No pity parties, says Al Sharpton
HAVE-IT-ALL, MERCEDES-BENZ CULTURE DENOUNCED
SOUTH Africans should not have “pity parties” about how the business climate is “rough”, but rather face the challenge headon.
This was the view of US civil rights activist and television host the, Rev Al Sharpton, during a rousing talk at the Durban Business Fair at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre yesterday.
Sharpton said entrepreneurs who were afraid to do business would not succeed.
“I believe in dreams and dreamers, but you have to have persistence and commitment to stick to your dream. This generation must go through bad economic times and still make business happen.”
He said African countries needed to trade more with one another to increase their GDP.
“People talk about nationalism but practise economic colonialism even today. You cannot be politically liberated and economically enslaved. Business has to follow what was achieved by politics.”
Sharpton also spoke about how Essence magazine had been born out of an idea to tell the stories of African-American women. It later led to the Essence festival in New Orleans, which celebrates African-American culture.
The eThekwini Municipality said earlier this week that it had formed a partnership with New Orleans to host the Essence Festival on a date still to be announced.
The city said the partnership, to be officially launched today, would facilitate knowledge-sharing in the film, entertainment and fashion industries, among others.
Another speaker, Vusi Thembekwayo, said blackowned businesses should have a tangible strategy to succeed which was not solely based on its being “BEE”. He also said people should stop complaining about white-owned companies that took a business opportunity and made it thrive.
“They saw an opportunity and maximised on it, so do not blame them. People need to stop thinking as consumers, but as producers. Change your mentality. Stop being of service to somebody else’s ideas.”
He stressed that entrepreneurs should not be afraid of failure, and spoke about when his car had been repossessed, he had had nowhere to stay, and he had been blacklisted.
“I am proud to say that I was blacklisted, as that was when I proved myself as an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is not about what you do when things are good; rather, it’s what you do when things are bad.”
He also said “instant gratification” was a big problem, and South Africa was one of the top-10 markets for Mercedes-Benz AMG products.
“Instant gratification has become a cancer. This thing of you have to have a Mercedes-Benz to show that you have arrived has to stop. Some of the wealthiest people I know who live in New York or Denmark do not own a car. They cycle to work or take a bus.”