Patrick Madden

Patrick Madden

After studying BBusSc (Marketing Hons) at UCT, I decided that I didn't want to do marketing, which seemed all about propping up a delusional consumer culture and duping people into buying what they didn't need. Instead of helping fund my own and others' oppression, I became a writer. Art seems to grow from the suffering (vicarious or otherwise) of artists. Writing, particularly, is a lonely occupation, and writers are prone to feeling insular and sorry for themselves. But everyone wants to be happy, and I think that helping other people is one of the surest ways of being happier oneself. There are a lot of people in South Africa who need help. I'd like to apply my skills where they'll be of genuine use in uplifting people, and Ikamva sounds like an excellent way to do this.