“Three generations of white South African men were bound together at that table. Vermuelen was the first generation. He defined Africa, made it safe for Basson to defile. I was the last generation, the last to grow up in segregated neighborhoods. Between us was the silent photograph of Wouter Basson. Like a distant father, Basson was absent at the dining table.” – Henk Rossouw (Hole in the White ‘Hood). Also Mahmood Mamdani on Bantu Education at UCT, Gael Reagon on sisterhood, Binyavanga Wainaina on dis-covering Kenya, Gaston Zossou on African intellectuals and more…
Cover:
Strange Fruit by Lewis Allen
Rough Music: Selected Poems 1989 - 2013 by Ari Sitas (Deep South, 2013)
Rough Music is a selection from the books and poetry manuscripts written by Ari Sitas over the past 25 years.
His poems are notable for their historical-political astuteness flavored with a romantic surrealism. He writes in a variety of poetic forms, from exuberant jazz-like improvisations to astringent political observations, from humorous dialogues to diary-like narratives. Though always complex, the warmth and self-interrogation of his poems ensures their wide appeal.