Our Very Own Van Gogh by Tebo Ndlovu

Our Very Own Van Gogh by Tebo Ndlovu

With complete abandon,

He loved to talk about

His latest 'masterpiece'

Raising high his hopes for

That one that will catch the king's eye.

But the king

- his Majesty's eyes stayed occupied

When the young lad

Came knocking at the palace gate

And so would begin the journey back home

On which was the carpenter's son:

Swinging the window agape

Joked "Come back tomorrow!"

And the merchant's daughter

Giggling due to the strange imagery

The product of the artist's brush strokes.

It made him angry and happy

When they turned up their noses

Because he felt in pictures

And would set to work

Painting his feelings

Laying out a maybe-magnum opus.

One night the snow

Fell too hard

Our 'van Gogh' journeying

From the carpenter's cottage.

They found him the next morning;

The chill of the blizzard

Had reached into his bones

And history states

He dropped to the white dirt

Frozen solid, face-down

We gathered

All through that week

Weeping, celebrating, reflecting

He perished trying

Our van Gogh

Never did shred a painting

Hurl a tantrum

Or shorten his own life.

The merchant's wife

Purchased the first painting

Only within four fortnights

The queen another

The village beauty yet another

And the carpenter's son?

His father carved an easel

Ornate and new under the sun

In honor of our fallen hero

We bestowed upon him a high honor:

Inscribed 'our van Gogh'

On the gray tombstone

Bid farewell

To our definition of the fairer version

Of the real supernova.

Poem is a Copyright © 2013 of  Tebogo Ndlovu. Tebogo  is a global citizen hailing from Zimbabwe and a never ending source of inspiration to me, and has scaled heights in the field of writing and has won accolades for her outstanding strength of character. She is currently based in Georgia, Atlanta in the United States of America making strides in her studies in Engineering.

The Colour of My Voice by Bongani Ncube

I was raped. In the morning I was raped
He came and took what was mine
He came and my destiny was unshaped
He told me it would all work out fine

My land he came and made it his own
My religion went out to the dogs
My language I was made to disown
I was made to worship two nailed logs

He said my ancestors were far from real
That his God was the one I should see
So in front of his altar I was made to kneel
And worship Gods new mother, Mary

My ancestors were thrown to the pigs
Along with the tongue of our mothers
A new song I was now made to sing
In the tongue of his white fathers

Nothing I had was sacred anymore
Nothing I owned could I call mine
Everything I knew went out the door
And still he said it would all be fine

And to my shame I allowed him to do it
His song I sang, mine but just a memory
Into his new world I tried so hard to fit
I tried so hard to change my history

Yes I was raped that morning so long ago
Right to the very depths of my soul
And now regarding myself in the rivers flow
I see that I am no longer whole

Image Title: Piéta Madonnna 
By :              Michelangelo 
Source:       The Vatican Collection

Poem is a copyright of © Bongani Ncube . Bongani is a computer scientist, seasoned writer, observer, critique, educator and talented poet who is pursuing studies in Paris, France. He has featured in many respectable publications, most notably Mail and Guardian and has left his mark as a global changemaker. For more of his insightful 'Echoes of his voice' log onto Bongani's Echoes Of My Voice

The BinItByo Massive CBD Clean Up Campaign Report

The BinItByo Massive CBD Clean Up campaign Report

BY: Ernest Mackina (BinItByo Committee member)

BinItByo: Who Was There?

The BinItByo Massive CBD cleanup campaign was conducted on the 1^st of June and it witnessed a high attendance as participants clocked well into the thousands from the corporate world, high schools and tertiary institutions. This landmark event was turned into a resounding success as it also was attended by sponsors such as CBZ, FoodExpress, ZiFM Stereo,Spar Bonsa, Edgars and Lobels. Active groups such as The Rotaract chapters of Matopos and Belmont, Nust Alumni also graced the event with their presence. It was conducted under the motto “My City, My Pride” and was headed by the BinItByo committee in association with the Proudly Zimbabwean group.

1,2,3 BinIt!!!

The event was kick-started at seven am in the morning by the BinItByo committee headed by chairperson Thembi Zulu as the team and its assistants set up at the city hall. By ten am, registration of participants had gathered pace with Miss Earth Zimbabwe 2012, Dimitra Markou welcoming notable people in attendance.

Getting the crowd involved

After a nifty traditional dance was done by a group of school children, official proceedings took off and the Mayor highlighted in his speech the strides that the city had made in keeping the city clean since 2008. This was then followed by the arrival and introduction of Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Honourable Francis Nhema who delivered a crowd provoking and involving speech that got individuals leading the crowd into song and dance aimed at raising awareness of the anti-litter campaign. The minister thanked Bulawayo For keeping the city the cleanest in the nation. 

The Anti-Litter Petition

The minister then officially opened the “Anti-Litter Petition”, and paved way for over a thousand signatures that were penned on the petition sheet. Team Leaders were then stationed in front of everyone in attendance and these team leaders went about with their teams to clean up the city by picking up litter such as paper, cans, Styrofoam containers and biodegradable material such as fruit peelings and placing them into separated bin bags. This clean up was done by demarcating the city into 95 blocks and dispatching a team leader who was in charge of a battalion of litter pickers. Each group was armed with separate bin bags which were labeled and coloured differently for different types of litter, breathing masks, bin bags and latex gloves. Litter was collected in different bags according to litter type, namely; bio-degradable, plastic, paper and metal. The significance of this was to introduce a culture of recycling which was echoed by members of the BinItByo committee.

Mission Accomplished: City kept clean

At the end of it all, each group then went back to the city hall, which was central to the event and the litter collected was gathered there and collected by BCC refuse trucks

You can join the BinItByo initiative by liking their Facebook page on the link http://www.facebook.com/BinItByo and following them on twitter under the handle @BinItByo and under the hash tag #BinItByo.

Conscience (By Miss Tarie Anna)

DEAR C

Dear C

I thought we were friends

But you are right-

I drifted away.

O it is true that

I neglected you.

‘N’ I do know

I wouldn’t listen to you.

Now I S ee you lying there

Motionless, emotionless

C aring not to heed

To my desperate cries.

I need you again, please, your

E ar, incline

I N udge you, oh do respond;

C ease this ghastly coup d’état,

And

E ase me from my plight!

When you sleep

The world goes horribly wrong!

I know I should weep

But rather I dance to a foreign song.

Who am I, This being with no meaning?

Will I be the same; shall I find my healing?

C-O-N-S-C-I-E-N-C-E

My friend that is me;

Come on Conscience

I need you- can't you see?

Heart stops; mind blocks:

Is she really dead?

Conscience; Conscience!

Won't you answer me??

Bitter-sweet relief, sweat on my brow;

Dammit, Conscience-

I can see you breathe!

Conscience, dear Conscience, won't you come and rescue me?

Poem done by guest #UntitledChronicles Author: Anna T Gowera (Miss Tarie Anna)

Please Like The Page:#UntitledChronicles

Images courtesy of The NHOP Blog , thefuturon.com and gadel.info

Conveying and Absorbing Feedback

Conveying and absorbing feedback 

Since time immemorial, man has come up with several innovations that have advanced the standards of living to pinnacles that were previously unimaginable. This has been made possible by a myriad of factors but one key step that has been part of the success of the communication of ideas and the expression of innovations has been the effectiveness of conveying feedback and its absorption. 

Understanding feedback

The academics at Oxford University Press (2012) agree that feedback is information given in response to a product, a person’s performance of a task and is used as a basis for improvement. Improvement? Yes! Through feedback, an individual can lay the foundation for their self improvement. Self improvement translates to self-empowerment and self empowerment is a celebration of freedom, after all, it’s all about freedom.

Feedback is a product of an open system and an open approach that indicates current performance against set standards. It involves a critical assessment or the use of suggestions aimed at improving performance.

Through the varying conversations and interactions that one has in different setups, be it in the public spheres, at the work place, at college, places of worship or in the community, the process of feedback is taking place. As a result, it is pertinent for one to realize the need to engage in avenues that foster the transformation of that feedback into a useful resource for character building and reputation boosting.

The modern world which we inhabit has experienced a shift to an era where one’s image is everything. As such, one should create avenues that enable the transmission of feedback so that the process of communication becomes full circle and not a one way route like traffic.

Why engage feedback?

Feedback is vital, at the workplace, at school, in the community and areas of worship and most importantly at the individual level where it only makes sense in this present-day in age to treat oneself as a brand. Through feedback, one is able to receive feedback as an output and return it to its input in order to regulate future outputs. In simple terms, feedback can be used as a resource for one to better themselves and it grossly fuels self improvement.

Types of feedback

There are different types of feedback. Namely, constructive feedback which aims to let people know how they are performing and negative feedback normally characterized by unkind comments or a negative response to something as well as constructive feedback which builds up on something under analysis through positive criticism as well as destructive feedback which tends not to be truthful and leads to an individual having a fabricated impression about something under analysis. Feedback can also be positive and this often motivates and encourages the person receiving feedback.

How do you enhance feedback?

Take a deep breath, calm yourself down, learn to give feedback impartially and receive it without a sense of being subjective. Communicate objectively with your colleagues and companions to build ‘goodwill and better friendship’. Ask yourself as you relate to others ‘is it the truth?’ Subtract emotion and instead use wisdom, because when it speaks - experience teaches!!!

Cease looking at conveyors of feedback as enemies and inculcate a culture of separating people from the statements they say.

Strive not to be emotional about feedback, instead separate the subject from the person relaying it.

Once again, take a deep breath, the statement you are about to utter might change someone’s lifestyle and decisions!!!

When relaying feedback, have a partner help you in demonstrating how you want something done, in an objective manner without any intention of killing character or finding blame. The blame game normally ends with a torn relationship. Make a person understand, do your utmost to make a person understand and not condemned, it defeats the purpose of feedback to point fingers.

Learn to attack the act and not the person, try saying the same thing from different angles. Study the people whom you want to relay or obtain feedback from and appreciate the golden rule, after all, people are different and this translates to a need for them to be treated differently.

Learn to give positive feedback.

You can show application of how this article has helped you out by giving me feedback on it!!!

 

Bio

Ernest Mackina is an amateur photographer, blogger and poet from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe . For more of his articles log his blog UntitledChronicles  (www.mackinaernest54.blogspot.com and www.untitledchronicles.wordpress.com) and get to read more of his “handwritten thoughts...”

Pictures courtesy of seldirect.com, recognisethisblog.com; globalbusinesscafe.com

 

Uncle Chris' Advice

I had a heartfelt conversation with my Uncle Chris recently as we brought out the practicality of 'Realising the Power of Conversation'. See it is very essential to surround yourself with individuals who pack a lot of wisdom, such that when their experience speaks, your naive mind shuts up and listens. The following post is a snapshot of the interaction, I hope it will empower you, as much as it did me.
 
Chris explained: 

People are so consumed in being loved and not loving themselves. The pastor re- iterated once : 

'Discover yourself first'

My nephew, people are pre- occupied with following other people, yet there is more to life than attaining a wife, kids and a career. One needs to set time to discover themselves and engage in soliloqueys with their heart and soul. Embark on nature walks asking yourself:

 'What do I want?' 

and then answer:

'What do I really want?'

Chris went on in his trance of truth: 

I find it hard to befrend people who do not have their own lives, people that know not their real selves. Nephew, you need to discover what makes you tick. I have a long list of friends who live their own dreams who are not confined by their boundaries but are inspired to break new ground.

People defer their dreams like there is something that is stopping them. The school counsellor once broke down and advised me

'My child -my child, life is lived in the today, right here and now' 

 
He was adamnant in his lecture and went on;

 I hate people who mop around being born disadvantaged, the world has 9 billion plus citizens, what makes your case more peculiar? Never wallow in self pity, its time wasting. If you want to change, do something, Period.


Got me thinking. Did it get you thinking?

Wholly inspired by Uncle Chris

Photos courtesy of

Kickstarter.com

Judy Kinney