There are no LETS groups
in South Africa. There used to be one (or two) several years ago,
but they were very short lived.
So I knew that my visit
to Cape Town would be very different to my previous 10 weeks spent
in Europe. I wasn't wrong.
When my emails went out
seeking interest from European LETS groups who wanted me to speak
to their members, the very first email I got back was from the South
Africa New Economics (SANE) Network.
Thanks to the persuasive
email sent to me from Laura Bishop regarding the need for LETS systems
in South Africa, I was pleased to be able to add Cape Town to my long
list of speaking engagements. And speak' I certainly did!
Instead of giving just one
LETS presentation as I'd done in each of the European countries, I
was given a daily speaking schedule something akin to what the President
of America is used to. Every day there were 1 or 2 speaking engagements
for 4 days running, starting from the very first day of my arrival.
There wasn't going to be any time for mucking around here! But I savored
every minute of it.
Tuesday, October 15, 7.30pm
I gave my "9 Part LETS Presentation" to a room full of curious locals
from the poor South African town of Mitchell's Plain (25 kms SE of
Cape Town). And two hours later, after being shown how LETS could
help them improve their lifestyles and build their self-esteem, these
people had selected a core group committee and organised a follow-up
meeting with the aim of launching the first LETS group in South Africa.
Ten of them said they'd join.
Rev. Keith Vermeulen, of
Restorative Justice Initiative (and pastor of the local Methodist
Church) hosted the meeting and with the help of SANE, will oversee
the development of the group as it progresses.
Wednesday, October 16, 10.30am
I met the director, Trevor Edwards, and key personnel from the Ocean
View Development Trust (in Ocean View, 40 km directly south of Cape
Town) who were also curious to see if, and how, LETS could help the
underprivileged people in the area. I was made aware of the fact that
of South Africa's 43 million population, about 50% (yes, 50%!!!!)
were unemployed. And their main interest in LETS wasn't for lawn mowing
or massages, but for getting some food on the table. Could I help?
By the end of the meeting,
which was a lot more formal than I was used to, two people in the
room said they were ready to start their own groups. In fact, I was
given a great compliment by Russell Bishop who said, "Before I heard
you speak, I knew exactly how I was going to start a LETS group. But
after hearing what you had to say, I now realize just how much I didn't
know. So I'm still going to start my own group, but now I'll do it
differently."
Thursday, October 17, 10am
'Cape Talk Radio' is one
of Cape Town's most listened to radio stations. And SANE had managed
to get me a spot on the late morning show.
"How long will the segment
be?" I asked.
"20 to 45 minutes, depending
on audience response," was the reply.
The show went the full 45
minutes, and was a great hit with several live calls taken from radio
listeners. And my evening presentation got a very valuable 'plug'.
Thursday, October 17, 7.30pm
SANE arranged for me to talk to its own membership. Therefore, much
promotion had taken place before my arrival. And they did such a great
job that the room was packed to the rafters, with people sitting on
desks and standing at the back of the room. This was the largest audience
SANE had managed to attract to any of their events. Some people had
also come because they'd heard me on the radio earlier that morning.
In fact, I was told that the SANE phones ran hot as soon as my radio
interview ended.
But then we had a major
crisis. At precisely 7.20pm, there was a total blackout in the area,
and the multi-story office building we were in was pitch black! So
just to make everyone feel a little more comfortable about being in
darkness, I announced, "It's OK. I can do this in the dark!", all
the time hoping that I really wouldn't have to.
Thankfully, twenty long
minutes later, the lights went back on.
Again, it was a great evening,
with much audience interest leading to many how to questions. Then
Margaret Legum, the MC for the night (and my LETS host in Kalk Bay
where I'd been staying) suggested that the audience form small discussion
groups of 4-5 people. Watching the buzz around the room for the next
30 minutes was very inspiring. And after listening to the ideas they'd
come up with, it was enthusiastically agreed to form a core group
committee to begin a LETS group with the help of SANE.
Friday, October 18, 9am
Aart De Lange, founder of SANE and my LETS host for the latter part
of my stay in Cape Town, arranged for me to meet with Tim Jenkin who
was working on a LETS operating system which was internet based. So
any LETS group in the world could use the system. After seeing his
preliminary work, I was suitably impressed and agreed to promote it
on my LETS-Linkup web site once it was ready for operation.
Friday, October 18, 11.30am
Laura took me to Gugulethu where I gave another LETS presentation
to a small group of 16 people in a local church. These were all members
of a self-funded AIDS Awareness Group. So how do a group of poor locals
fund themselves?
"Sometimes you just don't
miss 10 Rand here and there," was my reply.
The end result was a unanimous
decision to form a core group committee to start their own LETS group
with the help of SANE. And this wouldn't be too hard because they
were already trading amongst themselves. Forming a LETS group would
simply be opening the door to other people outside their existing
group.
Friday, October 18, 7pm
My farewell dinner! Margaret Legum had generously opened her home
to anyone interested in seeing me off. And it was good to see many
familiar faces from last night's audience. It was very humbling.
But my greatest pleasure
was when I shared my Bat Joke with the guests and got my first laugh
in 11 weeks! Apparently it loses its 'punch' when it has to be translated.
THE BAT JOKE
There were 2 bats in a cave.
And it was freezing cold outside. Lots of lightning, thunder, storms
... the works!
One bat turned to the other
and said, "I'm starving. I haven't had a feed for 2 whole days. I
can't stand it any more. I'm going outside to find myself a meal."
Then his friend said, "Don't
be so foolish. Remember, we're Vampire Bats. We need blood. And you
won't find any animals out there. They're all in hiding just like
we are. In fact, if you're out there for more than a minute, you'll
freeze to death. So just be patient until the storm dies down. You're
much safer in here."
But the first bat wasn't
convinced. "I said I'm starving, not stupid! If I don't find something
to eat straight away, I'll be back here in less than a minute."
And with that parting comment,
he flew out of the cave.
Sure enough, 58 ... 59 seconds
later, he was back in the cave. And his friend was amazed to see a
tell-tale trickle of blood coming from the corner of the first bat's
mouth. So he asked, "How did you go out in such treacherous conditions,
find yourself a meal, and get back here in less than a minute?"
"Come with me," the first
bat said, "and I'll show you."
So they went to the mouth
of the cave and the first bat said to his friend, "Do you see that
pile of rocks over there?"
"Yes," replied his friend.
And the first bat confessed,
"Well, damned if I did!"
