<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Karen Willenberg]]></title><description><![CDATA[Insightful Ideas, Engaging Perspectives]]></description><link>https://www.karen-willenberg.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sun, 10 May 2026 20:43:32 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.karen-willenberg.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[About Neith ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Neith is an African start-up that provides digital infrastructure to help institutions meaningfully evaluate large scale public inputs. Think about all the consultations, commissions, working groups and advisory bodies set up to get input from the public and then consider what happens to all the inputs received? Institutions are struggling and, for the most part, failing to engage seriously with collective inputs, but then are surprised when implementation is met with almost persistent...]]></description><link>https://www.karen-willenberg.com/post/about-neith</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e5f6be0c8d230c9e94c507</guid><pubDate>Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:54:10 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Graye Olifant</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Democracy's African Roots]]></title><description><![CDATA[I have heard democracy’s origin story told and retold many times. Most of us know the broad outlines, democracy was invented by the Greeks in the 5 th  century BCE. In that period, political power in the city state of Athens was concentrated in the hands of an aristocratic elite. Their exercise of power was abusive and they maintained their privileges at the expense of ordinary Athenians, leading to widespread social unrest. As the society became increasingly unstable, the ruling class was...]]></description><link>https://www.karen-willenberg.com/post/democracy-s-african-roots</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69caa0e5aa483e8f68044742</guid><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:13:28 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Graye Olifant</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Portents]]></title><description><![CDATA[A portent is a sign or warning of events that are yet to come.   I like the word “portent”, it has a mythic quality and evokes the idea that we might have some access to divine patterns in the chaos of current events. Somehow, it also offers a less depressing way of thinking about the world right now. My late mother kept all the wisdom about portents in our family and, from them, she would discern all sorts of things, from illness to financial trouble, pregnancies and conflicts. In many...]]></description><link>https://www.karen-willenberg.com/post/portents</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69caa05c595b1ffbde1e42db</guid><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:11:27 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Graye Olifant</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rescuing Public Participation]]></title><description><![CDATA[It was not so long ago that the vast majority of South Africans were completely excluded from political decision making – we could not vote or participate in decisions that impacted our lives.  Because of this history, the ability to participate, not only in elections, but also in decision making is particularly valuable and important in this country. Public participation is a cornerstone of our democratic project and looking around, it certainly appears that there are no shortages of...]]></description><link>https://www.karen-willenberg.com/post/karen-willenberg-leading-change-in-regulatory-law</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ca9ee2138134f81727de59</guid><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2026 16:03:46 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Graye Olifant</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Citizening]]></title><description><![CDATA[Around this time, we're usually flooded with “year in review” stories as everyone looks back to reflect on the highs and the lows, what they achieved or failed to achieve and what they want to change in the new year. If you’ve been thinking about this, I'd like to add a question to your review - how much time did you spend citizening in the past year?  Admittedly, this is not something we think about often. For most of us, being a citizen is something you are, not something you do. We tend to...]]></description><link>https://www.karen-willenberg.com/post/citizening</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69ca9f13aa483e8f680441f9</guid><pubDate>Tue, 16 Dec 2025 22:00:00 GMT</pubDate><dc:creator>Graye Olifant</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>