Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Dreams and creativity at Ideas World Cup
Global effort to solve problems
A CELEBRATION of dreams and creativity, and an attempt to change the world. That’s how organisers of the Ideas World Cup described the event which took place in Cape Town yesterday.
Capetonians of all ages and from all walks of life participated in the competition, where they were challenged to come up with ideas and solutions to tackle socio-economic problems facing the city.
Participants were also tasked with attempting to break a world record for the most ideas generated in one day.
The Ideas World Cup is the first worldwide ideas competition in which a number of other cities from around the world compete at the same time.
The aim is to promote divergent thinking on real issues facing citizens, while bringing together a community of people to exchange ideas freely to shape the world better.
The event also boasted a competitive edge, with the country with the most ideas generated emerging victorious.
Eighteen other countries were streamed into the Cape Town event via video in real time.
“It is based on the desire to change the world. We want to offer solutions to the most pressing issues of our society,” organiser Shelley Finch said.
Some of the cities that took part included Barranquilla, a city located in northern Columbia, Obidos, located about 80km away from Lisbon, Portugal, Santiago, Chile, and Madrid, Spain.
Cape Town’s target was to come up with 10 000 ideas for its inaugural event. However, by the end of the five-hour session, only 428 ideas had been recorded.
Five issues relevant to the city were highlighted. These included Cape Town’s water security issue, traffic con- gestion, fires in informal settlements, the need for affordable housing in the CBD and surrounding suburbs, and ways to build the city’s capacity for social entrepreneurship.
While the Mother City fell short of its record-breaking target, participants still managed to come up with a number of insights and ideas, which will be shared with stakeholders like the City of Cape Town, Western Cape government and other civic and community organisations.
Josh von Zeil-Singer from Newlands told Weekend Argus his idea was to use city space effectively to both ease the congestion on the roads, and create accommodation for people on housing waiting lists in the CBD.
Rifqa Khan from Epping suggested using grey water to ensure a significant reduction in water usage.
“Reusing bath and dishwashing water to water the garden or flush the toilet would help preserve the little bit of water that is left.
“People could also put a tub in the shower when taking a shower and use that water for something else, whether it is flushing the toilet, watering the garden or washing the car,” she said.
Kago Morudu, a Crossroads resident, felt abandoned and old buildings in the city should be renovated and turned into apartments for the poor rather than building new low- cost housing options.
Aisha Majal from Kensington said to ease traffic congestion, the government should consider improving the public transport system.
For more information, visit the Ideas World Cup Cape Town website at: www.ideasworldcup.co.za FORMER US president Barack Obama will make his first public appearance since leaving office, breaking his post-presidency silence on Monday in Chicago.
It will be just days before his successor marks his 100th day in office.
Obama is scheduled to participate in a townhall- style event with young adults at the University of Chicago focused on community organising and civic engagement, his office said yesterday. The event is part of Obama’s goals to “encourage and support the next generation of leaders driven by strengthening communities around the country and the world”, his office said.
It will mark the first in a series of public events for Obama.
He will stop next month in Boston to receive the John F Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
Then he will travel to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Obama has generally refrained from speaking about political matters since he left office, but he spoke by phone this week with French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, although he did not make an endorsement in the race.
Obama has focused on building his foundation and beginning his memoirs, along with taking a holiday. – Washington Post