THE ROAD OF OPTIMISM- Congressional Forum Speech ,12 July 2011

THE ROAD OF OPTIMISM

Good evening Members of the United States Congress, diplomats,  Members of the Washington Ireland Program, New Story Leadership Program, South Africa Washington Internship Program ,host families and distinguished guests. Thank you for the honor of addressing you this evening.

I decided to be different and not start by telling you my name but rather where I come from… I was born and raised in Pretoria ,in a township called Mamelodi which means mother of melodies in one of our eleven native languages Sesotho. The name Mamelodi was derived from the nickname given to  President of the Transvaal Paul Kruger by black people because of his strange ability to whistle and imitate birds. I moved from Pretoria to the mother city; Cape Town to pursue my studies. The university that I am currently in was the stepping stone to me standing up here this evening and for that my love, gratitude and passion for it is exceedingly abundant. I am a second year Environmental and Water Science student at the elite University of the Western Cape an apartheid creation which has overcome its profound past  and is presently an “an oasis of learning” encouraging a multicultural paradigm. Ladies and gentleman I invite you to put on your seat belts and ear seat belts as I take you on “the road of optimism” and having  said all that I now present to you my name… Phellecitus Nokuthula Montana. Montana like the state Montana and like the famous Hannah Montana…

I would like to tell you about a young lady I met in April who is a friend and an inspiration to me. Her South African story had me so moved that I felt the need to share it with you. Mmatseleng Precious Lefoka was born on the 15th of September 1991. Erase the image of a mother holding a baby in a hospital bed or whatever birth scene you might have; my friend was born differently. As her mother stepped out of a minibus , she strolled to her husband’s workplace for a casual visit. An unexpected yet anticipated event occurred, her water broke...  Screams of pain and concern attracted a crowd and soon she was attended to by women in the community. On the rich graveled road side in the Limpopo province is where she gave birth to her dear child…from this incident her name Mmatseleng came about tesla is road or path in Sotho “mme” is mother in Sotho and in direct English translation Mmatseleng means mother of the road…

This story captivates me because aside from its beauty, the analogy of a  road  plays a significant role in explaining its  deeper meaning . Mmatseleng is a walking symbol of the road that is life.

An unknown source once said...“The road of life can only reveal itself as it is traveled; each turn in the road is a surprise. Mans future is hidden”

During the past four weeks and two days of our DC expedition, SAWIP provided us with a curriculum based on certain themes. In order from week one to five the themes set were…

Defining service leadership,

Democracy,

Economic Growth and entrepreneurship

Civil, political, and Socio- economic rights

And for week five conflict and reconciliation.

I envisioned each week like a road ,we the SAWIP team of 2011 as the cars traveling on this exhilarating road; grounded by gravity and a powerful management team. Taken care of and getting our regular car washes from our host and loved by many  because of the sounds our engines make and  and our rainbow nation aura.

During our road trips in the week we have had miniature bumps and the only time we encountered  a traffic circle was in  our ‘car discussion” that could go round and round and round with valid, non-ending strong points. The gas we receive is comprised of board members, a management team, our host families , the weekly speakers that filled us with ample knowledge on the above themes and most importantly each other. We filled each other up… each car operating on a full tank.

I can truly say that my car model has transformed.  I have gone from a Prius to a Toyota highlander hybrid  and in South African car language I would say that I have transformed from a Volkswagen beetle to a  Toyota Hilux bakkie. Just to add these are all environmentally friendly cars

On a more personal note I would like to share with you a gas filling that I had on the 4th of July.  After the last BBQ marathon encounter SAWIP, WIP and the NSL team all set of to watch the fireworks. A small group of SAWIP students myself included were lead by my host dad. He kindly found us the best spot, he made sure that we were safe and that we didn’t get lost on the road to and from the National mall.  On our way back home on the metro, I found myself is a self-absorbed constant smile as I got caught in the zone of really appreciating my host dads presence because of the common occurrence in our nation of the absent father or father figure.

My mother and grandmother were my parents and I salute them for providing me with the cherished norms and values to live out life, every heartfelt spanking and yell has made me the disciplined individual I am today.

I would like to extend an early thank you to my host mom and dad Pattie and Jon Pace they have really made me feel like I am home .I appreciate your generosity and I'm sure I speak for my entire team in saying that our host families are truly amazing.

Ladies and gentleman SAWIP is beyond doubt a program of greatness. It places us in a mindset of appreciation, love for the community, global understanding of issues facing the world, acknowledging who we are as young leaders and what our purpose is, work experience and self-development.

Many challenges await us as global leaders when we head back home yet I feel that it is of importance that we engross ourselves in believing and in hope… On the 6th of July our team was privileged to have a meeting with Congressman John Lewis. My question to him was what his currents thoughts are on the youth   He boldly stated that "the youth are too quiet."

Young global leaders it is our time to shine, it is our time to speak up and be heard. We are the future and the change agents to leading citizens to the road of optimism…

Our highly talented SAWIP group member Sizwe Mpofu Walsh. Wrote a song about the youth the chorus reads  as follows.

“long live the days of our youth, the days of sweet truth

these are the times we will rewind back in our minds”…

An anthem to starting a revolution .Let us live it up like an endless road without ever needing a closing line.

Thank you!