Cinema being one of my passions, I think it is about time to remind myself and receptive readers of the manner in which the Polish-French director, Krzysztof Kieslowski — who died some years ago — has enriched the lives of cinema lovers everywhere through his work. Some people may wonder how film, which is mostly […]
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The history of our private parts
In China the expression “That’s yellow!” means the movie, or what you said, was “naughty” or had an off-colour connotation. The thirteen-year-olds I teach know the expression well and I have had some hilarious incidents. One day in class we did some sentence patterns to teach superlatives and the book required sentence patterns based on […]
Posted inNews/Politics
How Twitter broke the news about Manto
Was news of Manto’s death the Hudson plane crash of South Africa? Did the passing of the controversial former minister of health mark a coming of age of Twitter in this country? While comparisons aren’t entirely neat — the landing of the plane in the river was first reported by eye witnesses, which was not […]
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Rejoicing over Manto’s death is grotesque
The news of the death of former health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang broke on Twitter soon after lunch, and it was fun watching the back-and-forth between the editors and the public as the media frantically searched for someone to confirm the rumours. There was even a moment of drama as some claimed that Manto wasn’t in […]
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The first ANCYL-SACP war
Anyone who fails to see the humour in the ANCYL versus SACP “war” either hasn’t lived in South Africa long enough or just doesn’t see the funny side of the things that go on around us every day. It really is hysterical in every sense of the word. In fact I have to admit that […]
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I’m glad I visited the Voortrekker Monument
“Well, this is what is at the heart of European and African conflict in our society today,” says the guide, Thuli K, who is in charge of a historical tour. We are at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria. Richard P and I have undertaken this strange journey together to get closer to the soul of […]
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Traversing Cope’s ideological wilderness
Approximately a year ago the Congress of the People (Cope) burst onto the South African political scene with much fanfare promising a “New Agenda for Hope and Change for All!“. This agenda was to be informed by a commitment to being a modern political party underpinned by an ideology of “progressivism”. An impression of the […]
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A year of Cope: Get this party started
A number of authors in various publications, print and online, have been reflecting on the state, impact and prospects of the Congress of the People (Cope). This has been particularly pronounced as the party prepares to celebrate its first anniversary in Kimberley on December 16.Various contributors to this month’s edition of The Thinker comment on […]
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Animal activists can’t see the bull for the dust
These animal activists, what a fuss they make about matters beyond their ken. So filled with neo-colonial, white racist presumptuousness. They arise from scoffing their Steers burgers (herds of cattle, eyes rolling at the stench of imminent slaughter, slashing and trampling in frantic but futile attempt at escape) and Kentucky Fried Chicken (a shoebox existence […]
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Mantashe for president
If Julius Malema learned a few lessons yesterday it was that neither Gwede Mantashe nor Blade Nzimande will put up with his fiery rhetoric and neither are the people to start with when he’s trying to make a name for himself. Indeed the ANC Youth League president, constantly fed a diet of “boys will be […]
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Ukweshwama from another perspective
Much has been said, and shouted, and debated, about the Zulu practice of ukweshwama, or the ritual killing of a bull by (if I recall correctly) 30 Zulu warriors with their bare hands. With the exception of a few sporadic signs that some of the contributors to the debate have understood the place of this […]
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Let’s talk about masturbation
Most people masturbate. And by people, I mean women too (for the chauvinists out there who haven’t caught onto our people-status yet). It is interesting then that this topic is treated as taboo by most media sources, life-skills counsellors and women. Sexuality is by necessity an intimate and personal thing, and discomfort around public speaking […]