Oral history and written memory combine to tell us who we truly are. Years ago, I was filming on the banks of Lake Victoria when I met a Luo fisherman. I’ll call him Ochieng. But it was what he showed me about his life that mattered, and it is something I will always remember. We […]
The memory of our generations Read More »
I covered the marches on Monday and Tuesday. This is the story of those days. A thin haze of smoke rises against a blue winter sky. Men are standing around a fire made of eucalyptus logs, trying to warm themselves in the cold winter morning. Women and children are mostly sitting on their bundles of
South Africa’s Xenophobia – Rage and Pain Read More »
Even small shards of history that survive help us to remember who we truly are One afternoon in autumn I stood at the ruins of the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia in the ancient city of Sparta. There was little left of the temple except a few stone walls with two eucalyptus trees standing at the
Solitude and the Ruins of Ancient Sparta Read More »
A winter morning in Johannesburg. Chilly, dark clouds scudding through the sky. Silence. Too much silence. I wait for the few melodic sounds of birds: dark-headed bulbuls, mostly, with a few Cape robins. A thin, sporadic set of utterings, not like the magnificent dawn chorus of summer. This relative lack of birdsong is what I
Winter Meditation on Birdsong Read More »
I was shocked to find so relatively little interest in commemorating this powerful event The rhythmic tap of iron shod hooves echoes through the cold air as the winter sun rises over the street. It’s June in Soweto, and the sound of a horse cart working its way through the township is unusual, but there
Soweto 1976 and the meaning of memory Read More »
A look inside the discipline, craft, and consistency behind award-winning feature journalism. I received the National Press Club and UNISA Journalist of the Year Award for Features at the 2025 awards in May this year. The competition is adjudicated by a panel of industry experts and academics who assess work published from January to December
Don’t look for quick or easy solutions to the Iran war conundrum, says author and ex-CIA analyst David McCloskey. When I meet him at the Embassy Towers in Sandton, I realise immediately what a seriously nice guy he is: smart, friendly, clean cut. There’s nothing sinister about him, and like all the CIA people I’ve
Trump Iran and The Cycle of Revenge Read More »
The story of Dietrich in Joburg is complex and inspiring, one of the many ghostly, fragile strands of our half-remembered city. It is also the story of the sheer guts and determination of a very young man searching for something greater than what his limited world seemed to offer. This article first appeared in The
Glamour and Ghosts: The Time Marlene Dietrich Fell in Love with Joburg Read More »
The unveiling of a mask reveals the magic of Venice and the duality of memory that we carry with us This article first appeared in Substack I had only a few days to marvel at Venice. That incredible city of memory and antiquity, of romance, poetry, art, decadence and love, with the Grand Canal at
The Masks of Venice Read More »
I remember the house in Majwemasweu township near Brandfort so vividly. It was a clean, neat house, painted white. There was a green lawn and a small willow tree in the front. It was Winnie Mandela’s home and tiny clinic that she had established there in exile. I was a young soundman working freelance for Dutch
Essay | Winnie, Hennie and Me: An Erstwhile Soundman Remembers 3 Days in Brandfort Read More »