JZ

It dropped in my inbox and is worth sharing around.

Next Thursday, November 5 (at 630pm), at Exclusive Books in Hyde Park (Jozi, not London) witness the launch of Xolela Mangcu’s new book “The Democratic Moment: South Africa’s Prospects under Jacob Zuma”.

Political commentator and opinion-ist Mangcu is known, amongst others, from his columns in The Weekender (which have stopped recently unfortunately). His book looks at the powers that brought Zuma to power at the now historic ANC conference in Polokwane, and 16 months later gave him to the key to the Union Buildings.

Guest speaker will be Peter Bruce, editor of Business Day. The book is published by Jacana Media.

Could be an interesting read....

The dream

If you are in Cape Town on October 7th this would be a great one to attend.

Archbishop Emeritus and Nobel Peace Prize winner (1984) Desmond Tutu will launch his wonderful children’s book God’s Dream. And the moral voice of our nation will read from his book in English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa.

And on top of that the Archbishop will be exactly 78 years young that day. Happy birthday already from me in advance of it all!!

Just had a lovely Tutu-memory popping up in my head. In December 2006 I met the Archbishop in his office near Cape Town. I remember specifically 1 line from that moment. “I am happy I am not God”, he said, “because God created Osama Bin Laden as well as George Bush Jr.”. And then his oh so lovable laugh followed. What a man! Much respect!

So God’s Dream is published by Jacana Media in all of our 11 official languages. How nice! It will make it accessible to all of the children of the rainbow nation.

For details about the book and the launch, contact the Centre of the Book in Cape Town, or I guess the publisher.

District 9

Just picking up from that lunch memory at the Troyeville Hotel I mentioned yesterday. The cold Castle lager I was happily sipping away that day should have been to celebrate my friend’s Hollywood breakthrough. But my friend James Taylor, fully present at that Portuguese lunch, didn’t mention then that he had worked on the now famous sci-fi thriller District 9 which was shot in South Africa.

Indeed James helped building some of the props and sets for that blockbuster. Made in South Africa by a South African with South Africans,.... and with little big help from a Kiwi brother (aka Peter Jackson). A down under partnership with little cash but an awesome result. 112 Minutes of it.

But James didn’t boast about it at all. He just mentioned it en passant a few days or weeks later when we were hanging out together again. For him that District 9 job seemed just another creative matter done. Done and dusted and moving on.

Anyway. Indeed we should have toasted that Castle for James’ District 9 artwork. Sadly James won’t participate in any follow up to District 9. He died earlier this month. Just like that. A matter of a missing heartbeat. Or maybe he was just taken away by those District 9 aliens? Maybe they loved his artwork and hijacked him to their home turf. Joburg style.

And as September slips further down history second by second, some life is gone while other life gets born. The proof is in this photo below. Just some baby pigeon in my garden getting ready to face the universe. Tough task ahead.



p.s. It’s Heritage Day today in South Africa. Remembrance of the past while building the future. In football/soccer terms (to get some 2010 fever inserted) it would be: remembering the early games while building a better, winning team.

SA publishing house Jacana Media released a few years ago their “Exploring our national days” series. 7 Books about South Africa’s national days (public holidays) written for the youth of the land. The one on Heritage Day is this one here below. Check it out....