Lifestyle

We’re having a culture day at the agency on Friday. Everyone is supposed to dress up and bring a plate of eats symbolising their cultural heritage. This is easy if you’re Indian, or Xhosa, or Italian. Or even Afrikaans. But what about us English-speaking South Africans of somewhat mongrel origin, who no longer qualify for […]

An invincible friend passed away yesterday and while I sit in Cape Town with the clouds crying with me I am battling to understand the fragility of life. Someone whose cup overflowed with love, energy and a fair dose of eloquent sarcasm has been stolen from us and those who left behind are reeling. We […]

Once, donkey’s years ago, I attended a function at the German ambassador’s house in Waterkloof. It was something to do with the Friedrich Naumann-Stiftung, which funded the student publication I was editing at the time. We stood around eating canapes and listened politely to a few words from the generous Germans. All pleasant enough, though […]

By Warren Whitfield How is it possible, that after gazillions of multiple currencies were made by multinational companies and governments for literally millennia gone by that this question has not been asked or answered? I find it absolutely amazing that the “sheeple” of planet earth have stood by and watched companies and governments literally rape […]

A really funky house music song that I listen to has the lyrics “Make a choice, make it now, raise your voice, raise it loud”. Being the activist that I am, this song really speaks to me, because I believe that many small voices joined together can present a challenge to big societal problems, and […]

A Vaalie, a Capetonian and a Zulu were driving along one day in a car … But wait, before I continue I need to make a quick detour, to explain myself. That’s the price of living in the new South Africa, I guess. I have to make sure that no one is inadvertently “disadvantaged” by […]

“How long does it take to look at a bladdy lion?” The tannie in the double cab is not happy. Her gold bracelets are jingling with indignation in time with the krr-krr-krr of the diesel engine. She must be in her 40s, overweight, hard-faced but still glamorous, and she clearly doesn’t take kak from anyone. […]

I’d like to make a moment, if you’ll permit me, to offer thanks to the memory of Percy Shaw, a Yorkshireman from the town of Halifax. I don’t know if he was an especially upstanding or moral man, whether he was kind to others or donated a fortune to charity. What I do know is […]

The South African In a rural village in the Eastern Cape, a young boy runs after a plane dropping election pamphlets. It’s 1994 in the new South Africa and everyone is excited about change and the future. This boy from a rural village, inspired by the plane in the sky, messes around in the simple […]

There has been a lot of noise lately regarding renewable energy and the lead up to the United Nations climate summit in Copenhagen. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed an executive order to increase California’s renewable energy mix to 30% by 2020. He has finally managed to prove there is something more bizarre than a bodybuilding governor […]

I had a meeting with the head of school a couple of weeks ago to discuss a possible topic for my PhD thesis; it was quick. It went something like this: “So professor, I am keen to explore the Nigerian film industry. I have some great ideas.” He responds: “That’s wonderful Michelle; it will involve […]

Perhaps it’s the white wine I am drinking (the bar opens on Wednesdays here. Most ad agencies run on slightly advanced versions of the dop system). Perhaps it’s the fact that I am single again after nearly nine years of marriage. And perhaps it’s the fact that I was once hit on by a German-Nigerian […]