Opinion

LitNet contributors voice their opinions about current affairs.

Pathisa Nyathi: A library that did not burn down

Philani A Nyoni In memoriam 2024-11-12

"In the writer’s ink lies the elixir to immortality. What’s done is done; the battle has been lost and won. While the breath is gone, the words still shine. The library lives on; it did not burn down."

The Taliban’s new laws: Is this Shariah?

Moegammad Tahier Kara Opinion 2024-11-07

"By stripping people of their individuality and freedom, the Taliban’s interpretation of Shariah robs Afghan men and women of the respect and agency they are afforded in Islam. True Shariah fosters an environment of moral integrity, where both men and women are encouraged to respect, support, and uplift each other – values that stand in stark contrast to the Taliban’s narrow, authoritarian vision."

The morning after

JL Powers Opinion 2024-11-06

"For all you South Africans reading this, I hope you cheer us on over the next four years as we Americans – we sometimes foolish and arrogant, but also generous and kind, Americans – learn these incredibly valuable lessons. I’m standing strong for hope, change and generosity of spirit."

Press release: South African experts unite in a call for evidence-based care for transgender and gender-diverse young people

PATHSA Opinion 2024-10-15

A coalition of South African healthcare professionals, activists, and international leaders announced the official endorsement of a position statement advocating for the rights of transgender and gender-diverse young people to access evidence-based care. This statement, originally written on 18 August 2024, has now gathered signatures from more than a hundred leading professionals, scholars, and community leaders, as well as an endorsement by thirty organisations.

PenAfrican: Place by Justin Fox and places of the heart

Mphuthumi Ntabeni Books and writers 2024-10-14

"Sitting at the fireplace of Victorian Manor Hotel on one of those rather bitterly cold Karoo nights, I flattered my imagination with the idea that Schreiner once sat before the same fire or on the stoep of the hotel, where, according to Fox, the farmers used to come for gossip and a sip of brandy; this made things come alive in a special way for me."

Sex, power and control: The hidden crimes behind the Gaza genocide

Quraysha Ismail Sooliman Opinion 2024-10-07

"The billions of dollars in financial aid flowing from the West to Israel, primarily from the US, raises the question: why is there such fierce loyalty, despite clear human rights violations and evidence of the greatest crime of all crimes – genocide?"

Drawing the right lessons from Iran’s missile attack on Israel

Eben Coetzee Opinion 2024-10-05

"Understanding the recent attacks launched by Iran against Israeli targets and, concomitantly, the spectre of a broader conflict requires engaging with a wider history of Iranian foreign policy."

Whitewashing history: Flawed exhibition on forced removals

Moegammad Tahier Kara Opinion 2024-10-03

"The map of Die Vlakte, another critical component of the exhibition, fails to represent the entire area accurately. Instead of depicting the full extent of Die Vlakte, the map includes only a few streets, while prominently featuring the predominantly white areas of the town."

Seen elsewhere: Shape of a woman

Pi Delport Opinion 2024-09-09

"It is adorned with jewels
Like beads of sweat
On the skin of an athlete lifting weights that are heavier
Than the men who say she does not belong in the gym"

Washing by hand: a brief look at Cape laundry since the 17th century

Karen Jennings Books and writers 2024-09-05

"Reading about this aspect of Cape history formed part of the inspiration for a recent short story of mine, a work of flash fiction, which is about a young woman and her grandmother, and their different approaches to doing laundry, particularly their underwear. While ostensibly about panties (as the story is titled), it is also about our country’s long and difficult history, about ourselves and about memory."

The science of Kaaps: Reflections on the 3rd Kaaps Symposium

Quentin Williams Opinion 2024-08-22

"In a previous article published on the LitNet platform, I suggested openly and candidly that Kaaps is the future of Afrikaans. I take that back: Kaaps has its own future; it is now in the hands of us all. Help us secure the future of this historically marginalised and indigenous language."

UK migrants: The quality of mercy is strained

David Willers Opinion 2024-08-08

"Unlike the devolved parliaments of Wales and Scotland, where the nationalists can achieve their goals within a democratic framework, the English nationalists have no uniquely English parliament of their own. They are free only to elect representatives to a British parliament in the broad sense, whereas the Scots and Welsh elect MPs not only to their own national parliaments, but also to the British parliament. Will this constitutional anomaly lead to bottled-up rage and frustration among English nationalists?"

The power of symbolism

Mphuthumi Ntabeni Opinion 2024-07-30

"Christianity might not own the Last Supper symbolism, but would the symbol have been able to gain so much power and presence without Christianity? Who today knows or remembers the Dionysian feast of the gods, except perhaps some lonely professor of ancient Greek mythology?"

Politics and economics: "We know what needs to be done."

Freek Robinson, Busisiwe Mavuso Rubrieke 2024-07-24

Busisiwe Mavuso, CEO at Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), sketches a very dark picture of the ANC’s monumental failures at providing the basics for a conducive economic environment. However, the GNU represents "the last chance".

An open letter to the president

Marlene le Roux Opinion 2024-07-19

"Thank you for mentioning persons with disabilities as part of the future of an inclusive and transformational South African society. Allow me to suggest a few ways in which this laudable aspiration can become a meaningful, specific action plan."

Incoming UK Labour government raises the stakes – and choices – for its long-time ANC friend

David Willers Opinion 2024-07-09

"With Lammy’s help, Sir Keir could wean Pretoria off its corrosive dependency relationship with Vladimir Putin. The Labour Party’s win could have very positive implications for the new Government of National Unity in South Africa."

An open letter to the honourable, the one and only, the minister of sport, arts and culture, Gayton McKenzie

Mike van Graan Opinion 2024-07-05

"This, then, is to invite you to get to know us – beyond the sweetheart entities that your predecessors have created and imposed on us as our representatives, beyond the gatkruipers dependent on state patronage for their lifestyles – to listen and to hear us before making big pronouncements about us or for us."

An open letter to the new minister of water and sanitation

Chris Heymans Opinion 2024-07-04

"This presents you with an important entry point at the outset of your new assignment, demystifying the notion that only new infrastructure can solve the problems of limited access."

In memoriam: Jan Breytenbach, inspirational South African paratroop commander

David Willers In memoriam 2024-06-28

"Colonel Jan Breytenbach, who has died peacefully in bed in his nineties, was arguably South Africa’s finest soldier in the latter half of the 20th century."

A voice from within: Decolonising the Palestinian mind | A conversation with Haidar Eid

Jannike Bergh, Haidar Eid Interviews 2024-06-27

"Gaza has become the centre of the universe, the same way Soweto was the centre of the universe." A book discussion and video interview with Haidar Eid, author and professor in postcolonial studies and postmodern literature at al-Aqsa University, Gaza City.

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