Kameraad Mhambi

A few quick thoughts on why the distinction no longer makes sense. Mobile culture* and Net/digital culture has become indistinguishable, because the later is now the dominant form dictating and shaping the norms, the affordances, the aesthetics, the central debates, the politics of Net culture. Some key pointers that supports this: The majority of the […]

The basic answer is that although it might seem like a simple question, to answer it is actually quite complicated. Compared to major developing world countries, South African workers, and platinum mine workers in particular, are earning not too badly, R5000 pm (just over $600 pm) vs a median** SA wage of R3000 pm. They […]

During the tumult of the 80′s Koos Kombuis released a seminal album called Niemandsland (No man’s land). The work was part of the opening up in Afrikaans culture: the so-called the Voëlvry movement. The content of the record was considered worse than liberal, it was downright subversief! But the album title itself was incendiary. To […]

Today in City Press, and Afrikaner journalist I respect very much, Adriaan Basson wrote a great piece in City Press. There’s much I agree with, why does Afriforum, the Afrikaner civil rights group not team up with Abahlali baseMjondolo for example? But this post is about the bits in it with which I disagree. Much […]

One would hope that an appeal to South Africans to look out for each other would find fertile ground and blossom into an effective political movement to effect real change. Helping the not so well off is off course core message of socialism. (At this point I will have to point out that I do […]

A tweet by Michelle Solomon last night contained a link to an article, that if true is even more disturbing than what we already know about events at Marikana. I will mention some of these claims in a moment. But this article is not about whether indeed these claims are true. Some of them has […]

Jeff Jarvis has an uncanny feel for how technology is shaping media, and by extension society, before its obvious to others. And he has a wonderful way to encapsulate his thoughts in punchy one liners. But like many others in tech in media he has a particular blind spot. See my Storify below. [View the […]

If any of you were reading Mhambi four years ago during the Rugby World Cup, you would have noticed how negative I was about South Africa. We won the tournament, but it did not lift my mood. No not at all. Four years later and we don’t have a half bad team. In fact, in […]

Almost two years ago I wrote. “I have a little secret. A lot of the hardcore Die Antwoord fans are aware of this mind. Mr. (Rodger) Ballen has to fall into the back of queue when it comes to major influences and even diewery.” I pointed to a YouTube video and said: “This is the […]

I wanted to write some quick thoughts on male and female sexuality. It needs a long considered post, but these are some themes that have been going trough my mind for a long time. Thoughts now rekindled in particular since I have started to use Pinterest. For example – The photo attached to this post […]

Follow back Until very recently, in the field I work in – social media – there was an orthodoxy. It went like this: If somebody follows you on Twitter, follow them back. Leading the charge were social media luminaries like Chris Brogan and Darren Rowse (better known as ProBlogger). Even veteran tech bloggers like Robert […]

Today as I strolled into a bookshop on Broadway Market Hackney, I saw a book by Mute. It immediately pricked my interest. Mute is the magazine of digital media theory in the UK and Europe. Round these trendy parts it’s the magazine that any thinking progressive person, with an interest in digital media, must have […]

I’m torn in two by the South African mining strikes. As I have indicated many times before, South Africa is a desperately unequal society. This inequality is a moral, social and economic problem. On the other hand as I indicated in a recent blog post, South African workers, particularly mine workers are well paid compared […]

One of the things that really grates me about British (make that western) society is the absence of social responsibility, the indifference and selfishness. We saw it during the riots, when it was left to the East End’s Turkish community to defend large stretches of Dalston. I have intervened when youths have pelted older people […]

A cursory acquaintance with this blog is all that’s needed to know that I’m a fan of Die Antwoord. The creative crew from South Africa is releasing a new album soon, and that has me very excited. But after having listened to the first release, Fok julle naaiers, I’m not that impressed. I don’t mind […]

South African identities are vying with each other to claim victimhood. There is political capital to be made in victimhood. Here I Storified a debate I had on Twitter about it all. View “The victim race” on Storify