Bog bodies are an archaeologist’s dream come true. They can bring history alive more than any old document. But now, exploitation of the preservative peat in which they are found stands to rob us of this crucial link, writes Michael Pitts Given that he was an archaeologist, you wouldn’t think he’d have needed a drink. […]
In the early 1990s, analysts had few problems in assessing the South African leisure industry. The SABC ruled the airwaves from television to radio. In 1990, M-Net took a large slice of the top sector of entertainment viewership from the SABC. The film industry was ruled by NuMetro (part of the Gallo group, which was […]
Alex Sudheim: On stage in Durban On a boating trip in the English summer of 1862, Charles Lutwidge Dodgson held three children spellbound with the fantastical tales of a young girl in an imaginary land, all the while making hundreds of impromptu illustrations with a pencil. Upon returning home, he wrote down for Alice Liddell […]
Does conservatism lurk at the heart of the Klein Karoo festival?Lauren Shantall was there ‘Wat gaan die Afrik aner aan sy beeld doen? [What is the Afrikaner going to do about his image?]” a poster campaign asked provocatively at this year’s Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunsfees (KKNK) in Oudtshoorn. “Hy gaan hom lees [He’ll read it]” […]
Brenda Atkinson: Corporate art When Cecile Loedolff enthusiastically mentioned “totem poles” over a glass of wine and spinach phyllo tartlett in the Absa Towers foyer, I bit my tongue. Loedolff is Absa’s arts and function consultant, and the occasion was the announcement that the banking group will use a percentage of the building costs for […]
Keith Henderson Ficksburg and Fouriesburg are two small dorpies a couple of kilometres apart in the Free State. Around Easter, they probaby receive the most traffic they see all year. The local law-enforcement agencies probably get into a relative flap about the large numbers of strange-looking potential dagga-smokers that start appearing and do not approve […]
James Garner South African rock bands may come and go at a rate that makes the turnover of Bafana Bafana managers look comparatively pedestrian, but Cape Town four-piece Lithium are one group that has managed to keep things together and develop their sound over a period of time. Many people felt that the band’s days […]
John Updike’s new novel is dividing the critics. He spoke to Joanna Coles Waiting for the lift with John Updike at his Park Avenue hotel, he catches sight of himself in the chrome doors, his face a beige pancake from an earlier television appearance. “Oh dear,” he giggles brightly, his jaunty green eyes staring back […]
Dawood Dithato When Sir Ketumile Masire retired last week, the bitter pill of leaving Botswana’s highest office after 18 years was considerably sweetened. The size of the former president’s retirement package comes as another indication that his departure from public life was not the magnanimous gesture it was widely heralded to be, but a negotiated […]
Although most smaller local enterprises are in a state of denial about the year 2000 computer glitch, a recent survey reveals they are at the highest risk, writes David Shapshak Local government structures together with small and medium businesses have emerged as high-risk areas most likely to be affected by the year 2 000 computer […]