Uhuru to The Andes and Back
I started this blog to document my experiences travelling to Colombia and Latin America....and what started then as a stream of thoughts is now continuing back home, here in South Africa and the broader continent.
Sunday, February 24, 2013
History teaches us...
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Read my tweets dammit!
I think that I may finally have understood the whole Twitter vibe. I've added a Tweet widget to my blog page and I personally think that the stream of information I've chosen to share is almost as interesting as the lengthier blog entries. I predominantly re-tweet but I make an effort to pick out some real pearls from the barrage of information that I have now exposed myself to, so if you're interested I think they provide an interesting Hilton-esque narrative or thought stream - kinda like FB updates but more thought-provoking, relevant and, at times, meaningful. Plus, you might pick up some interesting twitter-ers from the stream to follow yourself. Enjoy!
Sunday, June 3, 2012
The Trinity Session and Liebmann Show
A younger Stephen and Marcus project their magic onto us all |
That flashing robot was way captivating |
Charlotte and the tall people. From cold countries. |
A tribute to The Indian and his Troll Hands |
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Weekend Music and The Soweto Theatre
Last weekend I actually had quite a lot of fun and much of it revolved around good music and discovering new places in Jozi. Here's a rundown:
- Neighborgoods on Saturday morning and afternoon with brother and sister. I know this probably sounds a little lame but I find that this place can actually be quite a lot of fun if you go with nice people and you find a good spot in the sun. I also discovered a Belgian beer that clocks in at the 10% alcohol mark. We were fairly sozzled by the time we stumbled out of there. Shout outs must also go to the friendly Serbs serving up those delicious Balkan burgers. Did little for the rate of inebriation though!
- The folks came over early Saturday evening, and after convincing them that we were not actually stoned and merely recovering from some serious drinking - my mother happened upon my brother snoring in the bath, and my sister and I both passed out in bed - we managed to rally the troops for our first taste of the Sophiatown Jazz Encounters held monthly at the Trevor Huddleston Centre a couple of blocks away from The Safehouse. Check out The Trevor Huddleston Centre and Sophiatown Heritage Program website here. Lucas Senyatso and his merry band played on that particular evening and I thought it was seriously great. Here's a link to the event. What really warmed the heart too - especially in the context of broader and ugly social rumblings - was how diverse the crowd was: old, young, white, black, indian, coloured, single people, couples, families, etc....everyone was represented by a warm, lovely crowd in a small and intimate space. See photo above. Wonderful setting in a beautifully restored house, a real local community feel and guided tours presenting the history of the area after the show. Wonderful framed photos and the house converted to a heritage centre. A must see.
- Lunch on Sunday was spent with the family at the Fisherman's plate in Cyrildene. Check out one of my previous posts referring to Jo'burg Gems for more info on this place. The food was spectacular.
- Then it was off to Salif Keita playing at the newly-opened Soweto Theatre on Sunday afternoon. Big ups to Busi who tugged on her considerable networks and managed to get us some tickets at the last moment (thanks to The General too!). Upon arrival I immediately wondered who all was at the Bushfire Festival in Swaziland because it looked like the who's who of Jozi arrived for this concert. The theatre is truly something to behold. The show was, to put it mildly, mind-blowing, and I think that is mainly because of how energetic the crowd was. By the end of the show Salif was jiving on the stage, pulling audience members up for some free-stylin' dance moves with his drummer. Everyone was out of their seats. Music, predictably awesome. Everyone sang along. Just great. I can't wait to go back there. Observe the photos below.
And the band played on |
Tourists in Soweto |
Sunday, May 27, 2012
When Reality is Momentarily too Much
The time: early Monday morning.
The feel: a crisp winters morning, people shuffling themselves off to work, stuffed in coats and wrapped in scarves, wearing that defiant Jozi-scarred demeanour, looking noticeably weary - more than usual.
The read: Ferial Haffajee's response to Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla in the Sunday's City Press.
The sound: Who'll Stop the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
The paragraphs: "My biggest lesson this week is that the ANC no longer leads; it can no longer be trusted to pull us back from the brink as it did when Chris Hani died and the nation lay on the edge of a precipice." - "This national pain is greater than our individual hurts, I know." - "I'd like to play my role, but if I respond to fear, insult, demands to remove an item of journalism, threats and intimidation, then what role will I be playing to make ours the best possible world for your little brothers and sisters, and all the children for whom we are making a future?"
Too real.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Links, Thoughts and Opinions
So first up, most of you know that I am fairly passionate about challenging the negative perceptions about Jozi. I take great pleasure in discovering hidden treasures in the city and if I wasn't such an ardent Bulls fan I would probably have completely re-branded myself as a 100% Jozi-ite. Alas, people still know that I'm from Pretoria. Anyway, I digress. Some of you might recall that I was punting a Facebook group called Secret Johannesburg some time back. I liked the initial idea of providing a space where people were able to post details of their own discoveries in Jozi. Problem is that, apart from my own FB vacation that is still in force, the group also appeared to lose a little bit of steam and I noted with some alarm how people started posting details about such random oddities as the local vet who reportedly has a "wonderful way with the animals"?! No kidding. Good to know.
One other thing to note is that Jozi is not one of those places that easily or initially lays out it's best to the would-be explorer. Excuse my crudeness here but I find the "ladies" metaphor instructive here: Jozi is not a cheap date. In fact, she looks downright disinterested to the point of making you wonder whether she even cares that you're around at all. However, if you're persistent, tenacious and willing to navigate spaces that may often be outside of your comfort zone you will find things that, more often than not, are beyond your imagination. She's just so much deeper than you could even begin to fathom and I feel like one could continue to discover new things about her forever. I like that. And the fact that she also wears her scars in a show of strength and resilience that is truly heart-warming. Contrast that with Cape Town that to me is more like the pretty girl who has you believing that you've seriously "scored" until you try have a serious conversation with her. It is then that the vacuous truth has you cursing and questioning your own level of substance. Harsh I guess, but that's how I feel.
So the point of all of this is that I discovered a new Jozi blog called Like Father, Like Son and I think it does a good job of unearthing some of these treasures, at least from a food and drink perspective. Here are two links to whet the appetite:
First, 5 Jo'burg Gems and then have a look at Where to get beer in Jozi. I definitely have a revised to-do list after checking out some of the suggestions from this blog. Good.
Onto more serious things then. I sometimes find myself checking in on some of the Thoughtleader opinion pieces. Quite often these opinions act as an extra cycle of rehashing mainstream news headlines, but that can be useful and often times I find perspectives, delivered from a very personal point of view, that add a little more complexity to stories that are often mind-numbing in their over simplification of the facts - as if someone has already decided what we can and can't handle emotionally. So I came across a reader blog entry entitled I apologise for apartheid that I thought was an interesting and heartfelt attempt by an Afrikaner to comment on the fallout from FW De Klerk's comments on CNN regarding apartheid and his thinly-veiled defense of the homelands system. It probably sums up a lot of what I feel too and I liked the mention of Antjie Krog who I also think has done a lot to unpack the complexity and brutality of our past from an Afrikaner's perspective.
And now, for some light-hearted frivolity.I was emailed a fairly amusing video clip by OSHO (for those who don't know, he's a philosopher/spiritual guide of sorts - click here for more on his wiki page). The content may be somewhat familiar but the delivery is what makes it special. Check out video called Strange Consequences. Nietzsche must be spinning in his grave.
Lastly, I was reminded of one of my favourite poems yesterday. The poem is entitled If by Rudyard Kipling. Check it out here.
"If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting;
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating;
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;"
Brilliant.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Delving Into Photos From The Last Year: Part 2 - The Bulungula Adventure, Family Wedding, etc.
Aly and I on a rowing expedition on the Xhorra River - Bulungula |
Check out this incredible stretch of coastline - Bulungula |
Sunrise at Bulungula |
Another view of the coastline and villages - Bulungula |
Phillip and Charlotte at the Verlorenkloof wedding |
Phil, Aly and I at the wedding. I don't look great but the beer foam on the tip of Phil's nose is pretty special |
Winston the African cat, simulating his trip over from SA - Washington DC |
A little bit of playground goof-around - Cape Town work trip |
Charlotte taking photos at the Sea Point Promenade |
Kim, Busi, Rashi and Jan at the Safehouse - latter half of 2011 |