Professor Mohammed Karaan, inspiring teacher, thinker and leader, was also a dear friend. In an interview with Kirby van der Merwe (Stellenbosch Visio, spring 2015), he came across as a man of the people, whose humble origins fed his visionary soul. His passing is mourned deeply and I would like to extend my most sincere condolences to his wife Basheerah and their children.
I am constantly aware of the devastating impact this pandemic is having on our personal and professional lives and relationships, and on our community and economy. I feel for everyone who is dealing with the loss of loved ones during these trying times. Yet, we dare not allow the dark days to engulf us. Let us also look further and feel the enormous goodwill and selfless support all around us.
As Dave Pepler writes, autumn is a time of transformation, the ‘fall’ that heralds invisible new growth and regeneration (p. 78). Let us earth ourselves and at the same time, look further away, beyond the here and now.
‘On a clear day, you can see forever’ sang Barbra Streisand. This is certainly true of wine farm Uva Mira, high up on the Helderberg mountain, overlooking the amphitheatre that is Stellenbosch to the Atlantic far beyond (p. 22). Stellenbosch is abundantly blessed with vantage points from where you can literally look into the future. On another level, our town has been acting like a magnet to visionaries who bring the future home, as Stellenbosch Visio’s regular Innovation stories show. This is nothing new. Fifty years ago, for instance, three far-sighted men started the Stellenbosch Wine Routes in a modest way; today, the routes are a world-renowned tourist destination (p. 64).
Two recent Kinderkinetics graduates from Stellenbosch had their eyes firmly fixed on the future when they decided to dedicate this year to doing community work in a fishing village. From Paternoster where, as part of the Paternoster Project NPC, they are helping children develop into their best selves, this energetic duo will also be reaching out to schools in the wider area. Stellenbosch University can be proud of such a committed faculty and its equally committed students and alumni (p. 66).
As the Stellenbosch Triennale proved, our town is constantly broadening its horizons. One of the invited artists, Aaron Samuel Mulenga, born in Zambia, brought here his own moving perspective of the Bible and of a woman’s place in the world. He talks to Barnabas Ticha Muvhuti about his views on page 52.
Johann Groenewald, in ’n flinke omkeerbeweging, besing die wondere van Zambië se natuurskoon en vriendelike mense, en vertel waarom hy elke jaar daarheen gaan (bl. 70). Deon Meyer, weer, het nie nodig gehad om ver te gaan vir sy jongste boek, Donkerdrif, nie. Die storie het sommer hier op Stellenbosch ‘gebeur’. Hy vertel vir Willemien Brümmer daarvan (bl. 60) en van hoe hy en sy Marianne deesdae die berge platry.
Stellenbosch Visio gaan vanjaar sy sesde bestaansjaar vanuit Stellenbosch binne. Laat weet my asseblief waarvan julle hou en waar ons kan verbeter. Ek ontvang graag vernuwende voorstelle by editor@stellenboschvisio.co.za.