Cape Town - An NGO called A StrangerKind (ASK) is hosting an event on Human Rights Day that encourages people to have open and honest conversations with people they do not know in order to better understand their backgrounds rather than be presumptuous.
As a means of uniting people from all walks of life, participants will partake in a 45-minute conversation with a stranger who will share their perspectives and narratives of their journey.
Founder and organiser Madi van Schalkwyk said that the ASK event is about bringing individuals together for dialogue and giving them the freedom to ask strangers about their lives in order to foster the spirit of equality and social cohesion.
"What inspired the event was the passion for how any individual’s story has the potential to make a difference and what we can learn from each other when we get the opportunity to have a simple conversation. We often have questions about people that think or are different (or even similar) to us but seldom have a safe space to know that it is okay to ask those questions where ignorance and curiosity are appreciated."
"It is about bringing diverse people together for conversations and having permission to ask these strangers questions about their lives. We so often find something interesting and meaningful to us personally through unconventional conversations with strangers. That might be because the person is really different from us, but it can equally be because we discover we share things in common."
"Hearing the narratives and perspectives of others enriches us. What questions do we really want to ask when talking to someone with cerebral palsy, an ex-prisoner, or a homosexual Zulu man? If we are given a space that allows for context and personal exchange, what we learn from them is the potent part," said Van Schalkwyk.
Charmaine Coetzee, who is a former inmate, said that the platform would help motivate others to push through, regardless of challenges.
"I grew up in a foster home, raised by my grandmother with no income. At the age of 15, I rebelled, dropped out of school, and ended up in prison for five and a half years. I finished my schooling in prison. Upon my release, I worked my way up and ended up at Ceasefire doing community work there, and I now work with children that have been abandoned. I hope to still do my bachelors in social work. "
“Hardships are painful, but they do not kill you; you can emerge stronger and wiser as a result of them.This platform will help motivate someone in a similar predicament, and being able to share my life story will maybe motivate others that find themselves trapped in a difficult situation," she said.
Van Schalkwyk added that the event would offer great value in the ways these engagements will inspire.
"We believe there is great value in the ways these engagements move us towards social cohesion. Many of our ‘Strangers’ started out as attendees at our events and became inspired to share their narratives after realising that they too had stories that held value and interest for others," said Van Schalkwyk.
The event will take place on March 21 on the top floor mezzanine, Workshop 17 at the Watershed, V&A Waterfront, from 11:00 to 15:00.
Weekend Argus