Gather 75 – getting Africa back on track

HOWARD SACKSTEIN

The concept was simple: Gather 75 of the brightest young Jewish minds in South Africa, isolate them together on a train for three days and ensure they conceptualise projects to develop the continent of Africa.

This was the brainchild of social entrepreneur Guy Lieberman, champion of the Giant Flag project, and tech entrepreneur Ryan Canin. Says Canin: “I believe that those who can, should. And in Africa, many Jews can make a difference – so we simply should.”

RIGHT: The archetypal South African Icon – A windmill in the Karoo

Soon the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation from the US jumped on board as principal benefactors of this innovative “hackathon”. The Schusterman Foundation is a global leader in supporting innovative projects which allow young Jews to connect about ways to change the world. And so “The Change Charte” left the station.

There is a glint in Lieberman’s eye when he says: “There is strength in numbers and there is potency in collaboration. Add to that our own home culture of invention and resourcefulness, kindness and intelligence, skill and vision, and you have a formidable community.”

The Blue Train, with its opulent splendour, butlers and crystal glass, wandered through the Karoo like Moses through the deserts of Egypt. In Prince Albert, after days of debate and brainstorming, 75 Jews alighted for a silent meditative trek through the desolate moonscape and in Matjiesfontein they partied in the place where Olive Schreiner wrote her Story of an African Farm.

LEFT: The Blue Train at twilight in Prince Albert

It was Schreiner who wrote: “Jews taught the world not to accept the world as it is, but to transform it… Indeed it is difficult for all other nations of the world to live in the presence of the Jews. It is irritating and most uncomfortable. The Jews embarrass the world as they have done things which are beyond the imaginable.”

Under the guidance of mentors, teams worked late into the night preparing and refining proposals. Innovation, education, anti-corruption, inspiration, healthcare – over and over, the teams hacked away at idea after idea.

But when the Blue Train chugged into Cape Town, things changed. Down duvets were swapped for a commuter train to Muizenberg. Broken seats and crying babies, windows caked so thick with dirt that it was impossible to see the world outside.  

In the Shul in Muizenberg seven teams pitched their ideas and competed for funding to seed their projects. Proposals had ranged from developing investment platforms to breed endangered species to using automatic voice messaging to ensure compliance with drug therapy for tuberculosis.

“My personal highlight”, says Canin, “was seeing the incredible quality in the final seven pitches and the passion behind the teams which delivered them.”  

Adds Lieberman: “The highlights were witnessing talented, creative, highly intelligent and caring Jews collaborating on issues that lie way beyond the Jewish community – these were folks looking to positively impact African society, economy and the environment.”

The seeds sown on this three-day train trip will hopefully impact Africa for years to come.

•  Howard Sackstein was one of the 75 participants.

Ryan Davis, Ronen Aires, Claudine Ullman, Danny Lurie, Rony Sklar, Daniella Sachs, Howard Sackstein, and Aron Turest-Swartz on the Blue Train