Phillip Kakaza Live in Johannesburg Difficulties with the political situation at home in Kinshasa, Zaire, prompted them to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. Their first stop was Cameroon, second Kenya and then Namibia. They later settled in South Africa where, on arrival, they were faced with humiliation. But The Fantastique Guys, a 12-piece band, never […]
Douglas Rushkoff Online So far, only my Melbourne sponsors have let me keep the original title of the talk I’ve been giving around the world this month: Why Futurists Suck. I shouldn’t have been so surprised that 500 concerned Australians would fill the cavernous Malthouse Theatre to participate in a free exchange about our collective […]
Mail & Guardian reporter The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has come a teeny bit closer to determining which date it should set for South Africa’s second democratic elections. It’s not firm yet – but the IEC said this week the Constitution provided for the National Assembly elections to be held within 90 days of the […]
Phillip Kakaza and Alex Dodd preview the Gift to the Nation Concert celebrating Nelson Mandela’s 80th birthday Gift to the nation indeed! And the nation is duly looking forward to tonight -Friday July 24 -at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban and Saturday night at the Johannesburg Stadium, like good children look forward to Christmas. Set to […]
Orange Farm – to build houses Evidence wa ka Ngobeni A four-roomed house was once an impossible dream for an unemployed single mother living in an Orange Farm shack. But this week Sinaila Shabani and her four children moved into their dream house – built by 22 volunteer Irish students and residents of the sprawling […]
Howard Barrell The Angolan government has moved troops and heavy artillery into position for a large-scale offensive against rebel Unita positions in the central highlands of the country. South African-based security analysts expect an assault to commence in the next few days. The government in Luanda is understood to have sought, and got, the permission […]
Barbara Ludman SA 98-99: SOUTH AFRICA AT A GLANCE (Editors Inc) This slim little volume is a publishing success for its owners – former Star editors Harvey Tyson and Richard Steyn; Rex Gibson, last editor of the Rand Daily Mail; and George Trail, a former United States diplomat. This is its fourth edition; there are […]
Vera Rule investigates Chris Carter, the mysterious force behind The X-Files He’s from Bellflower, southern Los Angeles, a “burb” for guys who used to make aeroplanes; a part of what Chris Carter’s writers call the military- industrial-entertainment complex. Teenage Chris and a classmate drove 30km to Westwood, Los Angeles. The boy looked nervously around a […]
The English Academy of South Africa is inviting entries for the FNB Vita/English Academy Poetry Prize for a Translation into English. Among the conditions is that the translation be no longer than 50 lines and be written in the last three years. The closing date is September 30, and entries should be sent to the […]
Nick Varley CD of the week Way back, when The Smiths were emerging as the greatest English talent of the Eighties, they took another Manchester indie band out as support on tour. Now, 13 years later, all those who have come across James in a subsequent incarnation – from much-lauded indie kids to derided, alleged […]