Padkos No 114: Gathering together, and being… here… now

POSTED ON July 5, 2022 BY admin

PADKOS 114

This is shaping up to be a very special gathering of the padkos community. We’ll get together at the All Saints Church (Montgomery Drive, Pietermaritzburg) on March 24th at 3pm (or 2:20 if you’d like a coffee before we get going). Please let us know if you’re able to come to the event by replying to this email – and make it extra clear if you’d also like to join us for dinner after the rest of the event is over! For planning and catering, it really is important that y’all RSVP for this one. Places for the dinner after the event must be booked specifically. (Some of you have already let us know you’re coming, and we’re very grateful for that.)

Our dinner is being put together by leading local chef – and yoga practitioner – Gregg Oosthuizen. He’s calling it a “Foragers’ Feast”, with an emphasis on local, seasonal, ethical, and thoughtful eating!

As you know, the event also launches a new padkos booklet from us at CLP, Being… Here… Now…. We are humbled and honored that it features a powerful foreword from Toronto-based, Molly Kane. Molly says of Being… Here… Now…: “This beautiful booklet … supports our desire to be connected, to be present as human beings, bringing our attention and our love to a world in need of repair and     healing. … In these pages, I have found a timely treasure, padkos, delicious and nutritious food for the ongoing journey”.

Molly was the Executive Director at The Council of Canadians (2019-2020), and her prior work included: Inter Pares; ETC Group (Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration); L’Entraide missionnaire; Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace; Pambazuka News; and Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID). She was also researcher in residence at the Centre interdisciplinaire en développement et société (CIRDIS) at the Université du Québec à Montreal (UQAM), and visiting adjunct professor at Queen’s University (Kingston, Ontario) in Global Development Studies.

Remember that we’ll also be hearing live music from the stellar Guy Buttery. Guy says “I like what the event is about and am happy to be a part of it all. Sounds like it’ll be a super cool day”. Psst – we mentioned Guy’s collaborative work in the last padkos email – and it continues… he’s currently working creatively with another South African music legend, the mighty Madala Kunene!

Please bear in mind that we will need to start pretty promptly at 3pm so if you’d like a cup of fair-trade coffee beforehand, please make sure you’re there by 2:30!

We mentioned in the first notice that some of what we’ll be doing includes:

  • unveiling for the first time the magnificent “in, against and beyond” artworks that you created together at our last padkos event back in November 2019;
  • launching a new booklet based on the “being… here… now…” padkos series of last year;
  • getting creative in a mark-making process facilitated, once again, by Eloff Pretorius;
  • hearing live music from national treasure and global inspiration, Guy Buttery;
  • enjoying local beer, wine and drinks together at the close; and
  • there’ll be a seasonal, local, and mindfully-prepared dinner afterwards for those who book.

If a childcare facility would make it easier for you to attend, please let us know and it can be arranged.