Latest articles on Gwen Ansell

Why we need a South African jazz photography archive

Article Rafs Mayet - 30 Apr 2020

We need more books about South African jazz, focusing on both the verbal and the visual, to fully capture and appreciate the unique ‘river of culture we’ve been bequeathed’

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

A marriage of sound and image

Article Gwen Ansell - 5 Oct 2012

Pianist Jill Richards and artist Marcus Neustetter immerse themselves in this exciting show that unites paper and ivory.

Derek Gripper: Sharing music between people

Article Gwen Ansell - 10 Jul 2012

Derek Gripper might be skeptical about some commercial "world music", but that hasn't weakened his passionate interest in the music of the world.

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National

Traditional healers need new spaces

john molebatsi & christina breed & gary ivan stafford - 24 Nov 2020

Proper facilities supported by well-researched cultural principles will go a long way to improving the image and perception of the practice of traditional medicine

National

Limpopo big-game farmer accused of constant harassment

Lucas Ledwaba - 23 Nov 2020

A family’s struggle against alleged intimidation and failure to act by the authorities mirrors the daily challenges farm dwellers face

National

Zondo tightens his grip with criminal complaint against Zuma

Sarah Smit - 23 Nov 2020

The state capture commission’s star witness now faces a criminal complaint and another summons

Press Releases

Special Reports

Land reform still a hot potato

special reports - 24 Nov 2020

The land has got to belong to all the people of South Africa, and many believe that there’s no other mechanism for that except expropriation

Special Reports

UP chemical pathology scientists develop ground-breaking nanobodies for Covid-19 detection and therapy

special reports - 24 Nov 2020

Nanobodies are smaller than conventional antibodies and easier to work with so they are ideal for good cheap sensitive rapid tests for Covid-19

Special Reports

Inclusion as learned experience in higher education

special reports - 23 Nov 2020

Understanding the complexity of intersections between oppressions relating to race and gender is key to any commitment to creating a culture of inclusion and social justice

Special Reports

Local government in crisis: how it can be fixed

special reports - 20 Nov 2020

Local governments are supposed to promote non-racial development, in a decentralised manner, but the reality does not match up

Special Reports

Covid-19 accelerates adoption of technology by the African property sector

special reports - 20 Nov 2020

It’s not the technology itself that is valuable, it’s the opportunities that it creates: this may be the perfect time for reinvention

Special Reports

BE 1 OF 8 LUCKY PEOPLE TO DRIVE OFF WITH R80 000

special reports - 19 Nov 2020

From 23 to 30 November 2020, simply purchase any BMW bearing the number “8” and you could be one of eight lucky people to drive off with R80 000

Special Reports

Introducing Sabinet Judgments

special reports - 18 Nov 2020

A well-rounded view of reported and unreported judgments supplemented by an advanced system to enable users to rapidly find the information they require

Special Reports

The Southern Africa Tuberculosis and Health Systems Support Research and Publication Interventions

special reports - 13 Nov 2020

The project places emphasis on rolling out a standardised package of occupational health services and mining safety standards across four countries