It’s common for people to wax lyrical about someone who has passed. You know, not speaking ill of the dead and whatnot. But, if everything you’ve heard or read about Pheko Kgengoe since we lost him to the coronavirus this week seems really good, you can trust it. It’s all true. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who has something negative to say about Pheko because he and negativity were not in the same Whatsapp group. I hung out with Pheko on many occasions in the last...
It’s taken me five days to actually write this post. To be honest, I thought I’d be publishing this post somewhere far from South Africa’s borders, having just sat down for an amazing video interview with an artist I really enjoy. But I am definitely in South Africa. And I haven’t sat face to face with an artist since the week we found out the coronavirus was now in Cape Town. So, I am disappointed. Not so much in us being in a global pandemic - I think there might...
Full disclosure: I've never cared about The Office. Not the British version. Not the American version. I don't know if I care right now but I will say this: I'm blindsided. I never espededit. Rewind. My Dude loves The Office. The American version. On a whim a couple of weeks ago, he decided to watch an old episode of the series. That, obviously, sent him down a rabbit hole. He started watching it again from episode one. He would basically binge-watch every chance he got. I went from ignoring his...
When MTV Base commissioned an African version of Yo! MTV Raps, I was asked to appear on one of the episodes. It was nice. It was a panel discussion about the relationship between kwaito and hip hop. Shortly after that, I was asked to appear in the documentary that accompanied the series. It was about the past and present of South African rap. So what's it like to appear in a two-part documentary? Filming my part is a bit of a blur because I was really intent on representing as...
This year marks the third year that the SingularityU South Africa Summit will be held. I will be the first to admit that I had no idea what to expect when I rolled through to the media launch at the fancy Marble restaurant in Rosebank. The theme for this year is: Future Proof Africa. Mic Mann, who is the co-CEO of SingularityU South Africa explained: “As part of our mission to future proof Africa, we are focussing on the most pressing problems and the technologies that can help address these....
“Aunty H! What is an exhibition?” No sooner has one tiny mouth asked me this question, another asks and then, not to be left out, the littlest mouth also asks me. “Aunty H! What is an exhibition?” I’m at Sci-Bono in Newtown with one of my oldest friends, her daughter and son as well as our mutual friend and her daughter. A quick glance at my friends and their pretending to not hear the kids tells me I’m on my own. I have no idea how to explain that. So,...
I’ve heard, more than once, Oprah say something like: the only thing better than having something you like is sharing it. If Oprah says something, it must be true. Ha! No, seriously. A big part of why I love to talk to musicians is selfish. I am genuinely curious, so I ask. But an even bigger part of why I love to talk to musicians is the fact that I get to share that with all of you. When people were still reading, it brought me joy to share through...
My aunt has an eidetic memory. She’s super sensitive and really, a softie. It was my birthday last month and she called to wish me a fantastic one. The call was brief, even with her bringing up the kinds of things kids roll their eyes at, even though they tickle the adult who remembers the details. And of course, she was reminiscing on things Toddler Helen was saying and doing, memory intact. Then, as she was about to get off the phone, she proclaimed a blessing over my life and...
It appears from the distance and runs towards the watering hole. Then it stops. Then it’s off running again. Then it stops once more. This time, I see what passes for a mischievous grin on its face as it takes off with a measured run that is part gallop and part bounce. A group of us are sitting silently in a game drive vehicle, puzzled but amused. A lone hyena sauntering to find water on a blazing hot day at the Etosha National Park should not be cause for amusement....
“It’s like you’re a chameleon,” said my nail technician. She was selling me the dream of multichrome grabbers. I wasn’t convinced but since she’s never steered me wrong, I went with it. After a few days of marveling at how my nails change according to how the light hits them, I was sitting at my desk when my tech’s words popped back into my mind. I thought about it. I have never been able to adapt to an environment, like a chameleon. I suppose some would go as far as...
The chants were thunderous. For the first time that day, they drowned out beats blaring from the stage upstairs. One word rained down on the bassement of the dilapidated train station: “Emtee! Emtee! Emtee!” At a glance, Stage 2 at Riky Rick’s inaugural Cotton Fest looked like the designated spot for emerging acts. Read: the stage that forces you to humble yourself as the Not-Yet-Somebody you don’t believe yourself to be. Upstairs, spot that shone with natural Jozi city light during the day and was emblazoned by pyrotechnics and flashing...
When I’m listening to a conversation - an interview on the radio, teachings by a popular person via podcasts or even eavesdropping nje - there is always a point when I go: hm, how would I answer that? I don’t know if you do this too but, often, I get this excited feeling because the question is so good. Or the person’s answer is thought-provoking and leaves me questioning my own feelings. This happened to me on my drive home from work today. I was listening to a conversation between...
