Rethabile Mashale Sonibare is the founder and director of Thope Foundation, a non-profit organisation providing primary school support programs to young girls in Khayelitsha. As a trained social worker, she holds a Master’s degree in Social Policy and Management and is currently a PhD candidate conducting research on governance in non-profit organisations.
In 2015 Rethabile represented South Africa as one of 500 African youth taking part in the Mandela Washington Fellowship under the Young African Leaders Initiative. She is also chairperson of Wordworks and serves on the board of Fundza Literacy Trust and the Greater Tygerberg Partnership.
1.What does the concept of time mean to you?
Mashale Sonibare: It's the one thing we all have the same amount of, and the way we choose to use it determines how successful we are in achieving our goals. We all have 24 hours, I spend mine developing myself, immersed in work that serves my purpose, family and friends.
2. What is the greatest thing you have learnt from a younger or older generation than yourself?
Mashale Sonibare: The one thing I have learnt from the younger generation-mainly the Thope Foundation girls, is that the wonder of life is created within our imaginations. We can create the world we live in, if only we have the imagination and belief that we can do anything. I have heard the saying: 'anything is possible, if you put your mind to it' many times, but never internalised it. Working with small children, their ability to move between reality and fantasy in a single thought, has brought the merger of the two worlds to life for me.
3. Tell us about something in your area of expertise that took you years to learn.
Mashale Sonibare: I am not sure if I have completely learnt this, but I am learning, unlearning and relearning how to stand for justice without centering my narrative and personal beliefs on issues. Having shared a similar life story with the girls I work with, does not mean that I necessarily am the most appropriate person to represent their issues. So the bulk of my work is helping girls share their narratives and documenting their stories in a way that is authentic and reflects their truth. In time, I hope to keep getting better at praxis.
4. Our TEDxCapeTownWomen theme this year is "Lixesha | It is time". what do you believe is the most pressing issue we as a community/city/country/world need to address at this moment in time?
Mashale Sonibare: There are so many pressing issues and to pick one is like betraying the nature and complexity of inequality and injustice. At the moment, the one pressing issue for me is the position of womxn and girls. Attacks on bodies, our intellectual capability, our fair and equal economic participation is so rampant that many womxn are living in fear of violence, cannot exercise their agency because of the backlash and are developing vicarious trauma, post traumatic stress disorder and other mental health issues. Communities and South Africa as a whole cannot keep relegating these issues to one month of the year as if womxn and girls only exist in August. Now, that for me is an issue that we can't go without addressing. This means moving away from putting womxn and girls on the agenda, but rather making womxn and girls the agenda.
Twitter: @ThopeF
Watch Rethabile's TEDxCapeTownWomen talk:
