BOOK Southern Africa

Home Away Preview: Sydney, Australia: "Redundant" by Sarah Britten

by Amanda on 19 Mar 2010   |   

Zebra Press brings you a preview of the exciting new collection of SA writing on hours and cities edited by Louis Greenberg, Home Away – to be launched in April. Watch out for the first pages of each of the 24 stories, which will be run in hourly sequence every day.

It’s 3 AM and Sarah Britten takes us to Sydney, Australia:

Home Away: 3 AM (Sarah Britten)

Book details

• Home Away by , edited by Louis Greenberg
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  EAN: 9781770220720
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Gert Coetzee resenseer Begging to be Black deur Antjie Krog

by Carolyn on 19 Mar 2010   |   

Uitspraak: wortel

Antjie Krog het baie teenkanting gekry vir haar boek Begging to be Black, maar “die eerlikheid en deeglikheid waarmee sy die onderwerp aanpak, is bewonderenswaardig”.

Só skryf Gert Coetzee in ‘n resensie in Volksblad. Hy meen die boek gaan daaroor “om te probeer verstaan hoe en hoekom swart mense is wie hulle is en dink soos hulle dink”.

Volgens Coetzee lewer die boek ‘n belangrike bydrae tot die debat oor ras, identiteit, nasiebou, diversiteit, versoening en herstellende geregtigheid in ons land.

Elke boek deur Antjie Krog, een van Suid-Afrika se handjie vol internasionaal gerekende skrywers, is ’n happening.

Ook Begging to Be Black, ondanks die bohaai wat dit ná bekendstelling (om die verkeerde redes?) ontketen het.

Dit is die boek waarin sy haarself as ’n wit Suid-Afrikaan in die plek van ’n swart Suid-Afrikaan in ons land met sy veelbewoë rasverlede stel.

Dus, hoe vir ’n witte om jouself swart te verbeel, swart te probeer word.

• Volledige resensie in Volksblad

• Begging to be Black tuisblad

Boekbesonderhede

• Begging to be Black deur Antjie Krog
  EAN: 9781770220706
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William Kentridge in New York (with Videos)

by Carla on 19 Mar 2010   |   

South African artist, William Kentridge is currently in New York, having directed a production of Shostakovich’s The Nose. Top Billing presenter, Jeannie D, interviewed Kentridge for the latest issue of the popular magazine programme.

If you missed the interview last Thursday, watch the following interview with the artist and a video of the production of The Nose for the Met:

• Not loading? Watch at MetropolitanOpera TV

Book details

• William Kentridge Nose: 30 etchings edited by Jillian Ross, Niall Bingham and Mlungisi Kongisa
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  EAN: 9780981432861

Image courtesy Columbia News

The New Companies Act Demystified

by Simon on 19 Mar 2010   |   

Web Tech Law has written a four-part series about the new Companies Act. In this segment, part 4, they deal particularly with Standards of Conduct as set out in the Act. Sections 75 to 77 are relevant to directors, prescribed officers and members of board committees:

One of the most fundamental changes introduced by the New Act relates to the standard of conduct expected from directors, prescribed officers and any member of a board committee (including the audit committee) even if certain committee members are not board members, and the liability that they may attract if they fail to adhere to these standards. The word “hectic” has frequently been associated with sections 75 to 77 (inclusive) by clients and fellow practitioners.

• Read the complete article
• Click here for Post 1, Post 2 or Post 3 in this series.

For more information regarding the responsibilities of directors have a look at The Company Director’s Handbook.

Book details

• The Company Director’s Handbook by Jayne Mammatt, David du Plessis, Geoff Everingham
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  EAN: 9780958454094
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Ann Donald Considers the Alternative World of Gaming

by Sophy on 19 Mar 2010   |   

Taking her inspiration from Tom Chatfield’s Fun Inc. and a 10-hour experience with Myst 15 years ago, Ann Donald strays slightly from the world of books to the world of games in this week’s column.

About 15 years ago I bought my first Apple Mac, which came with the computer game Myst installed on the hard drive
 
In what turned out to be my first and only experience of computer games so far, I sat rapt for 10 hours straight, lost in the alternative game-world. When finally I looked up blinking, I realised I had completely ignored my family for an entire day. I was shocked at myself, and swore I’d never play the game again. Somehow, it never occurred to me that losing myself in a computer game for hours on end was not much different from doing so in a book. But then I am of the generation that understands computer games are Bad and books are Good.

• Complete article in the Sunday Times

Book details

• Fun Inc.: Why Games are the 21st Century’s Most Serious Business by Tom Chatfield
  EAN: 9780753519851
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Gavin Cawthra's African Security Governance Launched in Johannesburg

by Tshepo on 19 Mar 2010   |   

Talking at the launch of African Security Governance: Emerging Issues, editor of the book Gavin Cawthra emphasised the collaborative nature of the project, acknowledging the contributions of many different researchers at various universities throughout the African region. Cawthra also singled out the contribution of the Danish Institute of International Studies and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.

The book is the result of several years of research carried out by the Southern African Defence and Security Management Network (SADSEM). It deals with the broad topic of security sector governance, and says Cawthra, they “cherry-picked a few thematic issues” in this area. He shared that as a result of the SADSEM research work Masters Degrees and post-graduate diploma programmes in governance and security have been started, in both South Africa and Namibia.

Cawthra told how the book deals with “a number of thematic issues” including the question of nuclear proliferation in Africa, or “the lack of it”; the “complex issue of intelligence reporting”, the possibilities of reforming it in Africa and the introduction of some principles of good governance in this; the prospects of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) becoming a security community in the future; the role of the South African Defence Force in Burundi; and the key question of the relationship between development and security. The book also includes studies on civil/military relations.

African Security Governance concentrates on the Southern African region but also includes studies from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and Tanzania.

Cawthra shared that a book of this nature takes time to research, peer review and then edit, with the challenge then being to keep the information up to date. He ended by thanking the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung for generously sponsoring distribution of the book to African universities and libraries.

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Book details

• African Security Governance: Emerging Issues edited by Edwin Cawthra
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  EAN: 9781868144839
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Allan Boesak praat uit oor Afrikaners se eksklusiewe opstand

by Vera on 19 Mar 2010   |   

Allan Boesak praat reguit oor wat hy sien as die Afrikaner se eksklusiewe opstand teen die regering. Boesak meen alle Suid-Afrikaners is kwaad oor dieselfde dinge: armoede, werkloosheid, swak dienslewering en wonder hoekom ons nie saam daarteen baklei nie? Allan se nuutste boek is Running with Horses.

‘Wit mense toi-toi nie,” sê my Afrikaner-vriend in ’n gesprek êrens in 2008.

Ek was toe besig met ’n ronde gesprekke oor die totstandkoming van ’n nuwe burgerlike beweging, ’n soort UDF (waaroor ek sien Max du Preez ook nou die aand in Oos-Londen gepraat het).

Oop, nie-rassig, betrokke, vasberade om ons burgerlike verantwoordelikheid op te neem, die regering en politici vas te vat en tot verantwoording te roep.

Die bedoeling was daadwerklike, nie-gewelddadige optrede op verskillende vlakke, sodat politici gedwing sou word om na ons te luister. Daar was in die algemeen groot entoesiasme vir so iets.

• Lees die volledige artikel in By

Boekbesonderhede

• Running with Horses: Reflections of an accidental politician deur Allan Boesak
  Boektuisblad
  EAN: 9780980275483
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Paul Ash Reviews The Time, The Place by Sarah Woods

by Jani on 19 Mar 2010   |   

Verdict: carrot

If it’s early July in Georgia, it must be the Redneck Games – so why aren’t you there? That’s the premise of this unusual travel guide, which offers 365 days’ worth of adventures, festivals, parties and other off-the-wall experiences across the planet.

• Complete review in the Sunday Times

Book Details

• The Time, The Place by Sarah Woods
  EAN: 9781847735409
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Peter Godson Reviews Wildlife of South Africa: A photographic guide by Duncan Butchart

by Jani on 19 Mar 2010   |   

Verdict: carrot

IT’S great for a family to have a shared interest. We all have our own individual pastimes but we come together when it comes to the brilliant diversity of life, flora and fauna, of South Africa’s eco-system.

Naturally, we have ended up with a bookcase full of guides, some area-specific, others on birds, trees, mammals, succulents, insects, etc.

• Complete review at the Dispatch Online

Book Details

• Wildlife of South Africa: A photographic guide by Duncan Butchart
  EAN: 9781770076327
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Apply for the Bernard Magubane Fellowship Program

by Adele on 19 Mar 2010   |   

Time is running out to apply for the July Bernard Magubane Fellowship. The fellowship is at the Africa Institute of South Africa and runs for three months. More details follow below. Bernard Magubane is on the board of trustees of the South African Democracy Education Trust and is author of Bernard Magubane: My Life and Times.

The Purpose of the Program

The Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA) is offering a limited number of Fellowships to South African MA graduates in the fields of humanities and the social sciences. The Fellowships are in honour of the intellectual and inspirational work of Professor Ben Magubane. The goals of the Program is to provide an opportunity for young South African graduates and researchers to conduct critical and cutting edge research in line with the Magubane tradition, to contribute to AISA’s research mandate and to enrich the individual candidates’ own research endeavours.

Duration

Each year AISA will award three Fellowships running over a minimum of three months each, during January to March, April to June, and July to September. Successful Fellows will be based at AISA’s offices in Pretoria. Fellows will have access to AISA’s world-class library and research facilities as well as a chance to partake in its wealth of research networks.

• Read the complete article and apply at the Africa Institute of South Africa

Book details

• Bernard Magubane: My Life and Times by Bernard Magubane
  Book homepage
  EAN: 9781869141868
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