Art & about Cape Town

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 sou...

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...

Burlesque is built on a wink and a smile. It’s the art of theatrical tease, a vintage form of erotic and ironic cabaret, where the emphasis is not on revealing but on concealing skin, while still feeding the audience titbits of fantasy-invoking bare curves. It’s the rare space where a woman can be sexy and funny at the same time, because the most beautiful curve on a woman’s body is her smile.  I'm at the Obs Theatre in Cape Town. It’s 8pm and the show is about to start. I sit in the second row. Audience participation is expected at this type of thing, and I’m shy. Diva-Disa Star, one of the sexy geniuses behind Black Orchid Burlesque, takes to the stage. She takes off one pair of gloves and there’s another pair underneath. She keeps going and going and it’s spectacular. Her moves are fluid, sensual and effortlessly undulating, and we’re all in suspense.             HURLY BURLY: Star, a glamorous and petite Burlesque dancer. What is this lady...

“There was a sense of exhilaration, a sense of adventure, a sense of enjoyment in everything that we did” – on his time in the Sestigers André Brink is one of the greatest South African writers of his generation. A key figure of the Sestigers, he helped revolutionise Afrikaans literature, but he is also equally well-known as a consummate master of English prose. In his long career he has explored many themes in his work, including the legacy of colonialism and apartheid in the country. He’s written more than twenty novels, most recently Philida, which is written from the viewpoint of a female slave who was owned by one of his ancestors. The book was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize 2012. I interviewed   the great man for House of Publishers. André Brink is a literary powerhouse. Masterful in both English and Afrikaans, he has wowed South Africa with his uniquely apt turns of phrase since his debut as a writer in the late 1950s. I visited him in his Rondebosch hom...