Ebandla - ‘Council of the Wise’

The Ebandla (Council of the Wise) project, which was launched in 2005 by the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, as part of its African Renaissance initiative, has already brought together thousands of KwaZulu-Natal alumni at functions held across South Africa, in London and New York.

ORIGINS

Ebandla was based on the ancient Zulu custom of the elders sitting together and discussing issues of community interest. Traditionally, men gathered under a tree to discuss matters pertaining to that area. The elders got together like they still do in Italy in the middle of the town square. They debate issues of community interest. Ebandla is a place of gathering.

The province of KwaZulu-Natal has taken this male-dominated custom and opened it up into an exchange of ideas, an opportunity to share information and plan for the future. The idea is to reach out to people working abroad who have achieved in academia, the professions, business, the arts, sport or any other field, to remind them of their origins and invite them to contribute in whatever way they can. The province welcomes their ideas, investment or simply their presence over holidays – so that they can become part of the dynamic development that is happening in the province.

REACHING OUT

KwaZulu-Natal wishes to honour their achievements and to tap into the expertise they have built up, offering them the opportunity to re-engage with the province in a mutually beneficial way.  The campaign enjoys the support of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government’s executive council, led by Premier Zweli Mkhize.

KwaZulu-Natal, the first province to undertake such an initiative, regards it as a wider impulse, as expressed by the African Union, for the continent to reconnect with the African Diaspora – to re-establish cultural and economic connections with the Caribbean, the Americas and elsewhere and to draw on the expertise that has been gathered by members of the African Diaspora.

The objective is to identify successful alumni residing beyond the province’s borders, to create a comprehensive database and to engage with them through a communications campaign that highlights opportunities whereby they can still contribute to the socio-economic development of KwaZulu-Natal.