Creator
Vashna Jagarnath
Vashna Jagarnath is a curriculum developer, pan-African specialist, historian and trade union educator who works in the office of the general secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa.
More than Mandela’s wife: Nomzamo’s own fight
An exploration of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s life and resistance against apartheid, highlighting how black women's domestic, social, and political labour shaped South African…
Empire, knowledge and erasure: Bombing Iran is bombing memory
Attacking Iran is framed by colonial narratives that erase its rich intellectual history, justifying violence through a ‘conquest foretold’
Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: A writer who refused to bow
The Kenyan writer is dead but his story will live on, the story of the colonialism and the betrayal of postcolonial elites and how to survive
Malcolm X at 100: Our shining prince
As he developed his philosophy he moved from racial nationalism to humanism that embraced the struggle of all oppressed people.
India, Pakistan and the theatre of nationalist violence
The Partition’s wound has been reopened as the rulers of the two countries resort to violence for their own ends.
May Day: From the maypole to the picket line
Trade unions are still the best way of organising resistance to the violence of capitalism
Pope Francis: The end of a radical papacy born in the south
Francis refused the version of Catholicism that ingratiates itself with the powerful while abandoning the poor
The God Edition | Stoicism, status and the elite illusion of virtue
The asceticism of the elite presents inequality as virtue, while the poor endure real deprivation
Tariffs, power and the myths of free trade
From the looms of 18th century Bengal to clothing factories in Cape Town, tariffs have shaped the global economy not through free markets but through force
Diplomacy by tweet: Trump, the spectacle and the politics of chaos
To resist this performance politics, characterised by shock-and-awe tactics through social media, we must organise and mobilise in different spaces rather than merely engaging…
The ongoing trauma of carrying the wound of childhood abuse
Acceptance of abusive workplace situations often has its roots in childhood trauma. There are no simple routes into healing, but the work must be done – and shared
Unequal schools mean unequal futures
As well as increased funding, support that enables schools to employ qualified teachers, reduce class sizes and improve facilities is needed
Lessons from South Africa’s past for a future of collective empowerment
Education’s role in fostering critical consciousness and political engagement has been side-lined in favour of a narrow focus on individual success and economic competitiveness
Food, power and identity: A colonial and culinary heritage
Specific foods and recipes are associated with specific countries and also traditions, but as people have moved so have these foods
William Smith’s legacy points the way to fixing deep inequalities in the school system
The dedicated maths and science teacher had an ability to make maths and science understandable and interesting