General

It seems to me that it is important to reflect regularly on the function of universities in today’s rapidly changing, postmodern society, in the face of circumstances and forces that endanger the continued existence of this centuries-old institution. What I am talking about is what seems to me to be the drift towards a narrowing […]

Something tells me that confirmation by the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission (ZEC) that the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) will hang onto its parliamentary majority, is just a ruse to lend credibility to the latest of Mugabe’s insane schemes — that the “Old Man” has won the presidential election. Wild and woolly? Let’s look at a […]

South African trade unions, as well as those from other African states, received recognition, locally and accross the globe, for refusing to allow a Chinese ship carrying arms to offload its deadly cargo destined for the Zimbabwean conflict. It was an example of how an African Renaissance could produce solutions for African countries if people […]

Submitted by Robert Hamer If you were to ask my friends and family, you would probably find me to be one of the most optimistic people about South Africa. At every opportunity I speak with great vigour and defend my country to all the assaults that are launched on it — from crime and corruption […]

Since the publishing of David Bullard’s “controversial” column: Uncolonised Africa wouldn’t know what it was missing, much has surfaced in terms of debate concerning the message the piece sends. Many have called the piece racist and offensive, and others have found it to be satiric. After lengthy discussions with media students at the University of […]

In his book, The ethical function of architecture (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1997), the American philosopher, Karsten Harries,* presents a persuasive, if novel, contemporary philosophy of architecture. In a series of short, accessible chapters he discusses a number of related themes in a clear and well-formulated manner. The themes that he addresses pertain to what […]

I always get a kick out of recounting the story of the strictly religious Jewish youngster from the UK who a few years back accompanied me on a visit to the Sterkfontein Caves. When we arrived at the site, the first thing he did on leaving the car was to replace his yarmulka with a […]

Tighten the belts! Batten down the hatches! Scream! Kick! Go mad! Seemingly everywhere you look, the cost of living is rocketing. Interest rate hikes, higher food prices and yup, petrol is jumping yet again next week (the consolation here is of course that while petrol is going up 18-24c, all the people who bought awful, […]

There have been many attempts to put a date to the start of the Age of Aquarius. Proponents of some dates include Carl Jung, Sir Isaac Newton and of course the self proclaimed initiator of the Age, Aleister Crowley who couldn’t bear the thought that this Age would post-date his colourful existence. Estimates range from […]

In a poll conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in the United Kingdom, faith — defined here not as limited to extremism but rather in the broadest possible terms — was considered to be tantamount to “intolerance, irrational behaviour and the basis for justifying persecution”. Many of those polled not only believed that faith was […]

The race card: Frequently used among South Africans from all backgrounds to express their disapproval in an argument, debate or discussion with a person from another race. The race-card is usually flashed in case of significant or arbitrary differences of opinion between one or more individuals. The object exists in various shapes, sizes and, of […]

Kenya and Zimbabwe have refocused the minds of Africans, and those further afield, on how vulnerable the countries of this continent are to political opportunism. What tribal divisions in the north and a lack of willingness to intervene in the south have shown is that unless countries are based on something more substantial than mere […]