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.
Why i absolutely have to see colour! #ColourblindMustFall
The Colourblind argument seems to be a confusing one for many people. White people, trying to do the right thing, often hold on to the statement: I don't see colour. While completely believing it. [...]
Blessed are DA homeless… until we step on them!
This has been a week of two stories when it comes to the homeless people of Cape Town or those who tend to live on the streets. Earlier this week i was encouraged and [...]
The importance of ‘anti-racist’
Does the term 'anti-racist' sit well with you? i admit that any term that defines someone as something they're not or something they're against feels unwieldy to me. This is why i come out [...]
Poem: Those people!
"Can we please stop talking about race?" You demand as you casually spit out "those people" As an insult to group all your prejudice into one demongraphic Unaware that you are talking about my [...]
Reflections on a president’s speech: Whose Lang was it anyway?
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation last night. As he did - and this is not for the first time - i felt a sense of pride, the feeling of being led, [...]
Life during Lockdown: meet Alexa Russell Matthews
It's been so good hearing from different people during our Life during Lockdown series. It is the chance of my friend Alexa to finish it off for now: Alexa is a mom to two [...]
Life During Lockdown: Meet some of the Botha family
As we continue with the Life during Lockdown series, we have another response from some younger responders. My mate Link Botha got hold of me with the responses from some of his kids: We [...]
Life during Lockdown: Meet Kat Gensicke
The stories about Life during Lockdown continue to come and today we have the reflections and experiences of Kat Gensicke: My name is Katharina Lindiwe Gensicke and I am a 23-year-old, German-South African social [...]
Life during Lockdown [as a child]: Meet Mika’il and Batman
Welcome to Life during Lockdown with a bit of a twist. i asked some parents to post the same questions to their children and here are some of their responses: My friend Beben Cadman [...]
Life during Lockdown: Meet Beauty Bokwani
Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of Life during Lockdown where Beauty Bokwani will be telling us a little bit about herself and her experiences. Let's start with her bio:My name is Beauty Bokwani. [...]
Life during Lockdown: Meet Irma Oosthuizen
As we start a new week we still have some more Life during Lockdown posts. Today we have Irma Oosthuizen who is going to answer the 4 questions from her perspective: My name is [...]
Life during Lockdown: Meet Yvonne de la Rey Smith
As we continue with our series looking at Life during Lockdown, let me invite Yvonne to introduce herself: My name is Yvonne (de la Rey) Smith and I am a wife, mother, aunt, daughter, [...]