Apartheid Then: Apartheid Now?
As we watch history repeat itself in spectacularly barbaric and sophisticated ways through the ongoing rampant looting and violent #shutdownSA campaign sparked by the arrest of former South Africa president…
Q&A: Are We At War Now?
Soweto To Beirut which is now available for purchase online.
Jedi 4.0: Happy Playlist
It’s been 40 years since I was born. I am suprised and also very happy to be here. Also, I have been at a loss as to how to celebrate…
Redacted: A Royal (Mess) Dispatch
//https: <secure communication>/html;scrpt/ [ Current Affairs #broyalcontroversy (racism @ Meghan/Harry)] [ Cultural Affairs Coming to America Part two: HBO] [The Lion King Part two – Wilderness – Crown: Netflix] [historical affairs…
Bantu Treks: The Cost of South African Freedom
Covid-19 has been especially hard on everyone including many cultural and art workers around the country. Bra S’fiso and the Roving Bantu Kitchen & Treks business he runs with his multitalented wife, Ashely has also been affected. Whenever you are in Johannesburg please consider joining one of Bra Sfi’s lively political commentaries and historical treks around Brixton & surrounds, followed by a scrumptious array of South African soul food and refreshments.
When eNCA Failed To Read The Room
There are few things more upsetting to black people the world over than blatant racism. It’s been the bane of our collective existence for all time. Tbh: we are tired…
A New Year in South Africa
Where should we begin? We can’t seem to catch a break. Honestly. I thought being sober might compel us to rethink our next steps, but it seems we’re going full…
We Miss You Manelo Where Are You?
“Futures Are Never Given,They Are Created“ Eleven years ago a group of elders and industry experts sat down to deliberate on the state of South Africa and what its future is …
Dear Julius Malema
I hope my letter finds you well today Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Jedi Ramalapa from South Africa. I have lived in this country since the day…
(Post Script): Every Journey Begins With A Sowetan
This phrase, Every Journey Begins with a Sowetan, was once on a billboard inside the Johannesburg Park Station, colloquially known as epaki/rotunda. I would see it whenever I passed through…
Palimpsest: Scraped Clean and Ready to Use Again
Photo by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash The first time I came across the word Palimpsest was in the first Episode of the third season of The Crown – a fictional take on the…
The End of History and The Stories We Tell
I have been having a bit of trouble processing the amount of information which has been flooding my screen lately. At the core of my inner turmoil are the contradictory…
We Are Responsible For Who We Become
Early on into Former US President Barak Obamas’ presidency, a Harvard Professor, Henry Louis Gates was arrested for trespassing in his own home in Cambridge Massachusetts. This incident caused national…
The World Doesn’t Stop For Your Grief
This week has been a tough one. I felt a lot of grief which I could not place because it did not mirror my life in anyway. I would have…
When I had To Forgive Myself: Not Easy
Sometime last year after a rather bruising encounter with a friend where she felt I needed to apologise, not only to her but to myself – I felt my body…
It’s Been A While….
To the woman who loved me without a career, a job, or the ability to dress myself, eat, drink and even walk. To the one who loved me just because…
Even Friends Will Let You Down Sometimes
A writer friend of mine recently called to share some of her frustration and disappointment upon learning that her friends were not supportive of her new venture in life. My…
When Your Family Lets You Down: Chin-up
For those of you who are regular readers of my blog, you will know that my family is very important to me and we are to a large extent, as…
Age: Nothing but a number?
April is my birthday month. The only time I “celebrated” my birthday on my own was on my first year on earth. But I don’t remember it. I imagine what…
2020: When Keeping Your Distance is Loving
I am late. I have been running behind on my “I have learnt” blogging challenge to myself which was inspired by a reading of Brazilian writer Paolo Coelho’s blog post earlier…
#OnLockDown: Friendship Without Borders
I was in the midst of rearranging my mind, shifting the priorities of my heart while reflecting and maybe even crying over lost opportunities as email after email dropped into…
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgement; (noun) Acceptance of the truth or existence of something. I enjoy reading acknowledgement sections in almost every book I pick. Acknowledgements are like dessert after a delicious meal or an…
Caught: Off Guard
This week’s truism from Paolo Coelho’s blog caught me off guard. All week I have tried to reason with it, to find exceptions to the “rule.” However, as I stand here alone…
Attitude: You Control It
The recent chaos in South Africa over comments by Former South African President and Nobel laureate F W De Klerk that Apartheid was not a crime against humanity and this…
Beyond Charm: What Do You Know?
I’ve learned that you can get by on charm, for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know something; This week’s truism was difficult to write and analyse. It truly…
Trust: This Land Is Not Ours, Yet
I’ve learned that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it. I’ve decided to approach this week’s truism from the series I’ve learned from…
Who Cares: When No One Does?
Brazilian Author of the Alchemist Paul Coelho shared a post on his blog about a list of things he’s learnt which have been attributed to him even though he did…
Accept Yourself : You cannot Make Someone Love You
Brazilian Author of the Alchemist Paul Coelho recently shared a blog post about a list of things he’s learnt which have been attributed to him even though he did not…
Maponya: Feeding The Nation One Generation At a Time
Perhaps it was not a coincidence that the name Maponya came up during our family New Year’s Eve dinner recently. After a hearty meal my mother opened up about some…
Chihombori-Quao: ‘Maybe I Lasted Longer Than I Should Have’
Former African Union Ambassador to the US Dr Arikana Chihombori-Quao says she was was not surprised by her recent dismissal as the permanent representative of the African Union in the…
Zulu Wedding: Re-writing History?
This week I had a blast watching the Zulu Wedding, a South African feature film about a young Zulu woman who leaves the country to pursue a new life and…
Sticks & Stones: Journalism and Hate Speech in South Africa
“I realise that when reporting, I walk with a stoop now, bent from the world as if to protect myself. It’s not like me. At news events, like EFF media…
May The Best African Language Presenter Win!
On the week that researchers released a report revealing that most black South African households (parents) prefer to educate their children in English, I unwittingly got myself into an audition…
Africa: Stories in The Mist
Storytelling is not an easy skill to master. For the past few weeks I have been writing and re-writing stories searching for the best one to tell , but none…
Error: Mind Your Language(s), Nkandla is Beautiful!
The Week That Was For two days last week, I reported from the front-lines of what many in the media call NkandlaGate. In reality, I have been standing on the…
Juba: The Dream vs Reality
When I accepted an offer to work in Juba, South Sudan for twelve months, I instinctively wanted to write about it. I wanted to write something before I set one…
A QUESTION OF POWER: DON’T SAY THAT #freestellanyanzi
There’s a story a former colleague and housemate told me once about “madness”. The story has stuck with me over the years, periodically releasing legions of ants who crawl under…
Why are (most) African Leaders Silent on Media Freedom?
The people would be forgiven for thinking that most African leaders are not committed to building liberal democratic institutions as many of them consistently fail to defend the right to…
Consent: Is a Woman’s Right
As women leaders and activists from around the world gather for the 63 Commission on the Status of Women in New York this week I thought, it would be fun…
Homegoing: A Non Book Review
This post is inspired by a recent reading of Yaa Gyasi’s book, HomeGoing (2016). It is a book chosen by the majority members of a book club I belong to.…
There is No War on Women
Perhaps this is the title that many men who commented on a book I’ve been reading this week by the late BBC TV Journalist, Sue Lloyd- Roberts would have preferred.…
Forgiveness: It’s Not Black or White, It’s Personal
It came out of nowhere, just like Die Stem, South Africa’s national anthem from 1957 to 1994. I thought we were all singing Nkosisikela when the veil was finally lifted…
ON: THE LOVE DIARY OF A ZULU BOY
A memoir by Bhikisisa Mncube A few months ago I was part of a social gathering in which the Master of Ceremonies suggested we play a game to break the…
AT LAST: YOU’RE YOUNG, GIFTED AND BLACK
A once dear friend of mine loved to compare me to the American singer, songwriter, composer and pianist Nina Simone. He would send me messages saying he was listening to…
SOLD: How Ramaphosa Managed
This picture of former South African President Jacob Zuma with the newly elected South African President Cyril Ramaphosa brought to mind a 1975 transhistorical film by Senegalese writer and filmmaker…
Inxeba: Tradition VS Culture
Back when I was a journalism student at Natal Technikon now DUT I attempted, rather poorly, to articulate the continuous tension between tradition and culture which created a fair amount…
Unveiling Democracy: It’s A Mirage
I’m here watching as the brilliant pallet of hopeful colours democracy once painted for us in vivid penetrating hues of bright reds, warm oranges, sunny yellows, soft airy blues which…
Coconut: Soothing oil for growing Afros
I do not know how to make it pretty. I do not know how to mask it. It is not a piece of literary genius. It is the story of…
THE NEW DEAL: OLD NEWS, NEW DATES
It has become phenomenally difficult to retain any level of optimism regarding African politics these days. It’s as if the new wave of cynicism is overshadowing anything positive taking place…
