South Africa

Cycle The World project

Cycle the World:  On the 1st January 1999, two young South Africans, Steve Bonaconsa and Travis Gale, set off on a year long cycle tour of the world, to promote awareness of the AIDS plight in their country and raise money for the Lily of the Valley Children's Village in rural Kwa-Zulu Natal.

The objective of the 'Lily of the Valley' is to provide a loving, caring environment for orphans and
abandoned children living with AIDS, who have inherited the disease from their parents. Their life
span is on average about 18 months. However, the little one's, with a few exceptions and contrary to
expectations, are thriving in this loving home. It has been discovered that about 60% of the children
born to mothers who are HIV positive will sero-convert and lead a normal healthy life.

The aim of this outreach program is to reintegrate the AIDS orphans into their own communities. Adoptive families are sought for these children or alternatively they are placed in the children's village.

The cyclists arrive back in Durban, site of the Drummillenium, at midnight on the 31 December 1999 and with them comes the hope of a better chance of life for all those innocent kids out there.

The official website for this project is

Drummillennium2000

Drummillennium2000 in Durban, South Africa: is a unique celebration in the history of the modern world and the consolidation of five years research and planning. As the name suggests it is a millennium celebration in South Africa that aspires to have approximately 4000 drummers from around the world representing the 24 time zones converging in South Africa and more especially Durban, December 31st 1999.

Over the past year the vision of Drummillennium2000 has culminated in the project being officially launched in Durban May 6th 1998, with endorsement form the State President, Nelson Mandela.

Drummillennium2000 will involve countries representing the 24 time zones, who will bring in the new millennium on their hour in South Africa. Drummillennium2000 will see the birth of a myriad of socially and economically impacting activities, including the participation of world renown charities.  People and cultures all over the world will be joined together in one global event using 21st century technology of TV broadcast via satellite.

On December 31st 1999, Auckland, New Zealand will start the festivities by celebrating their entrance into the new millennium. At 13:00 South African time,  drummers representing New Zealand will take centre stage, supported by the rest of the drummers present. In towns and cities throughout the world the drummers will welcome the new era, across time and global barriers. A world-wide assemblage of drummers acting in unison on the hour, every hour celebrating the arrival of the new millennium in 24 time zones.

Satellite coverage will unite New Zealand with the rest of the world by ensuring that all countries connected to the satellite TV coverage will celebrate the event with New Zealand simultaneously. The coverage will include sport, culture and technology breakthroughs over the past millennium.

Durban's infrastructure allows Drummillennium2000 to make the main venue.  The Drummillennium2000 team is positioned to lobby participation and sponsorship nationally and world-wide.

Countdown Clocks

These wheels have been set in motion already with the marketing of the first Drummillennium2000 project "World Harambe". Decorative drums measuring 4m x 2m wide are being created to be placed at 20 points around South Africa and in 40 other countries.  These drums will have on them a count-down clock counting down the days to December 31st 1999 and a count-up clock indicating how much has been collected in that area. It is anticipated that these drums will be sponsored by major retailers. Monies collected will be channelled into the trust fund.

Another event being co-ordinated is the "Drum Relay". This event will attempt to re-create the Bush telegraph Cairo to South Africa. A chain of drummers equidistant from each other and within hearing distance of each other will be established as close as possible to the existing train tracks from Cairo to Cape Town. The drumbeat will be passed from drummer to drummer transcending the existing physical borders to culminate timeously in a stadium filled to capacity at midnight in South Africa. When the drumbeat finally reaches the last drummer in the chain outside the stadium, the 4000 drummers in the stadium will begin in unison the ultimate co-ordinated drumming montage. This crescendo will re-emphasis the fundamental tool of communication, linked via satellite, for the world to observe in awe.

This project is one that has a strong social responsibility foundation and its objective will be to augment existing programs of job creations, education and the alleviation of poverty.  The influx of tourism and foreign exchange during this time will be an economic boost to South Africa. The element of Drummillenium2000 's social responsibility aspirations is encapsulated in a program called "Footprints".

In every province around South Africa it is anticipated that there will at least be one major project that requires funding and skill to maximise the initiative. Drummillenniu2000 aspires to provide this, thus facilitating a success and leaving tangible and invisible footprints.

• More millennium events can be found at:

24 Hours Absolutely Live Trance Concert

Trance for the New Millennium in Cape Town, South Africa: We are approaching the coming of a new millennium in which technological advancement is ruling our lives, electronic music is developing with new sound sources and new ideas are giving life to parties with always more and more people participating.

Max L. from Etnica - Pleiadians, G. Dreyer and C. Finlayson from Vortex are organizing a music festival on the Eve of the Year 2000 where all the most important leading bands of psychedelic-trance will perform live, taking part in this event in Cape Town, South Africa. This continent is made up of many different tribes, Xhosa, Zulu, Venda, Swazi, Hutu etc. Hence the people here are naturally attuned to tribal and trance music. The trance scene here has blossomed naturally as the music of the Capetonians.

The choice of one ancient paradise of the Earth for the biggest electronic music festival ever organised is intended to be some kind of a return to the origins of Man, in a very particular moment of his existence. Let's not forget that at Table Mountains, South Africa, there is the twelfth and last Chakra of our planet, a very important energy gate. Nature and technology will blend in an international gathering of great importance for all those who will share the experience of a new Era together. Africa, regarded as the place where humanity originated from, will hopefully again feature the spark of new life for a new millennium. Everyone is invited. Flights will be organised from cities all over the world.

South Africa 2000

: BBC site dedicated to GCSE students to communicate with students and projects in South Africa and Lesotho.