Who’s Your Daddy?

Jun 9, 2009 |

I’ve always wanted to be a father.  To be honest, the idea of offspring was always easier to digest than the partner to create that child with.  For some reason, I’ve always believed that I will make a decent father, but it has, up till now, been a theoretical exercise in self-evaluation. I also come from a very family-oriented upbringing in which we were always encouraged to stick together; to view the family as the foundation, the launch pad from which we tackle the world.  I figure my father did well enough with us for me to be in a position to transfer that knowledge and wisdom onto my...

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Urban Soul Poetry Slam Videos

Jun 5, 2009 | ,

On May 29th, I was a judge at the Urban Soul Poetry Slam held at Maponya Mall in Soweto (video of winner, Buthelezi uploaded last week). It was actually in Ster Kinekor and it was the first time I've been at a poetry event that had to end quick because there was a movie starting after the show. Wolverine, I think it was; still haven't seen that. The venue did add a different energy to the experience. And watching poetry rocking popcorn and a slush puppie is poetic in itself. Anyway, a friend of mine (no names) filmed the performances and I've been gradually uploading them to YouTube. I did...

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ramblings – is there such a thing as an anti-expert?

May 29, 2009 |

Image by Siphiwe Mhlambi I’ve recently come to the conclusion that I am not an expert.  I know a bit about a lot of things and a lot more about a couple of things but there is nothing that I know inside out.  I love music, but I can’t quote you dates, and albums, and lyrics, and whatever.  I can tell you how it makes me feel and that I like it, and possibly some reasons why I like it. But that’s as far as I go. I love gadgets, and spend a lot of time fiddling with them, but it’s more about how the fit into a daily schedule rather than the specs and intricacy of the features. I may use it a...

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A layman’s thoughts on Nokia Music Store

May 26, 2009 | ,

The bottom-line is this: all these great things happen in the world and Africa tends to be an after-thought, in relation to these happenings. Yes, we do lag behind in a number of instances but how do you think it feels when you are perceived as being at the bottom of the human barrel?  Not particularly pleasurable! Anyway, this is not a rant on the perception of Africa, but rather as a reaction to how it is hard to get the cool stuff here prompted, strangely enough, by the Nokia Music Store recently launched in South Africa. With the level of mobile penetration in Africa and the fact...

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Hanging with DJ Black

May 21, 2009 |

When I was in Accra last, I spent a lot of time chilling with DJ Black at the Joy Fm studios.  This is one of those times. Still more to come. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drlOglbZz-0 August 2020: I have been going through my past blog posts, debating about which to keep and which to delete. This was around the time I started visiting Ghana, my father's birthplace, again regularly. I hadn't been there in 35 years. DJ Black is a good friend, and that friendship has endured to this day. Funny thing is, when I shot this video, it would take forever to upload video to YouTube. Fortunately,...

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ramblings – new beginnings

May 16, 2009 |

The last couple of months have been long. A journey laced with apathy, lethargy and a lack of direction as I make a transition out of where I was to where I think I want to go. The one thing my last job taught me is that I am not necessarily the most employable person out there and, therefore, I need to focus on my own projects, my own ideas, my own dreams, my own structures. Working on Blaque magazine taught me a great deal about myself and the rag trade and I would not change the experience for anything.  We are where we are supposed to be, doing...

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