Rod Suskin, famous Astrologer and Sangoma talks to us about what it was like becoming a Sangoma and what he sees as South Africa’s prospects for the upcoming elections. Rod has been giving Astrological advice to listeners on Cape Talk for 11 years and he also regularly appears on the television show Free Spirit on SABC 3.
more about "A Few Minutes with Rod Suskin | Zoopy…", posted with vodpod
The Cape Town blaze from Salisbury Street, Woodstock, 18 March 2009, 12AM
more about "Cape Town fires (Devil’s Peak) | Zoop…", posted with vodpod
by Catherine Sackville-Scott
Nas was not entirely wrong when in 2006 he boldly proclaimed “Hip hop is dead”. In the song of this same name he conveys his disappointment at how the culture has developed:
Everybody sound the same, commercialize the game
Reminiscin’ when it wasn’t all business
Many established and respected hip hop artists all over the world have expressed similar feelings of disillusionment. The music that was once a powerful tool used in defiance of oppressive social structures, has now become a manufactured commodity in an industry where profit is the only objective. To maximise profit, of course, you should appeal to the desires of the consumer. Today it seems that consumers simply want power, sex and money.
If we turn on a radio the lyrics of any hip hop song we hear are likely to be about a man (playa, gangsta, hustler etc.) “putting Lamborghini doors on an Escalade” or lusting after a woman (often referred to as a bitch, ho, lil’ mama, shorty etc.) wearing “Apple Bottom jeans, boots with the fur”. Viewers of television are sure to be lambasted with images of lavish lifestyles where men adorned with grillz, chinchilla and four-finger rings sip casually on Hennessey while scantily clad women “shake what they got” in the background. This is particularly evident in shows like “Pimp My Ride” and “MTV Cribs” where hip hop artists proudly show off their extravagant possessions.
So it is easy to understand where perceptions of hip hop as a misogynistic and materialistic genre come from. Some however, have not buckled under commercial pressure and continue to do justice to the music’s original form, even if this means being pushed underground in favour of the newer, more easily-consumable kind of hip hop. Emcees began distancing themselves from the industry around the late 80s. In 1988 KRS One released his album By All Means Necessary featuring a track called “Illegal Business” where he voiced a refusal to change his style:
KRS, I speak when I must
This that official underground rap, this you can trust
I stand outside the industry and there’s many of us
Talkin mad shit but for those who not bilingual, plenty of stuff
My whole crew is why you can’t get with any of us
Reason I’m not on TV cause I’m not sellin you nothin
I’m not rhymin for a Bentley or a house this plush
I spit for the conscious, what about us?
Like-minded hip hop heads, both international and local, have stayed true to the real hip hop, continuing to make politically and socially significant contributions. South African artists have stepped up in light of recent the xenophobic violence. Today, Sunday June 1st, the cream of the SA hip hop crop (think Jozi, Slikour, Tuks, Jub Jub, Koldproduk, Tumi, Zubz, Nthabi, DJ Kenzhero and others) came together at Baseline line in Johannesburg to perform at the Headz Against Violence concert to raise funds for affected areas.
Hip hop IS still doing good work, even in our own backyard. Just last month a group of Grahamstown hip hop activists, the Fingo Revolutionary Movement, in collaboration with the Gender Action Project, hosted a break-dancing competition where all funds went towards the building of a safehouse for victims of domestic abuse. Check out the full story on our news page…then go listen to some real hip hop!
by Fish
I find it amazing that if you search for South African crime statistics on the internet, all the information is out of date (http://www.saps.gov.za/statistics/reports/crimestats/2006/_pdf/provinces/rsa_total.pdf). The most recent report I could find was one released by the SAPS in early 2007 (http://www.info.gov.za/issues/crime/crime_aprsept_ppt.pdf). What baffles me even more is that all the police reports I could find stated point blank that the crime rate in South Africa is decreasing, but all external sources seem to disagree (http://www.iss.co.za/CrimeIndex/01Vol5No1/World.html).
Personally, I know of three people who experienced house breaking this very week. And if you look around Grahamstown, the rate doesn’t seem to be decreasing. South Africa has a crime problem and we know it.
This is why I find the story of drama program being run at the Egazini centre (http://www.grahamstown.co.za/egazini.htm) so important. The endeavour that has been undertaken by the department of social development and this arts and crafts centre clearly shows that there are at least some people making an effort to stop crime.
Not only is crime being actively prevented, but children are also being provided with opportunities that they would previously never have dreamed of. They now are being provided with an alternative to life on the streets.
In addition to this even, the children are also showcasing their own work, through a play entitled “My life on the streets of Grahamstown”, which they have directed, written and choreographed themselves. They will be delivering a professional performance at the 2008 National Arts Festival.
By Daniel Epstein
I got into hip hop when I was about 12. There was something cool and relatable to its sound. The first album with hip hop that I bought was the soundtrack to Blade 1. Although hip hop is in no sense monolithic, there is in almost all its music an underlying dissident voice, a voice that is angry, or at the very least, displeased. This is, of course, excepting the new dirty South crunk that has swept through much of American hip hop culture – the ‘made-it’ black voice that celebrates materialism and misogyny. My interest in hip hop, like the interest of those artists I admire, has been forced into the underground, that which has been labelled ‘conscious’ hip hop.
Much of their subject matter regards ‘the street’ and street values. It’s the cry of the once, and in most ways still, marginalized, and it’s filled with the harshness of this reality. Its not too difficulty to work out how this sound can appeal to people from various walks of life. Although the lyrics might not directly reflect your story, it’s the underlying dissonance which is relatable. As I’ve said once before, rap artists criticized the socio-political system. Kids transpose the artist’s derision onto any other permutation of that ‘machine’- school, domestic relationships, money, or all of it. This is not to describe hip hop as being in some way morbid. It harnesses its power in an expression that is vibrant and colourful. I can’t deny the side of me that connects simply with its cool sound. Whatever the reasons for its widespread appeal, much of it seems to be relatable to youth with even the slightest instinct for rebelliousness (and this, once again, I do not take to be something negative).
In South Africa, like much of the rest of the world, rap and hip hop culture has staked its place in the milieu of our cultural environment. There is also a sense in our local artists, like many in the US, to remain authentic to their roots. This means engaging with the community from which they come. This makes hip hop an ideal vehicle for community engagement. Since 1990 Cape Town artists such as Brasse Vannie Kaap and POC have engaged critically with South Africa’s political landscape. Black Noise also started Heal The Hood (www.healthehood.org), an anti-racism and anti-crime campaign.
In the small town of Grahamstown too, hip hop artists are engaging with their community. Fingo Revolutionary Movement, headed by Xolile Madinda, or ‘X’, arranges events that uses hip hop to empower local Grahamstown youth. This can be through rapping, breakdance or poetry. The latest event was a collaboration with the Gender Action Project, a breakdance competition that was used to raise funds for the establishment of a safe-house for victims of sexual violence. Although hip hop often contains violent content, sometimes even regarding sexual violence, people like X would agree that hip hop is not about that, and that it can be used to create awareness about social issues of this type.
Related video to be uploaded soon.
By Jade Fernley
So it seems the more time you have to watch news, the more frustrated you’ll get. After being on holiday for not fewer than 3 days, I saw a story on Carte Blanche detailing a recent police raid at a Stellies club/pub which involved excessive violence on students, including policemen actually punching women, all in the name of a drug raid. I saw a movie about the Rwandan genocide; watched a news bulletin concerning the proposed 60 percent electricity price hike and following that, an insert on how “they’re not sure if we really will be ready for 2010″ (but we’ve managed to triple the budget we thought we’d spend). I’m not listing this to tell you how news conscious I’ve been, although it is worthy to note I’m sure; I’m really mentioning these things because of one common theme through all of them. WHY isn’t ANYONE standing UP? And in the case of past events, such as those in Rwanda, why didn’t anyone stand up in time? I know there are various political reasons behind things like this, but more than anything I’d like to know why, if a large majority of us sit at home thinking “Gee, that should really be sorted out”, or “My my, electricity is getting expensive”, then shouldn’t the people in “higher places” be feeling it even more so? Do our rules (as good as rules are) seriously limit someone in parliament or in a 2010 committee saying, “this has got to stop!”??
But even if someone did say anything, will it be taken note of to the extent that things actually change? To the extent that the police are held accountable for their treatment of the Stellies students. To the extent that people who are going to be drastically affected by the electricity price hike stand together and someone speaks on behalf of them and says No. To the extent that someone, whoever really is in charge of the 2010 preparations, stops saying how we’ll never be ready and puts more energy into plans that can combat the probable issues that we may face. We are often silenced by that fear that one person can do nothing but I guess I’d like to answer that with a somewhat cliched, but true, statement: All it sometimes takes is one person, even a handful, and maybe if we all caught hold of that, things may start to change. I’m not saying overnight, and hey powers and authorities don’t always like to listen to the guy who’s opposing what is happening; but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.
By Daniel Epstein
At Some time today, perhaps when a big sun is sinking behind the jungle-clad mountains, Chief Yata will sit cross-legged under a banyan tree on a Pacific island and tell his people about his journey to a sad and cheerless land far beyond the horizon. He will describe how the people there lie in the streets with no place to shelter and how those who do have houses hurry to work each morning, unsmiling, in the chase for money. It is a place, he says, where the culture is upside down, where animals in many cases receive more love than humans, and personal greed, rather than sharing, is the general rule.
By MK
If your idea as youth is to own your own house or land after 2009 elections, Jacob Zuma is the right candidate which we can wrestle for. Since Zuma received a lot of support from ANC youth league, I think we as youth can now dream of seeing the Promised Land at last. I think after 2009 elections, a lot of young South Africans will finally have a place in the economy. I read newspapers very often, but I don’t really like the opinions describing Mr Zuma as someone who will drive the economy towards Zimbabwean direction. I think we need to take into consideration the fact that African National Congress (ANC) it’s a collective organisation chaired by Mr Zuma. In other words, the president of the party relies on the policies of the party when making decisions, as he does not have his own policies. I agree that he is the man in front, but the way people are judging him as an individual is no longer fair and we don’t have to blame him individually. ANC removed a lot of powers from the president, so a lot of things have changed. I think Mr Zuma said it clearly that he does not have his own policies, but he will be standing-in the policies of ANC. In addition, if the party members didn’t have confidence in him they should have opted for another candidate. Based on the decision made by the majority of ANC members, Zuma is currently the right candidate to rule the country, no matter what charges he is facing. The problem that I think South Africa is facing is that, a lot of people don’t have confidence in people who didn’t have an opportunity to receive proper education. Zuma is a good example here. But I would like to use another example of Rhodes University, how many ‘African’ students coming from disadvantaged schools are competing with students from module ‘C’ schools. If you know the answer, then Mr Zuma is the right man. Let’s as youth pray for this well respected man in the field of politics to survive all the charges he is currently facing, so that we can finally see the Promised Land, free education, reduced Crime, land reform, curbing HIV/Aids, and economic policies that will continue attracting international businesses. AKA MKA
The statement from our SRC president calling for those UFS students to be excluded from every university got me thinking along the same lines as the fee protests at Wits last year. What would Rhodes do if this was happening to us? We seem to be a relatively calm university when it comes to these issues, which I think should make us all count our blessings. But what is the real reason behind this? Shall we revert to the old-fashioned reasoning: we have too few students to care, the alcohol consumption rate is too high and keeps us busy enough as it is…or is simply the dreaded A-word: APATHY. I’m not saying we should all go out and protest against fees or racism; not at all. I find what the UFS students did really disgusting; but it makes me wonder why we don’t seem to stand up as much as other universities?
I’m all for peace and calmness so this is more a questioning of why Rhodes is the way it is, more than a call to extreme activism. I’m personally grateful that I go to university at a place where integrated residences are not a problem, that we might grumble about where our fees are going but we don’t necessarily need 6000 pitchforks for protesting.
This is madness. This is anarchy. This is thedaybeforefriday.
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