SOUTH AFRICA
These are some of the recent posts that i and others have made to hopefully challenge and encourage and educate you as you try and figure out how to do life better in South Africa. Please feel free to share any of these posts that are helpful with people you think it might help to take one more step towards…
All Lives Smatter – a collection of thoughts about race, painting all people with the same brush and the need for whites to engage with whites
All White Lives Matter – a “Black Lives Matter for Dummies” kind of post
Ask before you leap [to conclusions] – a post looking at how we engage when we engage with others on race
8 Steps to help me become a better ally of my friends of colour – a short but helpful reminder
But pity the mutants – a painful look at how white people are able to feel more empathy for fictional characters and pets than black people
But What Can I Do? – 40 Tips for white South Africans genuinely asking this question
Entitlement with an “i” – a brief glimpse into the problem of entitlement in our country
If I were white, I’d have been able to breathe – guest post by Thandi Nkomo
Race with me – short video clips explaining race issues simply to white people
She turned to me and asked me if being an Umlungu was something i enjoyed.
The Better Black/Coloured/Indian – some friends share stories about the standard of whiteness that has been pressured on them
The queen, my dad, and Sarafina – guest post by Thandi Nkomo
Ways in which white people are better than black people [part I] – a very short post.
Ways in which white people aren’t better than black people [part II] – a more wordier post.
When someone with an African name gives you their “easier” English name.
When the offence is that you’re offended – looking a little deeper into entitlement in South Africa.
My Traitor’s Heart: The fear we cause
'I began to understand something quite important about South Africa: My fear of blacks was obscuring my understanding of the fear blacks felt for my white skin.' [Rian Malan, My Traitor's Heart] i am almost [...]
Deep Dive Conversation at St Johns
Last night we hosted another Deep Dive Conversation Dinner, this time at someone else's house. This was a dinner that has been in the planning for months and one that i've been super excited and [...]
#NotOnOurWatch: Who it’s for.
For months i've been speaking about the idea of #NotOnOurWatch as a movement worth joining. i know a lot of people have been challenged by that and in their own ways are joining in [i [...]
Restitution: the beginning
i attended the Restitution Conference yesterday at the Castle in Cape Town, cos slavery. [And am going back later today for part II] Which in some ways just feels like a thing i did. Oh [...]
Come and Race with me
When it comes to things about race, i have been on a journey for just over two years. i have certainly not arrived and assume this will be a life long journey. But i did [...]
Take offence better.
If you're never offended, you're probably dead. i remember hearing an excellent preach by my friend Albert, a Korean-American pastor in Americaland, on the subject of intolerance. He suggested that we are all intolerant, but [...]
Look what these university hooligans are up to now.
You'd hope that being the weekend these University protesters would give it a break. But no, last night they were definitely at it again i had just returned from performing an Improv show as part [...]
What Bastille has to add to Universities shut down.
i was driving to a university campus to do a Peace Justice Witness shift and listening to the band Bastille on a cd in my car. And the walls kept tumbling down In the city [...]
A Better ‘Better Ally’ description
How can i be a good ally to the people around me who are struggling with race issues? This is a question i have asked a lot. One of the things white people who join [...]
Church in South Africa: Is this your burning issue?
South African Universities are burning and where is the church? Well, we are there. i actually spoke a little about this in my previous post, titled 'Where is the church?' As part of the PJW [...]
Where is the church?
Where is the church? i am one of the first ones to call out the church when we are not doing well [fighting to hit our children, yo]. But i am definitely also one of [...]
#UCTShutdown: a glimpse behind the scenes
One thing is certain to me: if you think you have a solid grasp of what is going on at our universities right now, you are probably wrong. The bottom line is that it is [...]