By Lehlohonolo Mofokeng The brutal killing of a black man by the police force in the United States of America evoked in me what Chabani Manganyi noted in his seminal book Being Black in the World. In this book, Manganyi argues that there are two interwoven existential realities of being black—one positive and the other […]
Health
Posted inEnvironment, Health, Lifestyle, Media
Art and mind: Healing arts in public health spaces
By Dr Thirusha Naidu Creativity, like mental illness, is mysterious to most. It is an inexplicable yet distinctly human attribute. Historically, creatives have been admired, revered, feared, ostracised and persecuted. From the genius of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity to JK Rowling’s Harry Potter, Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, to ingenious hackers or clever moms who conjure […]
Posted inEquality, Health, Lifestyle
How vandalism in public schools widens educational imbalances
By Lehlohonolo Mofokeng The number of vandalised schools in South Africa during the lockdown period stood at 1 577 as at 19 May 2020, according to the Minister of Basic Education, Angie Motshekga. Barely 24 hours later, Kwazulu-Natal MEC of Education, Kwazi Mshengu, shared with his social media followers how Covid-19 essential goods were stolen […]
Posted inGeneral, Health
Enough with the ‘saving lives’ lie
President Cyril Ramaphosa has consistently stated that the extreme measures of South Africa’s lockdown have saved lives, despite it being entirely unclear, and even unlikely, that his claim is true when one considers broader aspects of the pandemic
Posted inEnvironment, Health, Lifestyle
Now, more than ever, we need Social and Emotional Learning skills interventions
By Dr Gloria Marsay Covid-19 has shown globally that there is a need for people to learn strategies to deal with adversity. Strategies to deal with anger, anxiety, fear, depression, loneliness, sadness, grief and loss. Elke Van Hoof, professor of health psychology and primary care psychology at Vrije University in Brussels, wrote an article entitled […]
Posted inEquality, Health
Too little too late for schools facing multiple deprivation during lockdown
By Lehlohonolo Mofokeng When President Ramaphosa proactively announced a country-wide lockdown to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus and to allow hospitals to gear up for the inevitable onslaught, vulnerabilities that exist in our schools facing multiple deprivation (rural and township schools) were exposed. As the rest of the world has been brought to a […]
Posted inGeneral, Health, News/Politics
Covid-19: South Africa’s fears… and some ways we can fight them
The novel coronavirus has taken over South Africans’ lives in the past month. At the beginning of the month, the country was still hosting major sporting events and big gatherings; now we’re in lockdown. Some quick research into news coverage from the past month reveals what South Africans are most afraid about, but also […]
Posted inEnvironment, Equality, Gender violence, Health
Intersecting gender and resiliency – especially during Covid-19
By Amori Marais The grip of calamities is tightening across the world: Covid-19 is causing a global pandemic; parts of Australia are (still) burning; and war continues its reign. Additionally, there are individuals who, on a daily basis, are confronted with famine; drought; minimal access to running water; and other natural disasters, such as floods, […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, Lifestyle
Becoming “Hope Providers” during Covid-19: We can either choose anger or courage
By Dr Gloria Marsay There has been much debate around the concept of hope. There are opinions for and against the thought of whether hope is a strategy or not. World leaders have expressed their opinions. Barack Obama spoke about embracing hope and change. Rudy Giuliani disagreed with him and retorted that “change […]
Posted inEnvironment, Equality, Gender violence, General, Health, News/Politics
At the trough or the bowl
Imagine for a moment that the human race was extinct and that instead in its place several billion humanoid pigs had taken up residence on planet earth. Pigs, yeah let’s say pigs — or dogs, or cats or birds for that matter, it doesn’t really make a difference. Let’s say that these pigs (or dogs […]
Posted inEquality, Health, Media
A new chatbot can answer your awkward questions about sex and HIV
By Mamakiri Mulaudzi, Ebenneza Kofi Okyere-D, Peace Kiguwa, Janan J. Dietrich You know how it can be super awkward to chat to someone about sex related things? Well the team at the PHRU (Perinatal HIV Research Unit) at Wits University has fixed that. Imagine that you are 22-years-old and living in Soweto. Your parents probably don’t […]
Posted inGeneral, Health
Does homeopathic medicine work (at least for some people)?
There is a huge, and unjustified, prejudice towards homeopathic medicine in contemporary societies, and I suspect that it is driven by the financial interests of what is colloquially known as Big Pharma, of which medical doctors are the involuntary, if not unwitting agents every time they prescribe some or other mainstream medication. Don’t get me […]