HELLO, AND WELCOME TO THE first edition of my latest, most illustrious rag yet. I took a year’s break from magazine publishing, but I missed it. So, here I am with UKWAZI LIFE magazine. A little story about the genesis of this publication and its raison d’etre. In 2020, Tafelberg published my third book, War Party, about political assassinations. Since then, I have spent a lot of time researching killings, tenderpreneurs, gangs, drugs, and taxi bosses.
Quite dark and cheerless. But, while immersed in that, I kept meeting people who represented the opposite. For every thief, killer and schemer in South Africa, there are another ten honest, hard-working people building rather than breaking.
We must celebrate success and accomplishment or create an echo chamber of gloom that amplifies the bad. It doesn’t serve us. I joke about Pollyannas. Maybe I’m trying to convince myself that good can triumph over evil and that hope is bigger than despair. Gratefully, there is no shortage of inspirational stories about talented, spirited and inspired people making a massively positive impact. Walking with a friend recently, he told me about his wife volunteering to teach children from poor schools about conservation.It’s not a story likely to be retold over a braai or shisanayama. How do you measure the impact of that? You can’t. But don’t discount it either. This mag is not about gush. Rather gritty stories that attempt to address this problem statement: people in South Africa are hopeful but unsure of the way forward. The 30th anniversary of democracy means a muddling new government, but I get distinct new dawn
vibes. The magazine will try to unpack what a brighter future looks like, how we achieve harmony, and what will help to narrow racial, cultural, and class divides and position ourselves as conscious and globally competitive people with a conscience. The world order is changing by the minute. Ideological strife and climate change are existential threats. Yet, many people remain paralysed, like guppies in a fish tank—dumb, immobile and distracted by fake news or vacuous social media sideshows. I know a smart advertising man whose motto is “incurably curious”. He says the future belongs to the curious. People who ask better questions lead to better products, services, experiences, and even a better planet. Ukwazi means to know. We learn through curiosity.
So here’s to asking more questions than there are answers and bringing you stories about creative solutions while we work, eat, pray and love.
Please stay in touch. Communication is learning and enlightenment. It is cherished.
Sincerely
Greg
