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MOLO FEBRUARY 2014
EDITORIAL
molo. hello. goeieDAg. Molo is a free community paper, focused on the people of Cape Town, and published by the Cape Town Partnership. Created by: Ambre Nicolson, Judith Browne, Toast Coetzer, Maya Fowler, Lisa Burnell, Sam Bainbridge
WHY PANTONE 109C YELLOW ON THE COVER? In celebration of Cape Town’s reign as World Design Capital 2014.
Designed by: Infestation T: 021 461 8601 www.infestation.co.za
Published by: Cape Town Partnership 34 Bree Street T: 021 419 1881
How can I be a part of Molo? We are always on the look-out for compelling stories told by ordinary residents of Cape Town. If you or someone you know has an interesting story to tell, mail us at molo@capetownpartnership.co.za (no press releases, please). Every month, we’ll be continuing the conversations we start in the print edition of Molo online: Join us at www.capetownpartnership.co.za for more stories, more profiles and more citizen perspectives on this place we call home.
Where can I get the most recent edition of Molo? Molo is a bimonthly print publication, available in the January, March, May, July, September and November of every year. In the months it is not on street, it is supplemented by stories online. If you or your organisation would like to receive or distribute the print publication, please mail us at molo@capetownpartnership.co.za, including your postal address and the number of copies you’d like to receive.
mAking ChAnge
COMING SOON TO A SCREEN NEAR YOU: ThE CREATivE CApE ToWn App Imagine walking down a street in Cape Town and being able to see all the creative businesses, venues and events in the immediate vicinity on your smart phone. This is the promise of the Creative Cape Town mobile application, due to be launched in March. The app will provide a practical, geographicallytagged directory of creative enterprises and events, all of which will be presented on a map, allowing users to search a wide range of categories while navigating the city. n Find out more at www.creativecapetown.com
This edition of Molo looks at how cities make people, and how people make change.
C
ape Town welcomed 2014, the year South Africa celebrates 20 years of democracy, by celebrating the commencement of our year as World Design Capital. The WDC tag line of “Live Design. Transform Life” highlights the potential to use design to change the lives of people living in Cape Town. Designers can transform society by creating new systems, tools or products that make life more comfortable, enjoyable, or equitable. I think a similar tag line could read “Live Democracy. Transform Life”. I believe that if we want to generate ideas, methods and solutions for a better life in Cape Town, we need to shift the focus from ticking off a set of indicators to being truly authentic to ourselves as an African city with an apartheid past and an openended future. As programme manager at the Cape Town Partnership, I get to work with a team of dynamic, passionate young people who are all working to make change – be it through support of creativity, through action research that hopes to build empathy and
bridge divides, or seeking ways in which Cape Town central city can become more efficient in our use of the earth’s resources. At the Cape Town Partnership, we will be working this year to create, with you, a city that embodies Cape Town’s soul: its people and the connections between us. Later this year, many of you will also have the opportunity to put pen to paper and express your democratic right to vote. But active citizenry does not end there. Here are some ideas of how you can make change in 2014: Value your public spaces. Public spaces are key to democratic expression and social interaction. Get to know, and use, your public spaces – be it one of national importance such as the Grand Parade, or your neighbourhood park. Learn something about the people who share these spaces with you. What connects you? What separates you? What will a Cape Town that works for both of you look like? Think about the common good. The first people to engage on an issue are often those who are directly affected, and some of us are guilty
of only engaging when we want to say no. Join in on movements that work for a better future for Cape Town, even if it takes a little sacrifice now. Join up with others – get to know others who are interested in the same issue or cause, and get to know those who can help, such as your local councillors. When “power in numbers” is combined with a strong local councillor, citizens can make change. We don’t need to look much further than the popular Moonlight Mass, #FirstThursdays, or OpenStreets to see how. Participation, collaboration and co-producing: these are the skills we need to create a society that respects its citizens. And these are skills we have. Working together for a common good is not new to Africa, and 2014 can be the year that we, as citizens, come together to jointly craft the Cape Town of tomorrow. Join in, transform life. Jodi Allemeier is programme
manager at the Cape town Partnership, and a recovering economist. she believes that the power to make change lies in the creativity and compassion of ordinary people working together.
Contact the creators of Molo: @CTPartnership #Molo Email: molo@capetownpartnership.co.za Tel: 021 419 1881 www.facebook.com/molocapetown Molo, Cape Town Partnership, 10th Floor, 34 Bree Street, The Terraces, 8001
Cape Town Partnership vision Some say cities are the future We say people are the future This is our home This is our hope This is our chance
Believing
there is more that connects us than divides us
Speaking
the language of hope
working
together for the common good
Building
from the ground up
Sharing
the spaces in between We can plant our tomorrows shape our future, heal ourselves We can make our city warm, open, welcoming, rich in opportunities for all
cape Town A city with a past. A people with a future
FAST FACT
750
The number of businesses, from manufacturing to retail, shipwrights to florists, which are located in the
1.73
square kilometre radius of paarden Eiland.
NEIGHBOURHOOD SNAPSHOT
pAArDen eilAnD Paarden Eiland, that little spit of land snuggled between the harbour and the N2, certainly punches above its weight when it comes to the variety of business and services on offer. Here are a couple of things you may not have known about this small but powerful manufacturing hub that neighbours the central city. Photos: lisa Burnell
5 THIngS YoU DIDn’T Know YoU coULD Do In PaarDen eILanD
1bUy A Wig
Visit Frika’s to choose from dozens of different styles of wigs for men and women. To try on the wigs you will need an appointment.