It was American president Teddy Roosevelt who said, “speak softly and carry a big stick…” and I think we can learn something from it. Towards the end of the year of my 21st birthday in 1993 in downtown Johannesburg, the ANC called me and requested that I, with a select few, form part of the ANC election machinery in the run-up to 27 April 1994. I guess I was afforded this privilege because I was involved in an organisation, the South African Students Press Union (Saspu), which concerned itself with media politics — freedom of the airways, freedom of expression, building community media structures such as radio stations, print media training at universities and so much more.