Relationships have their nourishment entrenched in communication. Without communication, even with ourselves, from an individual perspective, there exists no growth. We can see this everyday when we wake up to tackle the world. We are in constant communication with who we are as we battle with the forces of destiny to attain the goals we have set out for our selves. However even if we are fueled by self ambition, because by default we are social beings, we are compelled to establish relationships outside of our own personal spheres in order to achieve our goals; additionally those formed relationship need to be maintained and sustained over particular periods of time as bargaining chips in order that our multifarious selves, fueled by personal ambitions, succeed in getting towards the finishing lines of our individualistic goals. We are opportunistic beings.
The point of contact between our selves and those that surrounds us; between our selves and those who holds the keys to our successes, towards the successes that we are hungry for; lies in communication which has at its substratum dialogue as we ventures outside ourselves to engage with other beings in the social-sphere. Let’s come closer to home, it is dialogue that is a lacking between the Center of Power and the Far Left in a country that is divided politically. Everybody has an idea of the course of direction that is suppose to be taken in defining progress however selfishly they withhold their ideas from other key players in the journey of moving our country towards greatness. This can be the Center not being compliant or the Far Right not yielding to the Center of Power malicious wishing for its failure or vis-à-vis the Center seeking to eradicate oppositional power as an attempt to foster blind rule which is unimaginable in the face of a lack of opposition. How else will it be able to have a four dimensional rule if no one opposes what it stands for or its procedures of governance? A hero needs a villain to be a hero.
By suggesting that there should be an engagement or dialogue the present meditation inserts us within the paradigm of discourse. Only through an extended ongoing discussion can the state of affairs of a country be adequately defined. This can have positive results in the development of that country in that an earlier objective defined as positive to the development of that country can be revived, retained and pursued or a new objective identified and pursued diligently. In the context of the Republic of South Africa this is the ideal of the Rainbow Nation.
Behind the backdrop of social unrest Soothsayers have proclaimed doom for Freedom Day 2010. Like the ageless sun it did come but not with doom attached to it as a form of racial purification that all have feared for. It was a quite day except for toned-down celebration of the day itself across the Republic. It was a cloudy rainy day in Gauteng.
If by some terrible turn of events one’s skull had been knocked in by a fatal blow that dimmed the living daylights and if by some ounce of luck one was revived from that horrid experience fifteen years later one would’ve gotten a very bad gut feeling that something was wrong with the unfolding narrative before them despite the prevalent calm. The hype that we saw fifteen years ago was missing. It had trickled off. Contradictorily you will pick up via the telly-news or print-news the disgruntled Center of Power’s attempts to resuscitate and reassert the importance of 27 April 1994 at the Uni-B and while on the other side of the Galaxy the Oppositional Trio-Forces (OTF) merged at Con-Hill to highlight the Center of Power’s undermining of the very freedom Freedom Day is about. Is this dialogue in situ? No.
It is sad that the OTF should unite in order to discredit the Center of Power by capitalizing on its failings. This undoubtedly throws into stark relief the fact that the far right, like the ultra right that sought revenge after E Terry B’s death, is not ready to work jointly in the status quo to improve our so called The Rainbow Nation. In fact one can go a step beyond and proclaim that the OTF wants the chair that the present Center of Power occupied for its own selfish motives. One then wonders whether a coalition which has as its basis malice and anger and a few cards on the table can survive the honeymoon should victory be attained. The Shikota realm should sound a warning bell towards that direction. The only ideology which marries oppositional forces in our country is that of pointing the wrong things.
One may ask why the OTF chose 27 April to clasp hands in solidarity against the present demagogue. Cristal clear it is that such an act is committed to discredit the very Center of Power itself, to discredit 1994 as our bar of the highest form of liberation thus pushing and thumbing further asunder liberation in the Republic into the far flung distance. Outright Liberation did take place sixteen years ago. Like the rest of the world we are now battling with economic liberation which is very intimately tied with job security, nuanced, it is very much linked with the education system.
As already said elsewhere, direct influence, correcting and alleviation of our variant social tangible infrastructures by the opposition will crack open wide the door of possible choices come the next poll. Otherwise the opposition continues to draw a blank card to the Mzansians. We have surely looked at the card for so long that we know what was there before it faded into insignificance. We are squinting for an eye freshener. Amongst the OTF who has a third eye to see this?
But let us go back above. It is through dialogue that the political arena can erect a realm that can begin to chart a new course towards hope not anarchy. At the basis of dialogue is communication: A simple environment where A says (i) to B who in turn says (ii) to A and a discussion ensues as A in turn responds saying eye eye eye or eye vee to B. In such a state an equilibrium calibrated system of engagement where solutions officiate occupies space. When this is in place dialogue then emerges.
At the elevated level of dialogue, above it that is, as it ensues, we reach discourse/s: A deliberation on issues of importance and mundane in order to throw light on what must happen to forecast and generate progress. Now as parties (A, B, C, K, etc…etc…) involved in the communication process, disagree/agreeing and setting ways in place of moving forward and operate; depending on what is it that is at stake a condition sets in at this level of communication and we begin to see a fabrication of an entity that manipulates social spheres known as Ideology. A somewhat prismatic layer through which the world can be experience and known.
Now I shall conclude this abstract jot!
It is through communication that results in dialogue which in turn ushers us at the doorstep of discourse wherein we shall have an engagement with the resultant Ideologies that can be specific to the condition of the state in question. Ours already exists – it is the Rainbow Nation Ideology which was hard earned through the discourse of the New South Africa pre 1994 and set in place on 27 April 1994. Today more than ever this Ideology needs a revitalization.
19 May 2010
© Mmutle Arthur Kgokong 2010
Intraparadox 
Soldier Mmutle, thank you again for a critical reflection on Africa Day! Some enthusiasts even suggested that May be made by the whole world an Africa month. But one must realise a rather questionable epistemology about Africa’s sense of entitlement. The strange perception that we whole world should stop deliberating on their challenging global … See Moreagendas and concentrate their attention on Africa, a continent that is not even part of their strategic developmental plan; a continent that they know will always dispose its natural resourses to them and then buy these resources back at exhubarent amounts of dollars? I find this perception to be ridiculous and far-fetched, it is not about time that Africa should take responsibility of their own course, of their own destination, to formulate a plan of action on how Africa is going to develop their own language of trade, language of discourse, language of resolving stupid ethnic and religious wars? without in term begging for hand outs and approvals from the Western Worlds…. Today as we speak, our African Unity is congregating in France to ask for African solutions from countries like France who in term undermined the same AU by inviting countries like Mauritius that are not at present in line with the AU agendas. Is it this not the true undermining of our destination by France. When will we stop and learn that African needs an open plan of action that maps out our inter-continental trading goals. Where are our trans-board trades plans? Give me one natural resource that we are short of in Africa? Where is our African way of generating more and of sharing resources as Africans first before disposing them to the West? Obviously there are Western nations that will never allow Africa to sit down and formulate this plan, because they know that Africa will be self-sufficient. I believe if Africa can use the month of May to introspect the horrifying living conditions within itself and take control of its metamorphosis from deep within, the whole world will be forced join them into prosperity. But this will never be realised unless we developed our own unique African solutions to our own problems.
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