Barok is elevating fabric with its wearable, hand-crafted items, writes Tisha Eetgerink.
Tisha Eetgerink explores the brave new world of blow-up dolls and adult plastic.
Alexandra, Gauteng’s "township of rhythm", is ready to jump aboard the tourism train. Efforts are being made to lure visitors into the heart of a place that was once ruled by gangsters and considered strictly off-limits to anybody with a hint of common sense. But times have changed.
She returned to Africa for research on a new book and ended up with a teenage son. Carol Lee, British journalist and author of the newly published book <i>A child called Freedom</i>, is one of the initiators of The Soweto Project, aimed at bringing education to poor children in the famous township south-west of Johannesburg.
<a href="http://www.mg.co.za/specialreport.aspx?area=soccer_world_cup_2006"><img src="http://www.mg.co.za/ContentImages/272488/icon_focuson_wc3.gif" align=left border=0></a>Furry, orange stick-on sideburns, a hat shaped like a piece of Gouda cheese, clogs … Dutch soccer fans huddled together in Lapamanzi Pub Africa in Johannesburg on Sunday as their national team took on Serbia and Montenegro for their first game in the 2006 World Cup.
People in South Africa are scared of rampaging crime. Robbery, of course, is only one of many crimes over which South Africans obsess. With constant reports in the media of carjackings, rapes and murders, and with friends and family readily sharing their personal brushes with violence, it is no wonder that crime and safety issues are on many minds.
Organised events are helping graffiti break into the art mainstream, writes Tisha Eetgerink.
South Africans are getting heavier as they take after the Western world in diet and lack of exercise. This was one of the conclusions in a report presented by the Medical Research Council (MRC) on Wednesday. According to the report, 17% of children between the ages of one and nine were either overweight or obese.
Robbie Williams ended the South African leg of his world tour with fireworks and a matching bang. Tisha Eetgerink was there.
"The educational system in this country should be Africanised," proclaimed Dr Mathole Motshekga this week at a seminar on cultural values within the human rights framework. "Our judgement is biased to the West and does not do justice to African culture and religion that is based on spirituality." Motshekga told an audience of commissioners and human rights workers.
"Not suitable for children under 17", says the box of the little Blow-Up dolls. Nothing to do with sex, the bright plastic figurines have a bomb-shaped head with a fuse, and angry eyes telling you they’re ready to blow up any minute. The display of Dunnys — little plastic creatures — on the same shelf states: "This is a work of art, not a toy."
Hip hop will be blasting from the speakers and aerosol fumes will thicken the air as the country’s most talented graffiti crews line up for the Write4Gold 2006 graffiti competition in Johannesburg next month. It is the first time that the Germany-based graffiti and aerosol art competition goes global. Write4Gold, a non-profit and previously pure European event, will visit 17 cities on four continents.
Ever wondered what other people look up on the internet? Search engine Google keeps track of the top queries entered around the world with Google Zeitgeist. According to the California-based company, Zeitgeist is supposed to reveal a little about the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of the era we find ourselves in today. The word "zeitgeist" comes from the German language, "zeit" meaning time and "geist" meaning spirit.
Ever wondered what other people look up on the internet? Search engine Google keeps track of the top queries entered around the world with Google Zeitgeist. According to the California-based company, Zeitgeist is supposed to reveal a little about the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of the era we find ourselves in today. The word "zeitgeist" comes from the German language, "zeit" meaning time and "geist" meaning spirit.