Blog
Fixing the Country, Transforming the Continent – The THUD Story
Selebogo Molefe was not what I expected. I first heard of him and The Hookup Dinner (THUD) while filming Marcia Simelane, one of The Emerge Project’s featured leaders; she spoke highly of him and THUD. She had won Pitch of the Night a couple of years back at THUD,...
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Alexandra Students Driven to Excel Through Xpose Program
Deep in heart of Alexandra Township is a group of young people being groomed to take on the world. They are problem-solvers in the making. Already active in their homes, communities and schools, learning the ins and outs of business and service on a micro level. They...
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Township Youth Pushing For Reform
Every generation has its own battles to fight. It was on 16 June, 42 years ago that the youth of Soweto took to the streets to march against the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in education. Four decades later, on 16 June 2018, the youth of Alexandra, in...
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Making the Best of a Second Chance – Rally Sergey’s Story
Ralton Sergey has become a known second-hand book seller by Gautrain commuters at the Johannesburg Park Station Rally, who is originally from Durban, said he didn’t know that one day he would be a well known roadside book seller. His books are very catching to the eye...
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Volunteer With Us!
Come help us elevate the voices of grassroots Black visionaries and leaders in South Africa and Brazil! The Emerge Project is on a growth track for 2018! We've got a vision and goals for this year; will you help us realize them? We are looking for a team of volunteers...
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The City of Johannesburg ranked 28 out of top 50 cities in support of women entrepreneurs
The City of Johannesburg is making a mark globally. This follows after Johannesburg has been ranked 28 out of 50 global cities, for showcasing skill development and business opportunities for women in the 2017 Dell Women Entrepreneur Cities Index (WE Cities). This is...
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The Coming Great Awakening
The other day I was chatting with a South African colleague whom I had recently met. She expressed her fear and discomfort with the current state of the country, with the political instability and deepening racial tensions, among other factors. I could feel her sense...
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Raising South Africa’s Giants
An African proverb says it takes a community to raise a child, which means it’s everyone’s responsibility to take an active role in contributing to the nurturing of the child We are living in a face-paced, instant information and pressure filled world. Today’s...
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The Unsung Heroes of Africa
By this point in time and history, we all are well-versed in Africa’s problems. We can all, in every corner of the globe, recite a litany of challenges and wrongs plaguing the continent. But do we have any idea of what’s working? Can we stand up and point out all the...
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Black Child
Black child rise, Rise from the dust of your clay, Rise from the earth of your forefathers, Rise from the negativity imposed upon you, By those who fear your majestic nature, Rise from the pressure that’s meant to keep you down, From rising above them, Rise from the...
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The Many Faces of Entrepreneurship
Township entrepreneurship is growing in South Africa. With unemployment levels climbing through the roof, township residents have to find other ways to make ends meet. Many turn to entrepreneurship in one form or another. Some might set up a shoe-shining stall at the...
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Commemorating June 16: Soweto Uprising
Forty-one years ago, the streets of Soweto, a township in South Africa were packed with thousands of Black students protesting against an official order which made Afrikaans compulsory in Black schools throughout the country. The use of local languages was forbidden...
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Women Flourish in Construction Industry
South African women have changed the landscape of entrepreneurship drastically, by taking a route which was believed to be for men only. Black women have ventured into the Mechanics and Construction industries. Gender diversity in the construction industry is still...
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South African Townships: Can Anything Good Come From Them?
The other day I was doing some research on Alexandra Township in Johannesburg, and came across a TripAdvisor review site. Some of the comments read: “There is no reason to go to Alex. You can drive through it on London Road…” “I do not even know why this would show on...
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South African women making a difference in the townships of Gauteng Province
by Wendy Mothata Many people would say starting a business is not for the faint hearted, and a lot has been said about the role of small businesses in the townships, where many Black people live, and in the South African economy as a whole. Young African women...
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The Story of Mukunã Dreadlocks
What’s hair got to do with it? You can’t talk about the growth and development of the black population in Brazil, about social and economic solutions, about inclusive strategies and empowerment initiatives, without recognizing the important role hair plays in all of...
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SANDRA REGINA SOUZA LEITE – THE MÃO DUPLA STORY
I stumbled on Mão Dupla restaurant during my first visit to Brazil in 2014. Tucked deep inside the maze of crisscrossing cobblestone streets in the Pelourinho, Salvador’s historic district, I found myself drawn there one day as I wandered around, wide-eyed, hungry,...
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SALVADOR MAKES ROOM FOR AFRO-BRAZILIAN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
The number of people who perform entrepreneurial activity in Brazil has surpassed 20 million, according to SEBRAE (Brazil’s agency for small and micro-business support). Of this total, 51 percent, or the equivalent of about 11 million, are Afro-Brazilian. According...
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