This morning I took my car to the garage. Its still there, poor thing. Looks like something is wrong with the clutch which is unfortunately a pricey thing to go wrong.
Anyway, I was getting out of my car over the road from the garage when a man came to ask me for money. He said he was from Port Alfred and needed to collect more money before he went home. I'm not sure if that mean he needed money for transport home or to actually take home.
Anyway I have a "don't give money" policy so I said I wouldn't give him any money. But I hate that we always have to say no. I hate that we become desensitised to people's needs and the conditions people live in. I hate that I get used to saying no and walking on and forgetting.
I know that its not wisdom to give beggars money, for various reasons. So I don't.
But you know, I wish that I lived in a world where, when someone comes to ask me to help out with R10 for transport because they are stuck, I can freely give. I wish that I lived in the world where I felt safe to give lifts to hitch-hikers and people with broken down cars. Or where I can feel happy giving some change for kids taking up a collection for soccer uniforms or dance uniforms, rather than being worried that the money is going to drugs. Where I can freely give to the lady who asks me for money towards her brother's funeral or the man who asks me for money for paraffin. Or the old lady from the rurals who comes in to town, only to find she doesn't have enough money to buy the pre-paid electricity she needs.
I want to live in that world. And the only way I can live in it, is to try.
People are not always honest. People's intentions aren't always good. And sometimes giving in these sorts of circumstances just perpetuates the problem. I know this. So we do need wisdom in how to give and when to give and what to give.
But I never want to accept that habitual "no".
So I gave this man one of the muffins I was taking to work for lunch. And he still wanted money, but thats ok. At least he got a muffin and I held on to some of the softness of my heart. And I could treat him like a person and not just a nuisance.
As I was getting out the muffin I realised my back-pack was open and badly exposed, if he had wanted to he could have taken my cell phone and maybe even my wallet and just ran. Thankfully he didn't. And as I walked into the garage after my exchange with him the mechanic told me he had been watching me speak to this man, and that I should be careful.
And I am definitely all for wisdom and all for protecting ourselves and our property. Definately, we can't be naive.
But you know what, I think I'm willing to lose a cell phone if it means I can spend my life speaking to people rather than brushing them off. Or to find myself played by people with long sob-stories once in a while, if it means I'm sometimes actually meeting people's needs and making people's lives better.
I wish there was a formula or a rule book for how to deal with these situations. But there isn't.
And I know that I can be a bit of a sucker, and I sometimes have a problem saying no. And I know that I mustn't give from guilt or from being manipulated.
But the great gain of treating people with dignity and giving where I can and feel is best, I think I'm willing to risk a bit, and lose a bit, for that.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
The Mystery Unveiled, Part 1
The unfathomable mystery of a black woman's hair. If you have been kept awake at night wondering about the difference between a weave and a weft, braids and corn rows, then this is the post for you. If you have so wanted to ask "Is that real?" but never worked up the courage... read on!
During my past several years of living with black girls I have been baptised into the often complicated, always painful, and sometimes downright harrowing world of the black woman's hair.
Ok, to begin with, if you have to ask the question, "Is that real?" it probably isn't. Or at least, partially isn't.
The black women I know spend an awful amount of time and effort on their hair. This usually revolves around a regular visit to some sort of salon, or friend, or even random person with hair skills. Now this is a real event. As a white women you are probably comparing this to your experiences in the hair salon getting a cut. Don't. This is like comparing the latest copy of Fair Lady to Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karinina. They may both have words and sentences and pages, but the similarity is about that deep. White woman, you have only dabbled in the shallows of hair care.
For the black woman, this regular hair even lasts at the very least a couple of hours, and it sometimes stretches to two days. Depending on the environment, it could entail caring for the children of your hair dresser or feeding the longsuffering souls who are doing your hair. If you are going to a more informal sort of salon, possibly run from someones home, it will probably entail waiting for a couple of hours while other people's hair is finished off.
Now the length of this whole process depends primarily on what exactly you are going to your hair. Now this is where you hear phrases like corn rows and braids and weaves and wefts and bonding and yucky bulk. And frankly, I'm entirely out of my league here. So let me just tell you about some of the styles I have seen, knowing hat I am not doing justice to this huge topic.
Corn rows: This is where you braid your hair, almost like french plaitting it, close to your head. This is pretty fast, as hair styles go. And you can style it in different ways, making patterns with the corn rows.
Braids: Now I think this is a generic term that can also include corn rows. But here I use it to mean when your hair looks like it is in many many plaits. This can either take quite quick or very very long, depending on the size of the braids you are getting. You can get thick braids, maybe half a centimeter or so in diameter - that will be pretty quick as hair goes. On the other side, you can get tiny tiny braids, that are maybe a millimeter or so in diameter. Now we are talking about 24 hours of braiding to get your hair done...
These sorts of braids are now falling into the "hair extensions" category, because it isn't just your own hair in those little plaits. With your own hair you plait in some sort of hair extension stuff. This is what the mysterious and unfortunately named "yacky bulk" is. The hair extensions are either synthetic hair or real hair that you buy in a packet from a shop. And depending on how thick you want your individual braids to be and how thick you want your full head of braided hair to be, you could buy two or three packets of hair extensions to braid into your hair. Yacky bulk is just one of the kinds of hair extensions. And of course hair extensions come in the high end brought-back-from-a-posh-salon-in-Zimbabwe kind right down to the low end bought-at-Pep-stores kind.
During my past several years of living with black girls I have been baptised into the often complicated, always painful, and sometimes downright harrowing world of the black woman's hair.
Ok, to begin with, if you have to ask the question, "Is that real?" it probably isn't. Or at least, partially isn't.
The black women I know spend an awful amount of time and effort on their hair. This usually revolves around a regular visit to some sort of salon, or friend, or even random person with hair skills. Now this is a real event. As a white women you are probably comparing this to your experiences in the hair salon getting a cut. Don't. This is like comparing the latest copy of Fair Lady to Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karinina. They may both have words and sentences and pages, but the similarity is about that deep. White woman, you have only dabbled in the shallows of hair care.
For the black woman, this regular hair even lasts at the very least a couple of hours, and it sometimes stretches to two days. Depending on the environment, it could entail caring for the children of your hair dresser or feeding the longsuffering souls who are doing your hair. If you are going to a more informal sort of salon, possibly run from someones home, it will probably entail waiting for a couple of hours while other people's hair is finished off.
Now the length of this whole process depends primarily on what exactly you are going to your hair. Now this is where you hear phrases like corn rows and braids and weaves and wefts and bonding and yucky bulk. And frankly, I'm entirely out of my league here. So let me just tell you about some of the styles I have seen, knowing hat I am not doing justice to this huge topic.
Corn rows: This is where you braid your hair, almost like french plaitting it, close to your head. This is pretty fast, as hair styles go. And you can style it in different ways, making patterns with the corn rows.
Braids: Now I think this is a generic term that can also include corn rows. But here I use it to mean when your hair looks like it is in many many plaits. This can either take quite quick or very very long, depending on the size of the braids you are getting. You can get thick braids, maybe half a centimeter or so in diameter - that will be pretty quick as hair goes. On the other side, you can get tiny tiny braids, that are maybe a millimeter or so in diameter. Now we are talking about 24 hours of braiding to get your hair done...
These sorts of braids are now falling into the "hair extensions" category, because it isn't just your own hair in those little plaits. With your own hair you plait in some sort of hair extension stuff. This is what the mysterious and unfortunately named "yacky bulk" is. The hair extensions are either synthetic hair or real hair that you buy in a packet from a shop. And depending on how thick you want your individual braids to be and how thick you want your full head of braided hair to be, you could buy two or three packets of hair extensions to braid into your hair. Yacky bulk is just one of the kinds of hair extensions. And of course hair extensions come in the high end brought-back-from-a-posh-salon-in-Zimbabwe kind right down to the low end bought-at-Pep-stores kind.
... to be continued.
Monday, March 24, 2008
A few of my favourite things, Part 2
Its funny how blog my entries end up getting so long. I really try and keep them short and readable but when I actually post them up they always end up longer than I think they will be.
My blog entry A few of my favourite things, for example, was really meant to be about something else entirely. Then the introduction got so long I had to cut it short.
So here is Part 2, what that blog entry was really meant to be about.
So I was lingering in the African / South African section of Exclusive books, my favourite section. To get to that section of the East London Exclusive books you have to pass by the extensive Christian section. The Christian section is pretty huge, I think it probably has more books that some soley Christian book stores I've been to. I often browse the Christian book section too, but usually only after drooling over the African / South African section.
The other day a friend of mine asked me if I like reading Christian books. I do, yes. I have quite a few Christian teaching books on my book shelf. And I've been engrossed in my fair share of Francine Rivers.
There are tons of great books in the Christian section. Novels. Christian classics: Brother Lawrence, C.S. Lewis. Bible commentaries I would really love - man, some verses are cryptic sometimes. I could use all the insight I can get into the Bible. And inspirational books. Books that share people's insights and revelations on certain topics. That unpack Biblical teaching in certain areas. Lately I've also noticed a new genre in the Christian books section, of more contemporary out of the box books about Christian living. Like Blue like Jazz (which I own, and love, and recommend), Velvet Elvis (which I haven't read, but would like to) and The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical (which I read part of then had to return to its owner, and highly recommend). Those books are exciting.
Yup, I dig the Christian book section. I always find a lot I would love to read. In fact, the sheer volume of Christian teaching and inspirational writing is a bit overwhelming sometimes.
But I nervously admit, the Christian book section just doesn't draw me quite the way the African / South African section does. I'm quite frugal... not easily parted with my money. But I must say I would rather pay R150 for Robert Sobukwe's biography or Steve Biko's book than... almost anything else. A new Bible commentary included, I'm afraid.
So I was thinking about this the other day. And I realised a few things.
It is good, it is definately good, to read the Bible, study it, read books that give us insight into it. To read books that give us insight into God and his work on the earth. To read books that lead us to love God more. And love people more.
But these books aren't always going to be "Christian books." The won't always be in the "Christian book" section.
God made us all with different things we carry in our heart, different interests and concerns and passions. Maybe your heart beats for children or business leadership or education or history or worldviews. Maybe your heart beats to fight for downtrodden people. To conserve our planet. Or to bring truth and beauty into art and literature and media. To see sick people healed and communities restored. Maybe you're really creative and you hate cheeseyness. Who knows.
The things that make our hearts beat faster, when we are in that place where we are being who God made us to be and pursuing the things he put in our hearts, thats very often where we find God.
We can meet God in a book about prayer. Or a devotional book. But we can also meet God in a book about refugee camps, if that is a subject that grips our hearts. And draws us to him with our anger and questions, our petitions, our hopes and our day dreams.
If God is more real to me in the African / South African section, then that is where I must be.
My blog entry A few of my favourite things, for example, was really meant to be about something else entirely. Then the introduction got so long I had to cut it short.
So here is Part 2, what that blog entry was really meant to be about.
So I was lingering in the African / South African section of Exclusive books, my favourite section. To get to that section of the East London Exclusive books you have to pass by the extensive Christian section. The Christian section is pretty huge, I think it probably has more books that some soley Christian book stores I've been to. I often browse the Christian book section too, but usually only after drooling over the African / South African section.
The other day a friend of mine asked me if I like reading Christian books. I do, yes. I have quite a few Christian teaching books on my book shelf. And I've been engrossed in my fair share of Francine Rivers.
There are tons of great books in the Christian section. Novels. Christian classics: Brother Lawrence, C.S. Lewis. Bible commentaries I would really love - man, some verses are cryptic sometimes. I could use all the insight I can get into the Bible. And inspirational books. Books that share people's insights and revelations on certain topics. That unpack Biblical teaching in certain areas. Lately I've also noticed a new genre in the Christian books section, of more contemporary out of the box books about Christian living. Like Blue like Jazz (which I own, and love, and recommend), Velvet Elvis (which I haven't read, but would like to) and The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical (which I read part of then had to return to its owner, and highly recommend). Those books are exciting.
Yup, I dig the Christian book section. I always find a lot I would love to read. In fact, the sheer volume of Christian teaching and inspirational writing is a bit overwhelming sometimes.
But I nervously admit, the Christian book section just doesn't draw me quite the way the African / South African section does. I'm quite frugal... not easily parted with my money. But I must say I would rather pay R150 for Robert Sobukwe's biography or Steve Biko's book than... almost anything else. A new Bible commentary included, I'm afraid.
So I was thinking about this the other day. And I realised a few things.
It is good, it is definately good, to read the Bible, study it, read books that give us insight into it. To read books that give us insight into God and his work on the earth. To read books that lead us to love God more. And love people more.
But these books aren't always going to be "Christian books." The won't always be in the "Christian book" section.
God made us all with different things we carry in our heart, different interests and concerns and passions. Maybe your heart beats for children or business leadership or education or history or worldviews. Maybe your heart beats to fight for downtrodden people. To conserve our planet. Or to bring truth and beauty into art and literature and media. To see sick people healed and communities restored. Maybe you're really creative and you hate cheeseyness. Who knows.
The things that make our hearts beat faster, when we are in that place where we are being who God made us to be and pursuing the things he put in our hearts, thats very often where we find God.
We can meet God in a book about prayer. Or a devotional book. But we can also meet God in a book about refugee camps, if that is a subject that grips our hearts. And draws us to him with our anger and questions, our petitions, our hopes and our day dreams.
If God is more real to me in the African / South African section, then that is where I must be.
Sunday, March 23, 2008
The UFS video
In the spirit of blogging about current events, let me say my overdue 2c worth about the UFS racist video.
To start, it was completely revolting, unacceptable, and no excuse can be made for it.
When we heard about this video there was shock and outrage and anger. This incident could fracture race relations in the country, people said. It has sullied our country's reputation in the eyes of the world, it has undermined our nation's progress so far. And so on and so on along those lines.
Now it was revolting and I think we should respond with anger. And more anger as the students and their parents tried to excuse their behaviour.
But really, surprise? Shock? We already knew that UFS was battling to integrate residences. I read a blog the other day where the author had written "Those of us from the Free State were not surprised to see the disgusting behavior of a group of white students at the university..."
And we all know that there are racist people in South Africa. Some very racist people, some less racist people. We all know stories of, or have first hand experience with, racism and racist incidences. It may be more concentrated in some areas than others, or more open in some areas than others, but we all know that racism is all over the place really. In fact, we all have some level of racist thinking. Because we are fallen human beings and because of the environment we grew up in. What did this video tell us that we didn't already know?
It wasn't so long ago, remember, that our national blood banks threw away all black people's blood. When it was reported that they did this there was a huge uproar and ultimately they have been forced to change. To my shame, I admit that I had known that the blood services did that... forever. Since I was a kid.
We do need to stand up and speak out about these things. We need to recognise wrongs and to change them. We really do. But its also about acknowledging that actually, yes, we do have these problems. We can't pretend they are not here. We may have a fine constitution, but the finest constitution can't change a man's heart and mind. We may have all gone to the polls 27 April 1994, but we didn't all magically come to love each other that day.
I was speaking to a guy a met at a conference book table the other day. Actually, its probably more fair to say he was speaking to me. He was telling me about transformation and reconcilliation, and the challenge of our country moving forward with these two tasks, when they are not always entirely complementary. And he mentioned the UFS video incident and said that he thinks that this is a good time for this sort of thing to happen. Because it is a good time for us to be working on reconcilliation. Better its out in the open, where we can talk about it deal with it.
There has been pretty much universal condemnation of the video, as far as I can see. Which is encouraging. So while that video was definitely a bad thing, it hurt the people involved and was incredibly racist and insulting, it gave us as a nation the opportunity to condemn those sorts of actions. To say to those involved and the people who align themselves with those students and their attitudes: "that is not acceptable."
The UFS video made a farce of our claim to be the rainbow nation, people said. Well I contend that we are the rainbow nation simply because of the spectrum of people who are citizens of this nation. Not because of how we treat each other or how we feel about each other or even how we cooperate with each other. We are the rainbow nation because we are. And unless huge sections of our population leave, we will remain the rainbow nation. A patchwork of races and cultures.
The question to answer is: "Can we make this rainbow nation work?" And that can't be answered by a constitution or politicians or universities. It can't even be answered by rallies and marches and referendums or famous authors (or bloggers!) with profound things to say. Making it work is the responsibility of millions of people going about their daily lives. Going to work and standing in shopping queues and teaching their children.
Its in these ordinary pictures of the mundanity of South African life that we will find reason to hope or reason to despair.
To start, it was completely revolting, unacceptable, and no excuse can be made for it.
When we heard about this video there was shock and outrage and anger. This incident could fracture race relations in the country, people said. It has sullied our country's reputation in the eyes of the world, it has undermined our nation's progress so far. And so on and so on along those lines.
Now it was revolting and I think we should respond with anger. And more anger as the students and their parents tried to excuse their behaviour.
But really, surprise? Shock? We already knew that UFS was battling to integrate residences. I read a blog the other day where the author had written "Those of us from the Free State were not surprised to see the disgusting behavior of a group of white students at the university..."
And we all know that there are racist people in South Africa. Some very racist people, some less racist people. We all know stories of, or have first hand experience with, racism and racist incidences. It may be more concentrated in some areas than others, or more open in some areas than others, but we all know that racism is all over the place really. In fact, we all have some level of racist thinking. Because we are fallen human beings and because of the environment we grew up in. What did this video tell us that we didn't already know?
It wasn't so long ago, remember, that our national blood banks threw away all black people's blood. When it was reported that they did this there was a huge uproar and ultimately they have been forced to change. To my shame, I admit that I had known that the blood services did that... forever. Since I was a kid.
We do need to stand up and speak out about these things. We need to recognise wrongs and to change them. We really do. But its also about acknowledging that actually, yes, we do have these problems. We can't pretend they are not here. We may have a fine constitution, but the finest constitution can't change a man's heart and mind. We may have all gone to the polls 27 April 1994, but we didn't all magically come to love each other that day.
I was speaking to a guy a met at a conference book table the other day. Actually, its probably more fair to say he was speaking to me. He was telling me about transformation and reconcilliation, and the challenge of our country moving forward with these two tasks, when they are not always entirely complementary. And he mentioned the UFS video incident and said that he thinks that this is a good time for this sort of thing to happen. Because it is a good time for us to be working on reconcilliation. Better its out in the open, where we can talk about it deal with it.
There has been pretty much universal condemnation of the video, as far as I can see. Which is encouraging. So while that video was definitely a bad thing, it hurt the people involved and was incredibly racist and insulting, it gave us as a nation the opportunity to condemn those sorts of actions. To say to those involved and the people who align themselves with those students and their attitudes: "that is not acceptable."
The UFS video made a farce of our claim to be the rainbow nation, people said. Well I contend that we are the rainbow nation simply because of the spectrum of people who are citizens of this nation. Not because of how we treat each other or how we feel about each other or even how we cooperate with each other. We are the rainbow nation because we are. And unless huge sections of our population leave, we will remain the rainbow nation. A patchwork of races and cultures.
The question to answer is: "Can we make this rainbow nation work?" And that can't be answered by a constitution or politicians or universities. It can't even be answered by rallies and marches and referendums or famous authors (or bloggers!) with profound things to say. Making it work is the responsibility of millions of people going about their daily lives. Going to work and standing in shopping queues and teaching their children.
Its in these ordinary pictures of the mundanity of South African life that we will find reason to hope or reason to despair.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Blogs that caught my eye
I was surfing the interwebz (as my brother insists on calling the internet, for reasons unknown to me) last night and I somehow came across a bevy of South African blogs. Some interesting, some not so much. Here are some of the blogs that caught my eye yesterday or in the past:
Maybe I'll add to the list when I find more interesting ones. I was browsing the South African blogs on Amatomu but I really didn't find much interesting stuff at all. Something I like about the blogs above is that they all have something to say about current affairs... and its always good to hear different people's takes on the goings on of the world, and the goings on in South Africa in particular.
Perhaps I should let it inspire me to write more thoughts on current events...
- Communist University - Maybe it sounds a bit sinister, but this guy always has an interesting take on current events with lots of great references. Its well worth reading, if only for a different perspective on things.
- Reggie - Self-described as "a Piece of my mind on public issues, post-colonial faith, reconciliation and anti-racism, but in general, my take on what happens around me." I don't know what post-colonial faith is, but it sounds interesting.
- I write what I like - Clearly this guy is a Steve Biko fan.
- thinking aloud - Pitso's "wide spectrum of thoughts... from South African politics, current affairs, religious debates and many other topics..." Looks like a great blog.
- Musings - I love this visible policing pic :) And look at that, a post about my arch nemesis home affairs. Good one dude.
Maybe I'll add to the list when I find more interesting ones. I was browsing the South African blogs on Amatomu but I really didn't find much interesting stuff at all. Something I like about the blogs above is that they all have something to say about current affairs... and its always good to hear different people's takes on the goings on of the world, and the goings on in South Africa in particular.
Perhaps I should let it inspire me to write more thoughts on current events...
A few of my favourite things
I took a walk down to Exclusive Books today. I love Exclusive Books. I love book shops. I love books actually, thats the bottom line. I wish I could walk into Exclusive Books with a couple of thousand rands and just feel free to buy.
The section I always linger longest in in Exclusive is the African / South African section. Thats where I got Albert Luthuli's autobiography, for example, and Colour Bar, the story of Seretse Khama and his wife. I spend more time there wishing I could buy books than actually buying books, sadly!
So today I perused the African / South African section and added to my list of books I would like to buy: Unbowed by Wangari Maathai, To The Brink by Xolela Mangcu. I'd rather like to read After the Party by Andrew Feinstein too. Cyril Ramaphosa's biography by Anthony Butler, Believe in Mairacles by Gerald Shaw. Amongst others. I'd really like to get hold of books about Oliver Thambo and Walter Sisulu, but I haven't found much yet. I've seen Oliver Tambo Remembered, but its a compilation of pieces by various people remembering him, and tributes to him. I'd rather read some sort of biography first. Oliver Tambo Remembered is also heinously expensive. Maybe I'll shell out for it when it comes out in soft cover.
I read Athol Fugard's Tsotsi recently and it completely ruined the movie for me. The book was amazing. In many ways the movie is true to the book, but it made changes here and there and the ending is entirely different. The most grievous difference for me, though, is that the movie lost so much of the depth of the book. I enjoyed the movie when I watched it, thought some parts disturbed me, and I was quite proud that it was a South African production. But now I just see it as a shallow attempt at the book.
Another book that made quite an impact on me was I Write What I Like by Steve Biko. For some reason I suddenly decided last year that I must read it, and I must read it immediately. So I searched for it *everywhere*. You would not believe the number of libraries that had copies of it that had gone missing. I eventually found it in a bookshop and bought it before it could disappear and while I was paying for it the shop assistant told me I was lucky to get it, that it was the last copy. I tore through it so fast that I should probably read it again to let it all sink in. One day, I confess, I took it to work with me and just sat in front of my computer and read it. It was pretty intense, it put me off life (and food) for a while.
My mom bought me Some of My Best Friends are White by Ndumiso Ngcobo for Christmas. Its a real laugh, but very crude in places so I can't really wholeheartedly recommend it, unfortunately. But its very funny, and insightful, and its probably the kind of book we need in South Africa at the moment. In that its quite light hearted but its also not afraid to tackle some really taboo subjects. Its a real people book, which I like.
I'm busy working my way through How Can Man Die Better? by Benjamin Pogrund, which is Robert Sobukwe's biography. I'm enjoying it but its quite heavy reading, so I've been reading it between other things.
Of course, there are always the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency books, which are a great delight!
And Albert Luthuli's autobiography Let My People Go is a must read for *everyone*. Yes, everyone. Read it. You can borrow it from me if you want, just return it on pain of death.
The section I always linger longest in in Exclusive is the African / South African section. Thats where I got Albert Luthuli's autobiography, for example, and Colour Bar, the story of Seretse Khama and his wife. I spend more time there wishing I could buy books than actually buying books, sadly!
So today I perused the African / South African section and added to my list of books I would like to buy: Unbowed by Wangari Maathai, To The Brink by Xolela Mangcu. I'd rather like to read After the Party by Andrew Feinstein too. Cyril Ramaphosa's biography by Anthony Butler, Believe in Mairacles by Gerald Shaw. Amongst others. I'd really like to get hold of books about Oliver Thambo and Walter Sisulu, but I haven't found much yet. I've seen Oliver Tambo Remembered, but its a compilation of pieces by various people remembering him, and tributes to him. I'd rather read some sort of biography first. Oliver Tambo Remembered is also heinously expensive. Maybe I'll shell out for it when it comes out in soft cover.
I read Athol Fugard's Tsotsi recently and it completely ruined the movie for me. The book was amazing. In many ways the movie is true to the book, but it made changes here and there and the ending is entirely different. The most grievous difference for me, though, is that the movie lost so much of the depth of the book. I enjoyed the movie when I watched it, thought some parts disturbed me, and I was quite proud that it was a South African production. But now I just see it as a shallow attempt at the book.
Another book that made quite an impact on me was I Write What I Like by Steve Biko. For some reason I suddenly decided last year that I must read it, and I must read it immediately. So I searched for it *everywhere*. You would not believe the number of libraries that had copies of it that had gone missing. I eventually found it in a bookshop and bought it before it could disappear and while I was paying for it the shop assistant told me I was lucky to get it, that it was the last copy. I tore through it so fast that I should probably read it again to let it all sink in. One day, I confess, I took it to work with me and just sat in front of my computer and read it. It was pretty intense, it put me off life (and food) for a while.
My mom bought me Some of My Best Friends are White by Ndumiso Ngcobo for Christmas. Its a real laugh, but very crude in places so I can't really wholeheartedly recommend it, unfortunately. But its very funny, and insightful, and its probably the kind of book we need in South Africa at the moment. In that its quite light hearted but its also not afraid to tackle some really taboo subjects. Its a real people book, which I like.
I'm busy working my way through How Can Man Die Better? by Benjamin Pogrund, which is Robert Sobukwe's biography. I'm enjoying it but its quite heavy reading, so I've been reading it between other things.
Of course, there are always the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency books, which are a great delight!
And Albert Luthuli's autobiography Let My People Go is a must read for *everyone*. Yes, everyone. Read it. You can borrow it from me if you want, just return it on pain of death.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Worth noting
Some quotes worth noting:
Politically we stand for government of the Africans for the Africans by the Africans with everybody who owes his only loyalty to Africa and accepts the democratic rule of an African majority, being regarded as an African.
- Robert Sobukwe, article in Contact, 30 May (year?) (reproduced in How Can Man Die Better, The life of Robert Sobukwe, by Benjamin Pogrund)
Laws and conditions that tend to debase human personality - a God-given force - be they brought about by the State or other individuals, must be relentlessly opposed in the spirit of defiance shown by St. Peter when he said to the rulers of his day: "Shall we obey God or man?"
- Albert Luthuli, The Road to Freedom is via the Cross
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