In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser

I decided to re-broadcast the incredible story of geophysicist professor Musa Manzi.

I don't wanna summarise it in this blurb. I interviewed him a couple of years ago and his amazing life story remains poignant. There is SO MUCH that is dreary in South Africa right now.

This story is a story you didn't know you needed to listen to - whether for the first time or again - RIGHT NOW. Literally. Stop what you're doing. Listen to it. And share it as a gift with others.

I am still in tears having listened to it now with the freedom of being a listener and not as broadcaster needing to keep it together and coherent. What an amazing story, my goodness.

Trust me. Go ahead and click.

In this latest edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I voice an essay I wrote this week that means a lot to me;  it is a meditation on the joy and value of reading. 

I hope you enjoy it. If you are a keen reader, I hope you will feel affirmed. And if you are not yet a keen reader, I hope you will feel motivated to give books a chance.

#ForTheLoveOfReading #ForTheLoveOfBooks

A man who is on the DownLow wrote me a message sharing his story. In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser I give my view on men who are married but who have same-sex desire, and who may even actually be having same-sex sex.

There is a helluva lot to say so this is the start of multiple conversations on the issue rather than one definitive take on it. 

Have a listen. And feel free to inbox me on social media to share your views and stories. 

We're in the middle of bisexuality awareness week.  There are lots of myths and stereotypes about bisexuality. These myths and stereotypes aren't only held and expressed by many straight people but even by gay men and women.

So. In this episod  of In The Ring, I went into my archives and am lifting to the surface a conversation with three black bisexual men about their lived experiences as bisexual men. 

There are many more stories to collect and record; many more issues to examine. I'm aware of that and will expand my treatment of the issues. But to kick us off, listen back to this 2018 conversation; listen closely to bisexual persons speaking their truth. 

Enjoy

Can one ever get enough of the incisive commentary of South African author, essayist and commentator Sisonke Msimang? I hosted her on this edition of In The Ring to explore aspects of the social and cultural impact of Queen Elizabeth II.

I started off by asking Sisonke whether she would like an opportunity to mourn the Queen. I wonder what you will make of her response? It was uhm #Awks

We explored a range of questions and issues, among them: the script of Empire, including "respectability and decorum" issues that Msimang explains as problematic in some of the responses to the death of the Queen; whether jocular responses, including the meme-ification of the monarchy, are acceptable or not; hypocritical tropes in how some Brits respond to their monarchy compared to the judgemental gaze of similar traditions elsewhere; whether or not the Queen is directly culpable for aspects of imperialism or 'merely' a beneficiary of unjust historical events; the place of monarchies in modern democracies; etc.

Enjoy! 

In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser I share an audio version of my essay ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/opinion-and-analysis/2022-09-10-eusebius-mckaiser-the-ifp-wants-unconditional-love-so-its-protesting-against-a-lowly-newspaper-man/ ) that critiques a decision by an opposition party in South Africa, the IFP, to march to the offices of one of the weekly papers, City Press, because of the work of the editor, Mondli Makhanya. 

Listen to the narration of my essay

What is the place of intentions in our lives? If someone "meant well" should they get discount for harmful actions that flow from "good intentions"?

These questions matter in politics, allyship, law, ethics and even basic interpersonal relationships. 

In this episode I explain why intentions do matter BUT ... why it is disingenuous to always refer to your good intentions when called out about the impact of your words and actions.

Have a listen

Broadcaster Oliver Dickson asked me to think through the place of struggle songs, and iconography, in contemporary South Africa. 

We discussed it on SAfm, an SABC platform, where he is a broadcaster.

It was a rich and fascinating discussion, so much so that I thought that if you had missed it perhaps, then you may want to have a listen to it.

Enjoy.

Many of you - sadly - have written to me complaining about managers and bosses who are toxic, not empathetic and the proverbial 'boss from hell'. 

I asked brilliant executive coach Dawn Klatzko ( from www.theartofthesuit.com ) to provide a toolkit that can help you cope, and maybe even thrive in your workplace, despite your feelings about and experiences of your manager or boss. 

This podcast is crucial to better negotiating workplace politics and complexities.

You can also reach Dawn Klatzko privatel  by emailing her at [email protected] for individual professional coaching. 

In this second podcast special, focusing on James Baldwin, historian Vashna Jagarnath and I dive into his brilliant essay collection, Notes of a Native Son.

In episode 113, which is worth listening to if you missed it, we introduced you to the life and times, and overall significance, of Baldwin.

In this episode we examine Baldwin the essayist. We decided, in particular, to focus on two of his most brilliant essays, Notes of a Native Son and Everybody's Protest Novel. 

Enjoy!