I was not surprised when ANC leaders, angered by cartoonist Zapiro, resorted to calling him a racist. After all, there is a tradition in South Africa where black people, unable to come up with a strong enough argument against a white protagonist, almost out of desperation calls the white person a racist. This, of course, […]
Ryland Fisher
Ryland Fisher is former editor of the Cape Times and author of the book Race. This is his second book, following on Making the Media Work for You, which was published in 2002. He is executive chairperson of the Cape Town Festival, which he initiated while editor of the Cape Times in 1999 as part of the One City Many Cultures project. He received an international media award for this project in New York in October 2006.
His personal motto is "bringing people together", which was the theme of One City Many Cultures. It remains the theme of the Cape Town Festival and is the theme of Race. Ryland has worked in and with government, in the media for more than 25 years, in the corporate sector, in NGOs and in academia. Ultimately, however, he describes himself as "just a souped-up writer".
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Why Boesak appeals to disillusioned South Africans
I was asked by a reporter, after listening to Allan Boesak speaking at UWC last week, why people were attracted to his message. It’s not an easy question to answer because you have to consider all the water that has run under the bridge of Boesak’s life since his heyday in the 1980s. But after […]
Posted inNews/Politics
The rehabilitation of Allan Boesak
If you closed your eyes or, even with open eyes, let your imagination travel a bit, it could have been a scene from a political rally in the 1980s. Dr Allan Boesak, former United Democratic Front patron, stood triumphantly in front of a crowd in excess of 2 000, holding his hands aloft à la Rocky […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Is there a need for a coloured social movement?
The issue of coloured identity surfaces every now and then. It surfaced again last week with the news that a group of coloured leaders are considering starting a social movement to focus on issues concerning the coloured community. My immediate reaction was to dismiss this as the work of non-progressive forces who do not buy […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Make Africa Day a public holiday
It is Monday 26 May 2008 in Accra, the capital of Ghana, and it is a public holiday. Yesterday was Africa Day, a day that still goes relatively unrecognised in South Africa, and because it was Sunday, the Monday becomes a holiday. The streets are noticeably less busy, the market is relatively quieter. Maybe that […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Stuff the poor
I was reading the Sunday Times last week and noticed an article about a gathering in Zambia by some of South Africa’s top CEOs. They met for part of the time they were there, but they also partied quite hard, from all accounts. What was the point of this article, I thought? And why did […]
Posted inMedia, News/Politics
A tribute to the ‘Judge’
There are many people who are probably more qualified than me to speak about Ronnie Morris, who died in his sleep early on Saturday evening. However, I have my memories of him that I feel I want to share. Ronnie was a legend in the newspaper industry and was hugely respected by just about every […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
‘Kill the bastards’: Time for a revolution against crime
While the Deputy Minister of Safety and Security, Susan Shabangu, was making her now-famous speech in which she urged police to “kill the bastards”, I attended the opening night of Mike van Graan’s brilliant play Die Generaal at Artscape’s Arena Theatre. The play is, in my opinion, probably Van Graan’s best work and I have […]
Posted inLifestyle
A special day
This Friday, March 21, is special not only because it is both Human Rights Day and Good Friday, but also because it has significance in a range of different religions. Human Rights Day is the day on which South Africans celebrate the Bill of Rights contained in the Constitution. Initially March 21 was known as […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
Is there a coloured identity?
Some media forms work better than others for different things. For instance, it is difficult to describe a song in writing because one can only appreciate its nuances when one is listening to it. In the same way, it is probably impossible to try to have a debate about something as complex as “coloured identity” […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Is there a South African identity?
I have been following the brouhaha over the proposed schools’ pledge with great interest and it has made me question whether there is such a thing as a South African identity or a South African nation. Most of the supposed outrage over the pledge comes predictably from white South Africans who have said things like: […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, Media
Using Madiba
It was interesting to notice last week a few blogs on Thought Leader about Nelson Mandela, affectionately known as Madiba. I was hoping to respond to these blogs earlier, but blogging is not my full-time occupation and I just could not find the time to do so. I have always felt that many people use […]