In April 2012 I found out about the Campus France grant for study in France. By then I was an LL.M student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. I didn’t speak a word of French but the opportunity to explore a new world and a new culture was irresistible. I applied and was […]
Lifestyle
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle, News/Politics
Are we trapped in conversation?
With black consciousness thick in the air, old comrades smiling knowingly at each other, and images of the late Strini Moodley projected in front of us, those of us too young to be dynamic rebels against apartheid sensed a whiff of what it might have felt like to be at a secret activist meeting. The […]
Posted inEquality, General, Lifestyle
When I was a prison guard
Having identified 36 jobs for which I’ve actually been paid in my 60-year lifespan, I’m sharing the ludicrous, the lucrative, the lugubrious and the lessons learnt. In no specific order, here’s Chapter Two … I never fancied being a Prison Guard. But it was one of those unanticipated side-jobs you had to do as a […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
The fading beat of Drum magazine
Drum was the only magazine when the winds of change were blowing through the African continent in 1957. It celebrated its 60th birthday recently. The best talent available in the urban South African community was, like moth to light, attracted to the charismatic power of its visionary and prophetic founder, a Mr Jim Bailey. It […]
Posted inEquality, Lifestyle, News/Politics
There’s plenty of youth leadership to go around
Many of my close friends and the people I hang out with are under 35. According to local definitions, we’re “the youth”. By accident, I have a great deal of experience on youth matters – being one myself, working with youthful colleagues, enjoying long palavers with youthful friends, and being part of global youth networks. […]
Posted inLifestyle
Confessions of a middle-aged Belieber
By Martin Young Like it or not, Justin Bieber has got under my skin. For an adult in his fifties, that is a startling admission, but I think I have good reason. I like the guy, I really do. Bieber as a child dreamt of a big future, of fame and fortune, took the initiative […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
I’ve got Bieber fever!
Radio Jacaranda has been running a competition which entitles the winner to four tickets to the Justin Bieber show. All the wenners have to do is SMS their phone numbers to the station and if they call you back you have to answer by saying “I have Bieber fever”. Then, if you’re a man, you […]
Posted inEnvironment, Lifestyle
Our alien mother ship
I’d just watched the new Tom Cruise sci-fi about alien machines who invade the planet to suck up Earth’s resources. The movie has a happy ending, though: the alien mother ship is destroyed and Tom gets back to his rustic cabin, his family, nature. Like in most sci-fi’s, the planet is fought for and saved, […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle
There is talent but no gallery in Soweto
During April Freedom Month I was in Soweto to celebrate not just freedom osmosis but the triumph of the human spirit, the spirit of self-responsibility and determination. This was made possible by the hard work, focus and, above all, determination of two individuals taking their lives and the future of Soweto into their own hands. […]
Posted inLifestyle
Freedom to be our own worst enemies
It’s Freedom Day. Nineteen years ago today, I was in Hoedspruit, listening to reports of the queues on the radio and reflecting on stories about the AWB telling farmers about MK flying into the airforce base, warning them to hide in the shower with their guns. If South Africa were a person, it would be […]
Posted inGeneral, Lifestyle
Elites who drive like taxi drivers
I find that some blacks are inclined to drive like taxi drivers irrespective of the model car they drive or their social status. It would seem that when it comes to doing the right thing on the road there is no difference between motorists from privileged suburban communities from, say, taxi drivers from the working […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media, Tech
The slow descent into social media’s superficiality
I think I know why social media is good for everyone. I just think I do, but don’t really. Besides being a vehicle for sparking Arab Springs, social media is first with the news and enhances your brand if you’re a journalist, editor, social commentator or political analyst. In fact if you’re none of these […]