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Re-telling the story of the Hottentot Venus
South African choreographer Robyn Orlin’s lastest work explores the story of Sarah Bartmaan, a South African woman who became known as the Hottentot Venus when she was brought to Europe in the 18th century and put on display to show off her unusually large backside and genitals. Have you hugged, kissed and respected your brown Venus today? showed at the Theatre de la Ville in Paris and has been touring through France in December. (via RFI)
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New South Africa secrecy bill threat to democracy say opponents
South Africa’s ruling ANC is preparing to push a new secrecy bill through parliament despite fears it will threaten democracy and silence investigative journalists.
The Protection of State Information bill will punish the possession or release of classified documents and carries a 25-year jail term.
Nobel prize winner Desmond Tutu and the office of former president Nelson Mandela have joined in the outcry against the bill.
The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory says four changes could be made to the proposed bill without compromising its fundamental principles.
These include reformulating the bill’s wording so that a record may not be classified if the public interest in the disclosure of the record clearly outweighed any harm to national security.
South Africa’s press regularly uncovers allegations of graft that reach to the highest level of government. (via RFI)
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Humphrey the pet hippo kills owner in South Africa
A farmer in South Africa has been killed by his pet hippopotamus, after repeated warnings that it was a wild animal that could never be tamed.
Marius Els, 40, an army major, was bitten to death by the 1.2 tonne hippo he christened Humphrey and tried to domesticate on a farm in Free State province.
Els’s savaged body was found submerged in the river where, years earlier, the hippo had been rescued from a flood. It grew too big for the people who adopted it and was bought by Els at the age of five months, becoming a pet on his 400-acre farm and learning to swim with humans.
Earlier this year, Els was photographed riding on the five-year-old hippo’s back. “Humphrey’s like a son to me, he’s just like a human,” he said. “There’s a relationship between me and Humphrey and that’s what some people don’t understand.
“They think you can only have a relationship with dogs, cats and domestic animals. But I have a relationship with the most dangerous animal in Africa.” (via The Guardian)
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Black Rhinos Lifted to Safety From Poachers
In an astonishing sight, 19 endangered black rhinos were lifted by their ankles over the South African landscape in an effort to save them from dangerous poachers.
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![Elite boarding school aims to create Africa’s future leaders
A teenager who set up a school to educate children in a refugee camp, a youth who built a windmill to generate power for the houses in his community with no access to electricity and a 17-year-old with HIV who founded a charity to help others infected with the virus.
These are just a few of the students hand-picked to attend The African Leadership Academy (ALA) — a prestigious school in Johannesburg, South Africa that aims to create the continent’s leaders of tomorrow.
The initiative is the brainchild of Fred Swaniker, a Ghanaian-born entrepreneur who hopes to instil a new generation with the skills to navigate Africa towards prosperity in future years.
“We get young people from all across the continent, bring them here initially for two years [and] give them this hands-on leadership practice,” says Swaniker.
“I believe that you don’t learn leadership through theory, you learn leadership by leading and so that’s what we’re trying to replicate here at the academy,” he adds.
Swaniker explains that the ALA tasks students with starting their own businesses and working closely with the local communities situated around the school. They are also taught about the roles of CEOs and CFOs as well as other senior positions within business, politics and industry.
This, he says, helps prepare them for a future at the very top of society, whilst equipping them with the skills “to do something much bigger for the continent” in the future. (via CNN.com)](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltv9n0yrxe1qajdhjo1_500.jpg)
Elite boarding school aims to create Africa’s future leaders
A teenager who set up a school to educate children in a refugee camp, a youth who built a windmill to generate power for the houses in his community with no access to electricity and a 17-year-old with HIV who founded a charity to help others infected with the virus.
These are just a few of the students hand-picked to attend The African Leadership Academy (ALA) — a prestigious school in Johannesburg, South Africa that aims to create the continent’s leaders of tomorrow.
The initiative is the brainchild of Fred Swaniker, a Ghanaian-born entrepreneur who hopes to instil a new generation with the skills to navigate Africa towards prosperity in future years.
“We get young people from all across the continent, bring them here initially for two years [and] give them this hands-on leadership practice,” says Swaniker.
“I believe that you don’t learn leadership through theory, you learn leadership by leading and so that’s what we’re trying to replicate here at the academy,” he adds.
Swaniker explains that the ALA tasks students with starting their own businesses and working closely with the local communities situated around the school. They are also taught about the roles of CEOs and CFOs as well as other senior positions within business, politics and industry.
This, he says, helps prepare them for a future at the very top of society, whilst equipping them with the skills “to do something much bigger for the continent” in the future. (via CNN.com)
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Desmond Tutu attacks Jacob Zuma over Dalai Lama visa
Archbishop Desmond Tutu compares the South African government of Jacob Zuma to the apartheid regime for its failure to stand up to China. He spoke out after Tibet’s spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said he was forced to pull out of Tutu’s 80th birthday celebrations because he had not been granted an entry visa (via The Guardian)
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South Africa is one of the most criminally violent countries. With around 50 murders, 100 rapes, nearly 400 armed burglaries and over 500 violent assaults recorded every day, it is not surprising that as many as eight out of ten South Africans feel unsafe walking in their own districts after dark.
— And it used to be worse: since the end of apartheid in 1994, the murder rate has fallen by half. Yet such improvements are marred by the appalling number of police officers being accused of serious crimes. (via theeconomist)
(via theeconomist)
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Picture Gallery: Big top makes a big difference to youngsters’ lives
For children around the world, the circus is a place of wonder and excitement. For children in Cape Town, it’s also a place of hope and inspiration.
At the Zip Zap Circus School youngsters from the city’s tough townships learn new skills alongside kids from Cape Town’s affluent neighborhoods. The aim is not just to teach circus tricks like juggling and tumbling, but to build self esteem, instill discipline and teach life skills that will give the youths a better future.
Enrollment at the circus school is free of charge and there are no talent auditions. All the students need is enthusiasm, passion and a belief in a little bit of “big top magic.”
Zip Zap also runs a project in partnership with Doctors without Borders and Cirque du Soleil, for children with HIV, which gives the children a chance to be part of a community and meet others with HIV.
But it’s not just a social project — this is a professional circus group that performs to packed audiences. (via CNN.com)
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Soweto’s ultra-fast dance music: Can you take the pace?
In a township rich in musical heritage there is a dance music emerging that is pushing dancers, and beats per minute, to the limit.
Every other weekend crowds have started to gather in the township to watch dance crews move to the ultra-fast beats of “Shangaan electro.” (via CNN.com)
