Cecil Plaatjies Cape Town activities, Excursions

Country Roads: a Reconciliation Day interfaith meander

On Reconciliation Day, December 16th, we have traditionally in Cape Town have organised an Interfaith Walk in District 6. But over these 3 years this became beset with various problems, not least the changing behaviors post-covid and the current divisive world climate.

So yesterday, myself, Cecil Plaatjies, Nic Paton, Aidon Allies, Marie-Therese Nga set out for Mamre to visit the Seutloali family. We took a different route from usual and meandered through upmarket suburbs, vast tracts of farmland, past farm workers’ homes, growing townships and forgotten areas with meaningful names like, Atlantis.

A journey that points to so much that should still be reconciled in this country. Along the winding roads north of Cape Town, we reflected on spatial division, and how many have been flung to outlying areas, with not much access to amenities and opportunity.

It was my second visit after the devastating fire which destroyed the Seutloali homestead. (See “Rising from the Ashes”). We were met with broad smiles and warm hearts. It was a lesson in resilience, hope and victory of the spirit. The Seutloali’s are rebuilding their home and planted crops again.

The homestead

We spent the afternoon in conversation and encouraging each other, and also got to meet another family from the community who came over to visit.

How we spent Reconciliation Day

Interfaith is often viewed as a public event consisting of many different religions on the same platform. Person-to-person dialogue does not make good copy. It is invisible, not easy to quantify and label, but it is a model of real peace work and reconciliation. Something that should become part of our daily interactions with each other.

Without planning or ceremony, we found ourselves having been meaningfully involved in an act of Reconciliation.

Cecil Plaatjies Cape Town activities, Choir and music, CTII Schools Programme

Boundless Compassion with Mingyur Rinpoche: Cecil’s view

Last night (Thursday 28th August) was such an awesome interfaith event. Thank you to Alex (Kunkhyen), the Boundless Compassion team and all who helped to make it the success it was.

Thank you to Zebada for representing the indigenous people of this country so well. Rinpoche certainly connected with Ubuntu, the African version of Dependent Origination. Tibetans are also indigenous people, who are resisting erasure from a dominant colonial power.

The same goes for the representatives from the Nguni spirituality. Tibetan Buddhism is a mix of Himalayan Shamanism and Indian Buddhism.

Thank you Nima for holding the intrafaith space. You handled it with poise and grace.

Aydin does not speak much, but beautifully connected Boundless Compassion from a Muslim perspective with that of Buddhism. The Buddhist-Muslim dialogue is important. It already happens in places like Malaysia. South African Islam had it roots in a country where Buddhist, Hindu and Animist spirituality formed the ground.

Thank you to Rabbi Andi for holding the space for the Jewish-Buddhist connection in her own gentle way.

Many thanks to all the faith leaders and other representatives who came in support of this momentous interfaith event

The choir was on fire! The dedication and your hours of practice, showed. This is one of the best vehicles to promote CTII and our interfaith activities.

Where else, but in Cape Town can you find a Muslim father singing in a choir with his Buddhist son!

I am so proud of the youth from our schools programme. Thanks Pippa. Thank you to all the facilitators, teachers and elders who made it possible. There was nervousness – it was a big occasion in the bastion of interfaith activity, but you all came out on top. Well done to the CTII Youth!

Last but certainly not the least, thank you to Mingyur Rinpoche for gracing our shores with your presence. It is a privilege to have you here. The Dharma will expand, because of you being here.

I really enjoyed the chanting of the Om Mani.

I hope that by now, someone made Rinpoche some mielie pap. I got the sense that he wants another food example to use in his explanations of Buddhism. Something other than his usual, pizza stories. 😁

I wasn’t there last night , but I enjoyed the event on screen and I look forward to meeting Rinpoche in person next week.

Cecil Plaatjies Cape Town activities, G20 IF20

G20 Interfaith Forum – Cecil’s view

By Cecil Plaatjies (CTII / SGI), a personal perspective on G20IF20 (Interfaith Forum) that was held on 11 to 14 August 2025 at the Westin Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa.

It was a well run event, professionally done by the organisers and those behind the scenes.

I had the opportunity to give a short talk and offer a Buddhist prayer in the opening ceremony.

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