I was out with my friends in Cape Town, to watch a movie on Saturday night in a mall. The idea was to watch the new Leon Schuster movie “something Tshabalala” “Smacks or Schucks tshalala” I think, A Leon Schuster survival guide to South Africa during the 2010 Soccer World Cup. South Africa is also known as Mzansi, by the way. Mzansi is Zulu for bottom, just like down under is logical for Australia (South Africa my beloved country, the land of taxies, “tannies”, 2010, shopping centres next to other shopping centres and shopping centres at robots as well as shopping centres in other shopping centres.)

Anyway, I had a hard time picking a movie when I saw what other movies they had besides the one of Schuster guiding foreign people through the beloved country. The thing about the Schuster movie was the poster. It had a typical Schuster look. Green back ground, Shuster smiling, the fat little boy who looks like a man, another Schuster wearing a wig and a parental guidance where there should be a “view at own risk this guy is a freak”. It was just too typical and old news, It stimulated the same amount of interest in me that, a poster promoting a documentary about bird watching and tree hugging in Jamaica during the 60’s would.
Getting back to my movie outing, I decided to rather watch a movie starring Leonardo Dicaprio “Inception” because it looked cool on the poster, bad luck for me, after the first 45minutes I realised that I could find more entertainment by watching the empty seats next to me. So I bailed and went to a restaurant to have a drink with myself and indulged my thoughts in how much I would like to get my money back. Let me explain what I understood from the Dicaprio flick, it was about Dicaprio dreaming that he can dream that he was dreaming in his dream and then dream that he was dreaming in his dream, so that he can put an idea into a wealthy man’s head, while he was dreaming in his own dream. So he could eventually stop fighting with his wife when he dreams. Which brought me to the conclusion that he really needed to see a psychologist or that America will sometime run out of anti-depressant medication. (I know I know the environment was probably punishing me for choosing Hollywood over Local) Who would have known?

What really got me puzzled is the abundance of shopping malls all over the country. I thought people were stripped of every bit of money they had lately. Is the credit crunch selective in who it de-credits? Because from the looks of things there was hardly an effect in S.A or the credit crunch “is racist” as comrade Julius would put it, or maybe the Soccer World Cup left us swimming in Benjamin’s? If people are really losing jobs, getting less pay and if inflation has really gone through the roof, even with people living in double story houses then how come so many new malls are being erected? Whatever the answer is, the situation looks better than what I understood it would be. Whatever you do, if you want to watch an entertaining movie, Inception is not a great choice. Unless you the type that enjoys day dreaming about day dreaming about watching a bird watcher hugging trees...

In support of my brother (who wrote the content), the beloved country (SA), the blog roll population (who will post the content tomorrow) and the entertainment masterminds also known as the ANC youth league. (who will fart on the idea in parliament).

SpeakZA
Bloggers For a Free Press

Last week, shocking revelations concerning the activities of the ANC Youth League spokesperson Nyiko Floyd Shivambu came to the fore. According to a letter published in various news outlets, a complaint was laid by 19 political journalists with the Secretary General of the ANC, against Shivambu. This complaint letter detailed attempts by Shivambu to leak a dossier to certain journalists, purporting to expose the money laundering practices of Dumisani Lubisi, a journalist at the City Press. The letter also detailed the intimidation that followed when these journalists refused to publish these revelations.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the reprisals against journalists by Shivambu. His actions constitute a blatant attack on media freedom and a grave infringement on Constitutional rights. It is a disturbing step towards dictatorial rule in South Africa.

We call on the ANC and the ANC Youth League to distance themselves from the actions of Shivambu. The media have, time and again, been a vital democratic safeguard by exposing the actions of individuals who have abused their positions of power for personal and political gain.

The press have played a vital role in the liberation struggle, operating under difficult and often dangerous conditions to document some of the most crucial moments in the struggle against apartheid. It is therefore distressing to note that certain people within the ruling party are willing to maliciously target journalists by invading their privacy and threatening their colleagues in a bid to silence them in their legitimate work.

We also note the breathtaking hubris displayed by Shivambu and the ANC Youth League President Julius Malema in their response to the letter of complaint. Shivambu and Malema clearly have no respect for the media and the rights afforded to the media by the Constitution of South Africa. Such a response serves only to reinforce the position that the motive for leaking the so-called dossier was not a legitimate concern, but a insolent effort to intimidate and bully a journalist who had exposed embarrassing information about the Youth League President.

We urge the ANC as a whole to reaffirm its commitment to media freedom and other Constitutional rights we enjoy as a country.

Blog Roll

http://thoughtleader.co.za/siphohlongwane
http://rwrant.co.za
http://vocfm.co.za/blogs/munadia/
http://vocfm.co.za/blogs/shafiqmorton/
http://blogs.news24.com/needpoint
http://capetowngirl.co.za
http://thoughtleader.co.za/sentletsediakanyo
http://thoughtleader.co.za/davidjsmith
http://letterdash.com/one-eye-only
http://boyuninterrupted.blogspot.com
http://amandasevasti.com
http://blog.empyrean.co.za/
http://letterdash.com/brencro
http://6000.co.za
http://chrisroper.co.za
http://pieftw.com
http://hamishpillay.wordpress.com
http://memoirs4kimya.blogspot.com
http://thoughtleader.co.za/azadessa
http://watkykjy.co.za
http://fredhatman.co.za
http://thelifeanddeathchronicles.blogspot.com/
http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/common-dialogue/
http://www.clivesimpkins.blogs.com/
http://mashadutoit.wordpress.com
http://nicharalambous.com  
http://sarocks.co.za 
http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/stompies/
http://helenmoffett.book.co.za/blog/
http://01universe.blogspot.com
http://groundwork.worpress.com
http://iwrotethisforyou.me
http://fionasnyckers.book.co.za
http://attentiontodetail.wordpress.com
http://blogs.women24.com/editor
http://www.missmillib.blogspot.com
http://snowgoose.co.za
http://dreamfoundry.co.za
http://www.vanoodle.blogspot.com
http://www.exmi.co.za/.co.za
http://cat-dubai.blogspot.com
http://alistairfairweather.com
http://www.zanedickens.com
http://www.nickhuntdavis.com
http://guysa.blogspot.com
http://book.co.za
http://baldy.co.za
http://skinnylaminx.com
http://blogs.african-writing.com/zukiswa
http://www.mielie.wordpress.com
http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/gatherer/
http://thoughtleader.co.za/sarahbritten
http://stii.co.za
http://blogs.news24.com/FSB_AP
http://twistedkoeksuster.blogspot.com
http://whensmokegetsinyoureyes.blogspot.com/
http://trinklebean.wordpress.com
http://commentry.wordpress.com/
http://matthewbuckland.com
http://blogs.news24.com/colour-me-fran
http://gormendizer.co.za

May our voice be heard and may we not take an avid interest in politics lest we become 5 year old toddlers in heart, IQ and tantrum throwing (Mr president, wink wink). I don't mean all politicians are lighties, I'm aware that it's 99% of "them" that give the rest a bad name.

Recently I was doing some marketing at a mountain biking race. Its one of the biggest in the country, 1600 cyclists, it lasts for three days and bikers knock themselves out biking off-road in the rain. They start at a mountain range and head for the coast, they sleep in tents along the way and they actually all want to do it. I respect them. And they cycle about 240km in total, now I pity them.

It showcases some of the worlds finest, like some European champ who spoke with a heavy hieroglyphic accent...or what ever, and it draws some local talent, like densely populated people who really slow the whole program down by doing a 5hour stage in like 5years.
This race also draws big sponsors like Subaru, Vodacom and PG bison. By the way, what is PG bison hoping to get, as a wood products company, in a mountain bike race? Why doesn't Johnson and Johnson come along too, as a sponsor maybe, just maybe, a mother will have brought her pooping kid with her and thank goodness Johnson and Johnson will be there with nappies.

Anyway my point is there were 1600 people cycling in that race and out of 1600 people 2 were black. Now here is something ground breaking, why are there so few black people I wondered? Well after the race I knew exactly why.

For starters black people who can afford to enter the race do not ride bicycles because, bicycles have to be pedaled. And pedals must be pedaled using ones legs. And using legs to pedal for a long distance means sweating. And sweating in a Gucci t-shirt, is uncool. Plus mud tends to mess up "neat" sneakers.

Secondly why would a Black person leave the comfort of home, to live in a tent? There is no DSTV, no expensive "stuff" and definitely they do not play Hip Hop music at the finish.

The only thing, that I can think of, to get a black person out of his "bling" world to a gathering of that sort, would be if it was a huge chicken eating convention.

With that said this is for my fellow "dowgs and sisters". I'm not saying its wrong that you are very materialistic, fussy and ridiculous. All I'm saying is I understand. You spent way too much time in "the struggle" and a couple days away from the bling might bring back all that unbearable pain.