My Name is a Huge Part of MY Identity - Learn it!

Siphumelele Zondi 

@SZondi

Last week while waiting for the bus just outside the University of Sussex campus a classmate from Newcastle in northern England said: “I am using Siphumelele’s voice for a documentary I am working on.” I smiled as she said this. No one knew the reason I was smiling, but it’s because she had said my name and pronounced it properly. This is a small gesture that told me that I have been accepted in her circle. I then paused a bit and thought about what had just happened and then realised that my friends from America, Zimbabwe, other parts of Europe and even China say my name with no problems here. This showed me that my friends in Europe think I matter and my identity and being also matter. The majority of white South Africans refuse to make this gesture which shows me that white people back home do not view me or my language as an equal.

Media, Educators & Government Discuss the African Story

Sthembiso Sithole

@sitholeexpress

Nqakula told panelists that positive government stories need to be published.

The media is most people’s only window to places outside South Africa and through television screens, radio and newspaper reports people can be transported to countries across the African continent. But this picture of Africa depends on how the journalist and the news organisation they work for cover the rest of the continent. From their angle, people sitting in their homes across South Africa would then formulate their own picture of other regions in Africa.

Many would remember how the North African countries of Libya, Egypt and Tunisia dominated the news in 2011 as people were revolting against their governments. Libya’s was the most difficult as that country’s president Muammar Ghaddafi was refusing to step down until the rebels started hunting him down and eventually killed him. Nato also declared the airspace over Libya a no-fly zone and then started shelling the country. That is the story of North Africa from 2011 many would remember. The dictators who led those countries are no longer in power and as there are fewer protests, no shelling of the region and a bit of calm, the stories from there have also stopped. There is also a huge possibility that many who watched those conflicts would not know a North Africa without conflict as they’ve never seen it through their window.

White South Africans Must Look at History to Understand Black People's Insult Over 'The Spear'

Siphumelele Zondi 
@SZondi

Ngoni people in Zambia continue with slaughering of bull with hands.

South Africa is going through a period of misunderstandings and it seems many black South Africans feel white South Africans refuse to understand their cultures, their way of life and how they, as Africans who have been oppressed, would think. 

These misunderstandings which are interpreted as insults by black people would often be seen when animal rights organisations protest should a prominent black person slaughter a cow in his home, which is part of many black people’s custom. Now they are seen in art as well. My dad used to say organisations like the SPCA need to understand that even meat found in a butchery comes from an animal that would have been slaughtered and buying a cow to do it yourself is far cheaper than buying the same quantity of meat in a butchery. 

Pics: COSATU Disrupts DA March in Johannesburg

Nurses Celebrate Their Day with Ngema-Zuma

Paseka Menyau
@King_Matthews

Nurses all over the world celebrated their profession on Saturday, 12 May, as that is the birthday of the founder of their profession Florence Nightingale who was born in 1820. In the township of Mabopane, near Pretoria, nurses celebrated the day at the private clinic, MediClinic Legae.

Spending time with the nurses was first lady, Bongi Ngema-Zuma, whose health foundation assists in the fight against diabetes. During her speech, Ngema-Zuma, praised iconic South African nurses - Lillian Ngoyi, Albertina Sisulu and Adelaide Tambo - who also helped in the fight against apartheid. While recognising those anti-apartheid icons, a regular nurse who has dedicates her life to saving lives at the clinic, Thandi Radebe, was awarded with the Nursing Excellence Award.

Township Students Getting Public to Pick up Rubbish

Paseka Menyau
@King_Matthews

They hope other township students will join their 'green' group.

A group of students from the Tshwane University of Technology have taken it upon themselves to clean the university’s two Soshanguve campuses and its residences. They’ve even stretched their campaign further and are now picking up rubbish around the township as well. They call their project the “Green Campus Campaign”.

Campaign coordinator, Tsediso Nthakhe, says “this campaign started small, but because of the hard work and dedication, we have managed to sustain the campaign and it’s still going strong.”

'A Long Illness' Killing Many Must Be Named To Protect The Living

Siphumelele Zondi 
@SZondi

Growing up in South Africa I had always known about “a long illness” that kills young people at their prime when they should be living their dreams. I remember that on many weekends my parents would go to funerals. The interesting thing is that when I was really young my mom and dad would go to ‘old people’ funerals. They would tell me it would be a certain person’s gran or grandfather, but as time went on it started to change and people being buried started to get younger.

On their return from these funerals my mother and her friends would often discuss the person and a line I remember often being said is, “Cha ubesegulile bandla”. Loosely translated to: “No, they had been sick a while.”

This Is Maria. She Will End the War on Drugs.

Maria is a composite character based on many Mexican victims of the drug war – their words and actions – who together are organizing to end the war, including Javier Sicilia, Maria Herrera and Julian LeBaron.

This video was made by The School of Authentic Journalism.