i just started reading 'Between the World and Me' by Ta-Nehisi Coates, which has been on my to-read pile for a while now. It is written in the form of a series of letters between him and his son and speaks into race in America and beyond. This is another book well worth reading, especially as someone trying to understand more the race dynamics of our day and age. This extract jumped out at me: [...]
We've been having some conversations online about what it means to be a real man, and how to treat women better. And while the choir is cheering us on, it is quite obvious that there is still a whole lot of work to be done. i am hoping that those who struggle with the race conversations will have a light come on when it comes to these conversations, because in some ways they are the [...]
i shared some of Neville Alexander's thoughts with regards to capitalism in my first post on his book, 'Thoughts on the New South Africa' which you can read over here. This is a second passage which stood out for me. In it, Neville Alexander speaks against the notion of fighting for top spot and creates a vision of the creatives and visionaries of the country helping create a road map to lead us to where [...]
i recently read 'Thoughts on the New South Africa' by Neville Alexander which my friend Ashley Visagie lent to me. Now for anyone who doesn't know Ashley Visagie, if the term 'thought leader' applies to anyone in South Africa with regards to education and poverty and identity and so much more, it would have to be him. So when he gives you a book, you read it. i'm not sure if i would have read [...]
What do we do with anger on the internet? It's five days later and i have found writing part II of this anger piece pretty difficult. Part I dealt with Jesus and His take on anger and violence which was, in essence, a book study, and so pretty straightforward - this is what i read, this is how i interpret it... while now we are talking about people and a thousand of them so different [...]
i received an email from a friend of mine on Facebook who is asking some questions that relate quite strongly to some stuff i have been giving a lot of thought to, especially this last week. i think it's a bit of a minefield, to be honest. But i also think it's high time we stepped into this one: Morning 😊 I've been thinking about ANGER and VIOLENCE. I think that so many people dismiss [...]
i asked me friend Terence if he would share some thoughts about the concept of 'The Better Coloured' and he came up with these: “Yeah, but you’re one of the good ones” My friend and I were standing under a tree trying to escape the summer heat during break-time. He had been talking about those “gangsters” and “kak okes” of the school – the Coloureds. Luckily for me, I, with my meekness and my white [...]
i first heard the term 'the better black' from a friend of mine who i am hoping will share a bit of her story for this series at some stage. It was shared in the context of her being part of a church congregation that looked very diverse on the outside but where she felt pressure to look and behave in ways acceptable to white people so as to fit in. Phrases like; "You speak [...]
Another day, another person calling a grown man who works in your garden 'boy' - these racists are everywhere, right? Except this time it wasn't a racist. And in fact, it came in the context of a social justice looking-out-for-people-of-colour post [because let's face it, i have still to experience a white domestic worker in this country, although i'm sure your friend knows of one] in the form of a Facebook status: Seeking justice for [...]
This is an important one for the church to get. Because the evidence seems to suggest that so many people are missing it. There is a big difference between criticism [especially the negative kind] and critique and while both feel sometimes necessary, for the church to embrace critique is crucial: Criticism: [negative] the expression of disapproval of someone or something on the basis of perceived faults or mistakes. Criticism: [positive] the analysis and judgement of the [...]
