The Food Dialogues 2021 is a virtual event taking place in South Africa from the 6th of September to the 14th of October. i had the privilege of catching up with Kurt Ackermann who is the executive manager of the SA Urban Food & Farming Trust, who are hosting this event. We had a fascinating conversation in which i got to hear some of his journey into the Sustainable Food space as well as [...]
On Monday, Out of the Fishbowl Season I, Episode I hit the airwaves - my very first Podcast episode. After more than a year of planning - very unlike me, which you can read about here - and a few weeks of marketing and trying to build up some anticipation, i was more than satisfied that we hit the 100 download mark before i went to bed that night. But even more than that, [...]
If all goes well, then my first ever Season of Podcast: Out of the Fishbowl - will be dropping on Monday! Podcasting is something i have wanted to do for the longest time. Both in terms of listening to them and in terms of recording my own. i started to try and get into listening to them when the Pandemic Lockdown hit properly last year and i had a lot more time on my [...]
Is it possible to argue with someone without attacking them as a person? This morning's case in point [on the Twitterer] followed the traditional rules: Person one responded to the president's announcement that prisoners would receive the vaccine before regular citizens with shock. Person two responded by humanising prisoners and introducing some context about their living conditions and need for the vaccine. Person one responded with a generalisation of 'stealing and murdering' prisoners vs [...]
Yes, yes, i know what you're thinking - "Sharing is CARING, Brett!" - and that's true. Teaching kids to share can be one of the greatest lessons we can give them - actually teaching adults to share would be an amazing accomplishment and sort out many of the world's problems. But i want to suggest a new way of thinking about this, especially when it comes to the internet. Sharing is Blaring. Blare: to [...]
What i've discovered this week [again!] is that i do not understand the internet. 3 months ago, i started filming short videos for a series titled 'Race with me' in which i address the question that many white people - specifically in South Africa - are asking, once they have realised race is an issue that needs to be engaged with and say, "But what can I do?" This series of videos was actually [...]
"Staying ignorant is a choice in a time of information." That explosion of wisdom was dropped on me by a grade eleven learner on a Zoom call on Friday. i was in a conversation with a number of young people talking about leadership when Katie threw that one into the mix. After a bit of a morning Google it looks like the original author might be someone who i used to enjoy reading in [...]
We do it for the audience! i spend a lot of time in online conversations, often around topics involving Justice. Looking at race or poverty or gender discrimination and more. There are times when i really get into it with someone and there is a back-and-forth and it becomes pretty obvious quite early on that neither of us are going to change our mind. In those situations, people often ask me, "Why do you [...]
"Are we the baddies?" asks David Mitchell's character in this hilarious sketch - from 'That Mitchell and Webb Look' - after he discovers a skull is the symbol on his cap. That is often the question that tbV and myself ask each other after receiving huge pushback in the Justice spaces, from friends or church or random strangers on the internet. That's often my reflection after i have just typed "You're being a bit of [...]
This morning i found myself facing Blogger's Block. i mean is that even a thing? i know 'Writer's Block' is a thing and so surely it must be. Anyways, i decided to turn to the Twitterer and share my dilemma and ask for topics to write on and a few really good ones came in. So i thought i would dedicate this week's bloggering to picking topics that others have chosen for me and [...]
