SMOOR

"In a world full of roses, be a wildflower." — Unknown

Yep, that’s me in 1994. This was my Standard 2 (Grade 4) class photo. We’re all wearing our summer uniform, so I presume this was taken in the first term (roughly late January to March 1994).

What you see here is a boy who was completely oblivious to what was happening in the world at the time. Within the next few weeks, he, his classmates, and children across the country would, for the first time, begin to understand what was actually happening around them.

Let’s not do this to future generations. Let’s do the right thing from the start.

Today is . Many of us remember the first time we experienced something: the first time you tried alcohol, the first time you were on an aeroplane, the first time you had a kiss — the list goes on.

I remember the first work of art that had a massive impact on me. It was a piece by South African artist Jane Alexander called The Butcher Boys. I was on a school trip to the National Gallery in Cape Town when I saw it for the first time.

It was the first time I truly felt art, because when I walked away from the sculpture, it felt as though these beings were going to get up and follow me. This experience, although haunting, made me realise the true potential of art.