On 31 October 1517, Martin Luther nailed his list of 95 theses against the Roman Catholic Church on the door of his local church in Wittenberg. At that time, no one could have known that this apparently simple action would trigger the greatest reform movement the world has ever known.
Intriguingly, there is a theory called the Power of the Few which postulates that major changes are often brought about by a few people, and sometimes by only one person. There is such a group in the Klein Karoo, named Revive Willowmore.
I recently spoke to its chairperson, Veronica du Plessis, next to the Kudu mural which the artist Fourie Ackermann was painting on a large wall in the town (see our previous story), and asked her how the organisation was conceived.
She explained: ‘We all know that municipalities are struggling to get things done, so things like street lights and old buildings are left unattended. One day we overheard a conversation between two young visitors with cameras who were walking through the town. One said to the other, ‘Why don’t you take photos here?’ The other one answered: ‘Dis so ‘n vaal plek’.
‘We want to break that perception. We want to keep our town clean, and make sure old buildings are maintained. We want to beautify Willowmore. And for this, we’re going to use art. This mural is our pioneer project. We’re going to do more – we want people to come and see our art.’
The huge Kudu painting in Willowmore’s main street, with the artist, Fourie Ackerman, visible in the left-hand bottom corner.
I asked: ‘Why a Kudu?’
‘We considered various options. This is a big wall, so we knew whatever we put on it must be majestic and dynamic. My husband Marc, our web developer, put a polling page on our website, and the community actually voted for it.
‘We wouldn’t normally spend this much money, but the Kudu is a symbol of hope, and the mural is right in the middle of town, where everybody can see it. So for us it speaks volumes. We just want to see hope come back to this town, and to revive it.
‘As you can see,’ she pointed to roosterbrood and sausages being grilled across the street, ‘we’re raising funds to finance similar projects, aimed at attracting more tourists. We have no industry here – we rely on tourism. We believe this will have a ripple effect.’
Members of Revive Willowmore sellling hot dogs to raise funds.
Veronica went on to explain that Revive Willowmore is a non-profit organisation. It is licensed as a Public Benefit Organisation, so donations are tax-deductible. ‘So we can issue a section 18A certificate to anybody who gives us a donation.’
She continued: ‘Our vision is to create a legacy for future generations. What opportunities do young people have here? Small towns are at a disadvantage – they are neglected while all the money goes to the big cities. We need to set an example, and create new opportunities in these little towns.’
Revive Willowmore has a board of five members. ‘We’re still very small, but hoping to grow. We’re also looking at sustainable projects like recycling and the development of green spaces in the township areas, so people there can have a nice place to relax.
‘Next year, we also want to start teaching people how to develop home vegetable gardens – to help break the cycled of poverty and malnutrition. You can give fish to a hungry man, or you can give him a fishing rod and teach him how to fish, then he’ll have food forever. That’s what we’re all about.’
She ended by saying: ‘We do need people to invest in our projects – to help us build something out of nothing; to leave a legacy. If we can do it, then other towns can do it. I know for sure that a lot of other towns are watching us.’
FEATURED IMAGE: Members of Revive Willowmore, with Veronica du Plessis in the middle. All photos by the author.