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| Ubuke lana umsebenzi walomthwebuli... |
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| These grills dun distorted the camera yo! |
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| That other guy has just about had it! |
Random Activity Around Da City (Back to The City)
Fela to a journalist: "Which girl is on duty today?"
He married 27 wives. All at once. He could because he was Fela Kuti.
I've had debates with other hardcore feminists about Fela's marital affairs. I'm a feminist myself but I'd really like to engage in this topic and I hope you will share your honest opinions with me:
( I hope this time it does not end up in an almost cat fight!)
1. Did the concept of feminism exist before colonisation? Is the existence of feminism not part of Africa's westernisation and the neglect of our cultural identity which is one of the worst effects of colonialism?
2.If a woman chooses to be in a polygamous relationship, is it fair really to say they are being oppressed? Especially if practised in the indigenous way that fully honours and respects culture (unlike a certain president who's name I will mention).
3. Why do we always assume that polygamous relationships cannot be made of happy, healthy and fulfilled clusters of nuclear families?
Please share your thoughts with me.
Why the celebration?
I am dearly upset.
It has nothing to do with the fact that I am miserable at work while 20 000 parties happen around Joburg in commemoration of The Soweto Uprising but more so my failure to understand why we celebrate this day so foolishly as young people. Having grown up in Kwazulu Natal, I have only ever met one person who was part of the Uprising on June 16, 1976 and recalling the way she told of the sequence of events of that day makes the gallivanting and drunken stupor we get up today so direspectful.
Look at the above image. That image does not make me want to paint the town red and get out of control in pursuit for pleasure. How has Youth Day turned into a mere day off when images like this exist? Should this not be day we retrospectively analyse our progress as a nation? Nothing can ever do justice for the lives lost that day. Families were left grieving and even our lives were changed forever. The least we can do is show respect and appreciation for those who stood up for us to be able to be where and who we are today.
I have been observing people around me, on social networks, in taxis going on about today as if it's just a dress up day to see who still looks good in school uniform. Even worse are those treating today as if it's freaking New Year's Eve. Nonsense! Why are we regressing and adobting such dumb mentalities about such serious matters?
What will June 16 be about by the time our kids are young adults?
*sigh*
Aluta Continua.
Teaching them while they are still young
How awesome is the latest toddler's range from Timberland?! It's winter and I was thinking my son Aluta should get a pair, the little man must get his warmth and swag on you dig? I'm a bit conflicted though after having seen him use his recent pair of New Balance kicks as brakes for his scooter. The pain...
Which brings me to this: I wonder if buying expensive items for our children is not us teaching them consumerism at an early age? At the same time there has been some good quality items that I have invested in for Aluta that he has passed on to his younger cousins which can be a good moral lesson on it's own (sharing and preservation). Irregardless of the price, how does one teach a kid to value their possessions? How do I make it possible for his son to wear the same pair of Timberland's that he wore when he was 4?
We live in the era of fads. The media is already teaching kids the culture of consumerism. Value of a certain item that you purchase for a kid is now determined by the current trend. A year ago it was Ben 10 pyjamas, today it's Bakugan pyjamas and whether or not the Ben 10 pyjamas are still in good condition, they immediately lose value because they are not what the media is portraying as 'happening' right now.
It's all a little bit scary for me because I would like to give my child the best of what I can afford and still keep him grounded. Thus far my strategy has been to strip away his naivety and youth by explaining the concept of work and the result of work to him. Mommy needs to work hard in order for A B and C to be achieved. Even basic things like his education are a result of work and therefore we need to appreciate what we have because of the amount of work that went in to obtain them. I hate having to expose him to the System at such an early age but it's either that or I teach him the ways of the hippies and move him to the mountains.
The New Balance kicks were swapped for a pair of Ackerman's play shoes. One cannot stop kids from being kids, and kids need brakes for their scooters.
Reading also helps...
Which brings me to this: I wonder if buying expensive items for our children is not us teaching them consumerism at an early age? At the same time there has been some good quality items that I have invested in for Aluta that he has passed on to his younger cousins which can be a good moral lesson on it's own (sharing and preservation). Irregardless of the price, how does one teach a kid to value their possessions? How do I make it possible for his son to wear the same pair of Timberland's that he wore when he was 4?
We live in the era of fads. The media is already teaching kids the culture of consumerism. Value of a certain item that you purchase for a kid is now determined by the current trend. A year ago it was Ben 10 pyjamas, today it's Bakugan pyjamas and whether or not the Ben 10 pyjamas are still in good condition, they immediately lose value because they are not what the media is portraying as 'happening' right now.
It's all a little bit scary for me because I would like to give my child the best of what I can afford and still keep him grounded. Thus far my strategy has been to strip away his naivety and youth by explaining the concept of work and the result of work to him. Mommy needs to work hard in order for A B and C to be achieved. Even basic things like his education are a result of work and therefore we need to appreciate what we have because of the amount of work that went in to obtain them. I hate having to expose him to the System at such an early age but it's either that or I teach him the ways of the hippies and move him to the mountains.
The New Balance kicks were swapped for a pair of Ackerman's play shoes. One cannot stop kids from being kids, and kids need brakes for their scooters.
Reading also helps...
Current Read
I don't own a copy but good friend, mother of my mind in terms of brainfeed, talented Durban based artist Simmi Dullay was sweet enough to email me a copy.
I will give you feedback once I am done reading it. If you would like the copy, I would be more than happy to forward it to you.
Suthisa umnqondo!
Epicness...
I love these guys! Anyone who knows me knows that I have been tripping over this cartoon strip for years. Suicide for Hire (created by Raphael Medina) is about two highscool kids Hunter Ravenwood (the fox, who's a bit on the sadistic careless side) and Arcturus Winrock (the mouse,the moral one of the two) who decide to render a service to people who are trying to kill themselves so they can afford to buy teenage stuff like porn. They set up shop and via word of mouth their business starts booming. The dialect is smart, witty and sometimes even thought provoking (they once refused to kill a pregnant woman because one of their clauses is not to kill anyone without their consent and this case the baby did not consent to die)... Medina has kept this strip one going for 7 years now and there has never been a dull moment.
I won't tell you more, I advise you build a relationship with this epicness yourself. It's been years so you have a lot of catching up to do.
Yeah!
Going Coockoo over Harajuku
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| Wonderful! I want to be the master of that bow!  |
Forget how Gwen Stefani and her Harajuku Girls do it (God bless her stylish soul), this is how it's done. I'm all for indivisualism and even though it may be too bizzare for our side of the world, I love how these kids make indivisualism their female dog!
If I was given the opportunity to go to Harajuku one day, do not be suprised to bump into images of a gigantic dark skinned honey in bows, lace and sweet wrappers..
Have you ever noticed that most people will only go beyond societal norms within a group of others? Remember a time when everyone was looking rastafarian and they only dared to so because they could comouflage within a group of other Rastas and they would do so in the safest manner possible (which makes Rastafarianism a tad bit occultic at times)? Wouldn't it be awesome if we could form groups of us random types but within that group the main objective is for you to be your own person and express your personality in the best way you can?
These images inspire me and remind me that true strenght of character is being able to be happy with yourself even if you end up in a stray jacket.
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