The Work Place

As a proud South African I feel very priviledged to work for one of the organs of governance that protects our young democracy. The SA Parliament’s Millennium Programme (PMP) is designed to find creative ways of engaging South Africans on issues of heritage, identity and nation-building. Over the last few years (I have been working here for five…) we have participated in many exciting initiatives that examine “Perspectives on and of Africa”.

Amongst these were an exhibition of ancient artifacts that explore the perspectives contained in maps of Africa, a community mapping project allowing children to write stories about how they experience their communities, their dreams and their aspirations, and a television series titled: ‘New Conversations’, that shared the views of ordinary South Africans, on what democracy means to them… To find out more about the PMP visit our website @: http://www.pmpsa.gov.za/

But What is ‘Perspective’?

Although I’ve always known that ‘perspective’ is a ‘point of view’, it is only during my time at the PMP that I truly learnt the meaning of perspective, and developed an appreciation for its power…

Through the various projects we’ve completed, I have increasingly come to understand the importance of acknowledging and respecting different ‘points of view’. I have experienced how a consciousness and appreciation for this, can improve the way we relate to one another, and create opportunities for open and honest dialogue.

It’s a pity though that as human beings, with all our shortcomings, we tend to neglect the validity of other’s points of view, and often have neither the time nor the energy to wonder what informs their ‘perspective’…