South Africa Features
From the Kaapse Klopse to the Field of Dreams: SA Music Culture
Splashy Fen
Legend has it that two friends, Peter Ferraz and Bart Fokkens, were sitting around over a beer one evening in 1990, discussing the decline of the great music festivals of yore. Concluding that the moment had come to reverse this trend the two decided then and there to found a festival in the grand old tradition, and thus the Splashy Fen was born.
For those of you not already making plans to drive, hitchhike or walk to Splashy Fen farm in the Drakensberg, then it is probably too late to catch the opening acts, but the festival runs for four days over easter, so if you hurry, you might not miss the best of what is on offer.
South African Musical Diversity
Things have come a long way since the first ad hoc jam that launched the festival, and since then Splashy Fen has diversified it’s roots in folk nostalgia to embrace much of what defines South African contemporary music. Nowadays you can expect anything from the black styles of mbaqanga and iscathamiya, to alternative rock/pop, and to grunge, punk, hard rock and classical/jazz fusion. Overwhelmingly white, however, Splashy Fen is probably not for those looking for the quintessences of township jive, besides the mixed race big band and ska outfits made for easy and very general consumption. Splashy Fen made it’s debut as the brainchild of two men confronting middle age, and although it has razzed it up with some quite adventurous local beats since then – for it must said that South Africa, across the race spectrum, has plenty of those – it will probably be a disappointment for anyone hoping to tap into the rich black vein of South African city and ghetto music.
Date: March 21st, 2008 |
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2010 FIFA World Cup: Time to Start Planning
Between June 11 and July 11, 2010 South Africa will host the 19th FIFA World Cup, an international tournament for football. It would be the first time that the World Cup has been hosted by an African country.
The stadiums located in the following cities will host the events: Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg (two), Kimberley, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria and Rustenburg.
Date: January 23rd, 2008 |
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South Africa: Interesting facts and trivia.
Interesting facts and trivia about South Africa:
South Africa is a weird and wonderful place, read below some of out unique attributes and achievements.
1. South Africa has the oldest meteor scar in the world, just across the Vaal River near Parys, called the Vredefort Dome. The meteor plummeted to Earth nearly two billion years ago (Earth is said to be 4,5 billion years old), predating the heady days of oxygen and multi-celled life.
2. The rocks around Barberton in Mpumalanga are some of the most ancient in the world - over three billion years old. Because they are also the most accessible such formations, NASA scientists come here to gain an idea of how life might form on distant planets.
3. The Tugela Falls is the second highest waterfall in the world, where the water tumbles down 850 metres. First place goes to the Angel Falls in Venezuela at 979 metres.
4. There are 18 000 indigenous vascular plant species in South Africa of which 80% are uniquely South African.
5. Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world - and the largest green one. The Grand Canyon in the US is the biggest, and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia the second, but both are dry as bones.
Date: November 25th, 2007 |
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It's a win, win, win for the green and gold!
Wow, what a weekend!
On Sunday the street were a-hush as people regrouped themselves after Saturday night’s revelry.
South African’s all over the world are in a state of bliss and hopefully home sickness, watching our boks in green and gold scoop up not “just” the championship trophy, but player of the year and coach of the tournament also!
Bryan Habana’s 8 tournament tries is joint record with Jona Lomu. Dazzling the rugby world with his ridiculous speed.
The joy on the teams faces was a thing to behold and even Thabo Mbeki was smiling. There is …
Date: October 22nd, 2007 |
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Iceberg sighted of Cape St Francis: What the heck next?
Well there is no sight of the mysterious iceberg that was sighted last week at 6pm on Monday, 35 nautical miles south east of St Francis Bay in the Eastern Cape by the crew of the fishing vessel Ntini.
The air force on routine patrol were asked to keep a lookout for the bobbing block, but it was nowhere to be found. Read excerpts below:
“According to the crew of the Ntini, the iceberg is about 25 metres in length and 20 metres in height and was spotted south east of St Francis Bay, 35 nautical miles off shore,” he said. It was first seen at 6pm on Monday. “But, we must take into consideration, that they flew in unfavourable weather conditions where there were high waves,” he said.
“It’s very unlikely because of the warm Agulhas current off the east coast,” he said.
“The history of iceberg climatology in this area also shows that there has never been anything like this in the past,” he said.
Hunter said the ‘South African Sailing Direction’, a book published by the Hydrographic Office under the South African Navy, mentions that there were a few iceberg sightings in the 1850s near Cape Town.
He said there was also a report from a ship in 2002 off the Cape west coast of a piece of ice, about a metre-high above the water.
“We refer to this as a ‘growler’ because it is very small. Bearing in mind the cold Cape Town water, this was, to an extent, acceptable,” he said.
Date: October 18th, 2007 |
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Globe Trekker TV Features South Africa in February
At the start of each month, Pilot Guides Productions - which include such fine travel shows as Globe Trekker and Planet Food - lets us know about the new online travel shows they have featured as part of GlobeTrekkerTV. Each month you can watch the free preview video, and then download only the shows you want to watch. And this month, one of the programs featured in the free preview takes place in South Africa.
In a sample from a Globe Trekker program, Sami Sabiti tours the famous South African vineyards of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschoek, giving you an inside
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Date: February 4th, 2008 |
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Southafricanisms: The Bunny Chow
The bunny chow was created in Durban (Which has the largest population of Indians outside of Bradford India) in the 1940’s.
The term Bunny Chow is derived from two words, Bunny (relating to Bhanya, the Bunny Chow’s inventor) and Chow (South African slang word for food)
Bunny chow consists of a quarter, half, or full loaf of bread with it’s centre removed and filled with your choice of curry made using traditional recipes from Durban, including mutton, lamb, chicken and bean curries (however the original bunny chow was strictly vegetarian).
Date: November 27th, 2007 |
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How to avoid getting scammed in Cape Town #1 : Hitchhiking Conmen
As a South African, and long time sufferer of cons, tricks, scams and so forth, I like to think of myself as at least a little streetwise. Well pride comes before a fall, and I would like to warn fellow Capetonians and anyone planning on driving our roads of a new fad in scallywagginess.
I was innocently driving home the other day when I saw a hot and bothered elderly man toting a briefcase along the R27 (West Coast Road). He was half heartedly hitching with his free hand, in an embarrassed manner. Of course I pulled over to help Oupa (Grandpa) out and he seemed very appreciative and indeed surprised that anyone would have stopped for him.
Date: October 25th, 2007 |
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R.I.P Lucky Dube: Boks to play tribute.
The news of the murder of one of our national treasures, Lucky Dube has cast a long shadow over tomorrows Rugby festivities.
Much loved Dube was shot in front of his son and daughter, in a carjacking attempt last night. Three suspects are on the run in what is one of the highest profile South …
Date: October 19th, 2007 |
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Sihle Khumalo: Dark continent, My black arse :)
This new release and first book by South African author Sihle Khumalo, details his travels from Cape to Cairo by public transport.
‘I had always wanted to write a book but I had never known what type of a book I would write. As my 30th birthday was getting closer I thought, why don’t I do the Cape to Cairo – which I had always wanted to do - and then after the trip attempt to write a book based on my travels and thus kill two birds with one stone. As they say, the rest is history.’
Read Pete “the meat” ’s review below:
From Cape to Cairo - that’s the intention, and that’s the span of the book. Shades of Kingsley Holgate and extended family, with Land Rover engines rumbling and belching, and loads of red rum around camp-fires at night! Maybe a lion roaring, or some hyenas yelping in the distance!
Well - not so, when Sihle Khumalo describes his real-life encounters. Same route, by and large, that many have traversed over the “dark continent”, but somewhat unusual, and a great deal more stamina required by the writer! Because, when the perspectives are flowing from an obviously suave, worldly-wise African graduate of Uni and sometimes life, choosing to get down and dirty on the roads and buses that span this large and complex continent we call home, this make for excellent reading, as well as some good laughs
So, sit back and travel tightly with our friend Sihle, as he buses through most of southern and eastern Africa’s states, backpacks through some very odd places, joins queues for hours at border crossings, gets mildly irritated at fruit and food vendors, becomes furious when he isn’t offered a lift in an air-conditioned 4×4 (with a license plate not far from where he started, two months prior!)………..and you find that he has crept right under your skin, whether it’s superficially black or white! Recall as you read, the personal resolutions he vows to keep, on his return to normality in SA (be worth finding out how our friend is doing on those, I suspect!). Chuckle at the ladies he tries half-heartedly to hook up with, en route, more out of curiosity, it seems, than serious intent
Date: October 16th, 2007 |
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