The daily word of inspiration (cut and pasted from Contemporary Literature) from my favorite, comtemporary Communist, Jeremy Cronin: … At present I am inclined to make my poems much more actively disruptive within themselves, to foreground contradiction and paradox, to enact interruption, to celebrate the parenthetical, to make manifest the unresolved. In the first post-1994 […]

With the 35th anniversary of the June 16, 1976 uprising by high school students in South Africa on our minds today (the uprising that started out in Soweto, triggered by the enforced instruction of black students in Afrikaans, ushering in a new era of resistance both inside and outside South Africa against white racism and economic exploitation), […]

Johannesburg-based Tumi of Tumi and The Volume has released a mixtape. It seems to be in support of People Opposed to Women Abuse and was inspired by the story of rape victim Akona Ndungane. Among those getting the Tumi remix treatment are Mos Def (a fan of Tumi), the Beatles, John Mayer, Radiohead and Kanye […]

EDITED: Useful summary of the South African government’s ambitious plans for the first high-speed commuter train line in Sub-Saharan Africa; it’s from a story in The Globe and Mail about the large Canadian firm, Bombardier’s attempts to get their hands on much of the contracts on offer: South Africa has announced an ambitious plan to […]

The video for “All the Same” by Vieux Farka Toure, son of Ali, from his new album, “The Secret.” The song features the singer Dave Matthews (born in South Africa). Yes him.

We’re impressed. Like we were last year. (Via)

Some of the films in The Encounters Documentary Film Festival which kicks off its 13th year in Cape Town and Johannesburg today (till June 26), that I hope make it over here sometime: “When China Met Africa” “Forerunners” “Glitterboys and Ganglands“: “King Naki” [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As12EhJnY8k&w=570&h=355] And finally, “Robert Mugabe: What Happened?”

Over the course of fifteen years (1994-2009), Elke Zuern has interviewed civic and social movement leaders, local government leaders, members of NGOs and other community organizations in South Africa. In her new book, The Politics of Necessity,* she compares these movements in South Africa to those elsewhere on the continent (Benin, Botswana, Nigeria), and beyond […]

I don’t watch much rugby these days, but the final moments of the cup final the 2011 Edinburgh IRB Rugby Sevens Festival between Australia and South Africa a week ago is worth reliving.

I don’t know much about South African musician Fifi the Rai Blaster but I like this song, and the video. Watch out for more music put out by the Johannesburg label Iapetus Records.

If you’re tired of the nonsense published in The New York Times or on the BBC website about yesterday’s local elections in South Africa or can’t bear the spin that will come from ANC (this points to widespread approval of its current leadership) or Democratic Alliance spin doctors (tripling your vote from 2% to 6% […]

New video for South African Tumi and The Volume’s ‘Asinamali’. You know what ‘Asinamali’ stands for, right?

Voltz‘s reading of Johannesburg. A first track and video from his upcoming album ‘Revolt’.

A 13-year-old South African girl is the latest victim of “corrective rape,” in which men rape lesbians to “cure” them of their sexual orientation in South Africa. As The Guardian reports 31 lesbians have been killed because of their sexuality in the past decade, and more than 10 lesbians a week are raped or gang […]

Based in Pretoria, MsSupa shot and edited the video for her ‘Dreams’ herself, she tells us. She’s not pulling any punches.

The video for “Go Getter,” by Johannesburg’s MB featuring Malika, which I saw playing once or twice on a TV in the background (TV’s are always on in people’s houses there) while in South Africa earlier this year. Pay attention.  Here’s the refrain: “You need to let it go/go get it/go get it.” Let it […]