Art must show Africa’s human face or cease to be! The common objection to the work of many African artists is simple: they oversimplify reality and dehumanise the African experience. As a result, their content is predictable and monotonous. In fact, it is not just an insult but, to a large extent, also a lie. […]
Lifestyle
Posted inLifestyle
Abundant wildlife, for only R33!
I was away all of last week on a trip for work, part of which took me through the Kruger National Park. We were on a strict time deadline, so we just drove along the main road, cutting across the park and out the other side. Everyone told me that with Kruger being the size […]
Posted inLifestyle, Media
Marks & Spencer hits Shanghai — with a few sparks
“Senor! You, yesss you, you go back of the kew and wait there for hour and a half now, like what my wivve and I did. Okay? You go now. Scram.” The finger-wagging, apoplectic Spaniard (standing in front of us, actually) glared at me in the slowly swirling horde of Chinese. It was only a […]
Posted inLifestyle
ANC Lite
With the resignation of president Thabo Mbeki, following intense pressure from elements within the ANC, ANCYL, Cosatu and the SACP, speculation has grown about the possibility of a party split. Ministers and others loyal to the former president are believed to be weighing up their options pursuant to their misgivings about the current direction of […]
Posted inLifestyle
A response to Ismail Lagardien’s “We do not have to apologise for not speaking ‘proper English’ “
I loved Ismail Lagardien’s article which was inspired by my innocuous – or so I thought — comment on another blog. I thought it was a compliment that he took to task my remark on using correct English. I laughed at the nickname he gave me in the commentary box when he replied to commentators […]
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African artists glorify poverty for white tourist appeal
If you arrived at the Johannesburg Art Gallery today hoping to see the celebration of national progress and African achievement, you would truly be very disappointed. One of South Africa’s renowned visual artists, Kay Hassan, has mounted his latest exhibition titled Urbanation. This makes it hold the promise of a rebirth, a renaissance, a new […]
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Mom’s taxi in China
The photo in this blog shows a typical sight at about seven thirty in the morning in many parts of China. Mom taking her child to school. The lorry bicycle is not just a form of transport, like the BMWs or Mercedes moms use to take their children to St Stithians or Brescia House in […]
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Jewish reflections at an Afrikaner shrine
I had never been all that enthusiastic about adding Blood River (Ncome) to my tally of battlefield rambles, and certainly never envisaged being there on December 16, once the Day of the Vow and today the Day of Reconciliation. The famous Voortrekker victory over the Zulus on that date became invested with profound meaning by […]
Posted inLifestyle, News/Politics
No ‘non-racialism’ without whites
Few people know that the ANC has, traditionally, not always accepted whites — formerly known as Europeans — to be members of The Party. This only happened in 1985. The non-racial efforts to create a democratic and just society where Africans will be bosses forever continues. In fact, it gained momentum, slightly, when Nelson Mandela […]
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Oprah’s African women don’t love themselves
Not too long ago I was frightened by words of a young, gifted and African woman who expressed a desire to be recreated in Oprah Winfrey’s image: confident, aggressive and, of course, American. This beautiful soul is a high-flying creative achiever who wants to be what she is not: a poor imitation of an African-American […]
Posted inLifestyle
We do not have to apologise for not speaking “proper English”…
Rod MacKenzie’s comments about the standard of English on Thought Leader (see the box, below) are well taken. It is, sometimes, difficult to follow contributions by bloggers and commentators, not all of which can be explained by actual language skills, or lack thereof. Some of it may have to do with a lack of reading […]
Posted inBusiness, Lifestyle, Media
50th birthday for the credit card: priceless
On this, the fiftieth birthday of the credit card, it’s appropriate to reflect on our relationship with that most fantastic of plastic. The credit card is a global phenomenon, but also a deeply personal issue. Until recently, I was wading unsteadily through glutinous swamps of debt, but I am happy to report that hallelujah, I […]