Saving the Rainbow, By Matthew Field

Matthew Field is a student at St. Alban’s College, Pretoria. He is the co-president of its Oratorical Society and placed third in the National Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships (NIDPSC) in September 2017. He delivered the following speech at NIDPSC and made the final in the category. He has been selected for the South African team for the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships.

Connor McGregor vs. Floyd Maywether was an interesting fight: two titans of violence going at it. Mcgregor: tough with the luck of the Irish vs. Floyd Money Maywether! There was pomp, spectacle, lights, huge crowds, and hundreds of millions of dollars and prize money. Sound like a lot of pressure, right?

We are in a similar situation. We are the boxers, the MMA fighters, and the World Wrestling Entertainers! The following century is set to be the match of all time.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let’s introduce the fighters:

In the left-hand corner, we have an undefeated tag-team duo: please put your hands together for Poverty and Wealth Inequality! This tag team from Hell has not lost a single match during their illustrious career. This season has seen them take down giants like the United States, India, Brazil and the Russian Federation. Tonight, they will enter the arena to defend their title.

Helping them we have fighters who have brought the African Circuit to its knees… Make some noise for Racism and a Complicated Yet Devastating Legacy of Colonization and Exploitation!

Tonight, these two sickeningly successful teams will take on an underdog from the south, our last hope of stopping them. Our fighter is weak, divided and in a hopeless situation, please welcome: the Republic of South Africa!

Ding Ding Ding. Fight!

Boxing metaphor aside, this fight is real. South Africa is facing problems left, right and centre. In every corner there is something waiting to destroy us. Racism. Wealth Inequality. Climate Change: crisis after crisis taking us on the road to chaos.

You could spend a lifetime discussing these issues and thinking of radically revolutionary solutions, and an only a ten minute long speech is just not going to cut it. So I am not going to bother. I’ll leave that to you guys.

These issues are lining up, waiting to destroy us, and at the rate we are going, we are going to let them.

South Africa is fundamentally unequipped to survive. Like a hiker without a map, or a soldier less the gun, we not going to last long on this journey of nationhood. The 21^st century will see the end of our republic, for one simple reason… the concept of being South African is dying.

I love the requirements that NIDPSC has given us. “No party political stance may be taken,” it says. Brilliant!  I shouldn’t take a party stance. You shouldn’t take a party stance. Nobody should take a party stance, because they’re terrible!

They divide us and make us squabble amongst ourselves.

And any History student will tell you: those who are divided are conquered!

The sad thing is that we do not have to be so divided.

Yes, our history is uniquely terrible, but other nations, not too different from ourselves, have experienced similarly, but have triumphed in ten times more brilliant a fashion.

We don’t even have to look far.

You know that country just North of us, the one without any water…? I’ve forgotten the name…

Oh right, Botswana!

It’s such an unassuming nation with so little going for it.

They’re landlocked.

70% percent of their country is taken up by the Kalahari Desert, and as for the rest of it… well let us just say their national motto is ‘Pula,’ the Tswana word for rain, so you can guess what they are doing with that land.

They should be a rural, famine stricken, backwater, the place where UNICEF would go film their starving children ads, but no.

Botswana is miles ahead of South Africa!

In 2016, our GDP growth was 0,5%. Theirs was 2,9%.

In that same year, they had a GDP per capita 3400 dollars higher than ours!

In that same year, Botswana’s industrial growth rate was 2,5%. Do you know what ours was? -1%!. Somehow our country, bigger, richer and with a longer history of industry shrank in industrial growth, while Botswana grew!

Lets face the facts. Botswana is doing the impossible. They have the lowest corruption levels of any African state and they are succeeding economically. Why?

It’s for a number of reasons, but the biggest is their national cooperation. You don’t have immigrant’s shops being looted, nor do you racially based hate crimes running rampant. The Batswana people have unified behind their country. They’ve decided to give this weird experiment of forming a nation out of an artificially created colonial mess a try. They’ve done it by pragmatically putting their differences aside and working towards the benefit of all.

Botswana isn’t perfect, but they’re doing a hell of a lot better than us. They show us that the myth, the dream, of a non-racial post-colonial African state is within reach. Atlantis is real! This magical world can exist.

There is no reason why we cannot also be the next African miracle.

But we’re not.

We are still divided. We still have hearts of hate. Apartheid is over on paper, but if you walk outside right now, you will see a country that Hendrik Verwoerd would be proud of.

The ‘white’ women will still walk to the other side of the street if a ‘black’ man is coming past. A child will be told that he’s not allowed to play with his ‘coloured’ friends from Sunday School, or date that ‘Indian’ girl from church.

Things are getting better, but we’re going at such a snail’s pace that the Limpopo River will run dry and the Drakensberg will erode to mounds of dirt by the time true healing has occurred in our great nation!

This year has been one of factionalism, tribalism and division.

Division, like long division in math, is mostly useless and a hindrance to progress.

The British are gone and the National Party is history, but another threat just like them will rise again. Neocolonialism and corruption are facing our state with capture, and what do we do? We blame each other! The Zimbabweans are stealing our jobs; the Somali’s are stealing our money. The Nigerians are selling drugs to our children. The coloureds are gangsters and Indians are shady business dealers.

Lies!

All lies that we tell ourselves to convince us that the problem is simpler than it really is.

Its not the foreigners, its not a specific race, or family, and its not our President. All of us are to blame.

Our national crises require nuance, something we have in deeply short supply. We supplement this deficiency with hatred, blaming others and differentiating ourselves from the problem.

Differentiating ourselves from the problem is like differentiation in Maths, it seems like a good idea, but it just causes pain in the end.

Tribalism and othering are killing our country. Those who wish to take advantage of us know it!

Settle in kids… Matthew is going to tell you a bedtime story.

Got your pajamas and teddy bears? I hope not, one might think you were lost.

A long time ago, in a United Kingdom far far away

A PR company went astray

Dirty campaigns were all the rage

New tweets at every stage

Racial tensions were stirring

Bell Pottinger strings were pulling

Causing racial tension and strife

Conspiracy around their employers was rife.

Can you believe it? A foreign company using our differences against us?

No no no!

That isn’t even the saddest part. The real tradgedy is that we choose to let our divisions weigh us down. We have allowed Bell Pottinger into our heads.

As evidence point A, I refer you to Singapore, the Lion City on the Bay.

If you think South Africa is diverse, you haven’t seen Singapore. They have Chinese, Indians, Malays and Europeans. Every religion, from Judaism to Sikhism, Islam to Taoism, Hinduism to Christianity, can be found in Singapore. All are tolerated, all are celebrated, all play their part, and they thrive because of it.

They went from being a poor backwater to being the beating heart of global trade. They are a city state with zero arable land and no natural resources, but their GDP per capita is higher than Ireland’s, is higher than ours!

We could also be in this magical reality, if we only could stop blaming each other and work together, to engage in this little thing called Nation Building.

We are currently divided, and because of it we are abused, exploited and kicked to the curb. If we engage in the process of nation building, we will emerge victorious.

Luckily for us, we can climb out of it, by following 4 principal guidelines, the 4 ‘p’s, as highlighted in Liberty’s Surest Guardian.

The first P is Partners

An African proverb says: “If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.” Perhaps we should take our own advice and go together. This means building relationships and getting all facets of society to buy-into this idea that is South Africa. From farmer to financier, from herder to miner and factory worker, people will only buy-into South Africa if they think of themselves as South African.

The next P is Process.

Rome was not built in a day, and a unified South African people will not come about overninght. We need patience and clearly set out process, not just a once off bandaid like the World Cup.

The third P is Problem Solving

People will never back a country that is filled problems, same as how you would never get on a ship riddled with leaks. To get people to believe in our nation we need to give them something to bite on. We need some progress, in any form, so they know that it is worth trying to fix this place.

Then lastly we have P for Purpose.

We need a national goal, a national mindset, not just development goals cooked up by executive councils behind closed doors. They do not relate to ordinary South Africans. They are not communicated to ordinary South Africans. They are not implemented by ordinary South Africans.

Lets go back to that boxing match. Nation building is the only way that that underdog can get his act together, the only chance he has at beating that double tag-team monstrosity.

He only has a chance if he uses what is at his disposal: diversity.

He has the best scientists, athletes, public speakers, students, teachers, comedians, sportsmen and every day heroes. Nation building means having unity in that diversity.

That’s an idea so great that it could be our national motto, oh wait…

So don’t see yourself as Xhosa, Zulu, Tsonga, Pedi, Afrikaans, Indian, English or Coloured. See yourself as South African. You exist because of me, and I exist because of you, its this thing Mzansi has called Ubuntu.

And if we can just use it, if we can embrace Ubuntu, engage in nation building and unite as one people, then we will be the African Miracle, we will reclaim our title as the role model of the world.

Our hands will indeed be raised at the end of that boxing match.

Amandla!

Put The Bottle Down

I am not sume super-conservative ban-all-the-substances sort of guy, but there is one place where I draw the line: booze.

Since time immemorial, people have been getting smashed: wine, vodka, beer, port, grappa, sake, chicha (a delightful Ecuadorian drink) and those pink cocktails with umbrellas in them. There are barely any fruit juices on this earth that we have not let go rancid for our own enjoyment.

Unfortunately, the most avid consumers of alcohol are children, or those just past legality. If you throw a dart in a school, you'll hit a kid on the road to alcoholism. Unfortunately for all my nosey readers, or lack thereof, I will not expose names. After all, snitches get stitches and wind up in ditches. That being said, the youth of today have a serious drinking problem.

Liquor, while fun, is dangerous for society. The man who beats his wife? He's probably drunk. The same applies to 65% of road accidents during South Africa's holiday seasons. It also hurts our children, as their bodies are not yet ready to filter such large quantities of poison. This is especially true when party-favorites like vodka are involved.

Now I'm not judging those who drink; I'm not that sort of guy. If you want to get hammered on Friday and wake up on Monday, go ahead! I just want you to know what you are getting yourself into. Drinking numbs your ability to say 'no' to yourself and others. If you want to ruin your social media reputation, or get a criminal record, booze will certainly give you the courage to do so.

As for me, I intend to be a real goodie-two-shoes and abstain entirely. You don't have to be as drastic as me. Just remember to #thinkbeforeyoudrink.

The African Spirit

On the 8^th of May, 1996, Deputy-President Thabo Mbeki addressed parliament.

        

It was on this day that he delivered a message that would define a generation. That would stand the test of time, like the photo we just took.

He said: “I am an African.”

He said: “I owe my being to the hills and the valleys, the mountains and the glades, the rivers, the flowers and the ever-changing seasons that define the face of our native land.”

I owe my existence to the Khoisan, the Dutch settlers, Malay immigrants, and the kingdoms of our nation’s interior.

He was an African.

I am an African.

You are Africans as well.

Wayengum-Afrika.

Nne ndi mu Afrikani.

Le lona lebathu ba Afrika.

To be African is not to hold a passport. It is not living on the continent. It is not being part of a certain race, tribe, or faith. It is something in us all.

We are all African, because we have been bathed in the African spirit.

This is a spirit of suffering and hardship. But it is also a spirit of strength and resilience. A spirit of love. A spirit of victory in the face of impossible odds.

 This spirit of justice lived in the heart of a young Solomon Mahlangu, when the gave his life for the struggle.

This spirit of unity was with Tsietsie Mashinini when he organized the students of Orlando High, on that fateful day of June 16^th.

It was this spirit of having our own identity that led Steve Biko to renew our African consciousness.

It was this spirit of defiance that led our youth onto the streets in 1976. It was this spirit that was burned into our hearts, when Hector Pieterson was shot dead.

Hector was 12 when he was slain, and he was not even the youngest. These students rose up because they saw the injustice of their society. Earlier, I spoke in 3 different languages, and many of you didn’t understand a single word. This is how they felt when they, and their teachers, could not understand their medium of instruction.

But this spirit of self-determination led them to fight for what was theirs.

Their blood was spilled by their fellow South Africans, but the spirit remained resolute. The struggle carried on, and still carries on, through us.

We are now at the helm. We, the youth, are soon going to carry the mantle of this spirit. We can choose to let it wither away into the footnotes of history, or we can choose to carry on the struggle: the struggle against racism, the struggle against exploitation, income inequality, violence against women, and all the other plagues that have infested themselves in our land.

In the prayer for Africa, we call on God to “restore our dignity.” But this dignity was never lost completely. This dignity is the African spirit. All we have to do is live it.

Ngiyabonga

Dankie

Kialiboga

Thank you.

By Matthew Field © 

13 Reasons Why Not

“Hey! Its Matthew. Matthew Field. That’s right. Don’t adjust your… whatever device you’re hearing this on. Its me, live and in stereo. Get a snack. Settle in. Because I’m going to tell you the story of my life. More importantly, why it ended. And if you’re listening to this, you’re one of the reasons why.”

Welcome to your tape. These are the words, which have been burned into our collective consciousness, ever since this divisive show hit our screens. When we hear the name “Hannah,” we no longer imagine the Miley Cyrus character, before her reputation crashed like a wrecking ball, and then bounced back. No, now we think of Hannah Baker, the girl who killed herself.

For all of you who have been living under a rock this year, let me explain.

Hannah Baker is one of the main characters of the hit Netflix drama Thirteen Reasons Why. In the show, a girl named Hannah Baker kills herself and, instead of leaving a suicide note, leaves thirteen casset tapes calling out the people who made her do it. Through an elaborate plan, then blackmails them into listening to all of them.

In addition to all of this drama, there’s violent assault, rape, and school-shooting conspiracy. If this doesn’t sound like family friendly television, then I don’t know what does.

Let’s just say that I binge-watched it in one go, an action that I now regret. I was an absolute addict, as I am sure most of you were… and then it hit me.

This is a show that markets itself as a device for educating kids about suicide, and the consequences of bullying.

In so doing, it also sends another message.

It shows us 13 reasons why we should die, and no reasons why we should live.

If you are a suicidal person, this show will push you off of the edge.

Throughout the episodes, we are told that is was never Hannah’s fault. Its because Cherrie crashed her car or because Jessica started dating Alex.

Its never her fault. Its never her choice. It is always the fault of the people in the tapes, and the people who did nothing. Even though the blood is literally on Hannah’s hands, it is metaphorically on everyone else’s.

Yes, the show does its job of reminding people not to be jerks, but this virus of a program also sends a message to those who are contemplating suicide.

It tells you that it is not your fault!  You’ll get attention from killing yourself. It isn’t even that painful! Cutting your wrists only takes a few minutes!  Just kill yourself already!

In the show, the school spends a whole year mourning Hannah. The kids in the tapes are not treated as confused teens or bullies who made a mistake. They’re treated like murderers! They treat themselves like murderers.

Most suicide prevention groups will tell you that teens who contemplate suicide are often part of a group of like-minded children. These groups act as catalysts, which egg kids on to do the final deed.

They share techniques and give each other encouragement.

13 Reasons Why is no different.

To add insult to injury, in the last episode, the audience sees Hannah kill herself.

I would say spoiler alert, but it does seem a bit obvious.

The audience is treated to the sight of a girl climbing into a bath of warm water and cutting her wrists. It shows her die quickly and what looks like painlessly.

If I am suicidal, this show is telling me that I can blame others for my death, become famous off of it, and not have to endure any pain as a result.

What reason do I have not to? It is just daring me to jump!

If I could leave you with one thing, it would be this:

Please stop watching this show.

Please stop talking about this show.

Please let it die before somebody dies because of it.

If I need to tell you 13 more reasons why, then I will. But the biggest reason is this: life is more important than a TV show. 

By Matthew Field © 

Our Addiction to Competition

This is a speech that I gave at the Tyger Valley Public Speaking Festival. We were given a topic with ten minutes to prepare. Note that I have changed some things to make it more relevant to us. This is what I had to say:

Good morning everyone. My name is Matthew Field and I am going to do something quite foolish. I am going to tell you something very personal: something that I have not even told my closest friends. Oh well, here it goes.

I am Matthew Field, and I am an addict.

No, I’m not smoking cigarettes, I’m not drinking and I’m not hitting up that hash.

No, the thing I’m addicted to is much worse.

At least I know that I’m not alone. I know this because I go to a school like ours.

I, like many of you, am addicted to competition. We are always trying to be better. We are always trying to be on top. That is why we have Todd House, it is why we have bounds, its why we have the Top 10.

We have to constantly be doing things. I have to best my friend’s maths average, and you have to score more tries than anyone else. You have to be better and do more. You can’t leave with a starter pack.

Why is this?

We have based our self-esteem off of it. If I’m not getting 80s, if I’m scoring goals in hockey matches, if I’m not debating in competitions… then what am I? What am I here for?

Somehow I’ve based my entire self worth on this.

This doesn’t just apply to me. This applies to all of you. We see it all around us. Friends compare their averages. Houses compare their bounds times. Sportsmen compare their three-pointer stats to see who will win MVP.

They have to be better.

Why do you think it’s the best athletes who take steroids?

They have to be the best.

Why do the top students cheat in exams?

They have to be the best.

School is no longer about learning. It is about competition. If they are winning I am losing.

I envy my parents, when they talk about how fun their high-school years were. They were allowed to learn. They were allowed to have fun without worrying about the next test. They could have friends who were not also their rivals.

I can’t comprehend any of it. It’s an alien world.

We don’t live in the world of our parents. We live in a world where we are addicted to the high of being better than someone else; of beating someone else. Simply being recognized for achievement is not enough anymore. We have to be better than our rivals. We have to destroy them.

We cannot easily change this. We’re far too past that now.

All we can hope for now is some closure.

Where does this come from?

Its simple.

It’s our teachers saying we can’t study medicine if I don’t get 96%.

It’s us being told that if we’re not excelling, we’re letting my parents down.

If you’re not in top 10, you’ve wasted their money.

We have to do better than our parents; make more money than them and get better jobs than what they have.

We don’t know how we’re going to do this. We don’t know why we need to do this. But we have to.

This is the mindset that we have.

We have been pushed to be overly competitive, and its hurting us, all of us.

Thank you for letting me share with you today.

Matthew Field ©