On a quest to bring good karma to SA

DON’T be fooled by the title: this book has nothing to do with recipes for curry or soup.

Rather it features former Greenpeace head and Durban resident Kumi Naidoo and his work in the social justice arena.

Naidoo appears in Karma Kurry, a book that originated in India and features the work of people working towards just countries. It is based on the US’s Chicken Soup for the Soul, and now Naidoo is lending his voice to the creation of a South African edition.

He’s been away from Greenpeace for about a year, but Naidoo said he was busier than ever. Author Noel Daniels, who heads the non-profit organisation, Cornerstone Institute, describes Naidoo in the book: “Kumi Naidoo’s life is one of total dedication to a principled approach of dealing with social, political, economic, gender and environmental injustice.”

Daniels’ institute is leading the charge in creating the South African version.

“I’m honoured to be featured in the book, but here in South Africa there are so many amazing people doing amazing work, and we need to highlight them and honour them for the work they do, which often goes unnoticed,” he said.

Naidoo joined Greenpeace in 2009 and left late last year. “When I left Greenpeace, I decided not to be employed fulltime immediately, because I wanted to focus on working in the communities. Now, however, I am busier than ever, and enjoying being home,” he said.

Naidoo has been involved in community-building activities near the Lesotho and Free State border, and volunteers on several boards.

“The main project now is to campaign against nuclear projects,” he said.