The Sawip experience is of course a unique experience. The patriotism is refreshing, and it is incredible to see such a diverse group of young people, across race, class and gender, united by a single desire. The building of Africa, and the realisation of the aspiration that South Africa should indeed belong to all who call it home, and all who live in it, free to enjoy the freedoms of association and movement yes but also the right to realistically be able to have access to the resources and support, necessary to realise their aspiration of a better life.

My field of study and extracurricular activities give me contradictory information whose resolution and consolidation are a difficult task. The sciences I study insist that we can no longer develop in the traditional sense. The earth’s carrying capacity indices indicate that we are now operating above the earth’s carrying capacity. In 1999 for example, we needed 1.2 earths to replenish what we had used up to assimilate our waste and to produce food and water. The population growth in the last 125 years has increased by 5 Billion and it is projected to reach 9 Billion by 2050. Inherent in this statement are the contradictions I wrestle with.