Capturing The Black Imagination

I popped into the Iziko National Gallery this afternoon during my lunch break. I still do not get over Ira Aldridge's bronze and white marble bust as Othello (1872) by Pietro Calvi. The bust is part of the gallery's permanent collection.

I was reminded of the Ngugi wa Thiong'o's title of his 4th Steve Biko lecture: "Recovering our Memory: South Africa In The Black Imagination".

The title of this post is stolen from the title of that lecture.

Solidarity.

You know it's summer .1.

Traffic to the V&A Waterfront.

Last friday it literally took me 25 minutes from the the city to get to the V&A and another 15 minutes to find parking. Local and international tourists are flocking the city where the sun sets after 8.pm. I took the picture in irritation.

The Cape hosts the best summer in the country.

One Love.

Web sites that should work, but don't! Part I

My main source of information is the internet. I become very frustated and pissed off if I go to a web site looking for something and discover that it has broken links, not as informative, has not been updated in a while or is just plain and useless.

I have a feeling that corporate South Africa does not really appreciate the web as as tool of disserminating information. I really hate that! It seems like Some companies just want to have web presence and that becomes the end.

Below is a list that I will be updating regulary and posting it on this blog to vent my frustation. I use Mozilla FireFox version 1.0.7.

1. Wits Business School. (www.wbs.ac.za) on 24/11/2006 - All links are broken and do not work. Unbelievable!
2. The Bassline. (www.bassline.co.za) on 24/11/2006 - Gets updated regularly, but site is plain and boring, they could do better. Tourists, hello...
   
3. 
   

Uuurghh!!!

Desperate Housewives Season Three!

Yep, I have been indulging in the first eight episodes of season three. Just keeps getting better and better! It reminds me of how I used to love the Cosby Show is the 80's. Carlos and Gabrielle remain my favorite.

Escapism.

Noma award for Special Commendation

After all the riff-raff that was created by the Sunday Times and other envious journalists about Mervin Gumede's excellent book being a product of plagiarism, Gumede has gone on to win the Noma Award for Special Commendation for the book.

I remember how almost embarassing it was when Mervin Gumede had to defend the allegation that he had committed the worst crime by an writer at this year's Cape Book Fair (sponsored by the Sunday Times). It's always a warm feeling when sanity prevails as it seldom does.

This year's winner of the Noma award is another Lebo Mashile, A black South African female poet for her poetry anthology In a Ribbon of Rythm.

The Noma award is the highest literary award an African writer can recieve. Previous winners include Mariama Ba, Mamphela Ramphele, Chenjerai Hove and Mongane Wally Serote.

One Love.

Not sure whether to agree or disagree

Celebrating Bheki Mseleku

I attended a concert last Friday at the Nassau Centre in Newlands. The concert was in honour of Bheki Mseleku and a celebration of his music. Bheki Mseleku is an amazing composer, piano player and vocalist.

Paying tribute to Bheki Mseleku on the day amongst others were Dizu Plaatjies, Feya Faku, Kyle Shepherd, Emile Bruce, Winston Mankunku, Ezra Ncukana and Robbie Jansen.These are some of the artists Bheki has worked with in his musical career.

There was a strong presence of Bheki in the auditorium, in the music. I also liked the concept of celebrating a legends musical career while they are still alive as we typically wait for people to die before we pay tribute.


"I once saw Mankunku Ngozi blowing his saxophone. Yakhal'inkomo. His face was inflated like a baloon, it was wet with sweat, his huge eyes huge and red. He grew tall, shrank, coiled into himself, uncoiled and the cry came out of his horn. That is the meaning of Yakhal'inkomo."- Mongane Wally Serote

Solidarity.

To Lebo: We got the message

After the sad and untimely death of pop diva Lebo Mathosa (may your sweet soul rest in peace, I learned to like you), I could not help but notice how most of my passengers would immediately wear a seat-belt as soon as they jump into my ride.

I always wear a seat-belt (a habit that I got into a while ago due to a chaotic lifestyle) and the front seat passenger would always ask if I do not mind if they do not wear a seat-belt and I would always say it is up to them. I do not get that question anymore. I have also been told more often that I am a fast driver.

Why did it have to take a Lebo to get us to heed the dangers of the road and appreciate the value of life?

Youth.

Biko's children

Love this picture. I took it on one thursday evening at Pig & Swizzle, a cheap hangout spot for UCT students with few going-out alternatives because of modest bank balances. SAB beers go for R5.00 each on thursday evenings.

One Love.

What does 'metrosexual' really mean?

Photograph by Lebz.

I am very confident the gentlemen pictured above can be reffered to as metrosexual by many.

I have been labelled 'metrosexual' once by some young girl I flirted with about a year ago and was uncomfortable with the labelling even though I knew there would be spin-offs from the fact that she had percieved me as 'metrosexual' as it is packaged as open-minded, modern and progressive.

A couple of weeks ago, I did some informal research on the subject and learned that the term "metrosexual" was coined in the early/mid 90's by another Mark Simpson, A british journalist, social commentator and somewhat chauvanist.

Simpson defined it as follows: "The typical metrosexual is a young man with money to spend, living in or within easy reach of a metropolis -- because that's where all the best shops, clubs, gyms and hairdressers are. He might be officially gay, straight or bisexual, but this is utterly immaterial because he has clearly taken himself as his own love object and pleasure as his sexual preference."

I am more uncomfortable of being percieved metrosexual, and there are very few people I know who see themselves as 'metrosexual' and adequately fit Simpson's description. I also wonder how many metrosexuals would agree with Simpon's definition of the term.

Peace.

Who Cares?

On my way back from work, I saw this billboard. It seems the Cape Argus ran an article about what the president of the country reads. I made efforts to read the article but could not find the paper at some restaurant I went to afterwards, and I was not willing to buy the paper only on account of the advertisement.

I am always fascinated about why people take interest in what one reads, more especially what they are currently reading at a particular point in time. I personally do not think one can tell a lot of what one is currently reading, or has even read.

The Sunday Times once featured a profile on some successful black business personality who was reading Kiyosaki's Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and then I thought, every Tom, Dick and Harry has already read that book.

I wonder how many people would have bought that edition of the Cape Argus motivated by wanting to know what the president reads, and whether that knowledge would make one to understand why he makes certain policies etc..

If you care to know: I am reading Frantz Fanon's Wretched of the Earth, some UNISA textbooks and the May edition of Hustler magazine.

Solidarity.

Not Your Number One Supporter

I ran into this piece of ranting on my lunch break at Mr Pickwicks on Long Street. One of my favorite restaurants.

Solidarity.

My favorite people

Towards the end of year 2004 Dave Chappelle threw a party in Brooklyn and invited his friends to come and give performances. A documentary was made out of the the occassion and is on dvd. It was also shown in this years Encounters film festival.

Chappelle says its the best thing he has ever done in his career. I think the event was a historic moment for contemporary hip-hop.

I also found the sentiment of throwing a block party and getting the best Hip-Hop artists to perform, for free, or for almost close to nothing, better then Ms. Oprah Winfrey's (may the gods bless her little soul) splashing of money disguised as an act of misguided philantrophy.

There was definitely a form of collective pride amongst the black people who had attended the Block party on the day. Attendance was free. One would wish for black people to use their wealth (for lack of better words as Chris Rock believes it is the white man who signs Oprah's cheques who is wealthy) for such causes.

The dvd is essential viewing for black people, very inspirational, witty, entertaining, funny! Make sure you see it, buy the dvd and watch it over and over again!

Celebration!

Hello World!

Hello World!

The sole mandate of this blog is to document some of the things I sometimes get up to. I will also share what I think is cool and what I think is not.

Solidarity.