Issie Christoffels loves the people of the Karoo. She remembers a hard youth, with very few opportunities: very few things to do, very little positive going on… Today she is against fracking in the Karoo because of the impact it could have on farming. She wishes for more projects and spaces for development where young people can find sustainable things to do with their creativity and energy. She says young people can shine where they are. This film is released as part of series created by Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba, the “true voice of the land”, based in Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo. Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba is a collaborative project established between the Support Centre for Land Change and Youth-in-Power in Graaff Reinet, and academic partners at the Wits Centre for Diversity Studies in Johannesburg, and at Leeds University in the UK. The film was one of four featured in the ‘Changemakers in Film Summit: Dissecting the gender issues surrounding social advocacy in post – conflict societies’ (21 July 2021).

Annie Arries is a primary school teacher who loves the Karoo and says she will never leave. She says here, children can still grow up as children. Her hope for small Karoo towns is more houses, more access to land, and more job opportunities for young people. The film was one of four featured in the ‘Changemakers in Film Summit: Dissecting the gender issues surrounding social advocacy in post – conflict societies’ (21 July 2021).