Know Your Neighbour

Hello 2022! This year we kick off with a difference. In this episode we invite an expert onto our platform to discuss the profound effect a simple issue such as lighting can have on our communities. Stephanie Briers; Phd candidate, Urbanist and Transdisciplinary Researcher gives us some insight into the effect lighting can have on the psyche of our communities. 

Much of South Africa's infrastructure is still based on Apartheid planning and the issue of lighting is no different. Stephanie highlights these facts and how after almost 30 years of democracy, these issues still linger. The career path she chose was highly influenced by the inequality in South Africa and she made work to make a difference in her own unique way. Have a listen and let us know how your environment affects your lived experience.

Lets not get political. How many times have we heard that phrase before? It even came up in our WhatsApp group. Is it even possible not to get political?

What are the elements that makes this a contentious topic? So many people want to steer clear of politics because of the portrayal of it on our tv's and newspapers. Is this a real depiction of what politics are about or is there more to it? Does politics really need to be dragged into everything or is there a world where we can engage on a human level? These are some of the questions we ask ourselves and so much more came from our chat. Have a listen and enjoy!

We pick up on our conversation about the riots in South. The last thought that was shared was on what we perceive to be the reality for South Africans, which from certain perspectives can look gloomy, but how there is still a resolution to stay and help with the rebuilding of our nation.

In this part we look at the role that leadership plays in all of this. Everything rises and falls upon leadership. What kind of leadership do we have and what are the alternatives to what we currently have? Have a listen and let us know what you think.

Love. The most beautiful thing in the world. For some who are in interracial relationships, there can at times be certain challenges to overcome because of different lived experiences. In this episode we explored what some of those might be and had some good insights from one of our own who is in a successful interracial relationship of their own.

The development of the conversation probably took a different direction than we initially thought it would, but its great when we can come to these conclusions when we talk and discuss tricky issues. Enjoy!

Language as a driver of economic growth, language in public institutions, language as a marketable skill, language as a tool towards social mobility. The second part of our episode on language goes into a more technical direction where we look at how language can take us forward economically and socially. What are the benefits of being taught in a certain language or learning a new language to make yourself more attractive to the market?

Where is South Africa going as a nation with regards to our approach to language in an economic sense? Is there a benefit by focusing on a common language to make us more competitive in the continent and in the world? We all had our views. Lets us know where you stand on these issues.

One of the most basic tools we use to communicate with one another. Something with which we develop a deep connection. Language.

It is something that can bring us together, but it has also been used as a tool to drive us apart. We look at all the different elements of language and how language has an impact on our lives. Family, culture, environment are all issues that feature in our discussions. We are excited to have a new contributor join us on this episode. Look out for part 2 coming out soon.

We are all human. We all want to stay close to what we know and what feels comfortable. Where does diversity fit into this picture? We have one of our most interesting conversations to date. We try to grapple with this topic from many angles. Where does this conversation lead us? We hope our conversations have an impact. Amongst ourselves we are really loving this exploration journey. We really want to get to Know Our Neighbours. Enjoy and share this with your friends and family.