South Africa
Fatima is a writer.
"Boys" have a lot more time to experience life before they have to become serious and responsible. That's why the whole platter of "nice boys" out there being presented by the aunties just makes it a lot more suspicious There is probably no statistical information to back up my claim but I have a theory.
June 2022 marked seven years since the 2015 #FeesMustFall movement erupted across the country - causing shutdowns and protests. Those protests centred on free education, decolonising education and outsourcing work.
Mpho Tshele is a 61-year-old grandmother living in Snake Park, in the heart of Soweto. She looks after her 11-old-grandson, Koketso, who suffers from cerebral palsy (CP). Mpho used to work as a machinist, creating beautiful embroidered items. However, she is unable to do that because looking after Koketso is a full-time job.
COMMENT Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah has been leading the goal-scoring for Liverpool, much to the delight of Reds fans all around the world. And in his honour, fans have composed a new chant: "If he's good enough for you, he's good enough for me. If he scores another few, then I'll be Muslim too.
Muslim, American, Pakistani-Kashmiri, poet, writer - in her debut poetry collection, Fatimah Asghar reflects on navigating those identities through questions of race, history, sexuality, and nationality. If They Come For Us - released in 2018 - is a beautiful book filled with thought-provoking and reflective work.
The new Netflix show Julie and the Phantoms was the series I didn't know I needed to watch, especially at this present moment. Releasing on September 10th worldwide, it's the latest musical teen show from Kenny Ortega. And if you've watched anything which Ortega has worked on, you'll understand why Julie and the Phantoms is the show to watch this fall.
A romantic moment in the bookstore, where it all started, is how Netflix's Dash and Lily ends its first season. But where to next remains the question. Lily runs out of the cab that she's sharing with her parents on the way to the airport, just so she can meet Dash before midnight on New Year's Eve.
In August, informal miners marched on the department of mineral resources (DMR) in Pretoria to demand the legalisation of small-scale mining and a moratorium on the what's been described as the persecution of illegal miners. Legalising artisanal mining could make the sector safer and could help boost the economy.
Eb Koybie: A memoir of shenanigans between Durban and Bombay by Ebrahim Essa (Social Bandit Media) 'The nameplate read: Mr Eb Koybie. In Memon, this roughly translates to 'And for that matter, anybody'. The ambiguity became a running gag for me and Father and annoyed the hell out of my friends," writes Ebrahim Essa in his book.
One of the greatest impacts of the global pandemic and sweeping social movements against police brutality and for Black Lives Matter is the questioning of the celebrity. As a society we have increasingly been questioning the role of the celebrity and how much power we, as fans, attribute to them.