By Lehlohonolo Mofokeng There is no shortage of evidence that our basic education is in shreds. That being said, the question that we should be asking ourselves is: how do we get out of this mess? How do we ensure that our learners, in spite of an already established culture of mediocrity, start to believe […]
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Posted inGeneral
A challenging archaeological perspective
In the world of archaeology it seems that it takes a long time for what Thomas Kuhn called a “paradigm switch” to take place. By this phrase – as is well-known – Kuhn (1962) meant a sudden abandonment of a certain fundamental conception of a science, which has held sway for some time, in favour […]
Posted inNews/Politics
IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING FOR SELBORNE
I cannot resist the temptation to outrightly say “it was a long time coming.” As you, who reads this, will most likely have learned of the saga that grips a proud boys school of 145 years standing, I am most certain – if your political consciousness is sensitive to Afrika’s history (in this specific case […]
Posted inBusiness, Environment, Equality, Gender violence, General, Health, Lifestyle, Media, News/Politics, Sport, Tech
When your Wiki page reads like a rap sheet
Being myself unaccustomed to fame and fortune, and the trappings of high profile folly, I don’t have a personal reference for this, but judging from the others it must be a shame when your Wiki page reads like a rap sheet.
Posted inEquality, General, News/Politics
Pauw’s revelations and democracy
One might wonder – as many South Africans probably do – why there have been, and probably will be, no consequences for those implicated by the revelations in Jacques Pauw’s recent book, The President’s Keepers (NB Publishers, 2017). And I don’t mean only in the light of his revelations (it’s still a bit early); I […]
Posted inEquality, Gender violence, Health, News/Politics
Justice is fundamental in dealing with the effects of mass trauma
By Ahmed Riaz Mohamed Judge Billy Mothle concluded on 12 October 2017 in the Pretoria High Court that Ahmed Timol—who died after ‘falling’ from the 10th floor of John Vorster Square Police Station—was indeed murdered in 1971 by security branch personnel who first systematically tortured and then pushed him from the building to his death. […]
Posted inNews/Politics
My criticism of Thabo Mbeki’s OR Tambo lecture
By Zukiswa Mqolomba Former President Thabo Mbeki’s OR Tambo lecture is indeed most welcome as it is a timely call to action to save the African National Congress (ANC) from a burgeoning trend of greed, avarice and an insatiable appetite to amass personal wealth, while millions of South Africans continue to live in wide-spread poverty […]
Posted inGeneral, Media
What makes for a good life: Scott’s ‘A Good Year’
On the way to and back from Tokyo, I treated myself on two viewings (after seeing it once, I could not resist watching it again) of Ridley Scott’s uplifting film, ‘A Good Year’ (20th Century Fox, 2006), and was impressed, once again, by the director’s ability to work convincingly in different genres. After all, judging […]
Posted inBusiness, Equality, General, News/Politics
Aesthetics of power and questioning what a ‘good’ university is
By Nompumelelo Zinhle Manzini It’s been two weeks of being at the University of Zululand (UniZulu) as a contract lecturer for the Philosophy Department. Perhaps these personal reflections are slightly premature but I think that they do bear some merit. I have only been on the main campus which is in Kwadlangezwa, which is in […]
Posted inEquality, Gender violence
Male feminist tears
Jay Naidoo’s recent article ‘I thought I was a feminist – until I heard their stories’ requires a response. Whilst Naidoo’s article starts out with considered space being given to the stories of the women who shared accounts of their abuse, and is positive in its reflections on what men can do to support women, […]
Posted inEquality, Health, News/Politics
‘A turning point for psychology in Africa’
The Pan-African Psychology Union (Papu) and the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) will host the first-ever continental psychology congress from September 18 to 21 at the International Convention Centre in Durban, South Africa. “This convening of psychology leaders marks a turning point for the African continent, as a critical hub of psychological thinking and […]
Posted inGeneral, Media
A stream of consciousness: Art, consciousness, self-consciousness and the unconscious
What is a ‘stream of consciousness’? This presupposes that one knows what consciousness is, and how it differs from the unconscious, and from self-consciousness. Briefly, consciousness means an awareness of something, most broadly your environment. In this sense, even plants are conscious, as shown by the phenomenon of phototropism. Self-consciousness, by contrast, denotes not just […]