I love seeing my name in lights, and digital lights are pretty great, but being on paper is still infinitely more rewarding. I like to think the trees would be glad to know they are going to such a fine use (rather than ending up as tabloid fodder, shame). Happily, some of the articles are available online.

Since the writing is property of Afropolitan Magazine, I will only hyperlink here, with short snippets:

Transformation on Paper: The South African Literary Debate

During the Franschhoek Literary Festival, Thando Mgqolozana began a discussion on the unnaturalness of the South African literary scene: during one of his panel talks he said to the all-white audience, “look at yourselves, it’s very abnormal”. He spoke about how he was quitting the ‘white literary system’, and then people got upset, but not for the right reasons.

Terrible Flags for Terrible People

As national retailers such as Wal-Mart, Amazon, Target, eBay and iTunes rush to strip the flag from their shelves, we are finally seeing progress – even if it came at the cost of nine innocent lives.

Mountains of Death: The Cost of Male Circumcision 

Every year, in the name of ritual and manhood, thousands of young boys go into the mountains of the Eastern Cape. Dozens come back dead or deformed. How can we let this happen?

Female Entrepreneurs: Africa’s Pride

As the continent becomes increasingly connected to other parts of the world, and better connected to other African nations, there is an astonishing rise in entrepreneurship. Even better, there has been an increase in woman-owned businesses, increasing employment opportunities and boosting the economy. In South Africa, it is estimated that SMES will contribute 90% to the economy’s growth due to their labour-intensive nature.

African Women’s History: The Dahomey Amazons

The origins of the Dahomey Amazons (also known as the Mino) are contested, but general consensus is that they arose out of the King’s harem in 1645, turning into a bodyguard and eventually morphing into an elite killing force under King Agadja (1708-1740).

Redefining Womanhood: The Definition of Femininity 

With the incandescent arrival of Caitlin Jenner, ablaze in victory and captured in her moment by Annie Leibowitz, it seems like 2015 is finally the year that the world gets around to accepting transgender people, and we can all go home now. The work is done, and everyone lives happily ever after