In 2007 the City of Joburg presented its residents with a policy on the naming and renaming of streets and other public places. A collective decision had been made to change some of the names of the busiest roads in Joburg’s CBD and rename them after widely celebrated South African struggle veterans who helped fight for democracy. In 2014 and to commemorate the 20th anniversary of South Africa’s democracy the changes began to take flight.
The incentive for making these changes, which have been no easy task for the city, was to pay tribute to and acknowledge the historical significance of South Africa’s past while simultaneously contributing to the municipality’s broader objectives to increase residents’ identification with these street names and to build an inclusive society with a shared future.So here we are, nearly two years since the changes were implemented. Naturally, there have been shortfalls from the municipality’s side in ensuring that the names of the streets weren’t only changed in the books but also on the street signs and the pavement labels.
These shortfalls became a burning concern for a group of friends who noticed that there were streets whose signage hadn’t been changed. They got together and gave life to Know Your City. Know Your City, a campaign based on teaching people about their city, arose as a guide for everyone who engages with Joburg. The team goes from street to street making sure that the current signage correlates with the book changes. Bongani, Tshepo, Xolani and Khaya saw that there are many people who either travel to or live in Joburg but don’t have an intimate knowledge of the small details.
This could potentially make the difference between getting lost and knowing where to go. Think about it – let’s use The System from the Matrix as an example: if the system isn’t functional then everything else is screwed. In the same way, if Google maps isn’t on par and you’re depending on it as your compass, then you’re screwed.
That’s where Know Your City comes in. They’re there to make sure that things are up to scratch. Know Your City has taken up the baton to make sure that they strengthen the bond between the city and its residents by making her less alien. They do bicycle tours, and if you want to find out where a place is in Joburg, or what it’s called, then you can take a picture of the place, post it on Instagram, tag them and they’ll tell you where it is.
They move around on bicycles because they’re eco-friendly. Bongani who has taken this on as his full time occupation rides from Soweto to Joburg’s CBD and surrounding areas on his bike every day. They’ve been to PE and Cape Town on the same mission, to teach people about their cities and make sure that things are on par.
Source: Mamello Sejake
http://www.jhblive.com/Stories-in-Johannesburg/article/you%E2%80%99ve-got-to-know-your-city!/90936