PeacePlayers South Africa Storybook FINAL - Flipbook - Page 32
Ryan Douwie had 3 simple aspirations in his teenage years:
“Go to Cape Town, fly a plane, and play basketball.” He was
raised by his caring mother in a coloured township called
Sydenham. In Sydenham, gangsterism was the cool thing
to do. People were carrying knives to school to protect
themselves - something Ryan eventually also felt was
necessary. He did this out of protection for his community
and because it was normal. If Ryan was ever going to fly that
plane, his actions would need to change.
If you return to his schools in Sydenham, you may find
his name permanently written on a few desks and walls.
Decades later, he returned to those same schools to speak
positive aspirations to the kids who walked the same halls.
In a way, he was attempting to erase the ink he once wrote
on the walls. His message to the kids on each visit was
consistent - “you can be what you want to be, as long as you
stay focused.”
When Ryan started bouncing a basketball just before high
school, his mom saw that he had found a positive outlet.
First, basketball became a rare opportunity to meet new
people in other communities. Then, as he got more time with
the sport, Ryan began seeing his social groups change.
Years after starting basketball, Ryan would run into people
he hung around with before basketball, and they’d ask him
where he had been. “Playing basketball,” he replied. His peers
knew basketball wasn’t a “regular sport” that people from
their community played. So, instinctively, they’d ask, “What
demographic of people play that sport?” He expressed that
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PEACEPLAYERS SOUTH AFRICA STORYBOOK
