We were the country that fought against all odds, that stood up to perpetrators of human rights though it meant lives and futures were lost. We were the freedom fighters, the reconcilers, and set ourselves as an example for revolutionaries the world over. But fifteen years after our democracy was born, we are a split […]
Ilham Rawoot
I'm a journalist, I like persimmons, I'm good with directions, and people think I'm short but it's actually an optical illusion.
Posted inNews/Politics
Free speech and ‘war criminals’ — how democratic am I, deep down?
I’m one of those people who know which side of the fence they’re on on pretty much every topic they’ve come into contact with. So now that I am conflicted, I don’t really know what to do with myself, and it’s rather troubling. And all because of a man called David Benjamin. David Benjamin is […]
Posted inLifestyle
All good things, damnit, all good things
I have been deflowered. The days of wondering what it’s like and when my time will come, if I’m ready and whether I’ll be disappointed, are long gone. Now that my seven day fling with Grahamstown is over, it’s really just a matter of how long the romance will last, and whether I’ll be drawn […]
Posted inLifestyle
Jazz, tramezzinis and swine flu for capitalist pigs
If you’ve been following my recent moans on the lack of party! party! in Grahamstown, you will be happy to know that I am far more satiated today than I was a few days ago. Maybe my friends have gotten cooler, maybe I’ve become a bit less demanding, maybe I’m just desperate to be able […]
Posted inGeneral
I think I’m missing something
After three nights and almost three days at the festival, the cosy crimson-lit evenings that trail into the early hours around golden goblets and feast laden tables — which I thought would be every night — are yet to happen. And it’s like they say — if it hasn’t happened by 11pm, it’s not going […]
Posted inLifestyle
The night it all began
The National Arts Festival has kicked off. More like, started a brisk walk. I managed to see through my first day in the town I almost studied in. I am excited, and yet a little weirded out at being in the place that I was this close to spending four years of my life in. […]