cafe diplo-humaneity magazine

8/7/2019 Cafe Diplo-Humaneity Magazine

1/3HumaneityMAGAZINE

HumaneityMagazine|March2010

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As a teenager, I was not the

studious type, preferringto have fun making friends

and getting involved in non-

academic activities like

soccer games and sing-along

sessions. I was also happier appreciating

Picasso and his Cubist works, than learning

about Adam Smith and his Invisible Hand. Later

on in life, when it dawned on me that I should

be more serious about my future, I considered

going to music college, since I loved playingthe piano and had received substantial training

on it. However, I applied instead to study

accountancy in Australia after deciding thatgetting a music degree was not a pragmatic

enough career move.

Social awakening

Soon after leaving Singapore for my overseas

studies, I developed an interest in world affairs

and social issues; leaving my comfort zone

made me long for home and country, and I grew

increasingly concerned about issues affecting


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World peace -

one cup at a timeA social entrepreneurs idealistic journey to build lasting and positive peace

around the world.

by Jonathan How

NGOsNPOsF

oundations

In this picture: Caf Diplo founder Jonathan How (extreme left)

with volunteer performers at the Haiti Haiti charity concert.

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both, whether domestic or foreign ones. The

interest persisted throughout my varsity years

and beyond. After working for a year in the

private sector, I felt compelled to return to

university to work towards another degree in

the hope of doing something meaningful with itin the global arena.

I returned to Australia for a year of post-

graduate studies in international relations.

After graduating with a masters degree, I

landed a job in Singapores civil service and

worked there for a number of years before a

latent entrepreneurial streak in me emerged. I

decided to leave the service and head back to

the private sector. Not long after that, I came up

with plans to create an indie establishment for

artists and arts lovers alike, and started to lay

the foundation for the setting up of my rst caf.

Having a go at

entrepreneurship

In late 2005, I started the Singapore Art Caf

(SAC). Tucked away in a corner of a public

library situated in a local arts centre called The

Esplanade, the SAC hosted open mikes, music

showcases and art exhibitions. Opening the

caf then was a bold move, as I did not have

an F&B background to start with. All I had was

a dream to create a place for arts lovers and

practitioners that serves great coffee and food

at the same time.

The SAC gradually earned a reputation as a

place for local and locally-based talents to

gather, network and showcase their musicand artworks. It became known as one of the

few local venues that host open mikes, which

are public singing platforms, usually held in

cafs and pubs. Such performing avenues

are informal, and often spontaneous, and are

popular in countries like the US and the UK, but

less so in Asian countries like Singapore.

From arts entrepreneur to

social entrepreneur

After three challenging and physically demanding

years of operating the caf, I decided to close

the SAC down and either embark on another

(less strenuous) entrepreneurial project or rejoin

the workforce. It was then that I thought of

combining my passion in the arts with my other

passion to bring about social change globally.

With my former caf still fresh in my mind, I

began exploring the concept of a mobile caf

that serves food to the needy around the world,

empowering and encouraging them through

music. I also started subscribing to the notion

of peace diplomacy, which refers to actions and

efforts that everyone can be involved to build

real and positive peace locally and globally.

Initially, I conceptualised Peace Diplomacy

Institute (PDI) as a project to provide peace

education and organize humanitarian reliefefforts, with Caf Diplo as an offshoot initiative

to engage global citizens through means like

dialogue sessions and music events. Today,

the PDI remains a work in progress, while

Caf Diplo was launched in late 2008 as a

social entrepreneurial project to spearhead

peacebuilding initiatives. It was very apt that

the domain name worldpeace.sg had been

available then and quickly acquired. With Caf

Diplos vision eshed out and the direction clear,

I continued to work on its sustainability model:

cafs, humanitarian forums and music festivals.On this page: Top: Caf Diplos How on a visit to

NGO Give Kids Hope in northern Thailand.




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Food, forums and festivals

As a social enterprise, Caf Diplo needs to

be sustainable as it implements its cause-

led programs. The vision for my rst caf, the

SAC, was to create a hub for arts lovers and

practitioners. With Caf Diplo, my plan is to

create a conducive place for humanitarian

workers, social entrepreneurs, as well as the

general public to gather and have their drinks

and meals, while supporting causes at the

same time through their patronage.

On this page: Top: Philippine singer-songwriter and

environmental activist Noel Cabangon at AHF 2010.

Two core programs have also been

conceptualized the Asia Humanitarian

Forum (AHF) (www.asiahumanitarianforum.

org) (featured in this issue) and the Grace

Music Festival (GMF) (www.gracemusicfestival.

com). AHF serves as an educational platform

to promote humanitarian and environmental

issues; the inaugural AHF was held from

January 15 to 17, 2010. Although the primary

target audience is the people of Asia, the

message is a universal one. The rst GMF is

being planned for mid-2010. The festival aims

to bring people together through music, both

in conict and non-conict areas. It will feature

musicians passionate about peacebuilding,

social issues and the environment.

The journey aheadSince its launch, Caf Diplo has supported

the work of other humanitarian organizations

by putting together charity concerts, leading

volunteer trips and collaborating on events and

projects. NGOs it has partnered include disaster

response agency Mercy Relief, World Vision,

and the Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore).

Caf Diplo will continue to provide such support

whenever possible.

2010 might well be the dening year for Caf

Diplo, as it seeks seed-funding to launch core

programs and key initiatives. Hopefully one day

soon, I will be able to welcome you over to have

coffee or tea. We would then sit down and chat

about making the world a better place to live in.

One cup at a time.

On this page: Top: A Vietnamese boat beached by

Typhoon Ketsana last year.

For more information on Caf Diplo, go to

www.cafediplo.org.

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