TI302 11.01 2022

R35

R17.50 to the vendor

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by Thomas P. Peschak PAGE 36

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68E

PAG

ROOTS AND SHOOTS COLLECTOR'S EDITION

Hottest book reviews Bless you Percy Tucker Where were you in the 80s? Joburg: walking back in time 3 funny guys in New Material Nurturing inner-city kids Festive entertainment Recipes 21302

ISSUE #302

NOV 2021 – JAN 2022

CHANGE IS IN YOUR POCKET

9 781990 958502

Giving a hand up, not a hand-out.

Future Foundations is the Novus Holdings social investment programme which is firmly rooted in the belief that empowering lives and uplifting communities is key to sustainable development.

The iGardi Food Project provides underprivileged communities with access to a nutritious diet by teaching them to grow and maintain their own food gardens.

Future Foundations supports the iGardi Food Project as we believe it truly empowers communities by giving them a hand up rather than a hand-out. www.futurefoundations.co.za

[ ED’S LETTER ]

Welcome to our Roots and Shoots Collector’s edition Picking through South Africa’s history in preparation for this issue has revealed many curious stories. But what makes a moment significantly historic? History is a record of the passage of time marked in some way or other that accounts for events as they

From our Managing Director Dear Readers

happened, not as we would have liked them to have happened.

With that in mind, we have gathered those old and new stories that best represent what The Big Issue is all about. Roots, that signify the past, and shoots, the new.

But first, a bit about our cover image. National Geographic photographer, Thomas P. Peschak, who lives in Cape Town, photographs ocean images with integrity, empathy and respect.

His new book Wild Seas is a glossy collection of images which pays respect to our natural heritage, our oceans. Turn to page 36 to view some of his spectacular collection.

Three funny South Africans grace our movie screens this holiday season with the release of New Material starring Riaad Moosa, Schalk Bezuidenhout and Joey Rasdien. Read the interview on page 59 and while you’re at it, check out the best Christmas markets to visit.

Journalist Lucille Davie’s heritage tours of Joburg reveal curious, lesser-known facts about the city and surroundings. Her knowledge is an eye-opener. If you’re in Joburg, book a tour. For those travelling to Cape Town this holiday, Cape Town Greenmap provides a free heritage map with easy explainers that you won’t find on an ordinary GPS. And, in case you’re in a zone with no signal, you can always rely on a hard copy map! It’s the ultimate holiday resource to have at hand.

Foodies, rejoice, because we’ve included a different recipe from Gennaro Contaldo’s beautiful new book Limoni. A published cookbook is a tried and trusted gem for cooking with recipes that won’t flop and are accurately written and makes a great gift.

Enjoy the read!

We are living in interesting times. We hope.

The recent local government elections have indicated that the establishment is ripe for the small to disrupt. This, in a way, reflects the theme for this edition, ‘Roots and Shoots’. Our editorial is focused on how, in these times, many of us, our institutions and organisations included, are asked to evolve and adapt in a Darwinian manner to the new realities we face as a society and a civilisation.

We highlight a few of the entities who have done exactly that, including The Big Issue itself. In addition, we have created our own new ‘shoot,’ the little issue magazine – 120 000 little issue magazines are distributed nationally, free of charge, to more than 300 primary schools and ECDs in five of the most populous provinces.

Major national Child Literacy NGOs collaborate with us, distributing little issue magazines to Grade R-3 learners located predominantly in townships.

Another ‘new shoot’ for the 27-year-old Big Issue is conducting a pilot, placing it and little issue magazines on the shelves of Pick n Pay and Spar supermarkets nationwide, outside the physical footprint of the greater metro of Cape Town.

One more ‘new shoot’ from little issue – a dedicated animation channel on

Laura Jones Editor, The Big Issue

2

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

ROOTS AND SHOOTS COLLECTOR'S EDITION

YouTube for young learners. We have set up our own animation studio, partnering with young animation entrepreneurs.

To our Cape Town-based customers – thank you for supporting our on-street vendors over the many years.

To our new nationwide supermarket

YOUR VOICE IS IMPORTANT TO US Join the conversation on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Email comments to laura.jones@mikatekomedia.co.za

customers, we hope you continue to enjoy

facebook.com/bigissuesa

our award-winning magazine while also supporting job creation.

@BigIssueSA

Stay safe and enjoy the festive season!

WHERE TO FIND THE BIG ISSUE

Derek Carelse MD, The Big Issue

The Big Issue is sold nationally at selected Spar and Pick n Pay stores outside the metros of Cape Town, or from a vendor near you in Cape Town. Remember, The Big Issue is a hand up, not a handout.

[ WE ARE VENDORS ]

A TRIBUTE TO OUR LONG-SERVING VENDORS The Big Issue is South Africa’s number one street magazine and social enterprise, creating opportunities to end poverty and exclusion. Our long-serving vendors are those people who’ve partnered with us and taken steps to help themselves over the years. The Big Issue can be purchased from vendors in the suburbs of Cape Town, or from select Spar or Pick n Pay stores nationally.

Hout Bay, Cape Town Who: Joseph Klink, vendor number: 207 Location: Hout Bay Resides in: a retirement village in Bonnievale.

Joined The Big Issue: almost 25 years ago. He became a vendor a year after the magazine opened in South Africa.

At that time Joseph had been living on the streets for five years after he lost his job as a seaman.

About: Joseph has been with The Big Issue for a very long time. He started selling in Woodstock, moved to Wynberg and now sells in Hout Bay. He recalls that when he started selling, he would earn R1 per magazine. Now this has become R12.50. Despite the hardships that he has faced living on the streets, plus many health complications, he says, “I can’t give up. As long I have breath and good health I will carry on.” The Big Issue has helped Joseph get back on his feet and start earning some money for himself. He believes in working very hard and sells magazines from Sunday to Sunday. He says whether it is hot or raining, people will find him at his pitch, selling.

He is well known by tourists and residents in the area because of his dedication.

Children: Joseph has nine children. Six girls and three boys. He also has 23 grandchildren. Five unfortunately died but he is expecting two more.

Hopes and dreams: he would like his customers to continue to support him. He supports himself with the money earned from selling to pay for his rent, electricity, water and food at his retirement village.

4

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

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[ WE ARE VENDORS ]

Sea Point, Cape Town Who: Shadrack Rolihlahla, vendor number: 0954 Location: corner of Main and Glengariff Roads, Sea Point.

Resides in: Delft Joined The Big Issue: in 1998 from the Eastern Cape.

About: Shadrack says, “I am nothing without The Big Issue.”

The magazine has played a pivotal role in his life and given him motivation to carry on every day. He has learnt life lessons through selling the magazine, which include: never to give up, respect people, be polite when talking to customers and to work for himself. He says whenever he sells the magazine, he tries to represent it well through his behaviour. He has passed on the legacy of selling The Big Issue to his wife Babalwa. Both sell the magazine on the same pitch. He describes himself as a person who loves people.

Children: one daughter and a grandson who he supports. He lost his son to a shooting in 2017 in Delft.

Hopes and dreams: Shadrack finished school in standard three and he would like to resume again to perfect his spoken and written English.

Constantia, Cape Town

6

IMAGES AND SOURCE: TSEPHISO NHEMACHENA

Who: Xoliswa Ntunta, vendor number: 1177 Location: Constantia Village Resides in: Khayelitsha Joined the Big Issue: in 2002 About: started selling in Sea Point before she moved to Constantia Village. Some of her children were once vendors at The Big Issue. Her magazine sales paid for school fees for one of her daughters and helped her to earn a home-based qualification. The Big Issue has helped her to gain various skills apart from helping her earn some money.

Children: Xoliswa has six children. Three boys, three girls and also 11 grandchildren.

Hopes and dreams: to finish extending her RDP house and putting a gate in front of it. Her niece is in first year at University of Cape Town and is in need of a laptop and she’d like help with that. Xoliswa would also want to acquire a sewing machine for herself to make wonder bags, a skill she gained through The Big Issue. She makes the bags by hand and would like to upgrade.

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

THIS SUMMER

SUPPORT LOCAL RESTAURANTS HERE’S HOW NO. 1

NO. 2

NO. 3

DINE OUT

ORDER IN

WEAR A MASK

NO. 4

NO. 5

BUY MERCHANDISE

WASH YOUR HANDS

NO. 6

NO. 7

TIP WELL

BE KIND

[ SOCIAL WORK COLUMN ]

A

ccess to recreational facilities and services helps

The exposure that comes with accessing recreational facilities broadens minds ...

THE LITTLE OPTIMIST operates from Battery Park at the V&A Waterfront and other locations in South Africa. Their aim is to use sailing to facilitate healing (mental and physical) and their Sailing Therapy experiences and programs play a key role in helping kids who are compromised either health or socio-economically wise, to overcome their physical and mental hardships. www.thelittleoptimist.org

8

Greg Bertish, who imparted knowledge on some social skills, such as optimism

with the improvement of the general health, well-being, and the

and resilience, very important skills especially given the children’s

skills development of individuals.

backgrounds. The children also learnt

Yet these are not easily accessible to everyone, especially children from

the basics of sailing then had a chance to sail.

impoverished backgrounds in South Africa, the children of our vendors

Despite the bad weather and some children being hesitant at first, all the

included. Poverty makes them socially excluded. Social exclusion, though

children participated in sailing. After sailing, the children said that they had

complex, incorporates the inability of one to participate in the social activities

enjoyed the experience and would want to participate in this activity

available to many people in society, such as accessing recreational facilities.

This poses many disadvantages for

again on a day with better weather.

Big smiles were certainly seen on their faces showing how much they’d

them. They lack the exposure which

enjoyed the experience of being in a

limits their interests and possibly skills they could develop. The exposure that

boat on the water.

Apart from the sailing itself, the

comes with accessing recreational facilities broadens minds and it can

holistic program was packed with information, and facilitators educated

spark some interests which can then be developed to become skills. Taking the children of vendors on outings is an opportunity to take them out of the township and for them to see what is out there. We want to broaden their minds for them to be able to dream big and not to be limited by their circumstances. This thinking is important as it will be helpful for them

the children about water safety, plastic pollution, and ocean health.

Throughout the day we had all our snacks and lunch provided for us. The children also received certificates and badges for their bravery. Towards the end of the day, the children visited the Two Oceans Aquarium and received an opportunity to learn about some sea creatures and even touch them. We

to break out of the poverty cycle in the future. Exposing them to recreational facilities goes beyond social inclusion but it is an investment in their health, their well-being and their productivity.

It is surely an investment in their future.

The social benefits of these outings include an overall improvement in the quality of life, and social connections.

On the 16th of October, The Little Optimist hosted eight of our vendors’ children at their facilities in V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. They warmly welcomed us with hot chocolate, which was much needed as it was a cold, rainy and windy day. The children received their goody bags which contained The Little Optimist cap, bracelet, a Little Optimist book and a workbook. The full day’s program started off with a talk from Founder

toured the aquarium for an hour after which we boarded a shuttle service, organised by The Little Optimist, which ferried us back to The Big Issue offices from the V&A Waterfront. Everyone enjoyed a fun-filled day.

We are extremely grateful to The Little Optimist sailing therapy that helped us with the children’s outing and helped us meet our desire to expose the children to a different side of the world that many have never seen.

Thank you!

Tsephi Nhemachena Social Worker, The Big Issue

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

FROM OUR SOCIAL WORKER’S DESK The children of our vendors have little access to some activities in Cape Town that are usually available to the majority of people. The Big Issue organised a day of sailing and fun for our vendors’ kids with The Little Optismist.

WORDS AND IMAGES: TSEPHISO NHEMACHENA

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

9

[ WRITER’S CORNER ]

Under African skies Scatterling of Africa, a memoir by Johnny Clegg, gives us insight into the man behind the scenes. It is a newly released origin story, a story about roots, as Johnny wrote it and wanted it told ... read the review on page 16.

T

he late great Johnny Clegg was born in England on 7 June 1953.

He grew up in Zimbabwe and South Africa and spent a formative year in Zambia as that country transitioned to independence in 1964. Together with Zulu musician, Sipho Mchunu, Johnny formed the multiracial band

Africans’ lives during the 70s and 80s as the country moved from legislated oppression to democratic freedom.

It crossed borders, boundaries and generations, resonating around the world and back again.

Juluka. They toured all of South Africa, performing in township halls and at music festivals. The song Scatterlings of Africa, a hit in 1979, launched their international career. Johnny Clegg died on 16 July 2019, leaving his wife Jenny, and sons Jesse and Jaron.

The story tells how the son of an unconventional mother and grandson of Jewish immigrants came to realise that identity can be a choice, and that home is a place you leave and return to as surely as the seasons change.

This memoir of the early days is filled with extraordinary stories of the determination with which Johnny pursued his quest to play the music he wanted, to the people who wanted to hear it. Written with passion and humour, it is also a record of the absurdity and tragedy of the times.

The Clegg family has said: “We are hugely proud to be able share this memoir that Johnny worked so hard on for several years. For Johnny, this book was both a process of coming to terms with his own cultural identity and reliving the most special, formative

EVOCATIVE MUSIC As a 14-year-old, Johnny listened to Zulu street music as plucked by Charlie Mzila on the strings of a guitar one evening outside a corner café in Bellevue, Johannesburg, describing it as a ‘magical’ moment. The success story of Juluka and later Savuka, and the cross-cultural celebration of music, language, story, dance and song that stirred the hearts of millions across the world, is well documented. Their music was the soundtrack to many South

10

THE BEGINNING

moments that defined his journey.

This unique South African story is a testament to the power of human connection and friendships across cultural, political and social divides.

In his own words, he takes us on the great adventure of his early years with all its hardships, complexities and selfdiscoveries. Discussions are underway with a prominent director for the screenplay and an announcement is due shortly.”

Terry Morris, MD of Pan Macmillan South Africa, comments on the book: “What a privilege for the Pan Macmillan team to bring Johnny’s remarkable memoir into the world.

This book will find its way into the hearts of readers and fans through the mesmerising stories, musings and reflections in which Johnny reveals a world of music and dance and grapples with identity and his own sense of belonging in the world.

Johnny’s writing is steeped in humour and wisdom and you will be richer for having stepped into his world.”

Loved by a nation.

Rest in peace Johnny Clegg.

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

SNEAK PEEK Here are snippets from the book, as written by Johnny, published by Pan Macmillan, and available via www.panmacmillan.co.za Charlie Mzila and Walking with Songs It was 1967 in apartheid South Africa and I was 14 years old, living with my mother in the working-class white suburb of Bellevue. I had been sent up to the local corner café to buy milk and bread. Outside the café stood a young black street musician. He was leaning against a classic red English telephone booth with his guitar strapped over one shoulder. He was playing a complicated rhythmic picking line in a kind of absent-minded way.

A Map for Manhood Most of my life I have felt a kind of internal rootlessness, a result of my upbringing in three different countries – Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa – and being born in a fourth, England, but never knowing it, having left at the age of six months. At moments I am still a stranger to myself, and have over the years been ambushed by conflicts and paradoxes in my struggle to know who I am and how I construct myself and how the wider world constructs me.

There are moments in life that are pure, and which seem to hang in the air, unhitched from the everyday world as we know it. Suspended for a few seconds, they float in their own space and time with their own hidden prospects.

For want of a better term, we call these moments ‘magical’ and when we remember them, they are cloaked in a halo of special meaning.”

– JOHNNY CLEGG

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

11

[ BOOK REVIEWS ]

Inside The Good Book Appreciation Society A collection of book reviews from The Good Book Appreciation Society – a Facebook book club with almost 15 000 very active reading members.

WORDS: COMPILED BY PAIGE NICK, NOVELIST AND FOUNDER OF THE GOOD BOOK APPRECIATION SOCIETY

Thank you to the reviewers at The Good Book Appreciation Society, without which, these pages would not have been possible.

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White Trash by Terry Angelos, reviewed by Nancy Richards I thought “Digging up my past has not been easy” was a bit of an understatement from Terry Angelos, who notes that writing a book is often compared to birthing a child – and she would know. White Trash covers her descent into the ‘seedy underbelly’ of life as a 20-year-old high-class call girl in London – no easy ride. Luckily, as she wrote, she had not only her husband to ‘hold her hand and wipe away her tears,’ but midwife-publisher Melinda Ferguson who encouraged her to push hard and harder, till, I would imagine, the last drops of blood, sweat and tears were spewed and spent.

“It’s taken 32 years to feel ready to write down my story … this is my search to understand … the origins of my deviance.” So steel yourself. But the scabs at which she picks are not just those of champagne-fuelled sleaze and sex in the London of ’89. She also beats back the path to a town called Sinoia, 100 or so kilometres north of Harare where her ‘White town’ of “bright swimming towels on washing lines and obedient hedges” is in gut-wrenching contrast to the “Black location, place

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

of ragged clothing whimpering in the wind.” So there’s guilt. After moving to South Africa, being the daughter of two teachers, there are also guys, pimply and otherwise, and the ghastliness of being the new girl, the outsider and the loud and promiscuous rebel. And as a rebel with no real cause, she opts to go to London, which is where, like a leaf on the water, she washes up on some pretty murky banks. And where, once again she is confronted with skin-colour conflict, though in a rather different way. But in a big city, when there’s no one to guide you and money is scarce, it doesn’t take long to get in with dodgy company and succumb to the call-girl calling.

To cut to the chase, eventually the rebel finds safety and salvation in God and in Steve. What happens in between, in that year in London, is eyebrow-raising stuff that takes us back to “digging up the past” not being easy. That Terry has finally got all this off her chest is laudable and testimony to the maxim, that the truth will set you free to move on. So now that it’s out there, hopefully she is liberated. But her story will surely have a sobering and cautionary effect on anyone who reads it.

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

13

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[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

Wayfarers’ Hymns by Zakes Mda, reviewed by Andie Miller Fans of Ways of Dying and Cion, there’s a treat for you – Toloki the professional mourner is back! Spun out of one phrase in parentheses in Cion ‘(and later of Lesotho … but that is a story for another time),’ Wayfarers’ Hymns slips chronologically neatly between the first two. But this is not Toloki’s story, though he plays a large part in it.

Boy-child is a singer of hymns. He roams the hills and valleys of Lesotho, first playing his concertina, and later moving on to the accordion, singing about his sister. “Woe unto a kheleke who has no sister,” the narrator tells us, “for the best he can do is sing about his paternal aunt, his rakhali, unless there is another formidable woman in his life. Provided it is not his wife.

No self-respecting kheleke sings the praises of his wife in public, lest he invite vultures to his homestead while he rambles the land to the rhythm of the accordion and drums.”

This wandering might sound like a gentle pastoral life, but it is beset with the gang violence between rival accordion players, many of whom moonlight as zama zamas, competing for illegal mining rights. You know who is who from the colours of their blankets. His sister would like boy-child to follow in his father’s footsteps and get a job as a miner, a legal one. But he is not interested in any of it. He is a poet.

At the funeral of one of these accordion players, some would say the greatest singer of hymns that ever lived, in whose footsteps boychild plans to follow, he meets Toloki.

For Toloki, of course, is looking for interesting deaths to mourn, and the bulk of the deaths in South Africa he says have become boringly similar. They lack the drama of the violent deaths that he used to mourn during the upheavals of the political transition.

Toloki washes more these days.

Noria, the love of his life, taught him

this when he was homeless in the city.

But he still loves swiss roll with onions.

And that costume he found in Ways of Dying seems transcendental, outliving everyone he mourns.

What stood out for me in this book was an utterly gorgeous story in the midst of the novel, which could stand as a short story on its own, about boy-child making a long bus journey as a teenager with his father, for the first time outside his district, to stand in line to buy his trademark blanket.

His father, a taciturn man, does not

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

show his son much affection. But this act of including him in his journey is in itself an act of love, and now he treasures his late father’s blanket, his only remaining inheritance. That was also the first time he had heard the accordion.

If you haven’t read any of Zakes Mda’s Toloki books, I’d say start with Ways of Dying. But reading Wayfarers’ Hymns and then going back to the others, as I did (Ways of Dying had become a distant memory to me by then) is a good way to go, too. Enjoy!

15

[ BOOK REVIEWS ]

Bait. To catch a killer by Janine Lazarus, reviewed by Hazel Makuzeni This book is about more than just ‘The Norwood Serial Killer’s’ reign of terror in a suburb in Johannesburg. It’s also about its author: Janine Lazarus. A maverick South African investigative reporter also known as ‘The Queen of Sleaze’ due to her love for exposing stories that were sensational and truly horrific in the early 1990’s.

It all begins late 1992 when Janine is a crime investigator for the Sunday Star. Chastised by her editor, Dave Hazelhurst, for not reporting on a spate of rape attacks taking place right at her front door, Janine is devastated.

How could she miss such a breaking news story? How could she disappoint ‘Hazey,’ her editor and mentor? The man she worships. And so begins her Scatterling of Africa by Johnny Clegg, reviewed by Kate Sidley Johnny Clegg’s Scatterling of Africa tells about his formative years, and how he came to be the man he was. A young white, Jewish boy followed his heart, his curious mind and the sound of Zulu street music into a completely different world. He fell in love with Zulu music, the language and dance, and that shaped a remarkable, original life.

Johnny was a marvellous storyteller who could hold a stadium or a supper table rapt with his extraordinary stories, his humour and his insights. He has the same effect in this book – I was completely absorbed by his story, rushing back to it and finishing it quickly over two days. As well as his own fascinating origin story, the book takes the reader into the migrant hostels of Joburg, to deep rural Zululand, to the township halls where he and Sipho Mchunu first played, to WITS in the late 70s and early 80s. He reflects on identity, migration, warrior culture, masculinity and more, and tries to make meaning of the complex, harsh and beautiful world he knew.

The book was unfinished when Johnny died. Some chapters complete, others in less-formed notes. The family made the decision not to have another writer try to fill in the gaps, but rather to give structure and shape to what Johnny had written, and it works. The words are Johnny’s own, and his distinctive voice and vibrancy and way of seeing the world are there on every page. It’s a profound and wonderful book.

16

relentless search for the story, and her obsession with the perpetrator. An obsession that will linger with her for almost 30 years.

This book is riveting from start to finish. Janine is living in a flat on Iris Road in Norwood when the suburb becomes the epicentre of rape and murder. Two women are raped in neighbourhood apartment blocks and the following month, another two are raped and then killed. Working closely with the Norwood Police Station and the hardened detectives from Brixton Murder and Robbery Squad, Janine learns that the killer is of blood type O and prowls on his victims between 10pm and 3am while they’re in their bedrooms. Norwood is gripped with mayhem. Terrified single women move out of the suburb to stay with loved ones.

A deadly game of cat and mouse ensues. A psychopath is on the loose and our investigative reporter is consumed by what she calls “the

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

biggest crime story of my life.” So determined was she to get the man now dubbed ‘The Norwood Serial Killer,’ and be the first to break the crime story of the year, Janine agreed to let the Brixton Murder and Robbery Squad use her flat as a surveillance point. I’m hardly surprised that she didn’t hesitate to act as a decoy when asked by the detectives.

Always drawn to the darker side of life, she has covered gritty stories including: a political assassination, an infamous paedophile, and a sensational crime of passion. A toughened newshound, Janine was never afraid to get her hands dirty. She went to any length to get her story – even posing undercover as a prostitute while working for the Sunday Star. That story left me in stitches.

She left the newsroom in April of 1994. She left in a state of deep trauma.

Bait takes you on the roller-coaster ride that is Janine’s life. Her mother wanted her to study law and settle down with a good Jewish doctor or accountant but that was not to be. Janine is a free spirit. I’m in awe of the things she has done and what she’s been through.

There are some chapters in the book that will leave you in disbelief. The Girl Cop chapter is one. I just wanted to weep after reading this. Our country is so very violent. I’m not at all surprised then that after all the brutalities she has witnessed, including scenes of decapitated and dying victims of crime, Janine crashed. The diagnosis: severe depression and anxiety.

Bait is a great crime story. The fact that it’s based on someone’s personal encounter with a serial killer makes it even more fascinating – and such a worthwhile read. I’m glad and relieved that Janine Lazarus is still here with us and free at last.

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

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[ LOOKING BACK ]

How old were you when Trevor Romain was in school?

WORDS AND IMAGE: TREVOR ROMAIN, AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR

I

t was a typical morning on a normal day at primary school,

Picked crab apples and launched them at my brother Steve or at any

Ate a sausage roll from the tuck shop that was so dry I almost choked on the

in Johannesburg – the weather though, a bit nippy.

other kids in range.

When I got to school, I either…

flaky, pastry part.

Played conkers with an acorn tied

I warmed my school uniform on the Capil heater. (Who knew that asbestos

Played stingers with a tennis ball trying to sting the crap out of the kids

to a shoestring. Made Scooby-doos as keyrings, instead of doing litter patrol.

was toxic? Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why I’m ADD.)

who were playing. (After all, the game was called stingers.)

Accidentally-on-purpose let my yoyo go while doing an ‘Around The

I ate my ProNutro, or it might have

18

Copied Caren, Pamela or Moira’s

World’ manoeuvre, hitting some poor,

been Jungle Oats, or Weetbix, and drank my milk from the bottle that

homework.

Played marbles. “Shy here a four

unsuspecting ‘pipi-joller’ on the back of the head. (Why did the Coke yoyos

miraculously appeared at the front door every morning.

While I was having breakfast we listened to Springbok Radio. At the time the news was normally followed by the weather report.

Stuck in the back of my little brain I can clearly remember the way in which the weather was presented.

The announcer would say, “From Port Alfred to Port St. Johns, partly cloudy and mild to warm … .”

And on he went, from region to region. No temperatures, but descriptions of the weather. (I actually think we were still doing imperial measurements when I was in primary school. The switch to the metric system was really confusing.)

On normal days, on the way to school I would probably did at least one of the following: Kicked rocks all the way to school and scuffed my Bata Toughees.

Teased at least three dogs behind gates.

Jumped over a fence and borrowed mulberry leaves, in summer, for my silkworms, arriving at school with mulberry stains around my mouth.

man.” I have no idea what ‘shy’ means in that context.

Then the bell rang and I probably: participated in assembly while sitting on the hall floor or standing outside in the quadrangle.

Heard morning announcements.

Said the Lord’s Prayer.

Pulled a few pigtails.

Sang All things bright and beautiful.

Stung kids’ necks in front of me with an elastic band.

Heard Psalm 23.

Found out if I was in the soccer team.

Found out that I was NOT in the Ter Horst cricket team. (I still have no idea what Ter Horst means.)

Was told about the school fete.

Got totally bored and: vaguely heard the updates about the school play, the big walk, scholar patrol news and a stern warning concerning the lady down the road who took exception to boys stealing mulberry leaves.

Stole a ‘Pikkie’ condensed milk from the haversack of the guy sitting in front of me.

Swapped my cold toasted cheese sarmie for a bag of Simba salt and vinegar chips.

always work better than the Fanta ones?)

I must say education was the last thing on my mind during my primary school days. Fun, girls, fun, art class, fun, music, fun, mischief, and so on.

One day we had a test at school. We were told it was a very important test and we were to take it very seriously, and not mess around. “I’m talking to you, Mr. Romain.”

I took the test very seriously (and because I am not the brightest spark) I made sure I copied all the answers very carefully from the guy who sat next to me.

We never got the results of the test but I did notice that, for a while, the teachers spoke to me like I was a tad slow.

I discovered that the test was an IQ one. Yes, an IQ test.

I, in all my wisdom, was so petrified of failing the test that I had copied all the answers.

The problem was that I had copied from the dumbest guy in class, bless his heart.

Guess who was the dumb guy?

Me. Duh!

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

Remember when …

ABOUT TREVOR ROMAIN Trevor Romain has been entertaining, educating, and inspiring both children and adults with his bestselling books for more than 30 years.

Achievements include his awardwinning animation series, and noteable success as a keynote speaker and storyteller. Being South-African born and American by choice, Trevor has written more than 50 books that have sold more than a million copies worldwide and published in 23 different languages. Thousands of educators have used Trevor’s materials to help kids who are facing some difficult situations such as bullying, divorce, deployment, grief/trauma, homework, to name a few. He has travelled to schools, hospitals, orphanages, refugee camps, and military bases worldwide, delivering his unique heartfelt self-messages of resilience, compassion and encouraging kids to safely express themselves.

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

19

[ CHARLOTTE MAXEKE ]

WHERE WAS CHARLOTTE BORN? Charlotte Makgomo Mannya was born in Ramokgopa in the Polokwane (Pietersburg) District on 7 April 1874.

She received a missionary education at Edwards Memorial School in the Eastern Cape in the early 1880s. In 1885, after the discovery of diamonds, Maxeke moved to Kimberley with her family. While in Kimberley, she became a teacher.

As a dedicated churchgoer, Maxeke and her sister, Katie, joined the African Jubilee Choir in 1891, and toured England for two years. During this tour, Maxeke performed for Queen Victoria, allegedly in Victorian costume.

Sources state that the sisters were uncomfortable with being treated as novelties in London, and during this time, Maxeke is said to have attended suffragette speeches by women such as Charlotte Manye Maxeke, 7 April 1874 – 16 October 1939, South Africa.

Charlotte Maxeke was one of the first black female graduates in South Africa and one of the first black South Africans to fight for freedom from exploitative and social conditions of African women. Her contributions to black women’s rights and issues should never be forgotten. This article, supplied by South African History Online, www.sahistory.org.za, has been carefully compiled to bring you an accurate historical account of the power of one , who changed the course for all black women in South Africa.

Emmeline Pankhurst.

With hopes of pursuing an education, Maxeke went on a second tour to the United States of America (USA) with her church choir in 1894 [some sources state this date as 1896]. When the tour collapsed, Maxeke stayed in the USA and studied at Wilberforce University in Cleveland, Ohio, which was controlled by the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC). At the university, she was taught under Pan-Africanist, W.E.B Du Bois, and received an education that was focused on developing her as a future missionary in Africa.

TOP-NOTCH EDUCATION She graduated with a BSc degree from Wilberforce University, where she also

HONOURING A RARE INDIVIDUAL 20

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

SOURCE: ‘CHARLOTTE MAXEKE (NÉE MANYE)’ FROM SOUTH AFRICAN HISTORY ONLINE, WWW.SAHISTORY.ORG.ZA. PUBLISHED UNDER CREATIVE COMMONS LICENSE.

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

met her husband, Marshall Maxeke, who

and political situation occupied by

SOURCES

had come to the university in 1896. They were engaged when they both returned

women. In Umteteli wa Bantu she addressed the ‘woman question.’ As

Many cite Charlotte Maxeke’s birthplace as Fort Beaufort

to South Africa in 1901, Maxeke as one of South Africa’s first black female

an early opponent of passes for black women, Maxeke was politically active

the Eastern Cape, however, there are others that claim she was

graduates.

throughout her adult life. She helped

born in the Polokwane area, as her

Maxeke was greatly influenced by AMEC and, through her connections

organise the anti-pass movement in Bloemfontein in 1913 and founded

birth name Charlotte Makgomo Mannya is Sotho or Pedi. This is

with the Ethiopian Church, AMEC was founded in South Africa. She became

the Bantu Women’s League of the SANNC in 1918.

consistent with her being born in the Ramokgopa district and sources

the organiser of the Women’s Mite Missionary Society in Johannesburg,

As leader of this organisation, she led a delegation to Prime Minister

confirm that her family did in fact live in the Dwaars River area under Chief

and then moved to the Polokwane (then Pietersburg) area. Here she joined

Louis Botha to discuss the issue of passes for women. This was followed

Ramokgopa for a while. It is possible that Maxeke’s birth place was

her family in Dwaars River, under Chief Ramakgopa, who gave her money to start a school. However, the school

by a protest the following year. She was also involved in protests on the Witwatersrand about low wages

confused with that of her husband, who was born in Middledrift in the

could not be completed, due to lack of

and participated in the formation of

Cape Colony (both Charlotte and her husband were born in 1874). African

government funding and the poverty of the local community.

the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) in 1920.

National Congress (ANC) sources also cite Pietersburg (now Polokwane) as

After this, Maxeke and her husband established a school at Evaton on

Maxeke was also involved in multiracial movements. She addressed

her birthplace in public lectures and

the Witwatersrand. The Maxekes went on to teach and evangelise in other places, including Thembuland in the Transkei under King Sabata Dalindyebo. It was here that Maxeke participated in the king’s court, a privilege unheard of for a woman.

However, the couple finally settled in Johannesburg, where they became involved in political movements.

the Women’s Reform Club in Pretoria, which was an organisation for the voting rights of women, and joined the Joint Council of Europeans and Bantus.

Maxeke was also elected as president of the Women’s Missionary Society.

In 1928, she attended a conference in the USA and became increasingly concerned about the welfare of Africans. She set up an employment

SOCIETY AND POLITICS Both she and her husband attended the launch of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) in Bloemfontein in 1912, and although her main concerns were church-linked social issues, Charlotte also wrote in Xhosa on the social

agency for Africans in Johannesburg and was the first black woman to become a parole officer for juvenile delinquents.

Maxeke was often honoured as the ‘Mother of Black Freedom in South Africa,’ and had an ANC nursery school named after her in Tanzania. She died in Johannesburg in 1939.

presentations in her honour.

In addition, it is also possible that her birthplace was confused with that of her sister Katie, who was born in Fort Beaufort on 28 July 1873, according to ‘The calling of Katie Makanya.’ However, since Charlotte was the elder sister, this also calls the exact date of her birth into question.

Research confirms that Maxeke spent her early life in the Eastern Cape, in the Port Elizabeth area.

The fact that she wrote in Xhosa, also reinforces this. SAHO elected to go with the sources that locate Ramokgopa in the Polokwane district as her place of birth as this seems most probable. However, they acknowledge that Maxeke must have moved to the Eastern Cape at a young age.

REFERENCES Brody, D (1998) Tribute to Charlotte Maxeke from Great Epic Books, Volume 2 March 1998, Number 3|Davenport, TRH(1999) South Africa: A modern history. London. p. 237|Hill, RA (1922) The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers, Africa for the Africans, June 1921 – December 1922, Volume IX, p. 113|Human Sciences Research Council, (2000) Women marching into the 21st Century: wathint’ abafazi wathint’ imbokodo, p.60|McCord, M (1995) The calling of Katie Makanya. Published by David Phillip Publishers: Cape Town. pg. 5-10|Motshekga, A. (2010) Charlotte Maxeke memorial lecture: Equal Opportunities and Progress, President of the ANC Women’s League and Minister of Basic Education, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein [Accessed 12 August 2010]|Meli, F (1988) A History of the ANC South Africa belongs to us. Harare. p. 13|Verwey, EJ (ed) (1995) New dictionary of South African biography. Pretoria. pp. 168- 170.|Wells, J (2008) Charlotte Maxeke in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History [online] Available at: www.mywire.com [Accessed 12 August 2010]

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

21

[ JOBURG HERITAGE ]

Walking I

back

n between the new chrome, estate living, loud billboards, malls,

dreary industry and the highways and byways of Johannesburg lies the old – a curious treasure trove of local history – if you know where to look.

Journalist, teacher, Joburg tour guide and heritage fundi, Lucille Davie, has researched Joburg’s history and heritage, writing for more than 12 years, for the Joburg City website.

SOPHIATOWN’S FALL AND RISE Writer, poet and political activist, Don Mattera, grew up in Sophiatown, where he experienced the brutality of apartheid first hand. His family was one of the last to be forcefully removed from the cosmopolitan suburb in the 1960s. Sophiatown shaped Don, but also blues singer, Dolly Rathebe, past ANC president and gynaecologist, Dr AB Xuma, who lived there for 30 years, and Anglican priest and anti-apartheid activist, Trevor Huddleston. Here you can see the buildings that escaped the bulldozers, hear the music of the 50s, and the eloquent words of Don Mattera and others. Lucille ends the tour with deliciously crafted cuisine at the Roving Bantu Kitchen in nearby Brixton.

Mural on the South transcept of the Church of Christ the King, Sophiatown, Johannesburg. This picture was taken in 1972 when the church was derelict. Trevor Huddleston, a missionary based at the Church of Christ the King, was one of the leaders of the opposition to the removals.

GANDHI FINDS HIMSELF Mahatma Gandhi left his mighty footprint in Jozi, the town he lived in for a good deal of his 21 years in South Africa, until his return to India in 1914.

He walked the dusty streets of the town, practised as a lawyer in Joburg, was incarcerated in the Fort prison, and developed his philosophy of Satyagraha or passive resistance here.

The city remembers this great man in Gandhi Square, where a sculpture of him reminds us that he practised as

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an attorney in the city. Lucille takes visitors on a stroll through some of the places in Jozi he made his own for a short while and the meander ends with a delicious vegetarian meal at Satyagraha House.

NELSON MANDELA’S JOBURG Our illustrious and beloved late former president made Joburg his home from the age of 21. He stayed at

various places in the city, in between visits around the country, until he was convicted of sabotage, and sent to Robben Island in July 1964. Upon his release in 1990 he returned to his home town of Jozi, and lived here until his death in December 2013. Join me on an often emotive journey to some of the places of significance to his life in Jozi.

We’ll finish the tour with a meal in Oaklands.

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

in time JOBURG’S HEARTBEAT Stand more or less where the first tents were erected in downtown Joburg by Colonel Ignatius Ferreira,

Historical tours of Joburg and surrounds reveal secrets and unknown tales that combine to form the rich and colourful tapestry of the city’s history. Much of it is insider’s knowledge that you won’t find in a book, as told first-hand to Lucille.

WORDS: LUCILLE DAVIE, AUTHOR, JOURNALIST AND JOBURG TOUR GUIDE IMAGES: WIKIMEDIA

CONSTITUTION HILL’S SOUL SPEAKS TO EVERY SOUTH AFRICAN

enter the Constitutional Court, and be blown away by how this is possibly the

Lucille walks you through the prisons

only place in the country where every South African can see something that

who gave his name to Ferreirasdorp.

that tell the story of brutality and

acknowledges their culture, language

Hear tales of the people who made the city what it is today and view

unimaginable hardship for black people in apartheid incarceration. Hear about

and ambitions.

beautiful inner city buildings that reflect different architectural styles.

Walk in downtown Joburg, in the footsteps of the earliest inhabitants, right through to giants like Walter Sisulu and Nelson Mandela. Stop in at the city’s remaining gold mining stope, and end with a meal at the historic Rand Club in the city.

then 16-year-old Seth Mazibuko, who was brought in in chains and handcuffs, and who today lives with phobias from his prison experience over 40-years later.

Step into the hospital cell where Nelson Mandela spent time. Contemplate life for Winnie Madikizela-Mandela in a tiny tin shack in the Women’s Gaol. Then, let your spirit soar as you

NEWTOWN Trade unionist, Mary Fitzgerald, led protesters in Mary Fitzgerald Square.

Museum Africa and the Market Theatre are housed in the former market building, built in 1913. Kippies Nightclub was modelled on an Edwardian toilet, named after saxophonist, Kippies Moeketsi. And did you know that the Turbine Hall and the Electric Workshop produced the town’s first electricity?

Hear these tales and more on a walking tour of Newtown, located in the heart of the city’s cultural precinct.

HISTORY BY BIKE

The Flame of Democracy at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, South Africa.

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

It is still possible to enjoy Joburg on a mountain bike. Join Lucille and explore a little of the Braamfontein Spruit as a group, learning about Joburg’s river systems. Head up to the Delta Environmental Centre at Delta Park, and hear about its role in the growing city. Then it’s off to the west to Albert’s Farm to chat about its history. On the way back, the group pays respect to those buried at the Heroes’ Acre at Westpark Cemetery, including Herman Charles Bosman,

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[ JOBURG HERITAGE ]

‘Descending from the Snow Mountains’ from Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa (Sneeuberge between Middelburg and Graaff-Reinet, South Africa), by William John Burchell (1781-1863).

Ahmed Kathrada, Hugh Masekela, Baby Jake Matlala, and Beyers Naudé .

RANDLORDS Discover the legacy of the Randlords – those men who made their fortunes on the diamond and gold mines. The tour starts outside Herbert Baker’s lovely home in Westcliff. He was the architect who designed and built many of the Randlords’ homes, some of which the group visits inside, others they admire from the outside.

The tour finishes with lunch at the grand Rand Club in the inner city, an exquisite, historical building of old, where the Randlords would meet to discuss how to make more money.

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LIVINGSTONE AND BURCHELL IN JOZI William Burchell was an English explorer and naturalist, and a man ahead of his time. He spent five years in South Africa, exploring the Cape interior with Khoi and Bushman guides, meticulously recording the local people, the fauna and flora, giving his name to animals like the Burchell’s Zebra. Missionary David Livingstone is a legend of exploration in Africa, where he died. Both men left valuable records of their travels. In mid1811 William set off on a 4-year, 7000-km journey of scientific exploration. When he returned to Cape Town in April 1815, he had amassed 63 000 specimens and 500 drawings. Burchell is remembered

mainly for his contributions to descriptive and philosophical aspects of the natural history of the country. He is less well known for some significant and novel contributions to the earth sciences, the social sciences and even astronomy.

View their sketches, notebooks and letters with Lucille. A rare privilege.

SUBURBS BY BIKE Take to the streets on your bike in the quiet suburbs of Westcliff, Parktown, Houghton and Parkview, and consider the history, handsome architecture and personalities of these early Joburg suburbs. It’s a leisurely 25 km ride with a few hills and awesome views, a great way to start a day with a leisurely coffee stop.

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

ADVERTORIAL

A guide for the eco-tourist

Stay Green for the ecotourist is the latest project from award-winning communications agency Mikateko Media, publishers of renowned in-flight magazines for Mango Airlines, South African Airways and Fastjet Airlines.

Stay Green magazine (available in print and online from March 2022) will provide insight into eco-tourism in South Africa and Southern Africa, with an extensive list of eco-conscious activities, places to visit, eco-friendly accommodation and more. Its audiences are those who respects nature, the environment and their local communities.

CALL TO ACTION With the global conversation around ESG investment being a focus for financial institutions, this is a chance for tourism to rebuild, reset and adopt a greener, more responsible and sustainable approach.

Stay Green is looking for a headline sponsor for the first year of launch to support us on our journey to revive the tourism industry as it awakens from the isolation and confinement of the Coronavirus, particularly for

those establishments that are investing in greening and sustainability. We also seek affiliates to support us with sponsored content and advertising to make this happen.

For more information, please email: Desiree.johnson@mikatekomedia.co.za DESIREÉ JOHNSON: Managing Director Mikateko Media

Hugh Tyrrell is one of the pioneers of sustainable business services and green economy communications in South Africa. He is a long-standing member of the Institute of Waste Management and is the founder and vice-chair of NPO TreeKeepers Cape Town. He was also the founding Editor of ReSource magazine, a waste management and recycling trade magazine.

Dr Niki Glen has a PhD in Sustainable Tourism and is the CEO of Africa! Ignite, a multi-award winning rural development agency specialising in setting up and running mass-scale programmes focused on tourism and sustainability. Niki previously served as GM of the N3 Gateway Tourism Association, was the acting CEO of the N12 Treasure Route Association, and a previous member of the Curriculum Review Committee of the University of Johannesburg (School of Tourism & Hospitality).

@StayGreenMagazine

@StayGreenMagazine

[ YOUR GREENMAP ]

Muizenberg from Boyes Drive 1920

CAPE HERITAGE ROOTS The Cape Heritage ‘Roots’ is brought to you by Cape Town Coastal Map published by www.capetowngreenmap.co.za. South Africa is known for its coastlines, but there are also several locations of historical significance that add interest in unexpected ways. Discover these historical landmarks on your free map.

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THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

SOURCE: WWW.BRITTANICA.COM; WWW.CAPETOWNGREENMAP.CO.ZA; HEDLEY TWIDLE; PRESSREADER.COM IMAGES: BY WIZZY, CC BY-SA 4.0 AND HILTON1949 AT ENGLISH WIKIPEDIA CC BY-SA 3.0

Muizenberg 2010

C

ape Town Green Coastal Map (10th Edition) explores 307 km of some of South Africa’s most beautiful coastline from the west coast, around the tip of the Cape peninsula and beyond, to False Bay and Kogelberg in the east.

HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS Muizenberg beach and village: have their own pre- and post-colonial stories to tell. Actual remnants from the Battle of Muizenberg on 7 August 1795 can be viewed at the historical open-air site on the slopes of the Muizenberg Mountains. The busy Muizenberg beachfront offers a collection of

restaurants, coffee shops and surfboard rental shops with ample parking.

outdoor restaurants, shopping and entertainment.

Robben Island: a UNESCO world heritage site, is a symbol of the triumph of the human spirit over adversity, suffering and injustice. The maximumsecurity prison where Nelson Mandela was incarcerated is now a museum where tours are conducted by expolitical prisoners.

The Green Point Lighthouse: is the oldest operating lighthouse in South Africa. It was constructed by the German builder Herman Schutte in 1884 for ships to navigate the treacherous waters and thick fog of Table Bay. The lighthouse’s lantern was equipped with two, single-wick Argand lamps fuelled by sperm-whale oil and could not be seen further than six nautical miles (11,1 kilometres) out at sea.

In 1922 the lantern was replaced by a diopticlens flashing light that can

Cape Town Harbour: home to the V&A Waterfront and The Two Oceans Aquarium, the harbour is the departure point for Robben Island tours and offers access to world class

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

27

[ YOUR GREENMAP ]

be seen for 25 nautical miles (46,3 kilometres). Today, the lighthouse has drawn media attention after claims that it is haunted by a one-legged man, a former lighthouse keeper nicknamed Daddy West.

The Sea Point Contact: is the name of a once famous geological site, at the southern end of Cape Town’s seafront promenade. The site connects us to Charles Darwin who visited Cape Town in 1836 and identified the geological significance of the area.

Today, amongst the walkers, cyclists and tourists, it’s easy to miss, just a rocky outcrop marked by a trig beacon and a car park where locals watch the ocean from their cars.

Look for a plaque that explains how the rocks along the shore record an event 540 million years ago when, at great depth, molten granite was intruded into the siltstone, now called the Malmesbury Group. The distinct bands of rock can be viewed near Saunders Rock.

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Simon’s Town Naval Base: was first established by the Dutch East India Company in 1743. The harbour and surrounding village with quaint heritage buildings, waterfront, restaurants and busy vibe, are a special day out.

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

IMAGES: ARNÉ PURVES

VISIT CAPE TOWN GREENMAP www.capetowngreenmap.co.za features interactive maps, green news, initiatives, carbon reduction and offsets, water conservation, sustainable transport, environmental awareness and more. For information and connections to other local ‘green’ sites, visit and register on the site.

The Open Green Map Network is a global NGO based in New York that has created a system of global map icons used by green map projects worldwide.

Hard copies of all of the green maps, including the Cape Town editions, are housed in the New York Public Library.

The Cape of Good Hope: incorporated into Table Mountain National Park ends at the dramatic and wild Cape Point.

A new lighthouse was built in 1919 and marks the spot where Portuguese navigator and explorer Bartolomeu Diaz arrived, leading the first European expedition around the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, opening the sea route to Asia via the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The park promises sightings of marine creatures, ostrich prancing across sandy beaches, and troops of baboons vying for remnants of visitors’ picnic fare.

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

CHANGING TRAVEL It’s been a roller-coaster year for the SA travel industry with ever-changing regulations and restrictions. Research shows some interesting new trends ...

W

ith businesses having to constantly adapt their

seen outside typical tourist destinations in the North West, where guest travel

says Clinton Thom of Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront. “And it’s not just

offerings to the current lockdown level, the face of travel has

grew by 130% annually between 2016 and 2019. According to Genesis Analytics

the families with younger kids. Those with older, teenage children are also

changed dramatically.

analysis of Airbnb data, evidence from the townships of Soweto and Tembisa shows that before 2019 there were more visits from international tourists than domestic tourists. However, by 2019 the pattern had reversed as townships became a popular domestic tourism destination.

holidaying together more than we’ve seen before. Families remain careful about who they socialise with and let into their ‘bubbles’. And many families have sadly lost loved ones so it’s become more important than ever before to spend quality time together.”

LOCAL TRAVEL IS BIGGER THAN EVER

SOURCE: COURTESY CHEAPFLIGHTS AND IRVINE PARTNERS

Local travel is going to be bigger than ever in South Africa this summer, as noted by www.jurni.co.za, a platform that allows travellers to find and book their stays in highly localised areas.

Chairman and expert in the tourism industry, Jerry Mabena, has observed an uptick in interest in domestic travel.

He says, “The biggest contributor to tourism in South Africa has been the international tourist. However, the recent resurgence in domestic travel is testament to the fact that SA also has a budding domestic tourism sector.

“And we believe that it is about to enter an amazing blooming phase. Just consider the number of people going on hikes and the increase in naturebound travel to destinations like Kruger National Park.”

OFF-THE-BEATEN TRACK A recent report commissioned by Airbnb, conducted by Genesis Analytics, shows that people are looking to stay in lesser-known tourist destinations across the country. The fastest growth was

SOUTH AFRICANS ARE WILLING TO SPLURGE With South Africa having been on ‘red lists’ across the world, we weren’t able to leave our country. As a result, many people have taken to spending their holiday savings on luxury local trips.

The Kruger Shalati: The Train on the Bridge, opened in the Kruger National Park during the pandemic in December 2020. With little to no international tourists arriving in South Africa over the past few months, the hotel has seen a steady stream of bookings from local guests looking for an incredibly unique luxury experience.

FAMILY FIRST An uptick in family holiday bookings is predicted. “We have seen a great interest in our family rooms and offers from South African families,”

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

FLIGHT SEARCHES IN SEPTEMBER According to data from www.cheapflights.co.za, flight searches for summer trips to South Africa made by international travellers in September spiked by about 110% compared to October. More than a third of all searches were made for travel during December, and the choice among foreign prospective visitors is for the week before and after the Christmas holidays. Some travellers can’t wait to embark on their journeys, as October is the second most searched arrival month. Overall searches in September were still down compared to pre-Covid (2019) by 48% on average. Cape Town, Durban, Sun City, George and East London are some of the most sought- after destinations among international travellers, based on hotel searches.

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Unit A057, Selwyn Street Studios The Palms, 145 Sir Lowry Road Woodstock, Cape Town 8001 Tel: 021-461-6690 For more info, email: md@bigissue.org.za

Can you see Ngaba uyazibona

is iZ U LU

Clap your hands to this pattern

clap qhwaba

clap clap qhwaba qhwaba

clap qhwaba

clap clap qhwaba qhwaba

Qhwaba izandla kule pateni

clap qhwaba

clap clap qhwaba qhwaba

clap qhwaba

clap clap qhwaba qhwaba

Draw the next shapes in the pattern Zoba iimilo ezilandelayo kwipateni

Continue the pattern

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Qhubeka nepateni

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

the patterns? le iipateni?

Draw your own patterns using these shapes: circle, rectangle, triangle and a star

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

SEE HOW THIS ACTIVITY COMES TO LIFE! Watch our CHANNEL: Little Issue.

Search for: Let’s Play with Circle and Square.

Zoba iipateni zakho usebenzisa ezi zimilo: isangqa, uxande, unxantathu kunye nenkwenkwezi

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LET ’S BAKE !

1. Use a spoon to mix the butter and sugar in a bowl until there are no lumps.

2. Add the two eggs and vanilla and mix everything well.

3. Add the flour, baking powder and salt.

Mix to form a dough.

4. Put it in the fridge for 20 minutes.

5. Sprinkle some flour onto a clean surface. Use a rolling pin or bottle to roll the dough out until it is thin.

6. Cut out the shapes you like.

7. Bake for about 7-8 minutes at 200 degrees C. Get an adult to help.

8. Remove from the oven and cool.

9. Decorate with anything festive and delicious!

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Ingredients ¾ cup margarine or soft butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs ½ teaspoon vanilla 2 ½ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon salt

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

Source: www.funkidsjokes.com. Image: Freepik.com

Christmas sugar cookies

TIMELESS

[ PHOTO ESSAY ]

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National Geographic photographer Thomas P. Peschak has spent a life time documenting the beauty and fragility of ocean life and the majesty of wild coastlines. Wild Seas is his photographic collection of the mystical, wet wonders of the sea. He has also captured images of the ocean’s counterpoint – damage inflicted by humans.

G

regarious grey whales traverse the waters of the Mexican state of Baja California on the

Baja California Peninsula, manta rays perform acrobatics in the Maldives and penguins parade in Antarctica.

The scenes in Thomas’s book of photography chart his transformation from marine biologist to full-time conservation advocate, equipped with just a mask, fins, and a camera.

Thomas photographs sharks in a feeding frenzy, tracks sea turtles the size of bears, and dodges marine poachers, to reveal the splendour of pristine seas as well as the dark side of pollution, overfishing, and climate change. Filled with images from southern Africa, the Galápagos, the Seychelles, and more, this illuminating book offers an impassioned case for revering, and preserving the planet’s heritage, our oceans.

PHOTOGRAPHER’S BIO Thomas trained as a marine biologist and embraced photography after realising that his images could have a greater conservation impact than his research.

As the director of storytelling for the Save Our Seas Foundation and a National Geographic Society Fellow, he merges science with photojournalism to tackle critical conservation issues. His TED talk, Dive Into an Ocean Photographer’s World, has been viewed more than one million times.

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

I am inspired by love and fear – love for our planet’s wild seas and fear that future generations will not get to experience them the way I have.

EXTRACTS AND IMAGES: WILD SEAS BY THOMAS PESCHAK. AVAILABLE FROM WWW.HPHPUBLISHING.CO.ZA

Wild Seas is available for purchase from all good bookstores and online at www.hphpublishing.co.za

Blacktip Flotilla • Swimming in inches of warm water off Aldabra, blacktip reef sharks wait for the tide to refill the lagoon. With their bellies touching the sand, they point their snouts into the current to keep water flowing over their gills. Seychelles, 2008.

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

37

[ PHOTO ESSAY ]

Born to Swim • I was 10 years old when I strapped on a mask and stuck my head underwater for the first time. I instantly fell in love with the ocean and its creatures.

Inspired by books and films, I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a marine biologist. For my Ph.D., I researched the impacts of marine poaching, but soon discovered I could be a more potent conservationist using photographs rather than statistics. The first step in my journey from scientist to photographer was living out of my Land Rover to document life in southern Africa’s oceans.

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THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

Close Contact • A tourist on a boat reaches into the water in the hopes of touching a gray whale. Baja California’s San Ignacio Lagoon is one of the few places in the world where whales seek out physical contact with people. This unique culture has been passed down from mother to offspring for more than 40 years. Mexico, 2015.

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

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Bleeding Leatherback • Blood seeps from a dying leatherback, one of roughly 100 harpooned by indigenous hunters near Indonesia’s Kei Islands every year. Leatherbacks are the largest of the seven sea turtle species and one of the most imperiled.

The West Pacific population has fewer than a thousand females, its population depleted primarily by climate change and accidental catches by fishing fleets. Indonesia 2017.

Death Rays • Fishermen and market traders wend their way through islands of dead fish. Not ideal for human consumption, manta and mobula meat is last to sell and is sometimes processed for animal feed. Sri Lanka, 2009.

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

Turtle Trio • Three green turtles gather off the dock at Little Farmer’s Cay. The shallow banks of the Bahamas are important foraging grounds for both juvenile and subadults.

Bahamas, 2018.

Rock Stars • Rockhopper penguins live up to their name as they leap from one rock to the next. With surprising grace and ease, they navigate the treacherous lava rock that blankets the steep western coastline of subantarctic Marion Island. South Africa, 2016.

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Beneath the Waves • Making photographs underwater is always more complicated than on dry land. It took imagination and years of planning before I finally found myself surfing alongside Cape fur seals to capture their playful antics.

On Assignment • National Geographic assignments have taken me to some of the wildest seas and most remote islands on our planet; free diving with manta rays in the Maldives, shooting selfies with whale sharks off Djibouti, and having giant tortoises as roommates in Aldabra Atoll are just a few of the highlights. The life I have lived over the past 20 years is as close as possible to my childhood fantasy of becoming Jacques Cousteau.

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THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

43

[ GREAT SA INVENTIONS ]

Despite itself, South Africa is an epicentre of good things in the world.

Great

PRATLEY PUTTY Invented by South African George Montague Prately in the 60s, Pratley Putty and has been used worldwide:

by NASA in 1969 on the Apollo XI’s Eagle landing craft which Americans claim went to the moon. Pratley Putty was also used in a repair job for the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

In 2019 Pratley Putty became a part of the South African Mint’s South African Inventions commemorative coin series,

DOLOSSE Eric Mowbray Merrifield was the System Harbour Engineer of the Port of East London from 1961 until his retirement in 1976. He found a way to protect harbour walls from wave erosion with geometrically angled concrete blocks that help break the immense energy of wave action. Each block weighs up to 20 tonnes.

CYBERTRACKER

RETINAL CRYOPROBE

Created in 1996 by physicist Louis Liebenberg and computer scientist Lindsay Steventon, Cybertracker is used to track animals by satellite navigational system, similar to a GPS.

Dr Selig Percy Amoils, pioneering inventor and biomedical engineer, was born in Johannesburg in 1933.

He first pioneered cryosurgery for cataracts and retinal detachments in 1962. Working at Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, he introduced the retinal cryoprobe. He received the 1975 Queen’s Award for Technological Innovation. Both Nelson Mandela and Margaret Thatcher’s eyes were successfully treated with his invention.

The invention has enabled biologists worldwide to keep tabs on tagged animals remotely.

HIPPO WATER ROLLER The Hippo Water Roller was invented

by Pettie Petzer and Johan Jonker.

They won the 1997 South Africa Design for Development Award. In the developing world many people who fetch water, lug their buckets either by hand or on their heads. The Hippo Water Roller has a steel handle that controls a 90 litre rolling drum which is easily pushed or pulled, reducing effort and increasing the amount of transportable water.

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THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

SOURCE: WWW.MOLGULDOM.COM; WWW.THEPRESIDENCY.GOV.ZA; WWW.BUSINESSLIVE.CO.ZA

for its use in space.

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

SA inventions The Ticketmaster Percy Tucker developed Computicket, the world’s first complex computerised reservation system for ticket holders. His death of Covid-19 in January 2021 came just shy of three months after the passing of his partner of 50 years, Graham Dickason.

Born in Benoni in 1928 Percy Tucker was of Lithuanian descent. A pioneer in the

that he noticed the computerisation of the entertainment industry. He’d never

entertainment industry in South Africa,

seen a computer before, certainly

Percy’s love for the theatre began when he was a child. As a boy he was taken

not in South Africa. In 1970, he heard about TRS Ticket Reservation System

to see British singer, Gracie Fields, on stage in Benoni. He was mesmerised and would forever after be bedazzled by showbusiness. Devoted to the entertainment industry, he worked backstage for various theatres while studying for an accounting degree at WITS University.

Businesslive reports that he would get up at 4am to catch a train into Joburg to collect tickets there for Benoni theatre enthusiasts. After camping out on a pavement in a queue over a weekend to collect tickets on a Monday morning, he was enraged to discover that the ‘cheap’ seats for which his ‘clients’ had paid, had been sold, with only expensive ones left.

Apparently management had reserved the tickets for friends, even though Percy had been third in the queue.

He spoke to the general manager of African Consolidated Theatres, accusing it of operating a scam, and vowed to one day open his own booking office.

Together, he and a couple of friends opened Show Service in 1954 and during the show business boom of the sixties, the business had expanded to such a size that Percy began investigating a different way of operating. It was in 1968

in London, who were developing a computerised ticket system which would be closing down. Ever quick to seize an opportunity, he flew to the UK in December of that year and purchased the loss-making business. Computicket opened in South Africa in 1971.

Computicket helped break racial barriers at the time, since it was impossible to implement racial checks on its terminals. Percy had said that he wanted tickets to shows to be as available as groceries in-store. In his time he had met Bette Davis, Sir Laurence Olivier, Margot Fonteyn, and Elton John to name a few. His business directly and positively impacted the wealth of top performers.

Theatrelive reports that he, together with Leon Gluckman, supported King Kong, the first black jazz musical, and he went all the way to parliament to fight for multiracial audiences. He sat on many different advisory boards, his particular passion being to save and keep ballet in Cape Town. In his humble style, Percy published an autobiography in 1994 called Just the ticket! My 50 years in show business, his life preserved in the pages of his book and his endeavours, still going strong.

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45

[ MATHS STARS ]

RAISING MATHS

E

mmanuel Rassou, a Grade 11 learner from the South African College High School in Cape Town, received a gold medal and was declared the Overall Winner of the Senior Division of the Old Mutual South African Mathematics Olympiad (SAMO) recently. Noah Greenblatt, a Grade 7 learner from King David Primary School in Linksfield, Johannesburg, was declared the Overall Winner of the Senior Division of the NESTLÉ NESPRAY South African Mathematics Challenge (SAMC).

SAMO is a high school competition, and SAMC a maths challenge for primary school learners. Both are organised by the Maths Foundation and their award ceremonies are held at the same function each year. They are designed to address non-curricular mathematics, which is different from the standard mathematics taught at school. This advanced maths requires problem-solving skills to answer the questions put to learners.

INSPIRATION Emmanuel models himself on Elon

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Musk, whose career path as an inventor

scarce-skills profession, the chartered

and entrepreneur has taken him from

accountancy profession is in dire

banking, electric cars to space rockets.

Emmanuel would like to become

need of talented learners who have expressed an aptitude and love for

an inventor and solve problems that affect our continent by coming up with

mathematics. SAICA is delighted to see how many young South Africans

innovative solutions. Emmanuel, who listened to the ceremony with his

have excelled in this year’s SAMO and worked so hard to develop the much-

brothers, was very happy that his younger brother Noah was also

needed problem-solving skills our country needs. We congratulate all

shortlisted for a prize in the primary school competition. “The competition is so tough and the margin for error so

the winners as well as all learners who took part this year,” says Chantyl

small that I wasn’t sure I would win. I’m

Mulder, Executive Director of Learning, Development and National Imperatives

overwhelmed, grateful, and I feel very blessed.”

at SAICA. Professor Kerstin Jordaan, Executive

“We’re exceptionally proud of all the scholars who have made it to the

Director of the SAMF, is delighted

final round, performing exceptionally well during what has been another challenging year. Well done, you have made us all proud, and we can’t wait to see you make your mark in the future!” says Celiwe Ross, Human Capital Director at Old Mutual.

The overall top performing schools for the SAMO and SAMC respectively are Bishops Diocesan College and Sweet Valley Primary School, both from Cape Town.

“We send out our congratulations to all the 2021 NESTLÉ NESPRAY South African Mathematics Challenge winners. We are so proud of all the learners and schools that took part in the Challenge and managed to perform well despite all the setbacks.

We also recognise those that did not make it to the final round, we see your hard work and we appreciate your efforts,” says Pumla Mkhize, Category Marketing Manager, Dairy at Nestlé South Africa.

EXCELLENT SOUTH AFRICAN PERFORMANCE The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), co-sponsor of the SAMO, adds: “As a

with this year’s performance. “Despite the many challenges brought about by the Covid-19 restrictions and subsequent lockdowns throughout the year, the 2021 results show that there are still dedicated teachers in South Africa who have the skills and experience to teach mathematics. As an organisation, we aim to continue with our various teacher development programmes in 2022 and believe that the results will be visible at next year’s Annual Awards Function. The major challenge, remuneration of teachers in scarce-skill disciplines, is one that needs urgent attention if we want to make a concrete difference in mathematics education. The time has come to address the loss of mathematics teachers to the corporate world. In order to do that, the salary gap between careers in mathematics in corporate South Africa, and that offered to mathematics teachers needs to be bridged.”

Entries for the 2022 programmes open in early January 2022.

For more information, e-mail info@samf.ac.za

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

STARS

IONS (OPTIMI CLASSROOMS).

SOURCE AND IMAGES: COURTESY MARISSA LOUW AND SAMF (EMMANUEL RASSOU). FOX STREET COMMUNICAT

Rising stars in the field of maths in South Africa are recognised each year. We are proud of our achievers.

School learners and students are encouraged to enter.

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

ACE ANY TEST WITH THESE FIVE TIPS

for learners to employ is testing themselves. Learners can get a friend or family member to quiz them on their

Words: Aunyana Moloisane,

knowledge. Creating flashcards with questions on one side and answers

Educational Expert, MD of Optimi

on the other is a great way to do this.

And they should be encouraged to

Classroom

make these quizzes as challenging as possible.

Thousands of high school learners across the country have completed their exams in what has been yet another immensely challenging academic year. With sporadic school closures owing to the pandemic,

3

Mistakes can get you ahead

When learners test themselves, they shouldn’t stress too much if they get answers wrong or even spend too much time on their answers. It’s

children have had limited time inside the classroom.

important to take a step back, look at where answering has gone wrong and

At Optimi Classroom, we have been

then focus on rectifying those weak areas. This is what learning is all about.

focused on helping schools across the country in their catchup efforts by advocating for the likes of diagnostic testing to help determine gaps in learners’ knowledge, investment in extra classes, intensifying parent involvement, and the use of supplementary educational material. Over time and with an intensified effort, we can get our children back on track.

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Rereading is just not enough When it comes to preparing for exams, simply rereading material can be a superficial process. What is more effective is that learners should take the time to understand what they are reading, and even be prepared to ask themselves questions about their learning content. A study conducted in 2010 by Washington University’s Henry Roediger compared test results of students who reread material with those of another group that wrote questions out and canvassed answers about the material. The study found that those who answered the questions performed better than those who just reread the material.

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Test yourself Another good study strategy

4

Mixing it up With self-testing, it’s also advised to mix up the learning approach.

A study technique that is growing in popularity is a process called interleaving. This involves mixing or interleaving multiple subjects or topics in order to improve learning.

For example, during a study session, a learner could devote some time to mathematics and then interleave their study session with physical science.

Cycling through these different but interlinked topics in this way ensures that learners retrieve information and make new connections, thereby bolstering retention.

5

Dig deeper Finally, another good study technique is to ask questions about how or why things are a certain way.

This can help spark elaboration, and thereby encourage a learner’s brain to create new relations and connections. This, in turn, has been proven to make it easier to learn and remember things. These types of deeper questions also help with better memory.

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[ ART THERAPY ]

F

or eight years, 16-year-old Hlomla Sithole has been coming from his home in Hillbrow in

Johannesburg to attend afternoon programmes at the Lefika la Phodiso Community Art Counselling and Training Institute near Constitution Hill.

Lefika la Phodiso, which means ‘the rock of healing’ or ‘holding’ in Sesotho, has been operating since 2007 in the Children’s Memorial Institute, a building nearly 100 years old on the border of Braamfontein and Parktown.

The building, a children’s hospital

“Lefika has been doing this work for 27 years, serving children from ages six to 18,” says Rozanne Myburgh, Drama Therapist and Lefika’s Managing Director.

Facilitators at Lefika use visual arts, drama and music to provide free afterschool therapy for children in the inner city. The bright walls and art created by students contrast with the aged building’s brown exterior.

Hlomla, who heard about Lefika from a friend living in the same block of flats,

The children who attend the art classes helped design the bright walls at Lefika la Phodiso. says Lefika has been a space for him to grow.

When he was 13 years old, Hlomla

“My friend described it as a safe place for people who are being bullied and

joined Uhambo: The Journey, a programme offered at Lefika using

people who feel unsafe at home. Once I started coming, I saw that he was right,” he says.

Through the programmes offered

by Lefika, Hlomla says he moved from being a shy boy who struggled with his speech to someone who is confident

storytelling and story writing to encourage the children to read and to help them process their daily experiences.

Hlomla says he has not had an easy life and writing stories has helped him become more self-assured. “At school, people used to tell me that I was boring but I know that I am not boring and my ability to write stories reminds me of that. There was a time when things were really difficult at home, my mom was sick and we had to look after her.

To help me through that time, I just kept writing,” he says.

He wants to be a screenwriter when he grows up.

“The stories I write are all influenced by what is happening around me.

We all see things differently and I like that people get to know a bit of my thinking, and a bit about me, through my stories,” he says.

Through the work created by the children, facilitators at Lefika are better able to understand some of the problems the children may be facing, says Ziyanda Magadla, a facilitator at Lefika.

“Lefika gives children a space to express themselves. We ask them

Hlomla Sithole with one of his artworks. He has been coming to the centre for eight years.

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and able to express himself.

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

SOURCE:: GROUNDUP. LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION-NODERIVATIVES 4.0 INTERNATIONAL LICENSE

until the 1970s, now houses about 30 organisations that provide services to children in Johannesburg’s inner city.

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

Free art therapy, drama and stories help inner-city children find their way. For 27 years, Lefika la Phodiso has welcomed Johannesburg children from six to 18 years.

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: MASEGO MAFATA, PUBLISHED ORIGINALLY ON WWW.GROUNDUP.ORG.ZA

Art therapy for inner-city kids to explain their images. We act out

meal at the end. “We receive donations

attended the programmes. The core

scenarios to help them make sense of their feelings and to imagine the kind

from organisations such as SA Harvest,

team at Lefika consists of five people.

to make this possible,” says Myburgh.

When the institute was closed during

“We rely a lot on volunteers, donors and sponsors. This can sometimes

the hard lockdown, the children received food parcels and art therapy packs to take home.

With about 90 weekly attendees at the afternoon programmes this year, Lefika continues to grow as the children spread the word to their friends. So far about 570 children have

be difficult because a lot of our ideas require funding that we don’t have. At the moment, I really want to create a chill room for our teenagers, but I still have to source funding for that,” says Myburgh.

of environments they wish to exist in. Through this, they open up, and children who need to speak further feel comfortable enough to speak to us,” she says. Children are referred to specialists where necessary.

Magadla became a facilitator by completing Lefika’s Community Art Counselling Course, which is a National Qualifications Framework level five course accredited by the Health and Welfare SETA. “The life of a child in the inner city is riddled with systemic and physical violence, poverty, Afrophobia and a lack of access to services. There’s little room for children to have agency, so we try to create an environment where the children can choose to come to Lefika and, as far as possible, choose which programmes they attend,” says Rozanne Myburgh. Drama Therapist and Lefika’s Managing Director.

Apart from art therapy, Lefika provides academic and homework support, run by volunteers from a nearby school. Other volunteers and facilitators offer drama sessions, which are popular.

The children receive a meal before the afternoon sessions and another

For more information, visit www.lefikalaphodiso.co.za

Rozanne Myburgh, drama therapist and Lefika’s managing director, talks to the children about the artwork they created during one of the sessions.

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

49

[ EDITING HISTORY ]

T

o mark Israel’s Memorial Day in 2021, the Israel Defense Forces musical ensembles collaborated

with a company that specialises in synthetic videos, also known as ‘deepfake’ technology, to bring photos from the 1948 Israeli-Arab war to life.

They produced a video in which young singers clad in period uniforms and carrying period weapons sang ‘Hareut,’ an iconic song commemorating soldiers killed in combat. As they sing, the musicians stare at faded black-andwhite photographs they hold. The young soldiers in the old pictures blink and smile back at them, thanks to artificial intelligence.

The result is uncanny. The past comes to life, Harry Potter style.

For the past few years, my colleagues and I at UMass Boston’s Applied Ethics Center have been studying

Editing history The slippery slope of using AI and deepfakes to bring history to life …

WORDS: NIR EISIKOVITS, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY AND DIRECTOR, APPLIED ETHICS CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON. PUBLISHED ORIGINALLY ON WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM

how everyday engagement with AI challenges the way people think about themselves and politics. We’ve found that AI has the potential to weaken people’s capacity to make ordinary judgments. We’ve also found that it undermines the role of serendipity in their lives and can lead them to question what they know or believe about human rights.

HOW THE CONVERSATION IS DIFFERENT: WE EXPLAIN WITHOUT OVERSIMPLIFYING Learn more Now AI is making it easier than ever to reanimate the past. Will that change how we understand history and, as a result, ourselves?

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Musicians dressed as soldiers connect with soldiers in old photographs in a 2021 production by the Israel Defense Forces and the artificial intelligence company D-ID. Low financial risk, high moral cost The desire to bring the past back to life in vivid fashion is not new. Civil War or Revolutionary War re-enactments are commonplace. In 2018, Peter Jackson painstakingly restored and coloured World War I footage to create They Shall Not Grow Old, a film that allowed 21stcentury viewers to experience the Great War more immediately than ever before.

Live re-enactments and carefully processed historical footage are expensive and time-consuming undertakings. Deepfake technology democratises such efforts, offering

a cheap and widely available tool for animating old photos or creating convincing fake videos from scratch.

But as with all new technologies, alongside the exciting possibilities are serious moral questions. And the questions get even trickier when these new tools are used to enhance understanding of the past and reanimate historical episodes.

The 18th-century writer and statesman, Edmund Burke, famously argued that society is a “partnership not only between those who are living, but between those who are living, those who are dead, and those who are to be born.” Political identity, in his view, is not simply what people make of it. It is not merely a product of our own fabrication.

Rather, to be part of a community

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

increase our sense of commitment to history. But does this use of the technology carry the risk of atrophying our imagination – providing us with ready-made, limited images of the past that will serve as the standard associations for historical events? An exertion of the imagination can render the horrors of World War II, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake or the 1919 Paris Peace Conference in endless variations.

But will people keep exerting their imagination in that way? Or will deepfakes, with their lifelike, moving depictions, become the practical stand-ins for history? I worry that animated versions of the past might give viewers the impression that they know exactly what happened – that the past is fully present to them – which will then obviate the need to learn more about the historical event.

People tend to think that technology is to be part of a compact between generations – part of a joint enterprise connecting the living, the dead and those who will live in the future.

If Burke is right to understand political belonging this way, deepfake technology offers a powerful way to connect people to the past, to forge this intergenerational contract. By bringing the past to life in a vivid, convincing way, the technology enlivens the “dead” past and makes it more vivid and vibrant.

If these images spur empathy and concern for ancestors, deepfakes can make the past matter a lot more.

But this capability comes with risks.

One obvious danger is the creation of fake historical episodes. Imagined, mythologized and fake events can precipitate wars: a storied 14thcentury defeat in the Battle of Kosovo still inflames Serbian anti-Muslim sentiments, even though nobody knows if the Serbian coalition actually lost that battle to the Ottomans.

Similarly, the second Gulf of Tonkin attack on American warships on Aug. 4, 1964, was used to escalate American involvement in Vietnam. It later turned out the attack never happened.

An atrophying of the imagination It used to be difficult and expensive to stage fake events. Not anymore.

Imagine, for example, what strategically doctored deepfake footage from the Jan. 6 events in the United States could do to inflame political tensions or what fake video from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meeting appearing to disparage COVID-19 vaccines would do to public health efforts.

The upshot, of course, is that deepfakes may gradually destabilize the very idea of a historical ‘event.’ Perhaps over time, as this technology advances and becomes ubiquitous, people will automatically question whether what they are seeing is real.

Whether this will lead to more political instability or – paradoxically, to more stability as a result of hesitancy to act on the basis of what are possibly fabricated occurrences – is open to question.

But beyond anxieties about the wholesale fabrication of history, there are subtler consequences that worry me.

Yes, deepfakes let us experience the past as more alive and, as a result, may

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

makes life easier. But they don’t realize that their technological tools always remake the toolmakers – causing existing skills to deteriorate even as they open up unimaginable and exciting possibilities.

The advent of smartphones meant photos could be posted online with ease. But it’s also meant that some people don’t experience breathtaking views as they used to, since they’re so fixated on capturing an ‘Instagrammable’ moment. Nor is getting lost experienced the same way since the ubiquity of GPS. Similarly, AIgenerated deepfakes are not just tools that will automatically enhance our understanding of the past.

Nevertheless, this technology will soon revolutionize society’s connection to history, for better and worse.

People have always been better at inventing things than at thinking about what the things they invent do to them – “always adroiter with objects than lives,” as the poet W.H. Auden put it. This incapacity to imagine the underside of technical achievements is not destiny. It is still possible to slow down and think about the best way to experience the past.

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[ ENTERTAINMENT NEWS ]

COMMUNITY CRAFTWORK There’s a definite allure to owning a bespoke handcrafted item, and Ikamva Design’s beautiful creations highlight the unique tradition of African craftwork.

WORDS: JANE MAYNE, EDITOR FOR WEEKENDSPECIAL IMAGES: COURTESY WEEKENDSPECIAL IMAGES: COURTESY OF IKAMVA LABANTU

Visit www.weekendspecial.co.za for more arts and entertainment

A

social enterprise driven to address poverty and social

isolation in Cape Town’s townships, Ikamva Design, pulls together women who are members of the Ikamva Labantu NGO’s Senior Clubs. Steered by co-founders and volunteers Melanie Peterhans and Maria Matseke, and Head of their Seniors Programme, Lulama Sigasana, it works with community crafters to expand their range of designs and provide business opportunities both locally and internationally.

“Every piece is handmade, and every woman has an interesting story to tell,” says Maria. “The experience and feel of our products are different from those mass-produced, thanks to this personal touch. Most of the women are senior citizens, now retired from a long working life. Some of them are very experienced in complicated beading, while the majority of the women do some kind of beadwork.”

TRAINING SESSIONS Ikamva Design arranges training sessions for those women who want to further develop their beading and sewing skills. “This is an important part of our work and very much appreciated by the women. They uplift and empower each other. The training sessions are essential for them, but it also makes us expand our product range. We believe training has a greater impact outside Ikamva Design.

We touch many people from different areas, and these women teach others in their areas. By training, we can create even more jobs,” she adds.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, members met every day and worked together in safe spaces. The

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THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

programme creates opportunities that

use Da Gama Textiles’ shweshwe as it

generate extra income, making a real difference to households. This provides

is locally made and has a traditional meaning for the women working with

freedom, dignity, and independence to families by helping to meet basic needs

the fabrics.”

Lulama expands: “The use of

and a more stable upbringing for their

shweshwe also has a traditional

children and grandchildren.

“Many older persons in South Africa

meaning in our culture. The material is not worn by girls, but by women.

live in extreme poverty and support large families on their pension of

The significance of that is that one has moved from being a young girl

R1 890 per month. The grandmothers are very often the sole breadwinner

to being a woman. So, when a young woman gets married, she wears a

in the household. They are also usually the primary caregivers of the

main skirt with another apron on top of it, and that means you are a

grandchildren and share their meagre pension by feeding each and every person in their homes. They also instil

dignified young woman protecting your home.”

a sense of belonging to, pride in,

LOVE, CARE AND DETAIL

and knowledge of their roots. They are strong and beautifully spirited

With all the labour that goes into handmade products, there’s a lot

women, and they are raising the next generation.”

of love, care and attention to detail invested in creating something

BEGINNING OF AN ADVENTURE After an opportunity arose to produce 1 000 napkin rings for a large corporate event, it became evident just how skilled many of the women at Ikamva’s Senior Clubs are. “When we had finished this massive project delivering complicated braided rings in glass beads, we realised that this was just the beginning of the adventure, so we asked them if they wanted to work with us.”

The women started off developing a wide range of beaded products, and then expanded to tableware in shweshwe cloth. This includes everything from runners to napkins, napkin rings and oven gloves. “We also make cushions, bags, and kippot. We try to keep their cultural aura and the correct use of colours. Sometimes we just need to tweak the products a little bit to find a market. Beside our range of products, we also take orders from businesses and organisations that would like our services.

“All our products are made from shweshwe fabric, but we are not closing any doors to use other material in future,” says Maria. “We decided to

unique. Anyone supportive of this kind of artistry is not only assisting crafters financially, but also keeping otherwise lost skills alive.

“Ikamva Labantu’s community led strategy made us see the strength and power of a community craftwork business and gave us the courage to start leading it,” comments Maria.

“Both Melanie and I have networks

Every piece is handmade, and every woman has an interesting story to tell …”

Order a bespoke item, or request a tailor-made piece.

Call +27 (0) 60 807 8216, or e-mail maria@ikamva.co.za, www.ikamva.org/ikamva-design

of friends and family in Cape Town, Sweden, and Switzerland who loved the products from the start. This gave us self-confidence. After a while, word-of-mouth helped us to expand to a broader network of customers.

In addition, we sell via our social media platforms and online shop. A considerable part of our job with Ikamva Design is to connect the women’s beautiful work to a market and to get orders. We want to give them an avenue to open up the world for them and their beautiful products.”

The artisans of Ikamva Design always take on work with a smile, skilfully making vibrant African-inspired handwork

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

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[ RECIPES ]

When internet recipes let us down time and again, an authentic recipe book is a gem. Now, in time for the holidays, comes a new cooking title, created to satisfy and delight, courtesy of Italy’s Gennaro Contaldo.

WORDS: EXTRACTED FROM GENNARO’S LIMONI: VIBRANT ITALIAN RECIPES CELEBRATING THE LEMON BY GENNARO CONTALDO, PUBLISHED BY PAVILION BOOKS. IMAGES: DAVID LOFTUS.

G

ennaro’s recipes are big on

For the syrup

flavour without the heaviness of too much fat, intriguingly

200ml (7fl oz) water 25g (1oz) caster sugar

simple, and the ingredients easily available. In his words the end results

50ml (13⁄4fl oz) limoncello (recipe for homemade below)

are, “So good!” He is, after all, Jamie Oliver’s mentor. You’ll find recipes like Gelato al Parmigiano e Limoni

To decorate Grated dark chocolate, grated lemon zest

(Parmesan and lemon ice-cream)

For the syrup, put the water and sugar

which combines sweet and savoury, an increasingly popular trend in Italy. For

in a pan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove

there are many producers who export this liqueur all over the world. I still like

a twist on the classic Christmas trifle, try Gennaro’s version instead, with the

from the heat, pour in the limoncello and set aside.

to make my own and enjoy the ritual

fresh flavour of lemon. What else?

In a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar for about 5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Add the flour and continue to whisk until well amalgamated. Whisk in the hot milk, vanilla extract and lemon rind, then place the pan over a low heat, stirring all the time with the whisk or a wooden spoon, until it thickens.

Gennaro’s Limoni: Vibrant Italian recipes celebrating the lemon by Gennaro Contaldo (Pavilion Books).

ZUPPA INGLESE AL CIOCCOLATO E LIMONE CHOCOLATE AND LEMON ITALIAN TRIFLE Zuppa Inglese has nothing to do with soup as its Italian title suggests, and I am not sure how the name came about, but with the custard and sponge biscuits it is very similar to an English trifle. I use the Italian sponge fingers Savoiardi (ladyfinger or sponge biscuits) in this recipe, but you could use leftover pandoro or a plain sponge cake instead.

Serves 6 6 free-range egg yolks 130g (43⁄4oz) caster sugar 50g (13⁄4oz) plain flour, sifted 500ml (18fl oz) hot (not boiling) milk 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract pared rind of 1⁄4 unwaxed lemon and 4 tsp lemon juice 2 tsp cocoa powder, sifted 200g (7oz) Savoiardi biscuits

54

Remove from the heat and pour half the custard into a bowl, discard the lemon rind, and stir in the lemon juice.

Add the sifted cocoa powder to the remaining custard and mix well until combined.

Dip the biscuits into the syrup and use to line a glass serving bowl. Spoon over a layer of the chocolate custard, then lay more biscuits on top, then a layer of lemon custard. Continue making these layers, finishing with the lemon custard. Decorate with grated chocolate and lemon zest. Store in the fridge until required.

LIMONCELLO This popular after-dinner drink was once only made at home along the Amalfi Coast and Sorrento where lemons grow so plentifully. Nowadays,

of placing the lemon rinds in a jar with the alcohol. Try to get pure alcohol, which you can buy online or ask at your Italian deli. As a drink, serve limoncello cold – you can also use it in a variety of desserts.

Makes approx. 1.25 litres (about 2 1⁄4 pints) 3 unwaxed lemons 500ml (18fl oz) pure alcohol 750ml (26fl oz) water 400g (14oz) sugar Wash the lemons in cold water, then dry well. Carefully pare off the lemon rind, making sure you avoid the white pith. Place the rind in a large jar, pour over the alcohol and seal hermetically.

Place in a cool, dry place for 7 days.

Put the water in a pan over the heat and bring to the boil, add the sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Open the jar and strain the lemoninfused alcohol through a fine sieve, discarding all the peel. Add the alcohol to the sugared water and mix well together. Leave to cool completely, then pour into clean, dry bottles. Seal with lids and store in a cool, dark place for at least 10 days.

THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

Trusted recipe books

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

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[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

H

istorically, the festive season

Monopoly board games, and this

presents an opportunity for a game, especially when distant

includes movies, artists, history, retailers and strong brands in general,” he said.

or estranged family members and friends gather. Monopoly has served, for

A meeting with the Monopoly team in London followed and Sportsvendo

many decades, as a social icebreaker,

obtained the rights.

a conversation starter and a diversion, particularly when relationships between

The Comrades Marathon Centenary Monopoly board is designed in line

people need kindling, or when kids grow bored.

with the traditional board where the properties start with less expensive and

GAME REINVENTED

finish with most expensive.

The Comrades Marathon, the world’s largest and oldest ultra-marathon race

GO BRUCE!

commemorates its centenary year with the Comrades Marathon Centenary Monopoly board game launched these

Comrades Marathon enthusiast, I am so excited about this board game,” says Bruce, who holds the record of winning

holidays. Marathon enthusiasts can be

the Comrades Marathon nine times.

part of the action as they play this everpopular classic fast-dealing property

Bruce challenged Leon to a Monopoly game which Leon accepted, saying, “This

trading board game.

This theme was the brainchild of Leon

may be the only time to beat Bruce.

“For everyone who has participated

Swanepoel, Sportsvendo CEO and also a two times gold medal winner, who has been involved in the sports industry for 30 years.

“As a Comrades Marathon runner, it struck me one day that the worldfamous Comrades Marathon could be the perfect theme for a Monopoly board,” Leon says.

Leon says he noticed a few years ago

in the Comrades Marathon, this board will surely also awaken some memories and now everyone, even those who never participated, can experience it in a different way,” Swanepoel explained.

The Comrades Marathon’s direction alternates each year between the Up Run, starting from Durban and the Down Run, starting from Pietermaritzburg. The Centenary year

that Monopoly started producing their popular board game with other existing brands and points of interest. “I was fascinated and immediately became a collector of Monopoly board games.

There are over 1 000 different themed

is celebrated in 2021 and it would have been a Down Run starting in Pietermaritzburg and finishing in Durban. Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the 2021 run from taking place.

Even Bruce Fordyce is on board. “As a

NEW FEATURES OF THE GAME: Landmarks on the Down Run – in other words, starting in Pietermaritzburg and finishing in Durban.

Course records for the Down Run (men/women) and fastest foreign runners on the Down Run (men/ women) as the most expensive properties were used. And of course, Bruce Fordyce, for his nine wins is also included.

The two traditional tax locations have been replaced with two cut-off times on the Down Run, aligned with penalties for the four traditional Travel Locations, four of the previous Down Run finish venues in Durban were used.

For the two traditional Utility Properties, the Comrades Marathon House and the Comrades Marathon Wall of Honour were used. These two properties are referred to as Comrades Marathon Visitor Sites.

The Chance and Community Chest cards/questions are branded as Down Run and Up Run, with appropriate running references.

Orders are open at www.tixsa.co.za Visit www.marathonmonopoly.com Facebook: ComradesMarathon | Sportsvendo | SportsvendoEventsHub Instagram: comradesmarathon | sportsvendo | sportsvendoeventshub

SOURCE: THE MARKETING ZOO

Monopoly through the ages … how can one forget those moments when family and friends gathered to play?

MAKE A RUN FOR IT NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

57

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This discount is applicable from Monday to Sunday throughout the year EXCLUDING school holidays. T&Cs apply.

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

WHAT’S ON?

Enjoy a laugh this festive season. It’s back to the movies. Watch New Material starring Riaad Moosa, Schalk Bezuidenhout and Joey Rasdien.

millions of viewers nationwide.

What inspired him to become an entertainer? “I think it is very much the same thing that inspires an accountant to become an accountant. That, and it’s a dream innit?” And if he couldn’t perform, he’d “Probably be an accountant or an imam (person who leads prayers in a mosque).” In preparation for his role in New Material he, “remained friends with Riaad after working with him on the first film, Material.”

SOURCE AND IMAGES: MADMOTH COMMUNICATIONS

AT THE MOVIES Remember Material, the film about the dutiful young Muslim guy who moonlights as a stand-up comedian in Joburg nightclubs? Well, the sequel, New Material, is out.

Riaad Moosa plays Cassim Kaif, who continues to ply his trade as a Muslim comedian while balancing the demands of a marriage, a young child, and living with his ageing parents. His father Ebrahim (Vincent Ebrahim) has reluctantly accepted his son’s career but it’s still a simmering issue. Cassim performs mostly to Johannesburg Muslim audiences but yearns to expand nationally and hone his craft.

Yusuf (Joey Rasdien), his best friend and agent, plans a national tour, but is totally out of his depth. From the outset the tour is beset with problems from an overeager sponsor (played by Rajesh Gopie) who expects too much from the deal. Cassim has to make tough decisions when international

opportunities present themselves. It’s exactly what Cassim wanted … or is it?

Riaad Moosa Is an award-winning comedian, presenter, writer and actor. He’s also a qualified medical doctor which means he never has to wonder what he’d be doing if he weren’t acting. His first Netflix special Why do you talk the way you do? was released on Netflix’s Comedians of The World in 2019. Riaad says although he’s not actually able to live the life of an actor, he’s a natural mimic who enjoys impersonation. He wrote the draft for the movie which is loosely based on real life experiences.

Joey Rasdien Was commissioned to host his own game show, Go for It, on SABC2 and was a presenter for Laugh Out Loud on M-Net. The cult sketch comedy series the Pure Monate Show on SABC1 got him noticed, with the show attracting

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

Schalk Bezuidenhout Majored in drama at the University of Cape Town. What else? He started doing stand-up comedy in 2011. On stage Schalk is fun and energetic and appeals to people of all kinds and colours. His social media following is huge. Schalk is never afraid to say it like it is.

Schalk says he was inspired by Jim Carrey as a child. “I wanted to bring people the joy that he brought me.

If he hadn’t been an actor he says, “Maybe a winemaker. Or, rather, the person who goes to people to sell the wine. I like the sitting with people while drinking wine part.” Preparing for his role in New Material he says, “To me it felt like we were essentially playing a version of ourselves. I tried to be as open and flexible as possible on set because the real magic happens when Joey and Riaad start improvising.

I wanted to contribute to that as much as possible.”

Live: All theatres nationally – comedy, drama 101 minutes, 7 – 9PG (DLPV) www.numetro.co.za National

59

Small and random acts of kindness create powerful ripples of love Imagine the social and political change we can create in South Africa by winning each other’s hearts through daily acts of kindness in our thoughts, words and deeds.

Use words on social media that contribute to positivity, peace and harmony in South Africa

Photo Credit: Alexia Beckerling

Post an act of kindness that inspires you using hashtag :

#kindnesswillchangetheworld

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

↑FIELD MARKET

Shop, eat, drink and be merry. Unique and affordable Christmas gifts, local and handmade goods, deli products, gourmet food and drinks, bubbly, wine, craft gin and beer, and live music. Strict Covid-19 protocols. No mask no entry.

Plenty of space for social distancing and picnicking under the trees.

Live: 11 Louise Avenue, Field and Study Park, Parkmore, Sandton 9am to 3pm 11 December 2021 Tickets: Free entry, security, ample parking www.fieldmarket.co.za Gauteng

SIMPLY SOUTH CHRISTMAS MARKET An annual gift and craft fair, offering a wide range of good quality, unique handcrafted products. Browse for gifts

for teachers, parents and friends. Food and beverages on sale. Debit and credit card facilities available.

Live: Westcott Primary School, Boundary Road, Bergvliet 17 to 23 December 2021 Tickets: Free entry, plenty of parking www.simplysouth.co.za Western Cape

NICKEL CHRISTMAS MARKET FUNDRAISER A huge variety of beads, bling and lovely things with over 150 exhibitions from homemade to exclusive home décor products. The market is also a platform for the Kungwini Welfare Organisation’s residents to showcase their beautiful handmade products.

Live: Kungwini Welfare Organisation, Graham Road, Zwavelpoort, Pretoria, 9am to 6pm

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

24 November to 5 December 2021 Tickets: Entry is free, parking available www.nickelmarket.co.za Gauteng

EDGEMEAD CHRISTMAS MARKET A selection of gifts exhibited by approximately 200 of the Western Cape’s finest crafters including exquisite handcrafted cards and Christmas decorations, delicious treats, leatherwork, jewellery, and toys, books, clothing, food and beverages and lots more.

Live: Edgemead Community Centre, 100 Edgemead Drive, Edgemead Open daily from 10am to 7pm 27 November to 24 December 2021 Tickets: Free entry, debit and credit card facilities available www.edgemeadmarket.com Western Cape

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[ VENDOR ART ]

PROCESS ART

Chwayita Desemela - Trees in the Gardens

Lizo Qatase - Summer Days

Michael Van der Walt - Sunlight on cloth

Thabisa Xwethu - Libra Tree

Solomon Masosa - Lovely Hoopoes

Xoliswa Ntunta - Pot plants

Art classes are offered to The Big Issue vendors by Elaine Millin, our process art facilitator. Support a vendor and buy an artwork on this page. Visit www.bigissue.org.za for more info.

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THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

IMAGES: SUPPLIED

“The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing.” – EUGENE DELACROIX

[ THE BIG ISSUE ]

Art Facilitator, Elaine Millin runs creative workshops for our Big Issue vendors. She chats to Laura Jones about her life’s work and inspiration.

IMAGES: ELAINE MILLIN, ARTIST AND BRIDGING POLARITIES FACILITATOR/TRAINER

How did you come to join The Big Issue

their work. There are

as art facilitator?

In early 2010 The Big Issue urgently

so many highlights at The Big Issue;

needed a teacher for the art programme, and Ray Joseph on the board contacted

watching the vendors relax and create in the

me as he knew I had completed a training to facilitate art with adults. I met

quiet art space and their joy when their

the team and a few days later there I was, running an art session. I was a little

work appears in the magazine or is sold.

nervous in this new territory, but the first session went well. The vendors were

Most significant

kind and helped me relax. Now I could share with so many the gift of the way of

moment in your career working with

working that had changed my own life:

the vendors?

Bridging Polarities through Art, brought to South Africa by three art therapists

The most touching moment for me was a

and a music therapist from The Netherlands – a form of art facilitation where the emphasis is on the process not the product.

vendor who had been brought into The Big Issue offices. He had been lying destitute on the pavement. At the first session he attended, the theme was exploring an important relationship; he created a picture filled with colour. It was dedicated to his daughter. He had lost touch with her. His work was sold and used on the cover of a poet’s book – she was so moved by his work.

How did you discover your love for creative expression?

My love of creative expression was reignited when I studied to be a Waldorf kindergarten teacher in my early 40s, a new career after working in the commercial advertising world.

The colourful mediums, beeswax crayons and watercolours filled me with joy. Working from the heart and not the head brought freedom to explore and create. I took this even further during the Bridging Polarities training in my own creative work, learning how to offer this way of non-judgemental art to adults, no matter what their experience.

Achievements and highlights …

I love meeting new people and groups in a variety of fields, holding them in a nurturing space by helping them get in touch with themselves and their lives.

When people, especially those who have done little art in their lives smile, a light shines from their eyes when they view

What advice would you give to beginners?

Art skills can be developed but should not be the primary focus. Rather allow inner experiences to find expression.

Even an observational work that is ‘good’ or ‘accurate’ should be filled with the maker’s vision and connection to the subject. Explore and experiment with art mediums, discovering new things about the materials and yourself as you do it.

Art should be alive with the artist’s feelings, spirit, and soul for it to be authentic and can be received by others. The purpose of art is not to satisfy others, but to meet a need for exploration in the maker.

NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022 THE BIG ISSUE

How do those of us who feel creatively blocked, begin?

I would suggest finding ways into the artwork that bypass the critical mind: allowing colours and the images that arise while listening to music take you into a creative exploration; getting inspiration from artists you love; exploring nature through the senses, for example making marks to the sounds in nature; feeling texture of natural objects; looking at an object but not looking at the paper; then, inspired by the shapes and lines you created, you can bring in colour.

What inspires you?

Nature nourishes and inspires me, helping to bring calm and peace into my life. I begin to paint from an inner place out of feelings, qualities and memories in nature; the beauty and vibrancy of the fynbos and the mountains emerge on the canvas. The very nature of process art is a journey – having no fixed intention of the end product allows for exploration and being open to what emerges.

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[ PLAYTIME ]

CROSSWORD 1 5

2

3

6

4

Across 5 Greek meat dish (8) 7 Make mocking remarks (4)

7

8 Restaurant host’s handout (4) 9 Ordinary, boring, or dull (7) 10 Series of linked metal rings (5)

8

11 Thin slice of bacon (6) 12 Short curved hairs growing on the

9

edges of the eyelids (6) 14 Mild and pleasant weather (5)

10

16 Vulture’s meal (7) 17 Chime or gong (4)

11

19 Lawsuit or legal action (4) 20 Place of residence (8)

12

13

14

15

Down 1 Deal with difficulties (4) 2 George Town is its capital (6,7)

16

17

18

3 Place for dirty socks (7,6) 4 Resting place (8) 6 Deep-sea diver’s gear (5) 7 Stone-washed garment (5) 10 Briquettes used when braaing (8)

20

13 Ferrari symbol (5) 15 Designer’s imprint (5) 18 Organ that is used to breathe (4)

SUDOKU

Down: 1 Cope, 2 Cayman Islands, 3 Laundry basket, 4 Cemetery, 6 Scuba, 7 JEANS, 10 Charcoal, 13 Horse, 15 Label, 18 Lung.

Complete the grid so that every row across, every column down and every 3x3 box is filled with the numbers 1 to 9.

7 4 6

2 6 1 2 5 7 3 1 4 5 9 7 2

Solution

9 7 3 3 1 4

3 1

Across: 5 Moussaka, 7 Jeer, 8 Menu, 9 Mundane, 10 Chain, 11 Rasher, 12 Lashes, 14 Balmy, 16 Carcass, 17 Bell, 19 Case, 20 Dwelling.

2

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THE BIG ISSUE NOVEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022

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