I consider myself an optimist; however, when I think of the future, I can’t help but be a bit pessimistic. There’s so much chaos and unrest in the world, it’s hard to see rainbows and unicorns in the future. But, in the spirit of optimism, this is going to be a list of what I hope to see in the future, inspired by my experiences in Cape Town.
- I hope that people will rise up and stand for what they believe in. In Cape Town, I’m surrounded my activists and mobilizers everyday. I work with them and see firsthand what people are willing to do and give up for each other. But not enough people are doing it. In fact, as the world becomes more digitized, people are more interested in STEM than ever; the humanities are falling to the wayside and with them, our humanity. People need to see the value in others and in society and do something about what they see is wrong.
- I hope that the world will soon see a wave of new and competent political leaders. There are too many people in power right now who have no idea what they’re doing. Just the other day, I went to a court hearing against the City of Cape Town and the city’s representative had no idea what he was talking about!
- I hope the youth will become more involved in politics. I can already see it in the U.S.! I was politicized when I was in middle/high school and the trend is continuing – a positive byproduct of the speed and spread of social media. In South Africa, one of the main goals of many nonprofits is to mobilize the young. We are the future and we’re going to make sure changes do finally happen.
- I hope that people will oppose injustice rather than fear it. The interns at Ndifuna Ukwazi got a chance to visit an occupation and talk to its leader. He explained to us how empowered he felt after joining Ndifuna Ukwazi and Reclaim The City, how it was exhilarating telling city officials to get off of his land. He found power in fighting for what was right, and I hope that other people will find their power too.
This isn’t an exhaustive list. There are plenty more I could add to this list, but these are the ones I feel are most relevant, where I am, right now.