Since December 2017, the National Funeral Practitioners Association of South Africa (NAFUPA SA) has threatened to ban all so-called “white and Indian owned” funeral businesses from rural areas and townships in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). This compelled certain companies to introduce drastic measures to ensure that they can continue with their normal business activities and to fulfil a contractual obligation to their customers. 

NAFUPA SA has been driving this campaign primarily in and around townships and rural areas surrounding Durban in KZN. The association went as far as threatening to burn their competitors’ business premises, vehicles and equipment and have justified their crusade as a means to bring about “radical economic transformation”.

One of the affected targets of NAFUPA SA’s action against what they perceive as a “white owned business” is AVBOB Mutual Assurance Society, an organisation which became a household name in both white and non-white communities since it was established in 1918. AVBOB has responded strongly in the media about NAFUPA SA’s threats and statements and even obtained an interdict against the latter to restrain it from unlawfully preventing AVBOB’s agents from conducting its normal business activities.

​AVBOB’s stance is emphatic that it is not “owned by whites” but as a mutual assurance society, its assets belong to policyholders of whom 80% are black. Speaking to AVBOB CEO, Frik Rademan, he explained that AVBOB’s status as a mutual assurance society enables the organisation to allocate surplus profits to its members in the form of free funeral benefits and special bonuses. “AVBOB has no external shareholders that can demand dividends,” Rademan said.  “AVBOB’s policyholders benefit directly from our successes which are evident from the R8 billion which has been allocated to policyholders in the form of free funeral benefits and special bonuses over the past nine years,” he continued.

​Rademan said one of their biggest concerns about NAFUPA SA’s threats is that the free funeral benefits, which their members have accrued over the years and which are subject to the condition that AVBOB Funeral Service Ltd. is used to do the funeral when a claim against the policy is made, will be lost. He explained that these free funeral benefits, which are currently valued at almost R15 000, will be forfeited if the policyholder is forced or convinced not to use AVBOB for the funeral. “NAFUPA SA has gone so far as to “advise” policyholders to cancel their policies or to submit cash claims and if this happens, the family will only receive the proceeds of the policy,” he said. According to him it will be a tragedy if NAFUPA SA succeeds to intimidate bereaved families to such an extent that they can no longer exercise freedom of choice when it comes to selecting a funeral service provider. “Effectively, NAFUPA SA, who hides behind the populist notion of radical economic transformation, wants to rob ordinary citizens of their money during a time when they are at their most vulnerable. Only NAFUPA SA and its members stand to benefit from this campaign. They are promoting their own selfish business objectives and interests at the expense of the people living in these communities,” he said.   

When asked how AVBOB will counter NAFUPA SA’s endeavours should they continue to threaten the organisation and its clients Rademan explained that AVBOB has no intention of withdrawing from townships and the rural areas. He said AVBOB has an obligation to deliver on its brand promise “We’re here for you”. “AVBOB has opened branches in townships and rural areas to make it convenient for our clients to receive the services we promised to render when they joined us. That is why we continuously open new branches so that we can get closer to our policyholders, and other clients, to render a service right where they live. In the meantime we have obtained an interdict barring NAFUPA SA from interfering with our normal business activities and we went as far as contracting a private security company to escort our staff and clients into the affected areas. We will do whatever is deemed necessary, and reasonably possible, to protect our staff and clients against intimidation and violence.”
 

If Mr Nkosentsha Shezi, General Secretary of the National Funeral Practitioners Association of South Africa (NAFUPA SA) has his way, no White- or Indian-owned funeral business will be allowed to conduct funerals in Black townships or villages from 1 February onwards.

AVBOB is perceived to be one of those so-called “white-owned” businesses which has been targeted by Mr Shezi’s reckless statements and comments and we would like to respond as follows:

First and foremost, we believe that the picture painted by Mr Shezi and his organisation is not only dangerously oversimplified, but ultimately incorrect on a number of fronts. 

Not only would this take away freedom of choice from the consumer but, if this illegal action is not stopped, it will have far-reaching and detrimental effects at both the micro- and macro-economic level. The facts are as follows:
AVBOB is a mutual society, which means it does not have shareholders who receive dividends. The Society is owned by its policyholders, of whom 80% are Black, and these policyholders share directly in the company’s success through the allocation of surplus profits. Over the past nine years, AVBOB has allocated R8 billion of surplus profits to its policyholders (owners) in the form of special bonuses and free funeral benefits, over and above the value of their policies.

These ground-breaking benefits will be lost should policyholders claim cash up front or cancel their policies and follow the NAFUPA SA way.

Secondly, AVBOB’s business model empowers and supports the development of Black entrepreneurs by providing infrastructure, resources and training. This enables them to operate the funeral agency on a semi-franchise basis. They employ their own staff, recruited from the local community. Furthermore, they acquire on behalf of their clients products and services such as family cars, house tents, catering products and services, etc. from local suppliers and service providers from the community. NAFUPA SA’s threats place the livelihood of these entrepreneurs, their staff and suppliers at risk.

AVBOB’s commitment to uplifting disadvantaged communities does not stop at the entrepreneurial or mutual level. Our CSI contribution is equally considerable. AVBOB recently announced another project that will set the tone for Corporate Social Investment in South Africa. The schools infrastructure project, whereby AVBOB will invest R150 million in the upgrading of schools in rural and disadvantaged communities in all nine provinces, was announced in 2017. This initiative follows on the 50 container libraries that AVBOB has donated to schools in these areas since 2014. Apart from these community projects, AVBOB regularly provides assistance to families who cannot afford a funeral, by doing the funeral for free or at a much-reduced cost.

Considering what AVBOB has been contributing to these communities over the decades, it will be nothing less than a disaster for every man, woman and child in every township and village in this country if we were forced to move out.

We believe there are two ways to approach transformation in South Africa: the first is out of a sense of duty, of obligation or mere compliance. But there is another way, something deeper, stronger, rooted in fundamental values, that is a heartfelt, truly performative act of purpose and intention. AVBOB is driven by our desire to serve our policyholders (owners) and the communities in which we operate.
 
AVBOB is a B-BBEE level 2 contributor. As an employer, AVBOB is committed to empowerment and to being an exemplary corporate citizen. We want to make a substantive difference in the lives of all South Africans.
 
In closing, we believe that action speaks louder than words, and that commitment to true transformation is not only skin-deep; it is the passion at the heart of the organisation. This is demonstrated by everything AVBOB does towards the socio-economic wellbeing and upliftment of all South Africans. The initiatives that the group has undertaken thus far – and continues to undertake – exemplify our slogan, “We are here for you”. 
 

Published in Soweto Urban Orlando on 21 July 2017
 
Now is the time for us, as a nation, to take up the pen and not the sword. This is when we should focus on what unites, rather than divides us. And the AVBOB poetry project strives to do exactly that.

Facts about the campaign:

When grief has rendered us mute, poetry enables us to capture the legacy of our loved ones for all eternity, and to express our loss in a meaningful way.











From left – Johann de Lange, editor-in-chief for the AVBOB poetry project, Mr Frik Rademan, CEO of AVBOB, Dr Mantoa Motinyane-Masoko, senior lecturer and head of African Languages and Literatures at UCT and Prof Stanley Madonsela, Directorate: African Languages, University of South Africa and Daniel Hugo, Afrikaans editor for the AVBOB poetry project.
 

Published in The Citizen (Johannesburg Edition) on 20 July 2017
By Nhlawulo Chauke

Mutual assurance society AVBOB has started a poetry project and competition that is open to all South Africans in all 11 official languages to celebrate the richness and diversity of all the voices of our land.
According to AVBOB chief executive Frik Rademan, the poetry project will become a vehicle for people to finally express those unspoken whispers of the heart.
He added that the competition would give entrants the opportunity to “cath hold of a moment and lift it out of the ordinary”.
The company has launched a Facebook page that is devoted to poetry and plans to launch a dedicated website.
Rademan said the main features of the website would be to publish as many quality new poems as possible in all 11 South African official languages.
He also stated that the website would form the platform from which they would launch a nationwide poetry competition.
Rademan added that every language is richly layered with nuances that could only be fully understood by someone who speaks, thinks and dreams in that language.
“For this reason, we’ve appointed a reputable editor in every one of our official languages to evaluate the entries fairly,” he said.
R300 will be paid for every poem that is approved by the relevant editor and the poem will feature alongside other poems on the AVBOB poetry website, where it would become part of a library to provide words of beauty and comfort to the people of South Africa.
Rademan added that all entrants of approved poems will be in line for the Poetry Prize, in the specific language categories and that the respective prizes would bring cash rewards.
“We will announce the winners towards the end of March 2018 and will roll out the red carpet for them at an awards ceremony.”
Rademan stated that when grief has rendered us mute, poetry enables us to capture the legacy of our loved ones for all eternity, and to express our loss in a meaningful way.
 

Published in the Bloemfontein Courant Voice on 19 July 2017
 
Minister of the Basic Education, Angie Motshekga, reminded politicians and government officials alike that state resources exist primarily to serve the people.
Motshekga made her appeal at the launch of an R160 million school infrastructure project of the Department of Basic Education in partnership with AVBOB at the Joe Solomon Primary School in Heidedal on Tuesday morning.
“Some of us in positions of responsibility are merely servants of the people. We shall not serve to expect any glory or unearned riches. There is no reason to applaud a fish for swimming,” she said sternly.
As the event coincided with International Mandela Day, Motshekga pertinently illustrated to those in attendance how Mandela provided a lifelong service with humility and meekness to the people of South Africa.
“The essence of our humanity is found in our humbleness, thrift, courage, self-control and self-commitment to justice,” she added.
Motshekga went on to say that it is every South African’s duty to rebel against thieves who use state resources for nothing other than fame and fortune. Motshekga warned that Mandela’s legacy cannot die while we are living.
“Therefore, we do indeed owe to President Mandela and his generation of freedom fighters a debt of gratitude for the work they did at personal cost to themselves, with no expectation of recognition, high office and/or material gain,” she said.
She further added that she does not think the late Nobel Peace Prize winner would be happy with the state our country is finding itself in with regards to reports of corruption and looting of state resources.
 

Published in Pretoria News on 19 July 2017
By Nokuthula Zwane
 
In celebrating Mandela Day, AVBOB has found an unorthodox way to encourage South Africans to give back to the community through poetry writing.
As the country celebrates the birthday of Madiba, AVBOB launched the I’d Wish I’d Said poetry project to be used as a tool to carry on his legacy of Ubuntu.
AVBOB chief executive Frik Rademan said: “Poetry brings us closer to those we love and binds us to the universe in which we abide.
“Perhaps most importantly of all, poetry brings us closer to our truest selves and reaches chords within us that cannot otherwise be touched. This unique competition is AVBOB’s way of catching hold of a moment and lifting it out of it’s the ordinary.
“Our sponsorship is aimed at providing a platform for poets, both unknown and lauded, to offer words for comfort through their craft.
“We want to publish as many quality new poems as possible in all 11 of the official South African languages and the website will form the platform which we will launch a nationwide poetry competition.”
One of the contributors to the AVBOB poetry project, Coenie de Villiers, said it was the first he had heard of a sponsor that put major funds into poetry as such funds usually go into sports. “ The most beautiful and authentic voices you have ever heard in any language across the world is poetry,” De Villiers said.
“People think that using poetry is a little bit unorthodox, but it really isn’t unorthodox. We listen to poetry all day.
“If you put on the radio there is Khuli Chana. AKA and rappers who do some of the most exciting poetry that we have in the world today. The target market is for all South Africans with a though, hope and aspiration and the words to articulate. Enter and let’s see what happens – even if it’s just for the joy of writing.
“I love poetry. I grew up in the previous era in South Africa and one of the only ways where I could really understand what was happening to us was by reading the Struggle poetry of the time – hearing the voices that we weren’t allowed to hear then and in that sense, I am also proud of this project because we live in a country where we have freedom of speech and whoever you are, wherever you might be, if you have a voice, write it.”
Yesterday marked 99 years of AVBOB’s existence and was on the same day as Madiba’s birthday.
It was also on this day that AVBOB poetry project came to life on their website.
The competition is expected to run from August 1 to November.
For more information on the competition prizes, entry dates and terms and conditions visit www.avbobpoetry.co.za.
“Now is the time for us as a nation to take up the pen and not the sword,” De Villiers said.
 

‘n Aktiewe webtuiste en ‘n bundle wat herinneringe aan geliefde afgestorwenes onsterflik sal maak, word in samewerking met AVBOB beplan.
Totius sous y hande geklap het oor ‘n hele bundle met lykdigte. Sy gedig “O die pyngedagte” sou seker die pryswenner gewees het, sou die bundle in sy leeftyd verskyn het.
Die begrafnisondernemer AVBOB gaan volgende jaar ter viering van sy 100ste bestaansjaar die bundle uitgee na ‘n poësiekompetisie vanjaar. Enigiemand wat gevoelens oor die dood van ‘n geliefde of vriend wil neerpen, kan die gedigte inskryf.
Via (DStv-kanaal 147) het in samewerking met AVBOB gisteraan om 20:30 vir kykers ‘n spesiale dokumentêr, Ek wou nog sê…, uitgesaai waarin meer bekend gemaak is. Die kokkie handel oor die krag van poësie en word in gespreksvorm deur Coenie de Villiers aangebied. Hy gesels  met bekroonde digters soos Antjie Krog, Vincent Oliphant, Joan Hambidge en Johann de Lange oor poësie se vermoë om dit te verwoord wat ‘n mens nie altyd kan nie.
Vir die poësiekompetisie kan in enige van die amptelike landstale gedig word. Bydraes kan tussen 1 Augustus en einde van November ingestuur word. Daar sal ‘n wenner in elke landstaal wees en die prys sal bekend staan as die AVBOB-prys vir poësie.
Elke landstaal sal nege gedigte hê in sowel die oorspronklike taal as ‘n Engelse vertaling. 80% present van die gedigte sal aangevra word en 20% sal uit die kompetisie se bestes gekies word.
Hiermee sal jonger digters die geleentheid kry om naas bekende, gevestigde name gepubliseer te word.
Daar sal ook ‘n nuwe webtuiste vir poësie wees (www.avbobpoetry.co.za). Dit sal voortdurend bygewerk word.
Die sal ‘n aktiewe ruimte wees waar gedigte geplaas word sodat alle rouklaers gedigte sal kan lees (en aflaai) wat tot hulle spreek.
In ‘n mediaverklaring word gesê: “Gesien teen die agtergrond van koerante se ‘In memoriam’ en doodsberigte, is hierdie webruimte en wedstryd uiters relevant. Poësie artikuleer pyn, onsekerheid, en wanneer ons getref word deur die dood, word dit vertroosting.”
“Letterkunde – en du sook hierdie projek – verwoord wat mense voel,” se De Villiers oor die dokumentêr.
“Letterkunde – dit wil sê die mag van die woord en hoe goed ons dit kan ontsluit – vertel ons stories en maak sin van dit wat ons mens maak.”
In die dokkie praat woordmense soos Amanda Stydom, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Francois van Coke, Brandon October en jong digters soos Bibi Slippers en Fourie Botha oor hul liefde vir en verintenis met woordkuns.
 

Published in the Cape Times (First Edition) on 18 July 2017
By Francesca Villette & Nicola Daniels

People across the world are heeding the call in honour of South Africa’s late founding president, Nelson Mandela, to volunteer 67 minutes of their time to do good for the less fortunate.
Nelson Mandela International Day, celebrated on his date of today, was launched following a unanimous decision by the UN General Assembly in 2009, inspired by a call Mandela made for the next generation to take on the mantle of leadership in addressing the world’s social injustices.
Today also marks the launch of The Elders’ new global project, Walk Together, in central Cape Town, where Mandela delivered his first address on his release from 27 years’ imprisonment for opposing apartheid.
The event will feature some of the world’s most notable political and community leaders, discussing the world’s ongoing humanitarian issues.
The Elders is the independent group of global leaders founded by Mandela a decade ago, made up of former heads of state, peace activists and human rights advocates.
Elders include Kofi Annan, Ban-ki Moon, Desmond Tutu, Graca Machel, Jimmy Carter, Hina Jilani, Mary Robinson and Ernesto Zedillo.
South Africans and people around the world are urged to open their hearts in honour of Mandela and to do good for the less fortunate, providing necessities or leaving lasting impressions in the form of libraries and care centres.
Education was also very close to Mandela’s heart. This morning Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga was due to announce that the AVBOB board donated R150 million for the renovation, refurbishment and building of schools across the country.
It was the single largest investment in a school infrastructure programme by a corporate since she stepped into office, Motshekga said.
AVBOB was among the first in the corporate sector space to partner with the department when it called on social partners to invest in it through the launch of the 1 000 School Libraries a year project, Motshekga said.
“AVBOB is the single largest contributor of fully functional container libraries to primary schools. The value of container libraries is approximately R500 000 each, given to schools all over South Africa. Each Converted Container Library comes with a whopping 2 500 books each, thus benefiting thousands of our learners.”
Last week children at Sakhile Primary School in Heidelberg received a library through the Mandela Day school library project.
It means, for the first time in 51 years, they have books to page through.
The school, which has an 82% pass rate, is aiming for 92% now that the children have the benefit of the library’s 1 000 books.
The library was donated through Old Mutual Insure.
Humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers is implementing R10 million in projects over several days in the biggest project in partnership with Vodacom, where 50 000 food and stationery packs will be distributed to schools in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Polokwane, Nelspruit, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.
The organisation’s West Africa branch is today planting trees and donating teaching aids to the Centre for the Mother and Child in the desert city of Ma’tamoulana, Mauritania.
Gift of the Givers is currently building the centre, which is a traditional Mauritanian educational institute for women of all ages.
Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages is celebrating by preparing 1 000 sandwiches for the Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children in Heideveld, the Heatherdale Children’s Home in Belgravia, Ekuphumleni Frail Care Centre in Gugulethu and Baphumelele Foundation in Khayelitsha.
In further celebration of Madiba’s spirit, Dr Beth Engelbrecht, head of health at the provincial department, and her team will host a celebratory function in thanking sponsors and donors who make it possible for 67 patients to receive life-changing hip and knee replacements, and cataract surgeries.
 

Dear Reader
 
I have to confess, finding the right words for this press release is so much more difficult than I ever imagined. At first, it may sound like a fairly simple undertaking, namely the announcement that AVBOB has decided to sponsor a poetry platform, but that would be a gross over-simplification. The truth is, neither AVBOB nor any other business can actually ‘sponsor’ poetry. All we can claim is that we wish to be associated with the power of poetry – and with the beauty of the human spirit.
 
For a brand to associate itself with poetry is, however, a matter that has to be approached with the utmost care and caution. Poetry is more ancient and established than the world's oldest brands. In fact, it is as old as mankind itself, and has been recorded in all the languages of the world, on cave walls, in parchment rolls and within the antique pages of centuries-old manuscripts. It is alive in books, theatres, music, street sounds, and in the words of figures gathered around braaivleis fires, silhouetted against the African sky. It belongs to philosophers, scientists, clergymen, artists and all who express themselves in language. In short, poetry belongs to us; it is the property of the people.
 
To suggest that AVBOB can do anything meaningful for poetry would therefore be completely erroneous. Rather, it is the other way around: poetry can mean so much to AVBOB and its people, and it is with this sentiment in mind that I write this statement.
 
It is important to point out, though, that AVBOB is no ordinary business. It is a business with a long history of caring for people. And it is a business without any shareholders. As a mutual assurance society, we are owned by our policyholders, and this is why we plough our surplus profits back by increasing the value of our policyholders' policies with special bonuses. In the past nine years alone, we have declared R6.5 billion worth of special bonuses. Ever since its inception in 1918, AVBOB has belonged to ordinary people. Indeed, it was originally established for humanitarian reasons to help families in times of need during the difficult years after World War I, when people suffered bitterly.

Today, 99 years later, people still suffer, and despondency is becoming an ever-increasing threat to our self-preservation. Our people are generally divided and riven with uncertainty. Work is scarce, and meaningful work even scarcer.
 
Squatter camps shoot up like miserable concentration camps all around us. Moreover, the conversations of our time are simultaneously laced with blame and desperation; the one feeds off the other. At this point in time, loss also rears its ugly head at every opportunity.
 
Loss makes people vulnerable, whether it is the loss of income or the loss of a dream at the death of a loved one – a mother, a father, a child – and, consequently, we are at a loss for words to say goodbye. And if we do not have the words to send off our loved ones, the ritual of parting is muted.
 
AVBOB's invitation to poets to write poems with an elegiac feel in all our official languages is thus, of itself, a strategic decision, aimed at building a bridge between those who have the words (established and aspiring poets) and those who so desperately need to hear those words (the bereaved). Our sponsorship is thus aimed at providing a platform for poets, both unknown and lauded, to offer words of comfort through their craft.
 
For centuries, poets have been writing about the seamless cycle of life and death. In fact, it is the genre within which most poets deliver their best work. However, to write - or read - about death is not necessarily a morbid thing. Indeed, death implies life; the one simply cannot exist without the other.
 
To bring this poetry project to life, we are launching a website – www.avbobpoetry.co.za – on 18 July 2017, on Mandela Day, that will be completely devoted to South African poetry. The main features of the website are twofold. First, we want to publish as many quality new poems as possible, in all 11 of the official South African languages. These poems will be freely available to all lovers of this enchanting and everlasting literary form, and to all those searching for a verse to give expression to the complex and unique emotions they are experiencing.
 
Secondly, the website will form the platform from which we will launch a nationwide poetry competition. Again, just as AVBOB belongs to the people, so too does poetry – it knows no boundaries, and transcends all differences. For this reason, we have made a massive effort to make the competition as inclusive as possible. The competition will thus be open to all South Africans, in all 11 official languages, to celebrate the richness and diversity of all the voices of our land.
 
Every language is richly layered with nuances that can only be fully understood by someone who speaks, thinks and dreams in that language. For this reason, we’ve appointed a reputable editor in every one of our official languages to evaluate the entries fairly.
 
Should a poem be accepted by one of our editors, it will open up a world of exciting new opportunities for the entrant of the poem. First, every poem which is approved by the relevant editor will feature alongside other poems, by both published and unpublished poets, on the AVBOB poetry website, where it will become part of a library of content to provide words of beauty and comfort to the people of South Africa. As a token of our appreciation, an incentive of R300 will be paid for each poem selected.
 
In addition, all entrants of approved poems will be in line for the AVBOB Poetry Prize, in the specific language categories (there will be a winner in each language). The respective prizes will bring cash rewards. We will announce these winners towards the end of March 2018 and we plan on rolling out the red carpet for them at a prestigious awards ceremony.
 
This initiative is by no means accidental. I am extremely grateful to say that, over the years, AVBOB has been a proud supporter of the arts in our country. We have always believed that the arts provide emotional and intellectual upliftment for our people, and that it is a way to liberate them from the difficulties of daily life. It is this very sentiment that also drives our support of the Mzansi Youth Choir. It is what motivates our every initiative at the AVBOB Foundation. Ever since we first pledged to do so in 2013, the Foundation has donated 41 container libraries to underprivileged schools. To continue this legacy in a meaningful way, we are busy developing nine new schools that will be opened in 2018, in celebration of our 100th birthday. The formal announcement with regards to this initiative will be made on Mandela Day.
 
Essentially, this is how we show our hearts to our people. Our slogan promises “We’re here for you”, but because actions speak louder than words, we trust that efforts like these show that we sincerely care for you.
 
This brings me to the final opportunity that all entrants of the AVBOB poetry competition will be exposed to, and one that I am truly excited about. Every person who enters will stand an equal chance for their work to feature alongside that of some of our most accoladed poets in a 100-poem print anthology, entitled “I wish I’d said”. The anthology will be published in August 2018 – again, to coincide with our centennial. As far as we know, it will be the first time in South African history that a poetry publication will be undertaken on such a scale, in terms of its inclusion of all 11 official languages, and we are immensely grateful that it is within our means to make it possible.
 
The title of the anthology, “I wish I’d said”, will also be the theme for the poetry competition. This theme resonated deeply with us because all of us, at some point in our lives, have felt regret for the things we’ve left unsaid. Perhaps we wish we’d said, “I love you”, “forgive me” or “I will never forget you”.
 
Regardless of what this phrase means to each individual, it is our wish that the AVBOB poetry project will become a vehicle for people to finally express those unspoken whispers of the heart.
 
Poetry brings us closer to those we love, and binds us to the universe in which we abide. Perhaps, most importantly of all, poetry brings us closer to our truest selves, and reaches chords within us that cannot otherwise be touched. This unique competition is AVBOB’s way of “catching hold of a moment, and lifting it out of the ordinary”.
 
Besides the competition and the anthology that will flow from the project, we have also produced two documentaries on poetry, that are respectively titled “I wish I’d said” and “Ek wou nog sê”. We will finally be able to share this with the people of South Africa on 18 July, when these documentaries make their debut on DStv’s VIA channel, Soweto TV and KZN TV.
 
These documentaries tap into the psyche of some of the most acclaimed poets of our time, including Antjie Krog and Vincent Oliphant. Also featured are remarkable performances of selected poems and guest appearances by some of our country’s most loved artists, such as Brandon October, Amanda Strydom, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Francois van Coke, as well as the Mzansi Youth Choir.
 
“I wish I’d said” is presented by retired English professor, poet and academic researcher Tony Ulyatt, and Professor Stanley Madonsela from the Directorate of African Languages at the University of South Africa, and “Ek wou nog sê” is presented by Coenie de Villiers.
 
In line with the inspiration behind the entire AVBOB poetry project, the main aim of these documentaries is to remind us of this powerful art form in a time of great need, and, perhaps more importantly, to help to bring poetry back to the people on a grander scale.
 
This is something which I believe we need now, more than ever. Because now, in the month of July, as every South African pauses to reflect on the legacy of our beloved Madiba, we cannot help but confront this irony: all the more, we are increasingly bombarded by messages of adversity and despair.
 
We believe that poetry has the power to change that. Our nation may be a cauldron of cultures and languages, but we all understand the language of the heart, and poetry gives expression to that language. Poetry brings new hope in the face of hopelessness. When circumstances have blinded us to the beauty of life, poetry empowers us to rediscover that beauty.
 
When grief has rendered us mute, poetry enables us to capture the legacy of our loved ones for all eternity, and to express our loss in a meaningful way.
 
Now is the time for us, as a nation, to take up the pen and not the sword. This is when we should focus on what unites, rather than divides us. And the AVBOB poetry project strives to do exactly that.
 
Sincerely,
FRIK RADEMAN
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER 
 

Geagte Leser
 
Ek moet bieg, om die regte woorde vir hierdie persvrystelling te kry, was moeiliker as wat ek gedink het. Toe ek begin skryf het, het ek gedink dit gaan bloot ‘n aankondiging wees dat AVBOB besluit het om ‘n poësieplatform te borg. Wat die hart van vol is, loop die mond immers van oor. Maar so eenvoudig was en is dit helaas nie, want die waarheid is dat nie AVBOB of enige ander besigheid werklik die digkuns kan ‘borg’ nie. Al waarop ons kan aanspraak maak, is ‘n opregte begeerte om onsself te assosieer met die mag van die digkuns en die skoonheid van die menslike gees.
 
‘n Handelsmerk wat met poësie geassosieer wil wees, moet met die grootste omsigtigheid te werk gaan, want poësie is meer antiek, meer gevestig as die wêreld se oudste handelsmerk.  Trouens, dit is so oud soos die mens self en dit is opgeteken in al die tale van die wêreld – vanaf rotswande en perkamentrolle tot diep in die bladsye van eeu-oue manuskripte.  Digkuns leef in boeke, teaters en musiek. Dit vind inspirasie, en neerslag, in straatklanke en gesprekke rondom braaivleisvure, geëts teen teen die uitspansel van Afrika. Digkuns behoort aan filosowe, wetenskaplikes, geestelikes, kunstenaars en almal wat hulself in taal uitdruk. Kortom, poësie behoort aan ons almal; dit is volksbesit.
 
Om te suggereer dat AVBOB enigsins iets betekenisvol vir poësie kan doen, sou daarom foutief wees. Die teendeel is stellig waar: poësie kan baie vir AVBOB en sy mense beteken, en dit is met dié idee voor oë dat ek hierdie verklaring skryf.
 
Op hierdie punt wil ek graag daarop wys dat AVBOB nie ‘n gewone onderneming is nie. Dit is ‘n onderneming met ‘n lang geskiedenis van diepe sorgsaamheid. En dit is ‘n besigheid sonder enige aandeelhouers. As ‘n onderlinge versekeringsgenootskap word ons besit deur ons polishouers, en daarom ploeg ons ons surpluswinste terug deur die waarde van ons polishouers se polisse te verhoog.  In die afgelope nege jaar alleen het ons polishouers met spesiale bonusse van R6.5 miljard beloon. 
 
Vandag, 99 jaar later, ly mense steeds, en wanhoop word toenemend ‘n bedreiging vir ons selfbehoud. Ons mense is onder mekaar verdeel en hulle is verskeur deur onsekerheid, werk is skaars, en betekenisvolle werk nog skaarser.
 
Soos lang skaduwees van konsentrasiekampe skiet plakkerskampe op om elke hoek en draai. En die gesprekke wat ons hoor en voer, spreek van verwyt en vertwyfeling, in ‘n immer groeiende afwaartse spiraal. Hier, nou, is verlies ‘n werklikheid wat by elke moontlike geleentheid kop uitsteek.
 
Verlies maak mense kwesbaar, hetsy dit ‘n verlies aan inkomste is, die verlies van ‘n droom, of van ‘n geliefde – ‘n ma, ‘n pa, ‘n kind.  En elke verlies is letterlik te tragies vir woorde – ons sukkel om die woorde te vind om totsiens te sê. En as ons nie die woorde het om afskeid van ons geliefdes te neem nie, is die ritueel van skeiding gedemp.
 
AVBOB se uitnodiging aan digters om elegiese gedigte in al ons ampstale te skryf, is dus in wese ‘n strategiese besluit wat daarop gemik is om ‘n brug te bou tussen dié wat die woorde het (gevestigde en aspirerende digters) en dié wat so bitter nodig het om die woorde te hoor (die agtergeblewenes). Teen hierdie agtergrond is ons borgskap daarop gemik om ‘n platform te skep vir digters, onbekend en beroemd, om woorde van vertroosting deur hul kuns te bied.
 
Reeds eeue lank skryf digters oor die soomlose siklus van lewe en dood.  Die onderwerp, die kontras, is trouens die genre waarin die meeste digters hul beste werk lewer. Om oor dood te skryf, of daarvan te lees, is nie noodwendig morbied nie. Die teendeel is waar: dood impliseer lewe – die een kan eenvoudig nie sonder die ander bestaan nie. Die filosoof Jean-Paul Sartre stel dit só: “As daar nie dood was nie, was daar nie intensiteit van lewe nie.”
 
Om die poësieprojek tot stand te bring en momentum daaraan te gee, stel ons ‘n webwerf – www.avbobpoetry.co.za – op 18 Julie 2017 bekend, op Mandeladag. Dié webwerf sal 100% toegewy wees aan Suid-Afrikaanse poësie. Ons doel daarmee is tweevoudig. In die eerste plek wil ons soveel goeie nuwe gedigte as moontlik publiseer, in al 11 van Suid-Afrika se amptelike tale. Hierdie gedigte sal vryelik beskikbaar wees – nie net vir alle liefhebbers van hierdie verruklike en onsterflike literêre vorm nie, maar vir elkeen wat soek na ‘n vers om uitdrukking te gee aan die komplekse en unieke emosies wat hulle ervaar.
 
In die tweede plek, is die webwerf die platform waarvandaan ons ‘n landwye poësiekompetisie van stapel gaan stuur. Weer eens, net soos AVBOB aan ons mense behoort, behoort poësie aan die mense – digkuns ken geen grense nie, dit strek oor en verby alle verskille. Juis daarom het ons ‘n enorme poging aangewend om die kompetisie so inklusief as moontlik te maak. Dit sal oop wees vir alle Suid-Afrikaners, in al 11 ampstale, om die rykheid en verskeidenheid van al die stemme in ons land te vier.
 
Elkeen van hierdie ampstale is ryklik gevul met nuanses wat net verstaanbaar sal wees vir iemand wat in die taal praat, dink en droom. En daarom het ons ‘n vooraanstaande redakteur vir elke ampstaal aangestel om die inskrywings regverdig te evalueer. Word ‘n gedig deur een van ons redakteurs aanvaar, maak dit ‘n wêreld van opwindende nuwe geleenthede vir die inskrywer van die gedig oop. Eers sal elke gedig wat deur die relevante redakteur goedgekeur is, verskyn saam met ander gedigte deur gepubliseerde sowel as ongepubliseerde digters, op AVBOB se poësiewebwerf, waar dit deel sal word van ‘n biblioteek van inhoud om woorde van skoonheid en vertroosting te bring aan die mense van Suid-Afrika. As ‘n blyk van ons waardering, sal ‘n prestasieprys van R300 betaal word vir elke gedig wat gekies word.
 
Daarbenewens sal alle inskrywers van goedgekeurde gedigte kwalifiseer vir die AVBOB Poësieprys in die spesifieke taalkategorie waarvoor dit ingeskryf is (daar sal ‘n wenner in elke taal wees). Die onderskeie pryse sal kontantbelonings behels. Ons sal hierdie wenners teen die einde van Maart 2018 aankondig en ons plan is om by ‘n prestigeryke toekenningseremonie die rooi tapyt vir hulle uit te rol.
 
Hierdie inisiatief is nie toevallig nie. Ek deel vandag met groot dankbaarheid dat AVBOB reeds jare lank ‘n trotse ondersteuner van die kunste in ons land is. Ons het nog altyd geglo dat die kunste emosionele en intellektuele opheffing vir ons mense bied en dat dit ‘n manier is om mense tot ‘n mate van die bemoeienisse van die daaglikse lewe te bevry. Dit is juis hierdie gewaarwording wat die dryfkrag agter ons ondersteuning van die Mzansi Jeugkoor is. Dit is wat elke inisiatief van die AVBOB Stigting inspireer en motiveer. Sedert ons eerste onderneming in 2013, het die Stigting meer as 41 skeepsvraghouerbiblioteke aan minderbevoorregte skole geskenk. Om hierdie nalatenskap op ‘n betekenisvolle manier voort te sit, is ons besig om nege nuwe skole te ontwikkel wat regoor Suid-Afrika geopen sal word in 2018, ter viering van ons 100ste verjaarsdag. ‘n Formele aankondiging hieroor sal op Mandela-dag gemaak word.
 
Uiteindelik is dit hoe ons ons harte aan ons mense wys. Ons slagspreuk belowe, “Ons is hier vir jou”. Maar omdat dade soveel dieper en duideliker praat as woorde, vertrou ons dat pogings soos die poësieplatform sal wys dat ons opreg omgee vir jou.
 
Dit bring my by die finale geleentheid waaraan alle deelnemers aan die AVBOB-poësiekompetisie blootgestel sal word, en waaroor ek baie opgewonde is. Alle gedigte wat ingeskryf word, staan ‘n gelyke kans om opgeneem te word langs die werk van ons beroemdste digters in ‘n gedrukte bloemlesing bestaande uit 100 gedigte, getiteld, “I wish I’d said / Ek wou nog sê”.  Die bloemlesing sal in Augustus 2018 verskyn – weer eens om met ons eeufeesviering saam te val.
 
Sover ons kennis strek, sal dit die eerste keer in Suid-Afrika se geskiedenis wees dat ‘n poësiepublikasie op so ‘n skaal onderneem word met betrekking tot die insluiting van al 11 ampstale. Ons is diep dankbaar dat ons by magte is om dit moontlik te maak.
 
Die tema van die bloemlesing, “Ek wou nog sê”, sal ook die tema vir die poësiekompetisie wees. Hierdie tema vind ten diepste weerklank by ons, want almal het in een of ander stadium van ons lewens berou gevoel oor dinge wat ons nooit gesê het nie. Miskien wens ons ons het gesê, “Ek is lief vir jou”, “vergewe my” of “ek sal jou nooit vergeet nie”.  Wat hierdie frase ook al vir elke individu mag beteken, dit is ons wens dat die AVBOB-poësieprojek vir mense die geleentheid sal gee om uiteindelik uitdrukking te gee aan die onuitgesproke fluisteringe van die siel.
 
Poësie bring ons nader aan die mense wat ons liefhet, en dit bind ons aan die heelal waarin ons bly bestaan. En miskien, op die heel belangrikste en diepste vlak, bring digkuns ons nader aan ons ware self, deur are en snare te vind wat andersins nie geraak sou word nie. Hierdie unieke kompetisie is AVBOB se unieke manier om “die oomblik aan te gryp en dit ver bo die alledaagse te verhef”.
 
Afgesien van die kompetisie en die bloemlesing wat uit die projek sal spruit, het ons ook twee dokumentêre programme oor digkuns vervaardig, onderskeidelik getiteld “I wish I’d said” en “Ek wou nog sê”.  Op 18 Julie sal ons uiteindelik in staat wees om dit met die mense van Suid-Afrika te deel, wanneer dié programme op DStv se VIA-kanaal, Soweto TV en KZN TV hul debuut maak.
 
Dié dokumentêre programme bied ‘n diepgaande blik, en insig, in die psige van ‘n spektrum van die mees erkende en geliefde digters van ons  tyd, onder meer  Antjie Krog en Vincent Oliphant. Daar is ook merkwaardige uitvoerings deur van ons land se mees geliefde kunstenaars, insluitend Brandon October, Amanda Strydom, Pieter-Dirk Uys en Francois van Coke, asook die Mzansi Jeugkoor.
 
“I wish I’d said” word aangebied deur die afgetrede Engelse professor, digter en akamediese navorser Tony Ulyatt en professor Stanley Madonsela van die direktoraat van Afrikatale aan die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika. “Ek wou nog sê” word aangebied deur Coenie de Villiers.
 
In tandem met die inspirasie agter die hele AVBOB-poësieprojek, is die hoofdoelwit van die dokumentêre programme om ons te herinner aan hierdie kragdadige kunsvorm in ‘n tyd van groot nood en, miskien selfs belangriker, om te help om digkuns op ‘n groter en meer grootse skaal terug te bring in mense se lewens.
 
Dit is iets wat ek glo ons nou, meer as ooit tevore, nodig het, want nou, in die maand van Julie, terwyl elke Suid-Afrikaner terugdink aan en nadink oor die nalatenskap van ons geliefde Madiba, moet ons noodgedwonge die ironie in die gesig staar dat ons des te meer gebombardeer word met boodskappe van wanhoop en rampspoed.
 
Ons glo dat poësie die mag het om dit verander. Ons volk is weliswaar ‘n kookpot van kulture en tale, maar ons almal verstaan die taal van die hart, en poësie gee bowenal uitdrukking aan hierdie taal. Poësie bring nuwe hoop te midde van wanhoop. Wanneer omstandighede ons blind maak vir die skoonheid van die lewe, gee poësie ons die krag om daardie skoonheid te herontdek. Wanneer smart ons stom laat, gee poësie ons die krag om die nalatenskap van ons geliefdes vir ewig vas te vang, en ons verlies op ‘n betekenisvolle manier uit te druk.
 
Die tyd het aangebreek vir ons om, as ‘n nasie, die pen op te neem, en nie die swaard nie – om te fokus op wat ons verenig eerder as dít wat ons verdeel. En dit is presies waarna die AVBOB-poësieprojek streef.
 
Met hartlike groete en goeie wense,
FRIK RADEMAN
HOOF UITVOERENDE BEAMPTE