Too much Lena Dunham, Lorde’s new album and a book to break your heart: what to watch, listen to and read this week: When I first watched Girls, I remember marvelling at Lena Dunham’s four twenty-something New Yorkers. Sex and the City it was not. I realised wistfully just how much I wished the series …
Young men on South Africa’s urban margins: new book follows their lives over 10 years: South Africa’s young people, aged 15 to 34, who make up more than 50% of the country’s working age population, bear a disproportionate burden of unemployment. They have done so for more than a decade. Of this group, those aged …
Inside an urban terror network: book reveals how police finally cracked Pagad gang violence in Cape Town: A campaign against gangsterism in Cape Town, South Africa led by the People Against Gangsterism and Drugs (Pagad) turned violent in the mid-1990s when a group known as Pagad G-Force began what became known as an urban terrorism …
Africa’s newest book prize is named after Andreé Blouin: who was she?: Andrée Blouin was a political activist and writer from the Central African Republic. Until recently, her name hardly ever appeared in the grand narratives of Africa’s liberation. When she died in 1986, her passing was hardly in the news – a stark contrast …
Michael Mosoeu Moerane was a pioneering composer in South Africa. A new book is restoring his place in history: Composer and educator Michael Mosoeu Moerane (1904-1980) is probably best known for a few evergreen choral works, including Della and Sylvia, still sung by choirs across South Africa today. And, of course, for his orchestral piece …
Consider The Turkey: philosopher’s new book might put you off your festive bird – and that’s exactly what he would want: Australian philosopher Peter Singer has been a champion of animal rights for more than 50 years. His basic philosophical position has remained the same: the suffering of animals is just as important as the …
Daniel Craig’s turn as queer writer and an ‘unfilmable’ book brought to life – what you should watch, read and see this week: William S. Burroughs was a gay drug addict. A knot of contradictions, he was also deeply homophobic, sexist, racist and a gun-loving conservative, a passion that would eventually lead to him to …
Angolan prince started campaign to end Atlantic slave trade long before Europeans did – new book: For centuries, it has been held that the ideas and movement for the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade came from western abolitionists. No input from Africans has been acknowledged. As a professor of African and Atlantic history, I …
Vulture Capitalism: Grace Blakeley’s new book is smart on what has gone wrong since the 1980s: Vulture Capitalism argues that there's no fixing the system. Bloomsbury, CC BY-SA Vulture Capitalism: Corporate Crimes, Backdoor Bailouts and the Death of Freedom is the latest book from the English economic and political journalist – and rising progressive star …
US Christian right has taken aim at LGBTIQ+ rights, sex education and abortion in Africa – new book: A new book – The US Christian Right and Pro-Family Politics in 21st Century Africa – reveals the role played by some right wing US Christian groups in trying to spread their social and moral influence in …
Women in South Africa’s armed struggle: new book records history at first hand: South Africa’s young democracy was a culmination of years of sweat, blood and revolution against the apartheid regime. In the early 1960s, after decades of “non-violence” as a policy of resistance, the African National Congress (ANC) and Pan Africanist Congress (PAC) formed …
Uncovering the mysteries of The Book of Kells – from myopic monks on magic mushrooms to superhuman detail: The Book of Kells is a late-eighth century illustrated copy of the four gospels of the New Testament, traditionally associated with the affiliated monasteries of Iona in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland and Kells in County Meath, …
Black Ghosts: Noo Saro-Wiwa’s new book is a powerful reflection on Africans in China: Noo Saro-Wiwa is a celebrated Nigerian-born travel writer. Her latest book is Black Ghosts. It explores, with candour and compassion, the lives of several African economic migrants living in China, a group of people who are key to trade between the …
Weird Medieval Guys: this deeply researched book takes you on a romp through the Middle Ages: Detail of a creature pulling a face from the margins of a medieval manuscript. British Library, CC BY-NC Packed full of satire, stunning imagery and interactive maps and quizzes, Weird Medieval Guys is a deep-dive into some of the …
South African politicians vs judges: new book defends the constitution: In 1994, South Africa became a democracy founded on a supreme constitution. The constitution’s preamble affirms the nation’s quest to establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights. The constitution clearly envisioned political accountability and judicial review of executive and …
Good Jew, Bad Jew: new book explores why the west views brutality against Ukrainians and Palestinians differently: In a recently published book Steven Friedman, who has written extensively on the political and social aspects of apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa, explores the racist underpinnings of the west’s responses to Israel’s war in Gaza. This is …
Saltburn: why you should read Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, the book that inspired the new film: Ever since I first read Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited as a master’s students many years ago, I have been smitten. Literary trends and fashions come and go, but I still return to Brideshead every couple of years for …
Spoilers can’t ruin true enjoyment of your favourite book series, TV show or sports team – here’s why: As I write this, my wife is desperately trying to avoid spoilers for the latest episode of Strictly Come Dancing. Having missed the original broadcast, she has been frantically logging out of all forms of social media, …