Lumka Mkhethwa and Michael Komape are names we should know and probably don't. In 2015 Michael, aged 5, drowned in a pit latrine 'toilet' and in 2018 the same thing happened to Lumka. Those are absolute tragedies and should never have been allowed to happen to any human beings and the idea that we get outraged for a moment and then get back to our lives and just carry on feels a little overwhelming [...]
i was recently introduced to Josh Cox and his website called The Racial Literacy Project and asked him if he would mind sharing some of his story, Meet Joshua Cox: The Racial Literacy Project Last year I launched a simple website www.racialliteracy.co.za with the aim of helping white people 'do the work' of becoming more literate on issues of race and racism. The end goal being that people are more equipped to speak out on these [...]
Who are the Invisible People in and around your life? This has been something that has been on my mind a lot since last week Friday and i want to share the thought through the medium of two simple stories that took place on the same day. In the morning i had a story-telling session with Heartlines at a primary school in Mitchell's Plain. As far as i knew, i was walking in to facilitate [...]
Anti-racism work with friends beats anti-racism work by yourself. Since returning from America with the absolute determination to confront my own racism and try to make a difference in South Africa this work really has been a key factor in my life. And Megan Choritz has been one of my friends who has helped really shape my thinking and understanding and doing. Part of that makes a lot of sense as she has been [...]
Is it Cancel Culture or is it Consequences?A week ago it felt like people were screaming "Cancel Culture" about everything - Dr Suess, the Muppets, Mr Potatohead, Pepe le Pew and then Piers Morgan who earned a well-deserved self-cancel - which i wrote about over here. Then a viral incident happened where Adam Habib used the N-word in a Zoom meeting and received instant pushback on the call. He responded by suggesting that people where he [...]
To cancel culture or not to cancel culture? Seems to be the question of the week. But is it being cancelled when the person or character in point has either resigned [Piers Morgan] or been withdrawn by its own people [Dr Seuss, Looney Tunes]? There has been a lot of talk around the topic of Cancel Culture over the past week or so with a number of different incidents that happened bringing it to the [...]
Have you considered making anti-racist disciples? This is something we don't hear too much about. When we hear the term 'disciples' we might think religious context and christianity in particular. The last recorded command we have from Jesus was: 'Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them... and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.' But there is definitely something in there worth paying attention to, even if you are [...]
Are you looking for some helpful anti-racism resources? In some ways, this Pandemic time has been helpful to those of us who have been looking to learn about race and anti-racism. For many people there has been a lot more time and so opportunity to be reading more, to be discovering new writers and speakers, to engage in more conversations with people as well as attend webinars on helpful topics. There has also been [...]
How are we all doing at Surviving Covid-19? Time to hear some stories... i asked my friends on social media who have had covid if any of them would be up to sharing some of their story to give us a glimpse into what it means to live with the disease, and what life has been like once it has gone. i am super grateful to all those who said yes - some of [...]
As i reflect back on what has been the most bizarre year for the world in my lifetime, one person's name pops up a lot more than most: Megan Furniss Choritz. We have been friends since 1999 - well, that's the year we met and i stepped into her Improv world and so friends probably happened a year or two later. Especially as one of my final moves before leaving for an 18-month journey [...]
