“Hope Is The Last Thing To Die” (Japanese proverb)

Just imagine what world would be like if we didn’t have hope?

All those defining moments in our history, just imagine if the allied nations lost all hope during the Second World War or if our struggle heroes lost hope against the oppressive power of the apartheid regime. It’s almost too painful to imagine isn’t it? Hope drives people to stand up in impossible circumstances and drives them to do things that they would have never thought they would be able to do…

But then, I remember the words of a bad character from the movie, “The Matrix”. I don’t remember the name of the character but he says,” hope is both man’s greatest strength and man’s greatest weakness”.

I don’t know why I remember that statement so well, I just do. And now, when I think about it, there is a lot of truth to that character’s statement.
If you really think about it, there is a very close link between hope and stupidity and there is a very fine line between being hopeful and being stupid and sadly a lot of people tend to cross that line without even realizing it until it’s too late.

So many young people put themselves into unnecessary danger and even put their own lives and the lives of others at risk, all because they ‘’hope’’ that nothing will happen to them. They willingly put themselves in dangerous situations and then hope that nothing bad will happen, somehow ignoring the fact that a dangerous situation is the most likely place for a bad thing to happen. That hope gives them a false sense of security… There are so many painful stories of people whose lives have been hurt and changed forever because of this kind of hope.

There’s the young girl who invited her older boyfriend to her place and hoped that nothing would happen.

There’s young man who chose to sleep around with many women and hoped that no one would get hurt.

The young girl at the party who decided to leave with the older guy and hope that nothing serious would happen.

I could go on endlessly adding story after painful story, adding person after person who has been hurt because he or she decided to put himself or herself in a dangerous situation. The chances are, you already know or you are related to someone who has gone through painful stories like these ones. Maybe you are someone who has been hurt like this, who is living with the painful consequences of those decisions.

We have to ask ourselves, is it really hope or is it a moment of unseen stupidity that causes us to take such risks with our lives? Is your hope driving you to be great, to make the most of your life, or is it driving you to do something wouldn’t or probably shouldn’t do?

If it’s the latter, then you should probably just take a step back and think for a second.
Is it really hope? Or is it stupidity?

You might find a potentially painful answer staring straight at you…..

If only everyone could just take a step back for just one second and think, before they act… my hope is that young people like me can be able to make the conscious decision to be more responsible in their actions…

Is my ‘hope’ really based on real hope? Or is it just stupidity? I’ll leave it up to you to answer that…

Jan Jordaan, Director of Art For Humanity, has been chosen as a 2010 recipient of the Art and Media Award.  The TLTL (Too little Too late) Award was initiated in 2005 by Nanda Soobben, cartoonist, animator and journalist. The aim of the award is to recognise individuals who have given off their best and made a significant contribution to South African Society in Arts, Culture and Media,

Nanda Soobben, the founder of CFAD, said that the “Too Little Too Late” and Media Awards were given to individuals who contributed unselfishly to the community without the recognition they deserved.

“Most South African artists have highlighted the plight of the struggle for freedom, and through their work people were able to break the silence. These men and women have an incredible talent. The contributions they have made to the South African media and art industry are priceless,” Soobben said.

“As a white Afrikaner male, I represent that for which ‘aparthate’ was declared a crime against humanity. It is important for me to facilitate, through that which I know best – printmaking – some sort of insurance against all present day and future, crimes against humanity.”

Jan Jordaan (Artist; Co-Founder & Director of Art For Humanity; Fine Art Lecturer, D.U.T., Durban, South Africa; Founding Partner of www.realstoriesgallery.com)

www.afh.org.za

APS National Paper Prayers Awareness Campaign: Since 1996, Artist Proof Studio has realized the enormous impact that the creative industries can have in addressing issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, especially in raising awareness of the disease and facilitating a culture of healing and positive living through the processes of art and craft. We are also able to make a valuable contribution to reducing fear and intolerance.

The Campaign began in 1997, initially in partnership with the Department of Arts and Culture. The concept of paper prayers originates from an ancient Japanese custom of offering painted strips of paper as prayers for healing the sick. Participants make two Paper Prayers, one which they keep and one as a donation to Paper Prayers. The latter are then exhibited and sold at World AIDS Day events. The process of producing these small works of art creates a supportive environment in which participants gain awareness of HIV/AIDS – this awareness is internalized and expressed in their artworks. Paper Prayers is a multi-faceted initiative providing skills in art and craft, papermaking, product design, and education. Participants are psychologically and financially empowered.

Artists in Schools is a newer Artist Proof Studio project. APS has developed a Paper Prayers training manual for teachers and schools. This effective approach introduces an art project linking the teaching of printmaking skills with HIV/AIDS awareness activities such as exhibitions and fundraisers. The success of this project has led to numerous requests from schools and NGOs to assist their efforts to educate children about HIV/AIDS through the visual arts. This project has to date been supported by the Ford Foundation.

In 2008, our students worked with a partner NGO to design and paint murals expressing their outrage at the xenophobic attacks which took place around South Africa in May/June 2008 and their sadness at the trauma suffered by fellow APS students from other parts of the continent. One block-long mural was painted in Yeoville and another in Joubert Park. In March 2009, the third-year students collaborated with the Art Therapy Centre in an initiative to revamp the interior of The Memorial Institute of Child Health and Development.

“Who,” by Moosa Hassen (grade 8F)

Growing up in a country where
Crime is the most common thing to do
People are just too busy to worry about
The next person. The rich get richer,
The poor get poorer. What sort of a country is this?
Where nobody cares for anyone but themselves
The government does things to suit their pocket, not us
They say this country has freedom
Freedom from what exactly, nobody has
Freedom in this country when crime is so high.

“Hoping In Art,” by Lucky Lugogwana

Don’t let go of hope in Art
Art gives you the strength to express your feelings
When you feel like giving up, don’t. Because it’s part of your life
As long as you make art in purpose
It’s always what you expected to be
Don’t run away from what you are
Because it’s your deepest feeling in life
Don’t wait for what you want to come to you
Go after it with all that you are
You are you want to be in Art
Be confident everywhere you are
Don’t feel like you have lost when days are dark sometimes
It will be your turn to win again in Art
Be patient. It will pass
You are what you expect to be.

“I Am Me,” by Jessica Ximba (grade 9C)

I am me
There will never be anyone like me
I am special because I am acquired
I am stardust and dreams
I am light, love and hope
I am swells of blue, green, red, purple
And colours you cannot name
I was the past but now it turns out
That I am the future
I was born during the days of apartheid
But now it shows that I am living in the days of democracy
And I am still me, and there
Will never be anyone like me.

“Me And My Rights,” by Darshan Naidoo (grade 8F)

Today I woke up feeling glad
Why do I find most of my friends feeling sad?
Is it me? My teachers or who?
Why then is the world like this?
Killing, fighting, robbing, raping
We all have rights and ‘me’, I think

Today I woke up feeling glad
Why do I find most of my friends feeling sad?
Do I even have rights? So I speak…..
In the end I find out, I do have rights
Food, shelter, clothing and medical care are some
Of them, then why do I see kids on the street?
What kind of lives do they live? Try and use your
Rights wisely and try and help hose around you.