Opinion

Teen sex law: what changed and why?

Samantha Waterhouse, Naomi Meyer 2013-01-22 "Unfortunately the criminalisation of consensual sexual acts between adolescents, which has been the status quo in this country for decades, has not been shown to have any effect in preventing sexual activity between consenting young people. It does not prevent young people from choosing to engage in sex, nor does it provide them with the tools they need to make healthy decisions."

Imraan Coovadia responds to Ian Glenn

Imraan Coovadia 2013-01-07 "And all this, right to the edge of racial hatred, to prevent the fair or unfair scrutiny of a book and a writer?"

Every generation has its struggle

Lyndal Pottier, Naomi Meyer 2012-12-04 "As Trevor Manual identified in 2011, education is one of the most pressing problems in South Africa, the other being unemployment." Lyndal Pottier talks about how Equal Education wants to transform society.

I benefited from apartheid

Roger Young, Naomi Meyer 2012-11-15 "I truly just find myself quite irritated with people who say things like, "Apartheid was 20 years ago, why can’t just we get over it?" The fact is that white people in general can be very lazy about transformation, and the lazier they are, the more vocal they are on this level."

Writing in prison: Ampie Coetzee responds to Helize van Vuuren

Ampie Coetzee 2012-10-23 "Breyten's prison writing – Afrikaans poetry, of which little has been translated into English – comprises an anthology of 448 pages! The quality of these verses has been maintained in the more or less 20 books written since then."

Eish! The succession is with us again

FM Lucky Mathebula 2012-10-09 "As the murky road to Mangaung assumes a character of a dog-eats-dog fight, unlike a pig that eats its offspring, the ANC needs to demonstrate that its known resilience is equally fit to withstand conditions of legality, 'ruling-party-ness' and incumbency."

Who is African and who is not?

Christo van der Rheede 2012-09-06 "Well, I am an African and owe it not to my blackness, brownness or whiteness, but to my Khoisan, Malabar slave, Xhosa, Dutch, French, German and Scottish forefathers who embraced this continent with their hearts and souls, who made it their home and who developed this country."

Darryl David on the third Midlands Literary Festival

Darryl David, Naomi Meyer 2012-08-20 Founder and director of the Midlands Literary Festival, Darryl David, talks to Naomi Meyer about this exciting event, now in its third year.

Anti-fracking rally in Nieu-Bethesda

Henry Cloete 2012-07-26 Nieu-Bethesda's anti-fracking rally and workshop takes place from 27 to 28 July. One of the organisers, Michael Wentworth, answers some questions about the event.

The meaning of Mangaung 2012

FM Lucky Mathebula 2012-07-26 "A cheetah’s beauty and characteristics represent a combination of colour schemes that support its ability to blend with its environment, and the ANC should emulate the cheetah as it congregates at the place of cheetahs, Mangaung."

Blacksheep TV #34: Sangoma

Blacksheep 2012-06-19 The blacksheep characters discuss the mysterious ways of the sangoma in today’s cartoon.

Raising the Spear or dropping the ball?

Mike van Graan 2012-06-06 "The general feeling among most panellists was that, indeed, freedom of expression and other democratic freedoms and rights are under threat from the ANC and its alliance partners." The Cape Town chapter of Arterial Network South Africa hosted a forum to discuss the significance of the Spear controversy for the local arts sector.

The Spear controversy: What could it mean for the arts and artists in South Africa?

2012-06-04 Arterial Network invites you to a panel discussion on the fifth of June to consider the implications of various government, ruling party, public and other reactions to artist Brett Murray's painting, The Spear. In particular, the forum will consider the possible impact of these reactions on artistic practice and on democratic engagement with the key issues of the day.

Blacksheep TV #32: SKA

Blacksheep 2012-06-04 One of the blacksheep characters does not quite understand what the abbreviation SKA means ...

Releasing the butterfly: Ralph Goodman on life-writing, storytelling and self-reflection

Bibi Slippers 2012-05-17 Ralph Goodman recently started hosting life-writing workshops in which participants have the opportunity to do some intense self-reflection while learning more about the nuts and bolts of writing.

Removal of sexual orientation protection clauses from the Constitution?

Christina Engela Opinion 2012-05-16

Imagine that a group of right-wing Afrikaners suggested the invalidation of clauses in the Constitution protecting against discrimination on the basis of race, and only in certain areas under their influence?

Digital publishing conference to provide solutions and spot trends

Naomi Meyer, Terrance Moyo 2012-05-10 Amabhubesi Conference and Training has put together a digital publishing event on 29 and 30 May which – they claim – will provide solutions that transform publishers’ print into identical digital editions and enhance it with interactivity. Naomi Meyer asked Terrance Moyo, Project Coordinator, about the event.

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