Australia 2010 Notes

14 February 2010

Well, I’ve been in Melbourne a couple of days now – finally over the jetlag. The flight from London via Hong Kong is a bit of a marathon, and with an 11 hour time difference, it’s not surprising my body clock was confused.

I am staying in a student complex, about 30 minutes outside the city, and about 15 minutes from the La Trobe campus. It’s a matchbox size single room with a bed, sink and toilet/shower (the toilet is actually inthe shower cubicle!). What more does a guy need?

I’ve had two short trips into the city. First, on Thursday, I visited Leeora Black, Director of ACCSR, and took a lovely stroll through the Royal Botanical Gardens. There’s some great, funky architecture down town. Friday was just a quick trip in to apply for a passport renewal.

Friday to Sunday, I was teaching at La Trobe Graduate School of Management – the first half of a 6 day module on Business in Society, as part of a Masters in Responsible Business. They are a great bunch of students – a mixture of managers, local government officials and academics.

The La Trobe campus is vast, with large expanses of green space. I keep seeing “beware of the kangaroo” signs, but I haven’t seen any yet (maybe they can’t read?). There is a nature reserve right next to the campus, which I look forward to visiting.

Today, I head off to Sydney for a couple of days, where I will be teaching a 1-day workshop for the University of New South Wales on “Creating Change through Social Responsibility”. I should have a day or so to be a city tourist as well, before heading back to Melbourne.

I’ll be staying in Bondi with Samantha Graham, an old friend who studied with me at the Centre for Human Ecology in Edinburgh about 15 years ago. She is now a mum & sustainability educator at Stormlight Consulting. It’s great how these connections live on over time and space.

18 February 2010

This week, I flew to Sydney to deliver a workshop on “Creating Change through Social Responsibility” for the University of New South Wales’ Centre for Social Impact. I also gave a talk on “The Future of CSR” at a CSR Sydney evening event, kindly hosted by David Morrisey.

I was fortunate enough to be given a place to crash for 3 nights by Samantha Graham, a colleague from my days at the Centre for Human Ecology in Edinburgh, where we both did our Masters. Both Sam and her partner, John Talbott, also lived at the Findhorn Community for many years.

Findhorn is an ecovillage in the north of Scotland, which I visited twice (in 1994 and 1995). It was a source of great inspiration, as an example of living in harmony with nature and with an intentional spiritual purpose. Like so many others, I first heard about it through Paul Hawken’s book, The Magic of Findhorn – the same Hawken who wrote subsequent classics that have been equally leading-edge, like The Ecology of Commerce, Natural Capitalism and Blessed Unrest.

As it happens, Sam & John’s flat overlooks Bondi Beach, so I was treated not only to their wonderful hospitality, but also spectacular views across the bay.

On my “tourist day”, I visited the New South Wales Art Gallery, where I was most taken with the Aboriginal art painted on flattened bark. There is also a fantastic sculpture outside, comprised of two 20 ft matches – one burned and the other not. Apparently, it is a commentary by the artist of the transience of life.

I also walked around Darling Harbour and took the ferry to Manly, which allows great views of Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. All in all, my impressions of Sydney (which has strong echoes of Cape Town for me) is of a city where they have got the work-play balance just about right.

This laid back lifestyle (which Sam captured in a nutshell as “too much sun”) is probably also why Australia has been so slow to take issues like climate change seriously (despite years of drought), but that’s the subject of another blog.

06 March 2010

This past week, I have been sampling the best of Melbourne – from art to football, academia to social enterprise. Last Saturday, Bob Kochen too me to an Aussie rules football match (St Kilda v Sydney). It was surprisingly easy to get the hang of, and great fun to watch, made more exciting because it was a close match – the Saints won by a single point.

Still on the sporting theme, I went to see the movie, Invictus. It brought back some strong memories, as I thought back to that tense and magical time in South Africa’s history. I was in Johannesburg at the time and apprehension and ecstasy were palpable. I found the first half of the movie – which gives some insight into Mandela’s mind – more captivating than the rugby-dominated second half.

On Sunday, Leeora Black and Bob Kochen took me out to the Dandenongs (a mountainous area on the outskirts of Melbourne), to visit the William Ricketts Sanctuary. As a self-confessed sculptophile, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. The clay sculptures of aboriginal people emerging from rocks and trees in the forest are breathtakingly beautiful. It was also interesting to learn how Ricketts’ art was inspired by a deeply spiritual eco-animistic philosophy.

As if I hadn’t been spoiled enough, yesterday Kate Hardiman went with me to a Ron Meuck exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria. Mueck is a super-realist sculptor who messes with your mind by changing the scale of his (mostly human) pieces. Hence, a giant (maybe 20 foot) newborn baby and a miniature (2 foot) old woman in the foetal position. Really fascinating!

It hasn’t been all play and no work. On Friday, I gave a presentation at an event on responsible business organised by Victoria University, sharing the platform with Colin Higgins (Vic U), Neil Birtchnell (Transfield Services) and John Prince (Social Compass). Colin then took me to meet Shanaka Fernando, founder of the social enterprise Melbourne restaurant chain, Lentil As Anything (I will blog separately about Shanaka).

Apart from the delights of Melbourne’s sights and citizens, I also experienced all four of its seasons yesterday – from sunny blue skies to a freak hail storm in the space of a few hours. I ended up spending a wonderful afternoon in St Kilda, then wondering back in the rain through the memorial park and along the Yarra river.

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Kenya 2010 Notes

02 February 2010

Last week, I was hosted by Ufadhili Trust to deliver a 2 day workshop on CSR in Nairobi, Kenya. As I was last in Kenya 20 years ago when I attended an AIESEC African Leadership Development Seminar, it was wonderful to return and compare my impressions.

The biggest changes have been political. In 1990, Daniel Arap Moi was still president (from 1978 to 2002) and ruled a one-party state with an iron hand. My impression back then was of relative stability, but no great sense of prosperity or advancement. I recall that the hotel we stayed at on the coast in Mombasa had a water-cut and the security guard carried a bow and arrow. Also, it took 9 hours to drive the 440 km of pot-hole ridden road between Nairobi and Mombasa.

Today, Kenya has a multi-party democracy under President Mwai Kibaki, although the disputed 2007 general election (and post-election violence) has led to a coalition government in which Raila Odinga shares power as Prime Minister. Apart from changes in politics, the economy is stronger (despite unemployment estimated at 40%) and the roads are noticeably improved.

In fact, the roads sparked one of the first lively debates in the workshop. Why? Because they are built by Chinese contractors. The “Chinese in Africa” topic is a real hot potato, and fascinating from a CSR perspective. The Chinese are bringing massive business investment to Africa (especially in infrastructure), but at what cost? They are accused of low labour, ethical and environmental standards, as well as taking away local employment.

I don’t fully buy the “evil China” story (and I fear a new xenophobia is taking hold around the world), for a number of reasons. First, I would far rather see investment in infrastructure than development aid going to Africa. Second, the Chinese government is starting to show concern about its tarnished reputation abroad, so I expect pressure and standards to rise in the coming decade. And third, the Chinese are not all about low costs and poor standards. They have an incredible work ethic and high productivity level, which I believe introduces healthy competition and challenges attitudes of entitlement in countries like Kenya.

The other theme that emerged strongly in the workshop was corruption, although there was less “fight” in this debate. I almost sensed a feeling of resignation among most of the participants. How do you fight a disease that – like cancer – is so endemic in government, business and society at all levels?

One refreshing voice in this debate was Ken Njiru, Executive Director of Uungwana Resource Institute and one of the leading proponents of business ethics in Kenya. He believes that corruption needs to be branded in the public and business consciousness as “ushenzi”, which means “barbaric”, “primitive” or “backward”. This is contrasted with “uungwana”, which means “civilised” or “advanced” or “righteous”.

As far as general CSR goes, Kenya is still mostly stuck in the PR/philanthropy mode. However, there are inspiring examples of CSR 2.0 practice, such as Vodafone/Safaricom’s M-PESA scheme, which allows the unbanked to transfer money by mobile phone text. Similarly, Equity Bank, which has successfully targeted the poorest sectors of society and now, with 4.1 million accounts, makes up over 52% of all bank accounts in Kenya.

I look forward to watching how Kenya can continue to develop and inspire, both within Africa and the world, as it takes its CSR agenda forward. Thank you to Director Mumo Kivuitu and everyone at Ufadhili. Keep up the great work!

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Turkey 2010 Notes

23 January 2010

Last week, I visited Istanbul, where I was speaking on a panel at the 3rd International Corporate Governance Conference. The topic was corporate governance and competitiveness and the panel was chaired by Judge Mervyn King, author of the King Report on Corporate Governance in South Africa.

Although I have previously shared a panel with Mervyn King (at an event during the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development), this time I also had the chance to interview and have dinner with him, which was a treat. I like his quiet, thoughtful yet authoritative demeanour and it was great to get some insights into the mind behind the King Code.

I’m not sure Istanbul quite lives up to its travel promo blurb of being ‘the most inspiring city in the world’ – perhaps because of the wet, chilly weather this time of year, and perhaps because I have been spoiled by my other travels. But it certainly is a city with a rich, long and significant history.

It is hard not to be impressed by its great mosques, but what I liked the most were the church-mosque hybrids. The remnants of the opulent rule of the Sultans (including the 86 carat diamond I saw in the palace) are full of glitz and glamour, but failed to move me.

The food is of course delicious – my favourite was haloumi wrapped and char grilled in vine leaves, although their baklava and Turkish delight were also, well, delightful. Next time, I hope to visit some of the archaeological sites beyond the city in the outer regions of Anatolia.

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Tunisia 2009 Notes

26 December 2009

I recently returned from a pre-Christmas break in Tunisia. I stayed in the coastal city of Sousse, but also took a 2-day trip to southern Tunisia. The barren landscapes – terraced, rocky and flat – are spectacular and often otherworldly (hardly surprising that they were chosen as the backdrop for various scenes in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back).

The desert itself – as we discovered on our one hour camel ride into the Sahara – has a surreal tranquillity. In terms of history, El Jem’s coliseum is impressive, dating back to the 3rd century and seating 30,000 (second only to Rome’s 45,000). Culturally, the troglodyte cave dwellings are fascinating and aesthetically beautiful, capturing a simple purity not often seen anymore. The salt-pan flats, where we watched a rain-drizzled sunrise, are breathtaking in their vast empty white expanse.

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Germany 2009 Notes

22 November 2009

Berlin is a city of surprises to savour, full of delights to discover. Sadly, this was an ‘all work and no play’ trip. Even so, I am struck by two things.

First, the sense of renewal. Because so much new building and deliberate investment in regeneration took place after the fall of the wall, the city has an ultra-modern façade. Glass architecture proliferates, giving an impression of light and space.

This is reinforced by the actual existence of space. Apparently, as Berlinwas essentially an island city, with little opportunity to travel beyond its borders, its citizens treasured the open natural spaces all the more. As a result, post-unification, these open spaces have been vehemently protected.

The second impression is of the avant garde. Graffiti covers much of the city, but has apparently been embraced as art. (Another theory is that the city is bankrupt and can’t afford to clean it up). Besides the graffiti, the city is liberally sprinkled with sculptures, museums and theatres. It’s almost as if the years of oppression and suppression have seeded its opposite – the darkness and claustrophobic replaced by light and space; the rules and restrictions exchanged for artistic freedom and expression.

These may be superficial impressions and unfounded insights, but if nothing else, they have whet my appetite to return and explore more thoroughly.

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Armenia 2009 Notes

21 November 2009

Armenia has a proud and long history, being the first country to be a state-declared Christian nation (in 301 AD). It has all the characteristics of a small nation (3 million) that has suffered many conflicts and yet managed to hold onto its identity.

Both Armenia andGeorgia retain the imprint of their communist past, but the people seem to have (for the most part) moved on. It’s almost as if the building still stands, but has been completely renovated and redesigned. The State is most visible now in the excessive presence of the traffic police, as if the exercising of authority had to find an outlet somewhere.

In the short time I was there, I had a chance to explore the Cascades – a real treat for a scultophile like me. Here too, there are stories. One is of a flower-seller who every day used to give free blooms to the beautiful women who passed on the street. As a tribute to his generosity, when he died, the city erected a statue of him.

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Georgia 2010 Notes

21 November 2009

How privileged I am. Here I am in the old town of Tbilisi on a glorious day inGeorgia. The air is bitingly fresh and the sky is blue. The city is like a colourfully painted crypt, discovered amidst the rubble of socio-political conflict and economic uncertainty. Many people are poor, and yet there is a rich heritage of traditions, art and history.

Georgia seems to me a country struggling to emerge from the shadow of the world. There is a beauty here, and warmth, but the sun is shining on other places and nobody notices. Tourism is massively underdeveloped and yet holds vast potential.

Georgia is full of stories to delight. Tbilisi itself – which means ‘warm’ – is founded on a legend about a king who was hunting with his falcon. The pheasant he caught fell into the sulphur hot springs and by the time it was retrieved, it was cooked and ready to eat. So he ordered that a town be established around the springs.

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Canada 2008 Notes

09 October 2008

I had a very pleasant dinner at the wonderful “Fresh” vegetarian restaurant in Toronto on Tuesday evening. My friend and colleague, Prof Andrew Crane, and I met with Nai-wen Wong, a visitor from Taiwan, who is part of the CSR International network I run.

One of the stories from Nai-wen that I liked was how people in Taiwan are now being encouraged to bring their own chopsticks to restaurants, to save all the forests being cut down for disposable chopsticks. That sounds like a great environmental idea, with a cultural twist.

On Sunday, I was walking around Toronto Island Park when, to my unexpected surprise and delight, this guy on a Penny Farthing bicycle rode past me. The Penny Farthing – so called because of the relative size of the British penny next to the smaller farthing coin – was invented in the 1870s.

It got me thinking about our progress, or more accurately, lack of progress. For me, the Penny Farthing, which has hardly changed at all to become the modern bicycle more than 130 years later, is a perfect metaphor for our seeming lack of change in other areas.

I am thinking mostly about that other wheeled invention, the car. More specifically, the internal combustion engine car. The basic design has hardly changed over the past 100 years, even though we have tinkered to make it more efficient, safe and clean.

At one level, we might say that, like the bicycle, it’s because the basic design still works. So why change a winning formula? But does it really still work? Is spending hours in gridlocked traffic, or thousands dying in auto accidents, or pumping out pollution that causes asthma and climate change what “works”? Is that our definition of a winning formula?

But now we have hybrids and electric cars, I hear you say. True, and I am their biggest fan. They begin to solve some of the environmental and health problems, but they still keep us locked into the same basic design – a metal box, with an engine, on four wheels. Is that the best our fantasmagorical imagination can come up with?

A penny (farthing) for your thoughts, my dear …

11 October 2008

I’ve enjoyed a wonderful week in Toronto, with blue skies, lake views and Autumn leaves. It has me thinking about change. Would we appreciate autumn leaves as much if they were always always on display? Most likely not. It is the changes which help us to value life.

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4 JUNE 1978

Bulawayo Eisteddfod Society

Poetry: Awarded 1st Class for reading “The Timid Lion”

Prose: Awarded 1st Class for writing “My Shoes Are Magic”; Judges comments: “A well written story and I must commend you on the idea of travelling as fast as you sang.”

My shoes are magic

One day I went to Toytownland. Everything was miniature. I saw a shoemaker and I Looked at a pair of shoes they were bright red. I said very neat stitching. I never did it said a voice. and I answered back I begyour pardon and I put my ear down and he said it again and I said how much is it. Ten dollars so I gave in tend dollars and he said that is a thousand dollars. Then I knew he meant ten cents. So I said well just take it and answered back b, b, b, but its too much. But I just took the shoes and walked out. I stepped over the miniature gate and put them on me and I felt something like sand and in seven seconds it was gone. And I was so happy I sang a little son and thin is my little song A one a two a three four five and six a seven a eight a nine a ten eleven and twelve and thirteen and fourteen and fifteeeeeeeeeeennn. And I looked on my compass and I had walked fifteen miles and I found out that I was in dreamland and I was alwaways in dream land it was all a dream.

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14 FEBRUARY 1971

Baptism

Church of the Province of Central Africa, Parish of Archdeaconry of Bulawayo, Diocese of Matabeleland

Christian name: Wayne

Surname: Visser

Declared date of birth: 17 December 1971 [mistake]

Sponsors: Roy Acutt, Norma Acutt, The Parents

Sacrament administered by Harald William Crane

Register of Baptisms kept in Khami Congregation

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