Now You Know

The Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) bill is now an act signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa , however allowances have been made for continued public comment and consultation regarding certain clauses of the bill, which have been the subject of contention.  The act is an amendment on pre-existing legislation, the South Africans Schools Act of 1996. The amendments specifically seek to reform the institution of codes of conduct, admissions policies, making more explicit the prohibition on corporal punishment,  financial policy with regards to public schools and language policy reform. The final point being the one which has garnered the most attention from interest groups.  A close analysis of the bill’s contested clauses reveals that language policy is indeed on the agenda. The act’s proposals however, are the result of repetitive themes of anti-constitutional exclusion and subpar education to the detriment of the most socio-economically vulnerable children of...

This generation is statistically a lot different to those preceding it. We’re drinking less, smoking less (although vaping may soon unfortunately prove to reverse that change) and we’re more socially conscious. Intuitively, this makes sense, although millennials have grown up with the same seemingly boundless access to information, gen-z were born into it. This is an immense privilege that doesn’t extend completely across all gen-z. After all, we are not a monolith, and our access to this boundless ocean of information is inhibited by our geographical circumstance, our economic class, our physical and mental ability, the list goes on. However, it seems that on the whole there is an expectation that so-called gen-zers should be making better life choices, after all, knowledge is power. And to quote a classic film (yes Spiderman is a classic):  with great power comes great responsibility. Or does it? This presumption is based on the implication that we accept the premise, that this k...

Turning Red is a newly released Pixar animated film about a teenage girl's unconventional coming of age. It follows her struggle to balance the changes that come with adolescence, her passions and friendships, and honoring the obligations she has to her family- all with a supernatural twist. The film was ultimately a touching insight into how inter-generational trauma can be broken with understanding and acceptance, a theme with which many young people, but especially young people of colour, will deeply resonate. Don't be mistaken though: this is still a Pixar film, so it is just as lighthearted and full of adventure as it is moving. Since its release, it has received some negative attention from critics, in and among the praise. The criticism included discomfort surrounding the mere mentioning of sanitary pads and periods. The main gripe from those who raised this critique, is that menstruation is an inappropriate topic for children around the same age as the characters in the...

image source: jcomp With the new decree regarding the wearing of masks put into place, that means not wearing a mask could have one facing a fine and/or jailtime , there seems to be little room in South Africa for the mask scepticism that took hold across the Atlantic in the United States of America. However, the covid-19 vaccine scepticism is another story entirely, as it seems to be a topic of debate and contention- should we be nervous about the vaccine? Perhaps. But should we be downright opposed to it as many citizens seem to be? Exactly how dangerous is vaccine scepticism in general, and more specifically in South Africa's ongoing battle with the pandemic? Opposition to vaccination, or as it is now called, being 'anti-vaxx' has been around for hundreds of years, even before vaccines really existed. The "new wave" of the anti-vaccine movement appears to have begun with the publishing of an article in the Lancet by Andrew Wakefield . Those who were mere scepti...

I am a bisexual 18 year old. The first time I came out, I was 15 years old. I say first time, because coming out is a continual process. Everytime I meet someone new I have to go through the coming out process again. But for me, and many LGBT people, coming out to your parents is the most memorable and often the most nerve wracking coming out of them all. As parents you have seen your child naked, wiped their snotty nose and dealt with their bodily functions. You've done all of this, and somehow still love your kid unconditionally. Coming out, however, makes your child feel as vulnerable as that little baby they were. Your LGBT child is sharing with you something deeply personal, that is a part of who they are. So, your child has decided to share with you that they are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or otherwise not cisgender* or heterosexual *. Congratulations! You are clearly very important to them and they trust you. This is a sign you've done something right in t...