'The trouble with being female in politics:' A Roundtable Panel Discussion about Women and Politics in South Africa Today

Thursday, 13 February, 2014 - 17:30

Hosted by: Catherine Burns

'The trouble with being female in politics:' A Roundtable Panel Discussion about Women and Politics in South Africa Today

WiSER, 17:30 for 18:00-19:00

6th Floor Richard Ward Building, East Campus, University of the Witwatersrand

The title of this discussion is taken from a piece written by Rebecca Davis for the Daily Maverick.

From 17:30, please join us to mingle over refreshments; followed by 30 minutes of presentation and 30 minutes for audience discussion.

From Gaza to the Congo: Whose blood is more worthy of attention?

by Khadija Patel, The Daily Maverick

There has been a marked disparity in the coverage of conflict in Gaza and the Congo in recent days. A disparity that has led some to question whose blood is more worthy of mainstream media attention. It’s certainly not a competition, but the disparity and the continuance of these conflicts is an indictment of a lot more than a jaundiced media focus.

In August 2009, around the time I still believed myself to be sane, I interviewed Professor Norman Finkelstein while he visited South Africa on a speaking tour. I was buoyed by the curious combination of nervousness and confidence that only the young and stupid can attest to. Finkelstein had, just months before that, made headlines for losing tenure at the university where he taught owing to his views on Israel. As I spoke to Finkelstein, about Gandhi, colonialism and the legacy of the Holocaust in his own family, I also asked him how he responded to observations that conflict in Middle East was apportioned too much media coverage. What about the Congo, where more than 1,000 people were killed in December 2008 – around the same time as Israel’s Operation Cast Lead? Why does Gaza get more attention than the Congo?

Neville Alexander - a linguistic revolutionary

by Khadija Patel, The Daily Maverick

Neville Alexander

In April this year, higher education minister Blade Nzimande raised the ire of many South Africans when he suggested proficiency in an “African” language would be a prerequisite for graduating from higher education institutions. Speaking in isiZulu, Nzimande said: "Akukwazi ukuba yithi kuphela ekuthiwa sifunde isingisi nesibhunu bakwethu, kodwa ezethu iyilimi nabanye bangazifundi [We can't be expected to learn English and Afrikaans, yet they don't learn our languages"].