Mamelani. Listen Up. Kom ons Luister… all of us. If I had the mic for just a moment, and the audience was a country that I am yearning to see at peace and functional and prosperous – what would I want to say? In just 3 – 5 points? This should be so easy and yet the noise in my head has made this complex. This is my start actually. There is too much noise. [...]
a guest post by my friend Sindile Mlingo Vabaza responding to a much made comment on this blog recently about people in poverty, although typically been aimed at black people, having too many babies as one of the main factors of their continued impoverishment: There are a lot of people out there who are putting up 'family planning' as the solution to certain societal ills in the country. I want to assert that this is [...]
Hi, my name is Rebecca Benn, I am a 20 year old (proudly South African) history student studying at UKZN and if there was only one thing I could ask all my fellow South Africans to do this year it would be to live out and seek out joy. The word joy is defined as: a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. Now I would like you to think about SA, think if you can on how you [...]
Continuing sharing some thoughts and extracts from the really great book i just finished, 'Robert Sobukwe: How Can Man Die Better' by Benjamin Pogrund and if you missed the first ones, you can catch up over here. Who better to kick us off on the topic of criticism, than my good friend Jack Handey: This extract is from Chapter 20 and this is Benjamin, the author, speaking: We had to delay our first meeting. I [...]
It is early 2012. The phone rings and my brother George answers. Silence. Eventually I whisper: “I need to get out of here. I need help.” But the story starts in 1995, at a party, where a friend was having so much more fun than everyone else. “What’s he on? Is he drunk?” Our innocent questions were answered with “Ecstasy” and a journey into 18 years of intense addiction began. That first pill was exactly [...]
The first paragraph that stood out for me strongly in this book about Robert Sobukwe and resonated completely, was this one which spoke into my validification as an African [or as my mate, Nkosi, would put it, "Afrikan"]. From Chapter 13 of 'Robert Sobuke: How Can Man Die Better' by Benjamin Pogrund: 'And on his attitude to whites he spoke with passion: "I know I have been accused of being anti-white, not only by the [...]
Hi, my name is Avuyile Tu, I hail from Khayelitsha, originally from the Eastern Cape from a small town called Lady Frere. I studied a B Com degree from the University of the Western Cape, majored in Economics and management. Currently I am employed as an assistant finance manager here in Cape Town. I am the first born son at home; I am a Christian, passionate about Christ and serving my people. I write poetry [...]
One of the ways i am trying to prepare myself to be a part of a better conversation in South Africa in terms of race, reconciliation and unity is by learning some of the country's history... ...from different voices than i grew up with. To that effect, after my weekend at Robben Island, i got hold of a copy of Benjamin Pogrund's book titled, 'Robert Sobukwe: How Can Man Die Better' and just finished reading [...]
Too often, it has been the arrival of the question that has instantly muted the conversation. As i have sought to write [and invite others to] about topics such as Race and Reconciliation, the Church, Relationships and more, it has been disappointing to me how often a term [White Privilege] or phrase [We aren't currently part of a local church congregation] or idea [No sex before marriage] has sent people scurrying off back to where people [...]
i like to call myself 'The Eternal Optimist' This is particularly true when it comes to sport, and especially cricket. If it is still mathematically possible, i hold on hope to the very end, even if it looks really likely that we are going to lose. And then get genuinely surprised when we do. i like to think i am the same with people to a large extent. i want to believe the best of [...]