Sesego Foundation

Did you know? Johan Sebastian Bach lost his little daughter and then three sons and then his wife. Then he remarried and then he and his second wife, Anna-Magdalena, lost four more daughters and three sons. Eleven beloved children...

Many researchers have wondered: how Bach managed to handle these losses? How did he not stop breathing, how did his heart not stop? And most importantly, how could he continue to write music? Kantati, cello suites, masses, concerts... The most beautiful music the world has heard. Do you know how he did it?

At the end of the his music, he always wrote "Soli Deo gloria" (Glory to God alone) and in the beginning, "Lord help.” Therefore, you can pray during Bach's music because the music itself is prayer. You could, then, consider Bach's music a conversation between man and God. How do you deal with pain? Worship is the best solace.

Noni Jabavu was raised on a university campus with her father being a university lecturer. In her 1982 preface to The Ochre People, she describes her childhood as tranquil and characterised by ‘mentally elevating influences’, where education was the primary focus of her family: “Musicianship, authorship was the order of the day. As for reading! Shelves upon shelves of books everywhere in the house, from my father’s personal library in his study, to shelves in the kitchen... little ones in the nursery– babies had their ‘rag books’… shelves along the passages, in the sitting rooms, why even in the earth-pit closet out by the stables and woodsheds.” It is not surprising that Jabavu became a writer with a highly developed sense of curiosity about the world.
To find out more about the life, journey and work of Noni Jabavu in ‘Foundational African Writers’ edited by Bhekizizwe Peterson, Khwezi Mkhize and Makhosazana Xaba visit https://witspress.co.za/catalogue/foundational-african-writers

Figure 4.1: Noni Jabavu walking down Regent Street, London, 1949. Courtesy of Amazwi South African Museum of Literature, Makhanda.

"Sister, there are people who went to sleep all over the world last night, poor and rich and white and black, but they will never wake again. Sister, those who expected to rise did not, their beds became their cooling boards, and their blankets became their winding sheets. And those dead folks would give anything, anything at all for just five minutes of this weather or ten minutes of that plowing that person was grumbling about. So you watch yourself about complaining, Sister. What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain."
~Maya Angelou ❤️

shared via Philo Thoughts

Annemarie Mostert | Overall Winner Woman of Stature Awards South Africa 2024 Interview with Annemarie Mostert | Overall Winner Woman of Stature Awards South Africa 2024 Annemarie Mostert, a distinguished entrepreneur, stands as the dr...

Woman of Stature™ Awards South Africa Gala Awards Evening 2024 Woman of Stature™ Awards South Africa Gala Awards Evening 2024Highlights | The Indaba Hotel.Premium Sponsor: MotiMoves | Zunaid Moti Thank you to our sponsor...

This drawing is by Anja Rozen, a 13-year-old primary school student in Slovenia. She was chosen from 600,000 children around the world to create a piece of art to show what peace looks like.

She is the winner of the international Plakat Miru competition.
"My drawing represents the land that binds us and unites us."

"Humans are woven together. If someone gives up, others fall. We are all connected to our planet and to each other, but unfortunately we are little aware of it. We are woven together. Other people weave alongside me my own story; and I weave theirs," said the young designer.

Wish you joy, love and peace...

May you and yours have the gift of faith, the blessing of hope, peace and love at Christmas and always!

"🌍 Big News! 🎉 Our child safety courses are now available in multiple languages, including Afrikaans, Arabic, Bengali, and many more! Let's empower communities worldwide with knowledge. 📚✨
https://mbimb.org/courses/
⚠️ Disclaimer: These translations are generated and may not always be 100% accurate.

Here is a full list of languages:
Afrikaans
Arabic
Bengali
Chichewa
Chinese
Croatian
Dutch
English
French
German
Greek
Haitian
Hausa
Hindi
Igbo
Indonesian
Marathi
Nepali
Persian
Polish
Portuguese
Punjabi
Russian
Shona
Sesotho
Sinhala
Spanish
Sudanese
Swahili
Swedish
Tamil
Telugu
Turkish
Ukrainian
Urdu
Xhosa
Yoruba
Zulu
"

Courses Archive Welcome to the "My Body is My Body" Introduction to Child Maltreatment Course, where we will be exploring how to Safeguard Children. My Body Is MY Body is the Core Education Programme for the GGA Foundation.

Such an honour....

CONGRATULATIONS Annemarie
Your nomination for the Woman of Stature Awards South Africa 2024 is successful and we are thrilled to announce you as a NOMINEE in the Woman in Education Category.
You are embarking on your Nominee Journey, “The Road to the Awards” where you, together with your fellow nominees, will be honoured at the 9th prestigious Gala Awards being held at the Indaba Hotel in Fourways on the 13th of April 2024.
The Woman of Stature Awards South Africa has established itself as a beacon of empowerment and recognition since its inception in 2013.

At the heart of these awards lies a powerful vision: to kindle a sense of aspiration among women, urging them to transcend traditional boundaries and make a lasting impact on the lives of those around them. Beyond merely acknowledging achievement, the Woman of Stature Awards seeks to ignite a deeper, more profound sense of purpose within women, pushing them to reach new heights in their personal and professional pursuits.

Nominations are still open
www.wosawardsglobal.com

Inside the mind of a writer living with Alzheimer’s I was out for my evening run, but as so often happens lately, I was not alone. The monsters, all in my mind, were gaining on me, ready to pounce. I had to sprint, a full-out panic dash, to avoid capture at sundown, that moment when Alzheimer’s bears down.

Good Things Guy

South African living in Australia: "I left my heart in Africa" A South African living in Australia, Bashi Pather has written a heartbreaking poem about leaving her heart and soul behind in Africa. While some South Africans find freedom and joy when they move abroad, there are many – like Bashi – who never quite feel like they can be themselves when they’r...

Meet 31-Year-Old Nigerian: The World's Highest Paid Robotics Engineer Meet 31-Year-Old Nigerian, Silas Adekunle, the world's highest paid robotics Engineer, whi built the world's first intelligent gaming robot

The language of arts and culture

Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on which we launch the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women & Children campaign which takes places every year from 25 November to 10 December.

Join the conversation using hashtag

so easy to make a difference - Love these little free libraries.

Around the world in 100 Little Free Libraries As part of the release of my new holiday books reading list, I placed copies in more than 100 Little Free Libraries.

Stamp from the UN Postal Administration's collection featuring the iconic Knotted Gun sculpture at UN Headquarters in New York, a universal symbol of non-violence.

Johannesburg has over 10 million trees and is sometimes called the world's largest urban man-made forest (although this has never been proved, we'll still take it), and every year from October, the city turns a bright shade of purple as some of those trees come to life!

Johannesburg has become well known for its Jacarandas, but the trees are actually indigenous to South America; their history in South Africa can be traced back to as early as 1880, when they were imported from Argentina.

Before gold was discovered on the Witwatersrand in 1886, there were several farmers in the area. These farmers brought seeds from the Cape and planted Oak, Walnut and Jacaranda trees.

According to Smith in The Star of 1945, the first Jacaranda to be planted in the city was at Charlton Terrace in Doornfontein. Smith reported that Tree entrepreneur William Nelson had nurseries in Turffontein where "by 1896 he grew 30-million trees, shrubs and plants for general distribution".

Nelson, whose business was known as Nelsonia Nurseries, apparently planted 106 kilometres of trees along the streets of the newly established suburb of Kensington. The task took six months to complete. It's believed to be the first time street trees were planted in South Africa on such a large scale.

Jacarandas are exotics and part of Johannesburg. They are capable of withstanding the test of time with a life expectancy of up to 200 years if cared for properly.

Spring is in the air and we are celebrating!

Sadio Mane : " J'ai résisté à la faim, j'ai travaillé dans les champs, j'ai survécu aux guerres, j'ai joué au football pieds nus, je n'avais aucune éducation et bien d'autres choses encore, mais aujourd'hui, avec ce que je gagne grâce au football, je peux aider mon peuple. J'ai construit des écoles, un hôpital, nous offrons des vêtements, des chaussures, de la nourriture aux personnes vivant dans une extrême pauvreté. En outre, je donne 70 euros par mois à tous les habitants d'une région très pauvre du Sénégal. Je n'ai pas besoin d'étaler des voitures de luxe, des villas de luxe, de voyager et encore moins des avions, je préfère que mon peuple reçoive un peu de ce que la vie m'a donné."

Hepatitis is the inflammation of the liver, and our liver simultaneously performs over 200 important functions for the body making it vitally important to keep it from infections or inflammation for our existence. Visit your healthcare practitioner for more info.

Prioritizing mental health is important during times of high stress, like the pandemic and other crises. Find moments of happiness by relaxing, practicing mindfulness and connecting with friends and family.

8 FIGHTS WORTH PICKING WITH YOUR KIDS:

Saw this somewhere and it was immensely helpful and challenging.

Parenting is hard. Parents have to choose their battles. Here are 8 fights worth picking with your kids:

The Reading Fight:
Make your kids read. Because reading is tied to everything from cognitive development to the ability to focus. Make your kids read now.

The Outside Fight:
Make your kids go outside. The natural world teaches us things. Plus, outside there's sunshine, fresh air, and exercise waiting for them. Most importantly, nature is full of things in short supply in our world: Discovery, wonder, peace, joy.

The Work Fight:
Make your kids work. I’m saddened by how many parents don’t require their kids to lift a finger at home. There are priceless life principles you can only learn with a mop in your hand. Let sweat be their teacher.

The Meal Fight:
Make your kids eat as a family. Our lives are a blur of incessant activity. Meals together are a physical pause to recover a truth so easily sacrificed at the altar of busyness. Nothing's more important than family.

The Boredom Fight:
Make your kids live with boredom. Don't show a DVD on each car ride. Kids need unscheduled time. And, odd as it sounds, boredom is a skill. It's hard as a parent to deal with the assault of boredom complaints. But if you give in and fill up their time with external stimuli, you'll raise an activity addict. Make them learn how to be.

The "Me First" Fight:
Make your kids go last. Not every time for everything. But enough to remember that the world doesn't revolve around them. Take the smallest piece. Give up the remote. Do someone else's chores. Get their least favorite choice. They won't like it, but they need it.

The Awkward Conversation Fight:
Make your kids have uncomfortable conversations with you. S*x, dating, body image, values...Your kids will roll their eyes and resist. You will stumble and stutter. They need and want your perspective, lessons learned, and wisdom.

The Limitation Fight:
Learning to live within limits is a valuable life skill. In fact, many adult problems arise from an inability to accept them. Screen time limits, dietary limits, activity limits, and schedule limits are all good.

As a parent, you have to pick your battles. They're not easy, but they're worth the fight.

*Copied from David Morris on Twitter