Art & about Cape Town

I just watched Beauty and the Beast and it got me thinking about the link between feminism and fairy-tale princesses. Belle is a book-wielding, beast-taming feminist without a doubt, but where do the other princesses from the Disney canon stand on the feminist scale? Mulan and Merida are somewhere in the top echelon with their cross-dressing, crossbow shooting stunts while Cinderella and Aurora are feminist cop-outs. It’s encouraging to see more and more Disney princesses move from damsel in distress to dame that don’t give a damn, showing kids everywhere that girls can be kick ass too. So, I present to you my definitive list of Disney princesses ranked according to their feminist credentials. Extra points for minority maidens such as princesses of colour, LGBT ladies (Elsa I’m looking at you) and red heads. 1. Mulan Mulan doesn’t need a man to save her. In fact, she saves the man and China, too! 2. Tiana Tiana is unique in that she has a real job, even after

The London-based Kenya-born Somalia-raised poet Warsan Shire first wowed the world when excerpts of her work were used on Beyoncé’s iconic Lemonade. Her poetry is like the refreshing yellow drink but laced with Vodka - bittersweet and packing a punch. It is a poignant reflection on modern womanhood and first generation belonging delivered in her distinctive style- part rallying war cry, part vivid evocation. Mainstream feminism has a need to embrace intersectionality. So, I propose Ms. Shire as a voice of a new generation of women who know that vulnerability and fearlessness are like music and lyrics- they belong together. Her latest contribution, Your Family, Your Body is available on Amazon now.

At just 28, Alex Fourie is already the CEO of his own successful company. Named as one of Forbes Magazine’s top 10 Promising Young African Entrepreneurs in 2014, he’s been going from strength to strength ever since he started his company out of his dorm room at Stellenbosch University in 2006.  'Ja, I played and managed bands for 10 years. It was fun and it taught me a lot about branding. Music is so subjective and making a name for yourself in music is so hard that business was nearly easy after that.' His company, iFix, repairs apple products and has 11 shops throughout South Africa, servicing over 10 000 customers a month. Fourie  saw a gap in the market when he tried to have his iPod repaired but was told by experts that this wasn’t possible. A few YouTube tutorials later he had fixed the device himself and a business was born. We asked Alex some questions to gain a better insight into his success. You’re only 28 yet you employ a staff of 80, if my sour

Humour is a weapon of mass distraction. As South Africans it is - and always has been - part of our culture to laugh at ourselves. We don’t shy away from racially charged topics knowing full well that laughter is the best antidote to fear. Yes. South Africa is known for its strong sense of satire. The beauty of satire is that it gives you the benefit of hindsight - but in the present - existing in a mock-reality that's frequently strangely closer to the truth than the truth itself. Satirical news source Haiybo.com is just that. As its punch line - "Breaking news. Into lots of little pieces"  - suggests, it features articles reporting on national events, providing a biting social commentary on modern South Africa. A recent poll held on the website is a good indicator of its particular brand of humour. On it readers were asked to select a fitting punishment for Julius Malema’s latest outburst with the suggestion he take Helen Zille on a date (breakfast and taxi money

"Clothes maketh the man", Mark Twain said in the 1880s. When some time later he followed up with, "Naked people have little or no influence in society," the truth of his words was universally understood. I wore a t-shirt today and it made me think about the ability clothes have to express an abstract idea powerfully. But first some context. The t-shirt worn has bold retro prints circling Biko’s famous face and the words ‘I Write What I Like’ sprawled above his head in thick print. Steve Biko - for those of you who don’t know - was a political activist, writer and humanitarian in the 70s and author of the book  I Write What I Like . Biko dedicated his life to this land. He fought for equality throughout humanity in a very inhumane time within our country. Much of what he liked to write, most notably: "The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed,” and "It is better to die for an idea that will live; than to liv

 Paper lanterns drip crimson tassels one on each side of the restaurant's entrance. A hand drawn specials list is loosely presticked to  Doyu's*  front window, while an inviting neon-red  Open  flashes brightly above a small metal gate. Colourful oriental creations hang from hooks on the plaster ceiling above a scratched but clean floor. The air is wet and wisps of steam seem to twist in time to the soft stereo music. I sit at a table facing into the restaurant, joining a pair of ornamental geese, a half used bottle of soy sauce and a plastic lantern, its wick floating in a luminous pink solution. My fingers brush across the table’s surface, rough against my hand. A young waitress approaches. She is wearing a synthetic green top rimmed with crispy gold and a pair of faded Levis jeans; her hair is smoothed off her face into a tight bun. She runs a damp cloth over the fine layer of dust coating my table. The faint smell of cleaning detergent lingers. An aged Chinese m