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After years of standing up for the less fortunate and empowering youngsters, community activist Ralph Stander has penned a book based on his experiences of overcoming social challenges.
Stander launched his first book, Breaking the Skarrel, in Knysna on Tuesday with the aim of encouraging young people to see their value.
It pushes back strongly against stereotypes that have damaged the dignity of people of colour.
“Breaking the Skarrel means addressing the mindset of wanting others to feel sorry for you, the habit of begging, and the lack of a stable future that comes from moving from job to job.
“This is a new term from the Afrikaans community, where I am from.
“It describes a kind of hustling that lacks direction.
“It is not about stability or starting and owning a business. It is about people waking up each day and looking for ways to get by,” he said.
The book was launched at the Knysna Oyster Festival, which kicked off on Friday and runs until Sunday.
Stander said his mounting concern about the future of young people inspired him to write the book.
“I grew up in Knysna, in Katanga, an area with many challenges, and was raised by single parents.
“We did not have much, and our role models were often gangsters.
“We faced issues like colourism and classism, and some teachers looked down on us instead of motivating us.
“While I know children can be difficult at times, I believe it is the responsibility of teachers and adults to nurture children and not break their spirits.”
Stander is known in the Garden Route town for his civic activism and runs an organisation called Knysna Unite, which he cofounded and which takes up service delivery issues on behalf of the community by staging marches and initiating campaigns to improve and speed up the provision of services.
He said he noticed that young people continued to face the same struggles and had the wrong mindset, viewing poverty as something to admire and celebrating crime.
“With the book I want young people to remove themselves from the struggle mentality, and the skarrel lifestyle, to be motivated to seek opportunities.
“The saddest, most tragic thing I see is when somebody successfully rises and escapes the constraints of the townships and then immediately kicks the ladder away so nobody else can climb up behind them,” he said.
The self-published 95-page book sells for R199. To obtain a copy, contact Stander on his personal Facebook page or the Knysna Unite page.
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