Wiki site set up to mark Chats’ 50th birthday

CHATSWORTH in the south of Durban has evolved considerably in five decades.

Now youths from the former Indian township, which turns 50 this year, are delving into history for an interactive website that will record the area’s changes over the years and the rise to prominence of many of its citizens.

The Wiki-chatsworth website, to be launched soon, will not only frame the area’s history, but sharpen youngsters’ information-gathering, recording and writing abilities.

Viroshen Chetty and Clive Pillay, pioneers of the project, will address pupils, teachers and locals at the Chatsworth Youth Centre next week on the workings of the site.

“When we were thinking about ideas to mark the 50 years since development started in Chatsworth, a Wikiwebsite was the best idea to surface,” said Chetty.

“There is a lot of information to record, key sites and institutions to feature and the achievements of prominent people to highlight – Kumi Naidoo, Amichand Rajbansi, Lenny Naidu, TP Naidoo and others have helped to shape the identity of Chatsworth.”

On choosing a Wiki site, Chetty said, “With the technol- ogy available these days, a Wiki site would help us to crowdsource information from every part of the community. People in the community determine what goes in.”

He added, “We plan to train pupils to deal with people who are not up to date with the latest technology, but have vital information to share, on how to scan pictures, record videos and write stories for the site.

“We want to encourage pupils to write stories, so we’ve opened it up to all schools in Chatsworth,” said Pillay.

Teachers Chrissie Virasamy and Krishnee Govender of Southlands and Newhaven respectively have wasted no time alerting their Grade 11 history pupils to the value of working on the site.

“We’ve been trying hard to sell history as a viable subject in terms of career benefits. This project highlights its value,” said Virasamy.

“So many skills can be derived from working on this project. Learning is no longer down to chalk and talk. We need to adapt to the changes,” said Govender.

Of her involvement, Diyantha Naidoo, a pupil at Southlands Secondary, said, “The project will give the youth insight into how Chatsworth improved over time.”

“I’m proud of what people have achieved over the years. On my street, which is fairly long, I can count the number of matchbox houses that remain,” said Dale Debideyal, also a pupil at Southlands.

Newhaven pupil Rahul Panday says his generation has lost touch with their history. He hopes the project will give them insight into what ancestors accomplished.

“A lot of people know of international issues, but not what is happening on their doorstep.”

His schoolmate, Leantha Naicker, was amazed at how people had succeeded despite starting with so little. “The site will be an eye-opener,” she said.