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Mail & Guardian
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In the name of equality: Justice Jody Kollapen’s ruling has extended the rights of men. Photo The South African Judiciary
AFRICAN

What’s in a name? The concourt rules on surnames

The concourt’s decision extends equality in that men can now take their wives’ surnames, but not everyone agrees that this move is liberating

  • Sbusiso Gwala
4 min read
ADULTHOOD

Do the rite thing: Reflections on the transition to manhood

Jeffrey Rakabe ponders transformation, trauma and tradition in a debut that challenges what it means to grow up

  • Rodney Ghobril
5 min read
Say it with flowers … but choose indigenous ones instead
COLONIAL

Decolonise Valentine’s Day

Buy locally grown flowers, in particular indigenous species

  • Babar Dharani
5 min read
Teamwork: Printmaker Sibongiseni Khulu watches Mbali Tshabalala do registration on a print.
CULTURE

Young, black artist in a time and a culture

Mbali Tshabalala is exploring the black female experience through collaborative printmaking in a search for a delicate balance

  • Melody Emmett
9 min read
NGUNJANA VILLAGE, SOUTH AFRICA JUNE 20: (SOUTH AFRICA OUT) Initiates are smeared with white clay on their face and are covered in red and white blankets on June 20, 2014 in Ngunjana Village, South Africa. The winter circumcision season is under way in the Eastern Cape and elsewhere in the country. Traditional surgeons and health authorities are working together as much as possible to limit injuries and deaths. (Leon Sadiki/City Press/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
DEATHS

Mpumalanga boys ‘kidnapped for forced initiation’

Traditional leaders blame those who fail to enforce the laws that govern the practice

  • Masoka Dube
6 min read
Joseph Ndandarika, who was once described as one of the three greatest living stone sculptors. (Image courtesy of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe)
AFRICAN ART

In praise of African art: How Shona sculpting emerged

How Shona stone art came into its own after independence

  • Percy Zvomuya
35 min read
Delvinaki, Pogoni, Epirus. (2020)
BLACK SEA

‘Ethos’ and ‘Caryatis’ by George Tatakis reveal a rich tapestry of Greek tradition

As he travels the length and breadth of the country, George Tatakis uses a painterly approach to photography that breathes new life into the traditions and culture of rural Greece

  • Kwanele Sosibo
9 min read
The Brenda Fassie statue by Angus Taylor at the Market Theatre in Newtown acknowledges her place in heritage-making as an artist, posits the writer. (Paul Botes)
BORN TO KWAITO REFLECTIONS ON THE KWAITO GENERATION

Is kwaito an old thing yet?

Kwaito was born during South Africa’s transition to democracy and lives on as a kind of heritage

  • Esinako Ndabeni
3 min read