check out the Climate Reality Project’s short video called Grassroots? If not, I would highly recommend giving it a look. The message of the video, four and a half minutes long and narrated by Al Gore, is very straightforward: Against all odds, grassroots movements in the past have successfully pushed their leaders for wide-scale political change. Now it’s time for everyday citizens to join another grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis... iStart2 ... join our launch on 27 November 2011 :-) 

GRASSROOTS from The Climate Reality Project on Vimeo.

 If you'll be my bodyguard

 I can be your long lost pal

 I can call you iStart2

 And iStart2 when you call me

 You can call me Al

 Call me Al

iStart2 join the Climate Reality.