From Gelvandale to the heart of Bethelsdorp, residents from all over the northern areas – a region widely perceived to be synonymous with raging gang warfare and drug peddling – now have a chance to change the narrative of the notorious section of Port Elizabeth.
With the launch of Napedia – an unintentional but apt play on the name of the online encyclopaedia Wikipedia – the website aims to serve as an exclusive window into the lives of ordinary residents.
Another of the website’s objectives is to break down notions that the northern areas are a no-go zone.
Napedia is the brainchild of the Northern Areas People Development Initiative (Napdi), a non-profit, non-political, civil society organisation.
“What we’d like to achieve is to tell the story of the northern areas in a fun, interactive way,” project leader Thomas Terblanche said.
“People will ultimately be telling their own stories, using multiple platforms on the website to do so.”
Terblanche said residents would be able to contribute by profiling notable people from the area, uploading contact details of community-driven organisations, writing opinion pieces and sharing their stories.
“And that is just the beginning – the beginning of something we hope will grow much bigger,” Terblanche said.
There are seven focus areas on the website, including business, arts and culture, religion, sport and education.Napdi chairman Isaac Metembo said: “[Napedia] is a platform where people can tell their own stories – not to sugar-coat, [but] a platform that will show reality, the history of the people . . . stories that will inspire future generations.”
At the launch on Wednesday, Reverend Bertram Swartz described the initiative as brilliant: “I grew up in the northern areas and there’s so much potential. This [website] will showcase the northern areas’ rich history and people.
“Like any other area around the world, there is good and bad. I would urge residents to tell the good stories that we don’t get to hear because those stories do exist.”
Senior Nelson Mandela University lecturer Veonna Goliath said: “You see what you want to see, that’s the bottom line. If people focus on the positive and tell that story, they create further awareness.
“It’s about raising consciousness so people can know what is going on and what is available. It also raises residents’ sense of pride.”
The website can be found at napedia.org.za.