Malaika Eyoh / Thought

What Twitter Reveals About Fragile Masculinity in JHB

Johannesburg has always been a city obsessed with money and power. In 1886 when hundreds of men (and their families) flocked to the Witwater...

Christopher McMichael / Thought

Bouncers, bullets and pills: the criminal underbelly of South African nightlife

The Mafia is not an outsider in this world; it is perfectly at home. Indeed, in the integrated spectacle it stands as the model of all advan...

Malaika Eyoh / Thought

“Thulasizwe”: Nina Simone’s African Dreams

George Foreman came to Africa with a German Shepard. In 1974, Foreman had been promised a record sum of 5 million USD to fight veteran boxer...

Lindiwe Mngxitama / Thought

Muffled echoes from The Wake; requiem for MaMpho

Abstract The piece that is to follow is a Song of Mo(u)rning from a place of love for my grandmother. However, it is made complicated by it...

Malaika Eyoh / Thought

On Petite Noir, Beyoncé and What Artists Owe Each Other

In Jamaican reggae and dancehall culture, there is a thing called a riddim. An artist will release a track, and if the track becomes popular...

Malaika Eyoh / Thought

On Touki Bouki and What it Means to Dream

In the 1920s, Josephine Baker left Jim Crow America for Europe. She had spent her youth between the streets and stages of St Louis, with no ...

Christopher McMichael / Thought

The Rise of the Con Stars: Why Grifters are So Hot Right Now

Last year, the SABC released the documentary ‘To Catch A Con Star’ about local scam artist Tracy Morrison. For several decades, Morrison had...

Nkgopoleng Moloi / Thought

Demystifying the curator – beyond the chic and edgy all black outfits

Within the past four decades, there has been increased visibility of the ‘curator’ figure within the arts. The appointment of Swiss art hist...

Marcia Elizabeth / Thought

DNA, Genetics and Race in the 21st Century

Vivian Chou starts her essay on the race debate by bringing in Donald Trump, a universal symbol of white extremism. She discusses how his el...

Christopher McMichael / Thought

The Monster is Us

The enduring popularity of horror fiction is because the world is an utterly terrifying place. We live on a planet rushing towards an apocal...

Casey Delport / Thought

NO FACE NO CASE // UK Drill as a scapegoat for larger societal issues in Britain

The censoring of music is nothing new, from Elvis Presley being banned for apparently being “sexually explicit” to the robust stance taken b...

Marcia Elizabeth / Thought

The figure of the witch in today’s world

It has been argued in recent times that there is a resurgence of interest and identification with the figure of the witch. Questioning the b...