Gwen Ansell

A repository for jazz historians

Article Gwen Ansell - 13 Dec 2019

In the face of dwindling writing about South African jazz, bassist and composer Carlo Mombelli’s new offering is a repository for future historians.

Parsing Kabila through rumba

Article Gwen Ansell - 1 Nov 2019

‘Chimurenga Chronic: Who Killed Kabila II’ sees memories of the past battle the future

Radiant child: Jiyane captured in the dead of night

Article Kwanele Sosibo - 9 Mar 2018

A portrait of the enigmatic but gifted jazz cat and artist is conjured through the eyes of photographer (and admirer) Tseliso Monaheng

A requiem for African identity

Article Gwen Ansell - 9 Feb 2018

It is a feat to have a Mass that draws from a rich but distorted past to create a new musical canon

Beauty in struggle

Article Gwen Ansell - 12 Jan 2018

Jazz and the fight for freedom were central to his life and poetry

Close encounters with alien sex

Article Gwen Ansell - 6 May 2016

Alien relations served writer Alice Bo Sheldon well as a metaphor for the gender obtuseness and sexual obsessions of dominant human males on Earth.

Tigerman: Escape from the genredarmes

Article Gwen Ansell - 30 Sep 2015

Speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, thriller – who cares about genres when the writing is as good as in the novels reviewed here.

William Parker: Back to bass licks

Article Gwen Ansell - 17 Sep 2015

As the bassist prepares for his Joy of Jazz show, Gwen Ansell unpacks the musician's life and the label “avant-garde”, which he has been linked to.

Paradoxes of a primitive 2030

Article Gwen Ansell - 22 Jan 2015

William Gibson’s 11th novel is a gripping read that explores a world of multiple, branching timelines.

FANTASY in brief

Article Gwen Ansell - 11 Oct 2013

Abraham's tale of war and banking in a not-quite-Renaissance empire gathers strength in this, the penultimate volume.

Valuable addition to local archives

Article Gwen Ansell - 16 Nov 2012

Adam Haupt summarizes all the questions his book raises

Jazzing up a historical record

Article Gwen Ansell - 16 Nov 2012

The new edition of Chris Ballantine's Marabi Nights is more than a description of the creation of a South African jazz; it is sociology set to music

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eThekwini commuters pay for council’s contracts

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Perhaps a commission of inquiry can shine the spotlight on public transport in Durban, where bus and taxi passengers have to contend with fare increases and disrupted services

National

Bishop Emeritus Rubin Phillip: The guerilla priest

Carlos Amato - 23 Feb 2020

From his adventures with Steve Biko to his support for shack dwellers in KwaZulu-Natal, Bishop Emeritus Rubin Phillip has always walked the talk of radical Christianity

National

Tshwane water woes in court again

Sarah Smit - 21 Feb 2020

The municipality has been accused of deliberately derailing the contract to sort out toxic water crisis in Hammanskraal

Press Releases

Special Reports

Achieving the litmus test of social relevance

Derek Davey - 24 Feb 2020

The HSS Awards honours scholarly works based on their social relevance and contribution to the humanities and social sciences

Press Releases

Response to the report of the independent assessors

IT Web - 17 Feb 2020

VUT welcomes the publishing of the report of the independent assessors to investigate concerns of poor governance, leadership, management, corruption and fraud at the university.

Press Releases