New faces at Friends of Chintsa

Lil' Shaun, Kate, and Nkosinathi, wearing black in support of Thursdays in Black: Towards a world without rape and violence (see the Facebook page & some background on the campaign HERE)

Greetings to you all.  Please allow us to introduce ourselves:  We are Shaun, Kate and Nkosinathi, and we are the fresh meat of Friends of Chintsa.  Together we'll be keeping you updated on all the latest happenings in our fair community as well as helping out on maintenance at all the various projects.

Shaun:  "My name is Odwa Shaun Mtshini and I was born in Chintsa East in 1991.  I come from a family of five - my mum, my elder brother, my two little sisters and myself.  I attended Hooweg Premere Skool in Cape Town, then came to live in nearby Komga where I attended Siviwe Primary School, moving on to complete my matric at Hlumani Secondary School in 2010.  In 2007 I started writing my own Hip Hop music and I launched a solo album in 2011.  I also design cd covers and posters, edit video and work with recording and mastering songs.

I am now the new Social Media and Community Correspondent at Friends of Chintsa.  Working with Kate is fun!"

Kate: "I am a 31 year old visual artist/poet/permaculture gardener/freelance proof-reader and editor.  I graduated from Rhodes University in 2005 with a Fine Art degree and have worked on both large-scale industrial scenics and paint FX projects as well as in a smaller capacity, creating my own art for sale in galleries and at festivals as well as through private commissions.  I keep a blog for my art and poetry, which is currently in the process of being edited as a manuscript to be published.  I grew up in the Limpopo Province city of Polokwane.  I have a very large and extended family living all over the world, so I have had the privilege to travel outside of SA and thus bring back to it new perspectives.  I have also had the privilege of being able to travel and live all over our beautiful country here in Mzansi.  

I have always loved reading, writing, drawing and communicating.  For the longest time I assumed everyone else did too, and by the time I found out that this was far from the truth I had already discovered that, regardless of its form or manifestation, there is a spark of creativity in each person.  This allows me to adapt to different situations like a chameleon, to connect with other humans on many levels, but most importantly to perceive Nature* in us all.  This tends to create in me an urge to be of service to those others and to that Nature.  And here I am with Friends of Chintsa, our ‘local NPO’ (as I describe it to those friends of mine who live elsewhere and who only know of this little piece of relatively unspoilt paradise from all-too-short visits).  Friends of Chintsa: just that.  A group of socially and environmentally aware (i.e. Switched On) friends who have combined their powers in order to be of service to our community.  A very small but special community.  Many hands make light work.  I am the new administrator for FoC."

*-that physical force we regard as producing living things; the physical power causing phenomena of material world; vital force or functions or needs (Oxford English Dictionary)

 Nkosinathi: "My name is Ndita Nkosinathi and I was also born and grew up in Chintsa East.  I'm from a family of five including myself, my dad, mum, my older sister and now her new born baby too!  I love working in my garden and taking care of my homestead and my chickens.  I am truly the man of the house as I am the caretaker of my family's property, and therefore am in the perfect position to be of service to Friends of Chintsa as the new maintenance man and "Jack of all trades" at all the different project sites."

Stay tuned for more Friends of Chintsa news in NEXT WEEK'S BLOG!