by Palesa Tshandu | Apr 11, 2014 | News
LIPSTICK ART: Artwork made from lipstick by Sarah Britten sits at Vèlo Café for customers to enjoy.
Corrugated iron doors almost make you shy away from the Ithuba’s politically satirical imagery found in the gallery space until you see what’s inside: Bullets, whips and Jacob Zuma occupy the floor space in the gallery commemorating the 20 years of South African democracy that encourage critical discourse to take place.
This exhibition titled Tension Torsion: 20 Years On, is a group exhibition curated by Farieda Nazier, with new works from Gordon Froud, Avitha Sooful and Oupa V Mokwena.
The Revival of Art
Art galleries are part of the revivalist strategy for the student community, for instance, the Stevenson gallery, which occupies the corner of Juta street and plays host to artist Nandipha Mntambo’s solo exhibition called Transience. Stevenson offers the contemporary art audience in and around Braamfontein an alternative solution to the otherwise high-end art galleries in Johannesburg.
[pullquote]The gallery’s pieces are all under R10 000, affordable by art prices in Joburg.[/pullquote]
Director and curator, David Brodie, views the decision to open a gallery in Braamfontein as “culturally important” crediting the opening of the Wits Art Museum (WAM) as one of the primary reasons for opening the space.
The artwork is set against a navy background with an eggplant chair made from cow-hide hanging loosely from the ceiling and portions of hair protruding from the works that are displayed on the walls in a trendy and avante garde atmosphere. The less alternative pieces hang quietly at the entrance of the gallery which leads visitors and art enthusiasts into the transient world of Mntambo’s mind.
Affordable luxury
The gallery’s pieces are all under R10 000, affordable by art prices in Joburg. According to Brodie, prices range on the artist’s credibility in the art scene. A comparatively smaller and contained gallery space located walking distance from Stevenson, aptly called ‘Room’ is a “space that is full of concepts and where concepts change”, says special projects manager Megan Mace. It depicted issues about space and how this changes.
The current exhibition is by young artist, Mack Magagane, titled Somewhere Between and is a photographic journey of the three months he lived in Europe, as an outsider. A red curtain separates the gallery space, creating what Mace refers to as a “haphazard space” that plays with the idea of the concept of space.
However if you happen to want to catch a bite while perusing through artworks, then pop into Vélo Café which offers a double a treat of food and art. Artworks by Sarah Britten made from red and pink lipstick add an interesting contrast to the white walls and work as an ice-breaker for first date conversation.
So, if you’re planning to go out to explore the city, Juta street’s art hub is the perfect location for developing your art palette.
by Palesa Tshandu | Apr 1, 2014 | News
Ian Macun, director of collective bargaining at the Department of Labour and Advocate Geoff Budlender were two of the panelists at Wits yesterday. Photo: Lutho Mtongana
A strike fund from trade unions should be a prerequisite for striking miners to maintain their basic living conditions, according to the dean of humanities at the University of Cape Town, Prof Sakhela Buhlungu.
“Levels of desperation kick in immediately after going on strike,” said Buhlungu. He emphasised the plight of mine workers who bear the repercussions of not earning salaries for the duration of a strike.
Buhlungu was one of three panelists speaking at at panel discussion hosted on the Marikana commission of inquiry held at Wits on Monday afternoon. Family members of the victims of Marikana were also present at the panel discussion.
The panel was the first of a three-part seminar, held by the Marikana commission. Open to public for the first time since investigations into the deaths of 34 Lonmin miners in August 2012 began, the seminar included members of the commission and other parties involved.
Department of labour spokesperson Ian Macum said many workers were dissatisfied.
[pullquote]The worrying trend in the post-Marikana era is that there has no been greater consensus that the law does not offer solutions to bypassing situations[/pullquote]
“Dissatisfaction can have a number of causes, which thread the problems that face trade unions”, said Macun.
Subcontracted workers enjoy substandard conditions at the mines, which triggers discontent among workers. However, full-time workers also endure extreme conditions but for lesser pay, Macun suggested
The rivalry between the National Union of Mineworkers and Association of Mineworkers Construction Union shows that the unions have been unsuccessful in maintaining confidence among their workers, suggested Macun.
He said the prevalence of dissent results in conflict among trade unions and contributes to the loss of law and order.
The panelists said the issues of workers bypassing the trade unions showed the flaws that are present in the system.
“The worrying trend in the post-Marikana era is that there has no been greater consensus that the law does not offer solutions to bypassing situations,” said Macun.
On April 9, the commission will host its second seminar focusing on labour migrancy, and its third will be hosted on April 16, focusing on strike violence.
by Palesa Tshandu | Mar 25, 2014 | News
By Anazi Zote and Palesa Tshandu
The bad habits of western tabloid journalism have had a negative impact on Chinese media by making it easier to censor articles in quality newspapers, a Chinese media expert said on Monday.
Tabloid journalism in China—such as articles on the fashion sense of politician’s wives—gives the impression that there is an active media in the country, while serious issues are censored or simply ignored, said Prof Mao Sihui, director of the Bell Centre of English at the Macau Polytechnic Institute.
Tabloid news is less rigid in self-censorship and this allows China to maintain the public’s interest. In hard news censorship is more stringent and media does not include the interest of the public.
Sihui said one route for Chinese people to express their views was Internet. “If you want to see the power of the ordinary people go to the internet,” said Sihui.
[pullquote]“Economic growth does not mean press freedom”[/pullquote]
However, Sihui said that while access to the Internet has exploded in recent years, not everyone has access to it. He said the mentality amongst ordinary citizens in China was that of “slavery”.
Sihui said that only a minority of publications in China were liberal, with most tending to be conservative.
Sihui added that in contrast to the Internet, many Chinese are exposed to theatre and plays to communicate ideas. This is particularly true on the mainland.
“Freedom of expression is only true in theatre,” Sihui said.
Sihui said the “Chinese Dream” of media would include the decentralisation of information as a and stressed the importance of freedom and access to information.
China’s fast economic growth should not be used as an indication of the freedoms that are available in Chinese media.
“Economic growth does not mean press freedom”, said Sihui.
by Palesa Tshandu | Mar 24, 2014 | News
Only one black female graduated with an honours degree in actuarial science last year from the School of Statistics and Actuarial Science last year.
Female representation in Actuarial Science
The issue of black female representation in actuarial science has been an issue in past years, said Moses Mkhize, Wits coordinator of the SA Actuaries Development Programme (SAADP).
“The issue with this problem is that it reinforces the stigma that actuarial science is for males,” said Mkhize.
Kelebogile Setlatjile was the lone black female graduate in her honours programme last year. She could not be reached for comment by Wits Vuvuzela.
Director of Actuarial Studies Prof Stephan Jurisich defended the honours programme’s diversity, saying the graduation demographics changed from year to year.
“You cannot use last year’s class as being representative of Wits,” he said.
The current actuarial science honours class has 42 students with 12 of them black females, eight of those women are Indian and only four are African. Eight of the female students are white. There are no coloured women studying actuarial science in the honours programme this year.
[pullquote]“The issue with this problem is that it reinforces the stigma that actuarial science is for males,”[/pullquote]
Jurisich said the Actuarial Science Honours course was demanding and passing required navigating difficult academic requirements.
South African Actuaries Development Programme
However, Jurisich confirmed that managing diversity in the actuarial science programme had been difficult and had been helped with the intervention of SAADP.
The SAADP was established to create awareness and understanding of actuarial skills, particularly for students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.
SAADP chief executive Nowkanda Mkhize said the entrance requirements into actuarial science were high and “the students need to be strong mathematically.”
S’onqonba Maseko, who graduated from the Wits Actuarial Science Honours programme in 2009, said she had never felt disenfranchised by her race or gender but said there were too few black females studying actuarial science.
“Actuarial science is not a career option that a lot of young black girls know about when growing up. This is related to the past of South Africa and the limited opportunities that existed for black girls,” Maseko said.
“There is some catching up to be done through letting more black girls know about the career and give them the support to discover their own potential.”
According to an article published in Business Day last year, the profession of actuarial science has made strides in improving its diversity. Over the last 15 years, the number of black actuarial fellows grew from 2.2% to 16%, whereas the number of female fellows increased from 6% to 20%.
by Palesa Tshandu | Mar 14, 2014 | News
POLITICAL CONFUSION: Talk show host Eusebius McKaiser signs his new book Could I Vote DA? as a reader holds a whiskey and waits in anticipation.
In underground meeting places for the politically homeless you often find young Model C’s who are victims of schizophrenic politics and old liberals who smell the whiskey before they drink it.
The unofficial voter caucus was held at LoveBooks in Melville on Thursday for the launch of political commentator and radio personality Eusebius McKaiser’s book, aptly called Could I Vote DA?
“Politics are about feelings,” said McKaiser, arguing the decision to vote was primarily based on the emotional association a person has towards political parties, suggesting emotional political baggage was a cause of voter-confusion.
Democratic Alliance (DA) youth leader and moderator for the night, Mbali Ntuli, shocked the audience when she admitted that the party has an emerging culture of silence on race issues. ‘’Helen [Zille] is going to kill me,’’ she said, trying to laugh off the comment.
The mention of the DA leader Helen Zille sparked a conversation about the flaws of the party’s leadership.
According to McKaiser, South African politics is deeply racialised. He said this had a significant bearing on who people voted for and was one of the reasons the DA has been unable to secure the black vote.
Thabiso Bhengu, a Wits student activist who attended the book launch voiced a different take on the racialisation of politics.
“The DA is a mutation of old whiteness – old devil dressed in different clothes,” Bengu said.
The confused voters are a major preoccupation in Eusebius’ book.
Political journalist Sipho Hlongwane added to the confusion when he was asked whether or not he would vote for the DA. “My vote has better weight if voting for another party besides than the ANC,” Hlongwane said.
