SAbookworm

WHERE'S THE BOOKWORM??

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:24:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

I've been scarce this year, I know, but there's been good reason ...

As concerns about crime and service delivery have been growing across the country, Johannesburg has not escaped. The Joburg metropolitan area, which was formed in 2000 by the amalgamation of five previously independent municipalities, is (officially) home to 3,2 million people living in 1 006 930 households (source: City of Johannesburg). It's also where 70% of the country's businesses have their headquarters, and where the South African Stock Exchange is situated.

Poor service delivery, corruption at local government level and high levels of violent crime have become pressing problems for most - if not all - residents, and many feel helpless in the face of an inefficient, unaccountable and uncaring bureaucracy.

In addition to that, the city faces many serious environmental problems, not the least of which is acid mine drainage, which has been called the single largest environmental crisis South Africa has ever faced.

So I felt it was important to focus more on community work this year than on books (much as I hated to pull myself away from my beloved "stacks"), and I founded a small advocacy group that is running a few projects to try and address some of these issues.

It's been a time consuming undertaking and, as I also have a day job :), I'm afraid SAbookworm has suffered. I hope to be able to start posting again in the near future, even if I won't be able to do so as regularly as I did in the past.

In the meantime, keep up with the "harder" issues at Joburg Advocacy Group. Join us there and add your voice to the conversation about good governance, social justice and environmental protection.

WHY I'LL BE VOTING ID

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 06:27:00 +0000

There are times when one has to stand up and be counted and, as South Africa approaches its most important election since 1994, I believe it's one of those times. Although I haven't been able to publish many posts this year, my choice about how I'll be voting come Wednesday is something I really want to - and feel I need to - write about.

Straight to the point, then.

The ANC - a monumental disappointment

Let's face it, the ANC has been a monumental disappointment.

When it came to power in that important first democratic election, the nation held its collective breath in the firm hope that the ruling party would lead us in the task of creating a society we could all be part of and proud of. And, credit where due, it's been pivotal in some of our most shining achievements since then, not least the drafting and adopting of an impeccable constitution. But the fault line that has long existed in the ANC - between advocates of bourgeois revolution and socialist revolution - was bound to tear it apart at some point, and that process has already begun.

More importantly, since the party gained a two-thirds majority in the last election, there have been growing signs that the revolutionary movement which spearheaded the fight against apartheid is morphing into an increasingly untouchable reactionary and authoritarian force. Dangerous Stalinist tendencies have begun to creep into our public life, and if you have any doubt about that, the "Get Mbeki!" response to the dropping of corruption charges against party leader, Jacob Zuma is but one example. (For further discussion on this topic, see previous posts, An Empty Garden?, Be Very Afraid, Without Further Commentary and Speak Out, President Motlanthe).

The swing from the left to the right of the political spectrum is not unknown in world affairs, and it's something that should concern us deeply. As voters, we need to be sure that we assess the ANC as it is today, and not through the hopeful lens of 15 years ago. What we decide now will determine nothing less than our future trajectory as a nation. So we must be sure to use our right to vote with due caution. I mean, ask yourself: do you really want a president whose rallying call is "Bring me my machine gun" (awaleth'umsini wam)?

ANC president, Jacob Zuma, calling for his machine gun

COPE - where were you?
What then of the main opposition parties?

Well, COPE, the ANC breakaway, will probably be the next official opposition. But let's not forget that the leaders of the party were members of the ANC throughout all the turbulence of the past years, and were nowhere to be seen or heard when the party was taking its dubious decisions on such vital issues as HIV/Aids, Zimbabwe, the xenophobia crisis and the rule of law. The question

I then ask myself about COPE is this: "Is it really a different animal, or just the same beast in different clothing?" Nor should we forget the fact that this is a party that has defined itself almost exclusively in opposition to the ANC, and which is otherwise scarily weak on policy.

Mvume Dandala (COPE), the same beast in different clothing?

One for the neo-liberals?

Which, of course, brings us to the DA.

Notwithstanding its liberal and non-violent history, this is a party that, I believe, has never really found its feet in the new South Africa. As vocal as it is against ANC excesses, just like COPE it defines itself in opposition to the ruling party rather than off a solid leadership platform. Railing against Jacob Zuma does not a viable alternative government make, and while Helen Zille may be a damn fine mayor, she isn't a political visionary. I don't see any of the Obama-style change we can believe in here. And, before you make your cross for the DA, ask yourself whether you want another national leader bent on fostering division rather than co-operation.

Nor should we forget that this is not only the party which cynically absorbed the New Nationalist Party into its ranks in order to gain a stronger foothold amongst white voters, but also the one which holds firm to the neo-liberal economic policies that are showing themselves to be a pack of cards all over the world.

Helen Zille (DA) - a damn fine mayor, but a visionary national leader?

The skinny on proportional representation

What concerns me most about the DA's support base, though, is that many thinking people who're planning to vote for the party are doing so because they aren't clear about how proportional representation works.

Unlike the Westminster "winner takes all" system, the proportional representation system ensures that the number of seats a party wins in the national assembly is based on the proportion of the overall vote it receives. What this means is that voters don't have to take a tactical decision to "vote for the strongest opposition" merely to ensure that the ANC does not receive another two-thirds majority. Each voter can vote according to his or her own conscience, secure in the fact that a vote for any of the opposition parties will effectively be a vote against ANC hegemony.

So, why the ID?

Now to why I've decided to vote ID. In the emotionally-charged run-up to this election, very few voters have taken the time to read the election manifestos of the parties contesting it. Mistake.

Jacob Zuma might be the juggernaut of the moment, but a knee-jerk vote against him (or, indeed, for him) could simply take us off along yet another ill-considered path. That's why I felt it important to familiarise myself with the election manifestos of every major party (and some of the smaller ones), because it's here that the wheat is sorted from the chaff.

What really struck me about the ID's election manifesto is that it's a down-to-earth, practical and understandable blueprint for building and maintaining an equitable constitutional democracy, and defines a clear set of socio-economic policies that will provide the means to do this. Here, behind the smokescreen of hype surrounding this election, is real policy and not rhetoric.

In a summary of objectives that would couldn't be clearer, the manifesto begins by stating: "The ID believes that the most important problems facing the country are: Unemployment, Poverty, Crime, Corruption, Housing, HIV/AIDS, Education and Health. Below is a summary of what the ID would do to improve the lives of all South Africans." It then proceeds to outline - in no-nonsense terms - the practical actions the party feels are needed to do exactly that.

And there are three clinchers for me. Firstly, the party has a social democratic constitution, which means it's committed to building a democracy for all of the people, and not one in which some people are effectively more equal than others. Secondly, it specifically embraces non-violent conflict resolution, which I strongly support. And thirdly it makes positioning "SA as a world leader in renewable energy (in order to) create thousands of jobs" a fundamental of its economic policy. If you still think sustainability is a topic for fringe scientists and activists, think again ...

Like the party's slogan, "Be part of the solution", this is change I can believe in. I believe we need an independent voice like this in parliament, even if the ID isn't a big party. What about you?

Your vote is your voice. Use it to vote for the kind of government and society you really believe in, not just for the sake of blind loyalty or as an unconsidered reaction to the current state of the nation. Without a doubt, this is the best way in which to build a viable, equitable and fair democracy.

The ID's Patricia de Lille: "Be part of the solution"

Still undecided? Use the Mail and Guardian's Poll Predictor. This is a clever tool that tests your opinion on all of the major election issues, and then enables you to see how these align to the policies of the political parties contesting it.

Do the hokey pokey - that's what it's all about ...

ON AN EARTH WALK

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 10:49:00 +0000

It's hard to be optimistic in our times, to believe we have the power to alter the inexorable march of history and, even if we do, to believe that our actions can make any real and lasting difference. After all, there have been wars, injustice, cruelty, hunger and despair since the beginning of history, and not even the great and the good who have trod the path before us have been able to change that.

There may, however, be another way of looking at our human dilemma and, on today of all days, I want to believe there is.

Today, Barack Obama becomes the first African-American president of the United States, and steps into the world's most powerful position. It's an historic occasion, not just for that reason but because he represents a new direction in human affairs; the world is changing and Obama is the new guard.

But if others before him - even the saints and the greatest of leaders - have failed to create a fundamentally sound, peaceful and prosperous world, are we just burdening him with expectations that are impossible to fulfil? Is our own expectation that a better world is even possible misplaced? Or are we looking at the issue through a distorted lens?

If, as many ancient spiritual traditions teach, we are spirits on an earth walk; essential beings who have, for a short while, taken physical form to experience what it means to be human, perhaps that's exactly what we're doing.

Perhaps it's part of our journey to experience the full extent of what it is to be imperfect and to live in an imperfect world; to know triumph and failure; love and hate; hope and despair; power and subjugation; and to struggle against what is dark and unjust, for both ourselves and for others. Perhaps our greatest achievement will ultimately be not that we changed the world, but that we engaged in the human experience fully and authentically, whatever that may have meant to each of us from where we stood.

And, if that's true, then there's hope. For then, in our struggle against our own frailties, and in our desire to make the world a better place for all, it doesn't matter whether we succeed or fail. The world is what it is. What matters is that we try. Then everything is a miracle.

"Oh, to be alive in such an age when miracles are everywhere and every inch of common air throbs a tremendous prophecy of greater marvels yet to be."
~ Walt Whitman, American Poet, 1819 - 1892

For a comprehensive range of books by Walt Whitman, one of the greatest American poets, click through to kalahari.net.

Lead image: Aboriginal dot painting.
Image of Barack Obama on the eve of his inauguration: Mail and Guardian.

WHAT IF ...?

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 08:48:00 +0000

What if you knew this year was going to be the last year of your life? What would you do?

This is the question my wonderful friend Caroline, who lives in Glastonbury in England, posed at a retreat she ran over Christmas and New Year. Sobering though it may be to consider, it's a question that certainly gives pause for thought, and offers a profoundly useful a tool with which to look at one's life with a focused and critical eye.

Some of the themes Caroline discussed at her retreat, for instance, included: "With limited time left, what would my priorities and aspirations be?", "How would I live wholeheartedly and without regret?", "How would I use my time wisely?", "How would I go about finishing unfinished business?" and "My life is a work of art - what will I create?".

No matter how each individual may respond to the "last year" question - knowing that this probably won't be their last year of life and still having an eye on the needs and responsibilities of the future - these themes have deep resonance.

We all know how easy it is to get caught up in the "stuff" of everyday life, to lose sight of what really matters, to postpone our dreams for an unknown time in the future, and to surrender the ideal of living life wholeheartedly - fearing the consequences if we were to really let go and set about creating a life that is indeed a work of art. I, for one, know that I would be doing things very differently.

So, with fewer years ahead of me than behind, I've decided to radically re-look the way I'm living and to re-assess what I'm doing with my time. There are so many things I've put on the back burner that I need to ask myself "if not now, then when?". And then there's that question of leading an authentic life - of creating a life that is a work of art, and that is unique in the history of the universe. After all, each life is like a fingerprint, and if we don't use the time we have well, the opportunity to leave that mark on the crease of time will be lost forever.

So, for the first few months of the year, I'm going to be focusing on getting my everyday affairs in order, finishing unfinished business, and spending quality time with friends and family. Then, without making sacrifices that would compromise the future I still hope to live, I'm going to be using the rest of the year to focus on all those things I've left undone; on just being fully "me" - for the very first time in my life.

This means that SAbookworm, which I love writing, but which is enormously time-consuming in its current incarnation, is going to be taking on a different form.

A year ago, I woke up one morning and just knew I had to establish a web site about books. I came to the computer in my pyjamas and, 16 hours later, SAbookworm was born. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing - I'd never had a blog or a web site of my own before - and everything took ages to get right at first. I also only had a vague idea that the site would be about new books being published in South Africa, and I hoped I would eventually find a way to make it pay for itself.

Well, needless to say "the worm" took on a life of its own, and it's been an extraordinary year. I've learnt so much about myself and the world around me that that alone has made every minute worthwhile.

For it's all been about so much more than books. It's been a process of thoughtfully, humbly and bravely exploring the place in which I was born - the place it was, the place it is, and the place it's becoming. It's been about examining our relationship to one another as a nation, and our relationship as a nation to the world. It's been about re-discovering how words create, define, shape and navigate our experience and, of course, about my own relationship to it all. But I know I don't want to turn the site into a commercial site, and I need to devote time to other things now, so I'm adopting a new format.

SAbookworm will no longer focus on the broad sweep of what's being published in South Africa or on book industry news, but will become a personal space for thoughts about the books I've chosen to read , the issues behind the books, and about life, love and the universe. This might not be what all of its readers are looking for, and for those who want to keep up-to-date with the very latest bookish news, I refer you to the truly comprehensive Book SA web site. For those who still want to read the occasional indie view of things, I'll still be posting right here from time to time.

A special thanks to all my loyal readers for your support over the past year - I hope you'll still visit the site occasionally for a different perspective on things. And I hope you'll be able to use Caroline's "last year" question to navigate a unique path for yourselves in the year ahead.

Lead image: "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may ..." by John Waterhouse
Above image: A brave new day dawns
Click here to visit Caroline Sherwood's web site

BOOKWORM'S CHOICE: HAMMOCK DAYS

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:40:00 +0000

At last 16 December has arrived, marking an end to the lunacy of the last few weeks of the working year, and ushering in the long, lazy days of the summer holidays. Finally we can all take to our hammocks (or beach chairs or pool loungers or overstuffed couches, as the case may be) with that pile of books we've been dying to read, but simply haven't had the chance to look at yet.

The pile I've been collecting lately would surely flatten a 4x4 if it fell over (and maybe that's good enough reason to give it a push!), so I won't get to them all, but here are some of the titles that have caught my eye this summer:

Hot, Flat and Crowded

by Thomas Friedman

Alan Lane Publishers

What the publishers say: The World Is Flat (this book's predecessor) has helped millions of readers to see globalization in a new way. Now Thomas Friedman brings a fresh look at the crises of destabilizing climate change and rising competition for energy - both of which could poison our world if we do not act quickly and collectively. His argument speaks to all who are concerned about the state of the world in the global future.

Friedman proposes that an ambitious national strategy - which he calls 'Geo-Greenism' - is not only what we need to save the planet from overheating; it is what we need to make us all healthier, richer, more innovative, more productive, and more secure.

As in The World Is Flat, he explains a new era - the Energy-Climate era - through an illuminating account of recent events. He sets out the clean-technology breakthroughs the world will need; he shows that the ET (Energy Technology) revolution will be both transformative and disruptive; and he explains why America must lead this revolution - with the first Green President and a Green New Deal, spurred by the Greenest Generation.

Hot, Flat and Crowded is classic Thomas L. Friedman - fearless, incisive, forward-looking, and rich in surprising common sense about the world we live in today.

What the bookworm thinks: After torturing myself through about two-thirds of this book, I decided to stop short of the final section. Never before have I felt so ideologically at odds with someone writing about green issues. It's not that the issues aren't precipitously valid, or that some of the solutions Friedman proposes to climate change, overpopulation et al don't make a helluva lot of sense. It's the socio-political framework of his argument that I can't agree with and which, in fact, not only wore me down, but detracted from what was pertinent about his message.

It was Einstein who said that problems can't be solved using the same thinking with which they were created, and yet Friedman can't move beyond his Western capitalist world view, despite the increasingly desperate social, economic and ecological situation we find ourselves in.

His position is predictable: capitalism will save the day, and America will lead the way. Blinded to the fact that capitalism is ... um ... at the heart of all levels of the crisis we are currently facing, that there are other models to consider and other people's voices to listen to, and that the USA's cultural, economic and military imperialism is the single most significant driver behind global terrorism today, he sticks to the orthodoxy.

So, basically, read this book and weep. Friedman outlines some creative strategies that could gainfully be used in a transition period between what we have now and a new way of living sustainably and peacefully on the planet, but don't expect anything other than the established ideology from him. And I don't think that's enough.

Note to self: Don't forget to mention that:

Friedman's central metaphor - that the world is flat - is meant to communicate the "equalizing power" of technology that, in his view, enables more people to "plug, play, compete, connect and collaborate with more equal power than ever before". While that may be true from a developed world perspective, nothing could be further off the mark if the whole world is taken into account. On that broad canvas, technology and access to technology is the dividing line in the new 21st century class system, separating those who are "wired" from the "serf class" of those whose access to technology remains largely or absolutely limited by poverty, infrastructure limitations and a whole host of other factors. Again, this is an example of the very definite lens through which this author views his subject.
The World is Flat, Friedman's first book on this subject, was awarded the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award when it was published. 'Nuff said.
It's a well-established capitalist strategy to colonise ideas and actions that are critical of the system - that's how Che Guevara's face ends up on T-shirts for sale all over the world or "green" becomes a business strategy. This, I believe, is exactly what Friedman has done in these two books.
If readers would like an independent take on "green" and other issues - by writers who aren't fundamentally part of the system that created the problem - they might like to have a look at the New Internationalist's superb series of No-Nonsense Guides.

Playing the Enemy

John Carlin

Atlantic Books

What the publishers say: 24 June 1995. Ellis Park in Johannesburg. The Springboks versus The All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup final. Nelson Mandela steps onto the pitch wearing a Springbok jersey and, before a global audience of millions, a new country is born. This book tells the incredible story of the journey to that moment.

As the Springboks faced New Zealand's mighty All Blacks, more was at stake than a sporting trophy. And, when Nelson Mandela appeared wearing a Springbok jersey, and led the all-white Afrikaner-dominated team in singing South Africa's new national anthem, he conquered white South Africa.

Playing the Enemy tells the story of what lead up to that moment, and what made it possible. It shows how a sport, once the preserve of South Africa's Afrikaans-speaking minority, came to unify the new rainbow nation, and tells of how - just occasionally - something as simple as a game really can help people to rise above themselves and see beyond their differences.

What the bookworm thinks: I've been to two rugby matches in my life; the first a compulsory weekend match at a brother school in the 1970's, and the second the World Cup final of 1995. I don't intend to go to any more rugby matches if I can help it, but that World Cup was a once-in-lifetime experience I'll always remember.

Not only was it a demonstration of Nelson Mandela's extraordinary statesmanship, but it was a potent symbol of the power of forgiveness and reconciliation. In the ancestral homeland of Ubuntu (African humanism), and the birthplace of Satyagraha (Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence), Mandela showed that there can - and should - be unity in diversity.

Our recent history has shown that it was a glorious, fleeting moment, but we know we're capable of it, and that's what matters. Perhaps we can get back there ...

Garden of My Ancestors

Bridget Hilton-Barber

Penguin Books

What the publishers say: Sex, drugs and gardening. That’s the spirit of Garden of My Ancestors, a story about a family farm set in the wild and misty reaches of Limpopo province.

The farm belongs to an infamous family whose ancestors settled here more than a century ago. This is no tedious or anguished account of stoic, hard-nosed colonials, however. This is the tale of a wild and wonderful family, an African tale in which White Mischief meets magic realism.

Set in an incredible garden against ancient mountains that change every day, Garden of My Ancestors is sad, tragic, funny and philosophical – and an evocative testament to the healing powers of gardening.

What the bookworm thinks: This book, which is the one I'm reading at the moment, is a pleasant read, if sometimes confusing and a little difficult to follow. It's also unfortunately laid out in conference-style square paragraphs rather than the traditional text format usually used in books and newspapers, which further detracts from the narrative for me.

On a visceral level, it leaves me feeling like a "kaalvoet klonkie" that has mistakenly - and for the first time - stumbled across a softly-lit fantasy palace on a warm summer evening, and who is standing secretly in the dark garden, gazing in on a strange and unattainable world.

So different is Barber's experience of her childhood in South Africa from my own that this book affirms something I've often tried to explain to others, without much success - that white South African experience is not homogeneous.

That, of course, is why all of our stories need to be told, so that the old, false divisions can be seen for what they are, and the true diversity of our history and our current experience can be known.

Of Tricksters, Tyrants and Tycoons

Max du Preez

Zebra Press

What the publishers say: This title (the sequel to Of Warriors, Lovers and Prophets) is a collection of more colourful, fascinating – and mostly unknown – characters, spanning more than three hundred years of South African history.

There are stories of slaves, lively Khoisan characters, and the first Muslim "Cape Malays". And the tale of the Xhosa prophet Makhanda, who nearly succeeded in taking Grahamstown from the British in 1819, and who later escaped from Robben Island, will take most readers by surprise.

Also covered are the Foster gang of Johannesburg, who were indirectly responsible for the killing of Boer hero Koos de la Rey; David Pratt, the man who shot Hendrik Verwoerd in the head at the Rand Easter Show; and the three men who pulled off the biggest jewellery heist of the time, stealing Bridget Oppenheimer's jewellery in 1956. And there’s the sensational and previously unknown story of how a right-wing attack using small aeroplanes at Nelson Mandela's inauguration in 1994 was thwarted at the last moment.

What the bookworm thinks: I have enormous respect for Max du Preez as a journalist, and look forward to reading these stories, in which he turns his eye on some of the lesser known aspects of our history. For me, it's part of the process of bringing to light all the untold records of our past, so that we can have a better understanding of where we come from and who we are as a people.

History, as the saying goes, is the account of the victors. In books like these, though, the more subtle layers of humanity below the victor's version begin to be known, and there could be no more important archaeological undertaking than uncovering them.

Of particular interest is the summary of South African history at the back of the book, which contextualises colonisation and apartheid, and records important events that were all but expunged from history under the apartheid government. As always, du Preez brings history and current affairs to us in an accessible, understandable way.

The Orange Trees of Baghdad

Leilah Nadir

Scribe Publishers

What the publishers say: Born to an Iraqi-Christian father and a British mother, and raised in Britain and Canada, Leilah Nadir has never set foot on Iraqi soil. Distanced from her Iraqi roots by emigration, and now cut off by war, the closest link she has to the nation is through her father, who left Baghdad in the 1960s to pursue his studies in England. His Iraq is of mythical origins; his beginnings are in a garden at the family home that now stands vacant.

Through her father's memories, Leilah recounts her family's lost story, from Iraq at the turn of the twentieth century during the British occupation, to the Iraq-Iran War and the Gulf War. Through her cousins still living in Baghdad, she experiences the thunderous explosions of the present-day conflict.

Then Leilah's friend, award-winning photographer Farah Nosh, brings home news of Leilah's family after her visits to Iraq, as well as stunning photos of civilians and their tragic stories. The Orange Trees of Baghdad is at once harrowing, touching and painfully human. It is an unforgettable debut.

What the bookworm thinks: I'm always fascinated by debut books; by an author's first turn on the dance floor of the written word, and look forward to retiring to my hammock with this one. The title is evocative of a landscape now lost under Humvees, tanks and car bombs; of the Byzantine Empire - its magic not lost, but now holed up in small enclaves and carefully-guarded cultural rituals.

And this exploration of an individual's lost history is the perfect foil for Hilton-Barber's book and Max du Preez's stories.

ONE IN THREE

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:37:00 +0000

One in three women will be raped in her lifetime. Read that again.

This is a horrifying statistic that simply can't be ignored, especially in South Africa, where a woman or girl is raped every 26 seconds (Source: Charlize Theron, UN Messenger of Peace). That's just over 1,661 rapes every single day - or 606,500 a year - excluding all other forms of sexual assault.

A report by the Southern African Regional Poverty Network (SARPN) shows that the country has one of the highest per capita rates of rape and violence against women in the world (Source: Sunday Times). So common is violence in relationships between men and women in this country, says the SARPN study, that violent or coercive sex is often accepted as normal by both genders. This is a sad - and terrifying - indictment of the state of our nation.

That's why SAbookworm is asking its readers to consider wearing a white ribbon in support of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign, which runs from 25 November to 10 December. Even better, volunteer at a women's shelter or organisation, and help a woman or girl child who has been abused (see Women's Net for details).

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign that was established in 1991. Symbolically, it starts on the International Day Against Violence Against Women and ends on International Human Rights Day, emphasizing that gender violence is not just a women's issue, but a fundamental violation of human rights. Believe me, if one in three men were raped in their lifetimes, a world-wide state of emergency would have been proclaimed years ago.

The 16-day period also highlights other significant dates, including International Women Human Rights Defenders Day on 29 November, World AIDS Day on 1 December, and the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre on 6 December.

It was on this day in 1989 that twenty-five-year old Marc Lepine, armed with a legally-obtained semi-automatic rifle and a hunting knife, entered a lecture hall at a Montreal university and separated the male and female students. Claiming that he was "fighting feminism", he shot all nine women in the room, killing six. He then moved through the corridors, the cafeteria, and another classroom, specifically targeting women. He killed fourteen and injured ten more, as well as injuring four men, before he turned the gun on himself.

It is this kind of mindless violence that the 16 Days campaign aims to eliminate. So, women and men alike, stand up and be counted on this issue. And, mothers, teach your boy children well - the end to gender violence begins with them.

Top image from the Irish 16 Days campaign of 2000; bottom image from GEMSA (Gender and Media Southern Africa).

BOOKWORM'S CHOICE: SHAME ON US

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:33:00 +0000

In the past week alone, four e-mails about animal cruelty have arrived in my inbox, from four completely different sources.

The first was about a dog called Hope (pictured here), who was found abandoned in a locked metal box during the xenophobic attacks earlier this year, and who now needs a new home; the second was an appeal for signatures to support a 3rd Degree investigation into appalling cruelty to horses; the third was from PETA (People Opposing Animal Abuse), which has uncovered shocking brutality during the slaughtering of turkeys for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday in north America; and the fourth was an expose of the annual whale and dolphin slaughter in the Faroe Islands off Denmark.

As we know that, on a quantum level, everything is interconnected, and that every act of cruelty affects us all, I believe animal abuse is something we all need to oppose in every way possible. And, of course, the best way to do that is not to turn away at the very thought of it, but to ensure that we are informed about what is going on in our world and about how best to counteract it.

So this selection of books is for animal lovers and compassionate people who want to know more and who wish to make a difference:

One Can Make a Difference: How Simple Actions Can Change the World

Ingrid E. Newkirk

One Can Make a Difference is a compilation of more than 50 thought-provoking essays written by an intriguing and diverse group of people, including His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Sir Paul McCartney, Willie Nelson, Dennis Kucinich, Russell Simmons, Brigitte Bardot, Martina Navratilova, Stella McCartney, Ravi Shankar, and Oliver Stone.

All, armed with nothing more than the power of their personal beliefs, have had a profoundly positive impact on the world. And, as readers peak into the psyches of these remarkable personalities, they see that all it takes to create an entire movement is the desire and determination of any one person.

This is an enlightening book that provides a road map for anyone seeking a just society and for those striving for positive change. Newkirk underscores the fact that we all inevitably face challenges in our lives and that a person does not have to be famous or wealthy to actively contribute to the betterment of the world.

Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism

Mark Hawthorne

Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism brings together the most effective tactics for speaking out for animals and gives voice to activists from around the globe, who explain why their models of activism have been successful—and how you can become involved.

Concise and full of practical examples and resources, this manual will show you how many of the world's most engaged activists overcome obstacles, effectively speak to the public, lobby policymakers, conduct corporate and restaurant outreach, deal with law enforcement, cope with stress, and avoid burnout.

From simple leafleting to taking direct action, each chapter clearly explains where to begin, what to expect, and how to ensure that your message is heard. This book will empower you to make the most of your skills.

Making Kind Choices: Everyday Ways to Enhance Your Life and Avoid Cruelty to Animals

Ingrid E. Newkirk

Foreword by Sir Paul McCartney

Every day, each of us is faced with choices, and we can choose to hurt or to help, to be cruel or to be kind.

In this acclaimed new book, PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk explains how simple choices that we make every day at the dinner table and the grocery-store check-out line can have a life-saving impact on animals.

Packed with green tips on saving the planet, it's an invaluable resource for the concerned consumer. From soup to sweaters, pets to plants, candles to cosmetics, bug-catching to bedsheets, it's an year-round guide to compassionate shopping. Making Kind Choices makes doing good easy and fun with, and includes heartwarming stories, humorous anecdotes and practical tips.

Quick-Fix Vegetarian: Healthy Home-Cooked Meals in 30 Minutes or Less

Robin Robertson

Best-selling author Robin Robertson provides both novice and longtime cooks with effortless, everyday convenience and robust vegetarian dishes that can be prepared in less time than it takes to have a pizza delivered.

Best of all, these 150 recipes, like "beat-the-clock" spinach lasagna and pineapple-apricot couscous cake, are made without meat, dairy products, or eggs, making them 100% cholesterol-free.

This cookbook also shows you how to use many of the new commercial vegetarian products, and it offers recipe variations and professional tips for speedy, stress-free entertaining, with flavors, textures, and presentations that your friends and family are sure to enjoy. Quick-Fix Vegetarian is a book that no kitchen should be without!

50 Awesome Ways Kids Can Help Animals

Ingrid E. Newkirk

Kids love animals, and teaching them compassion early on helps them to become compassionate adults. This book is full of fascinating facts and more then 100 projects and ideas that show young activists how they can get active for animals.

For more about these books, or to order copies, click through to the PETA Catalogue. Some titles are also available locally through kalahari.net.

And, if you'd like to read more about the stories I mentioned at the beginning of this post, see Suffer the Animals ... below.

SUFFER THE ANIMALS ...

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 10:35:00 +0000

In Bookworm's Choice, I mentioned that I had received four e-mails this week, each dealing with a separate case of unbelievable animal cruelty. I devoted the feature to books on animal activism and compassionate living, and now here's what prompted that selection. These are the animals; these are their stories:

Turkey Hell in the USA

More than 72 million of the nearly 270 million turkeys killed for food every year in the US are slaughtered for holiday meals. This year, in the run-up to Thanksgiving, PETA conducted a two-month undercover investigation at the factory farms of Aviagen Turkeys, Inc., which calls itself "the world's leading poultry breeding company."

While working at a series of Aviagen factory farms in West Virginia, PETA's investigator documented that workers tortured, mutilated, and maliciously killed turkeys. The following are just a few of the documented offenses:

Employees stomped on turkeys' heads, punched turkeys, hit them on the head with a can of spray paint and with pliers, and struck turkeys' heads against metal scaffolding.
Men shoved faeces and feed into turkeys' mouths and held turkeys' heads under water.
Another bragged about jamming a broom stick 2 feet down a turkey's throat.
A supervisor said he saw workers kill 450 turkeys with 2-by-4s.
One man said he saw a coworker fatally inject turkey semen and sulfuric acid into turkeys' heads.

To learn more, watch the investigation video, and take action by signing PETA's letter of protest to the National Turkey Federation.

Whale and Dolphin Hunting in the Faroe Islands

Each year, the inhabitants of the Faroe Islands off Denmark take part in a gruesome ritual, a mass killing of approximately 2,000 pilot whales, dolphins and other small cetaceans.

This is done by using motorboats to drive the animals into a bay from which there is no escape. The chase is often lengthy, and finally the exhausted, terrified and confused whales are trapped in the shallows. Here the bloodbath, which has been taking place every year for centuries, begins.

The islanders repeatedly hammer 2.2 kg metal gaffs into the living flesh of each whale until the hooks hold. A 15 cm knife is then used to slash through the blubber and flesh to the spinal column. Next the main blood vessels are severed. The blood-stained bay is soon filled with horribly mutilated and dying whales.

The Faroese celebrate the butchery of their victims in a carnival atmosphere, and children are even given a day off school to watch the "fun".

Cultural traditions are no excuse for this kind of barbarity. After all, keeping slaves was once a cultural tradition, one that was brought to an end because it simply couldn't be justified by any standard. And nothing can justify the brutality with which this annual kill is carried out.

The Faroe Islands depend heavily on tourism for their income. So, if you want to be part of stopping this despicable practice, send an e-mail to the editors of the official web site of Denmark (editors@denmark.dk), tell them how appalled you are by this practice, and tell them you will do everything in your power to make potential visitors aware of this atrocity until it is stopped.

Hope's Story

A letter from Karen in Midrand:

Hope was rescued by CLAW when they were helping the canine victims of the xenophobic attacks in Soweto earlier this year. She owes her life to the hardworking members of CLAW who investigated her whimpers and rescued her from the LOCKED METAL BOX in which she had been abandoned. She became known as "Doginabox" but has been rechristened "Hope".

She immediately fitted in with my other foster dogs but it took her a few days to learn to trust us humans. She was obviously keen to make friends, dancing around with excitement whenever I spoke to her, but not quite brave enough to come for a cuddle until the end of Day 2. She is still wary of strangers, but once you become her buddy, she adores you.

Hope is quite a funny character. She is tickle powered, ...a good tickle behind the ear, and she just can't contain her excitement, she tears off around the garden leaving puffs of dust behind her, darting between the trees like a cross between a greyhound and a Jackrabbit before arriving back for another tickle. She is a young and energetic dog but doesn't bark, dig or chew. She is very unusual looking and has a beautiful coat which feels more like a seal coat than dog fur. She is quite a bit smaller than she appears to be in her photographs.

Is there space for a gentle bit of dog-shaped Hope in your home? If so, contact me (Karen - Midrand) by email: safehaven1@gmail.com

or by phone on 072 087 9772.

Lara Borland's Campaign Against Horse Abuse

Concerned citizen, Lara Borland, has been trying to expose the treatment of horses "discarded" by the Onderstepoort Biological Division for three years. She is now attempting to collect 2,000 signatures to support a request for 3rd Degree to investigate this issue.

According to Lara, once the animals are no longer of use to Onderstepoort, they are sold on auction to be butchered. She says she has witnessed the treatment of the horses at these auctions herself, where Onderstepoort staff have apparently refused to answer any questions about the animals, their treatment or their fate.

Unfortunately, I've been unable to verify any of the facts about this story sent to me by a network of concerned animal lovers, and e-mails sent to the address supplied in the appeal (lara@saharasolutions.co.za) don't go through. This doesn't mean that all of this isn't happening, though, and you can read the full text of Lara Borland's Appeal to judge for yourself. You can also e-mail 3rd Degree at 3rddegree@etv.co.za to request that they investigate this issue thoroughly.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

~ Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi

LOUD, HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:47:00 +0000

Despite the many challenges we face, we South Africans nevertheless have the unique capacity to laugh at ourselves and our situation, even if it's often a somewhat dark form of mirth. This is clear from the popularity of the Zapiro and Madam and Eve cartoon collections, which are eagerly awaited at the end of each year.

Jonathan Shapiro (aka Zapiro) and Stephen Francis & Rico (who pen Madam and Eve) are our very own Court Jesters, and what a great job they do! Nothing escapes them, and we're privileged to have them casting their critical eyes over the swirling tide of events that laps around us every day.

Hot off the ironing board, as Francis and Rico put it, Madam and Eve Unplugged takes on everything from exploding ATMs to Mbeki, Mugabe (and his shopaholic wife, Grace), fuel prices, potholes, corruption, xenophobia and, needless to say, "load shedding".

It's been a dark year in more ways than one, but at least we can still have a laugh at it all (even if there is a touch of hysteria to it!).

Zapiro's new collection, Pirates of Polokwane, which is being launched this evening at Constitution Hill, is similarly fearless (and, yes, it does contain THAT cartoon - the one of Jacob Zuma preparing to rape Lady Justice). You'll notice, for instance, that Ship ANC on the cover has the trademark Zuma showerhead as a masthead, despite the endless huffing and puffing about the use of this comedic device from the Halls of Power. And 'nuff said about what that means for the party's future direction.

Zapiro has been called a national treasure, and keeps us all not only on our toes, but on pointe. His sharp and achingly funny critique remains unbowed in the face of law suits from Mr Love Pants (thanks to the ever-imaginative Andrew Donaldson of The Sunday Times for another superb political moniker), and - yes - death threats from Zuma supporters.

If you'd like to meet Zap himself, and hear from his equally fearless editor at the Sunday Times, Mondli Makhanya, pedal up to Constitution Hill this evening - or to Pollsmoor Prison next week - for the launch of the book. The new super-collection The Mandela Files will be launched at Pollsmoor at the same time.

Just remember to RSVP so that the organisers can know how many chortling people to expect - and, because of the nature of the venue in Cape Town, you'll need to give them your ID number to book a place at that event.

Johannesburg Launch

When? Monday, 17 November 2008
Time? 6:00 PM for 6:30 PM
Where? Women's Gaol, Constitution Hill, Joubert Street, Hillbrow (see Map)
Guest Speaker: Mondli Makhanya
RSVP: thando@jacana.co.za / 011 628 3204

Cape Town Launch

When? Thursday, 27 November 2008
Time? 6:00 PM for 6:30 PM
Guest Speaker: Antjie Krog
Venue: Recreaction Centre, Pollsmoor Prison, Steenberg Road, Tokai (see Map)
RSVP with your ID number by Monday 17 November to: Carmen Timm, events@juta.co.za / 021 763 3538

MINI-REVIEW: FROM A TO X

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:52:00 +0000

During my student days, John Berger's Ways of Seeing was a prescribed text, and it made me realise for the first time that it is the observer who determines the way in which something is observed, and so how it is experienced.

Since this seminal work, Berger has published an impressive list of fiction, poetry and polemical works that similarly challenge social, cultural and political norms. Now over 80, he's still writing, and his latest title, A to X: A Story in Letters, was long-listed for this year's Man Booker Prize.

A vividly-imagined story of love and resistance, it examines a community in an unnamed oppressive state which, besieged by economic and military imperialism, finds transcendent hope in the small events of everyday life.

The book takes the form of a collection of letters from A'ida to her husband Xavier, an imprisoned insurgent. Tender and insightful, they tell of daily occurrences in their home town; occurrences that, through A'ida's eyes, become a profound indictment of authoritarianism in its many forms.

For as a faceless power encroaches on the run-down town of Suse, small acts of humanity - an intimate dance, a shared meal - assume for A'ida a life-affirming significance. They become acts of resistance against forces that might otherwise be utterly overwhelming.

From A to X is a powerful exploration of how humanity affirms itself in struggle, and will particularly strike a chord for South African readers, who are having to confront the development of a new kind of authoritarianism in this country 15 years after the advent of democracy.

“John Berger has given us an exquisite thing. This is a book of controlled rage sculpted with tools of tenderness and a searing political vision. Everything he writes about is profound, precise and invoiced: Liberty and the lack of it, hope and the lack of it, power and the lack of it, love and the terrible yearning that takes its place when the loved one has been taken away.”

— Arundhati Roy

“From A to X is one of the most tender and poignant books I have read for many years. Its power rests in its economy of means, its account of enduring love surviving oppression. It demonstrates that however foul the forces oppressing us, love and the human spirit are indestructible.”

— Harold Pinter

WORLD FREEDOM DAY

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 05:50:00 +0000

On 9 November 1989, that intractable symbol of oppression and division, the Berlin Wall, was brought down without violence or bloodshed. It was a catalytic event that paved the way for freedom in other parts of the world (South Africa included), and for the birth of an entirely new world view.

In 2001, 9 November was declared World Freedom Day in commemoration of this event, and is now celebrated across the world by releasing white balloons and wearing white ribbons as symbols of peace and freedom. On this day, we take the opportunity to honour those in Berlin - and in other conflicts at other times - who helped to secure freedom and liberty for themselves, their fellow humans beings, and future generations.

It was Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi who said: "When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers - and for a time they can seem invincible - but in the end they always fail. Think of it - always."

Now, in a world too interconnected and too fragile for violent conflict and divisive beliefs not to impact on everyone in some way, I use this day every year to re-dedicate myself to those things I hold most valuable: freedom, peace, non-violence, unity in diversity, unqualified compassion, respect for and harmony with the natural world, religious and spiritual tolerance, economic and gender equality, universal justice, simple abundance, fair trade, and the love and comfort of friends, family and community.

I believe the intrinsic value of these things to be self-evident and hope that, despite my own frailties and failings, they will always be the filter through which I see the world and the platform off which I launch my actions.

For an overview of Gandhi's work, and an insight into his thoughts on non-violence, peace and unity, read The Essential Writings of Mahatma Gandhi, edited by Raghavan Narasimhan Iyer.

This balanced selection of Gandhi's writings, taken from his letters, articles, and books, represents the complete cross-section of his thought, from his early years as a young barrister in London, to his final days as sage and counsel to the newly-independent India.

Click through here to find out more about the book or to buy a copy:

THE GREAT AND THE GOOD

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 07:02:00 +0000

Messages of congratulations continue to pour in for President-elect Barack Obama from the great and the good all over the world.

Of particular interest to SAbookworm readers will be this letter sent to him by renowned American writer and poet, Alice Walker. Walker is not only the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Colour Purple, but also a self-declared feminist and womanist - the latter a term she herself coined to make special distinction for the experiences of women of colour (Source: Wikipedia):

Dear Brother Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done.

We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large.

We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate.

One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise.

It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies.

And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

In Peace and Joy,

Alice Walker

For books by and about Alice Walker, click through to kalahari.net (there are 247 items!).

OBAMA MEDITATION - 18:00 CAT

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:40:00 +0000

A group of people who live in and around Glastonbury in the UK, an ancient sacred site, are asking others the world over to join them in a meditation for Barack Obama this evening. This is their message:

"As the Earth breathes a deep sigh of relief, gratitude and joy at the election of Barack Obama, please join us in meditation at 16:00 GMT (18:00 CAT - Central African Time) or 20:00 GMT (22:00 CAT) to bless and support him. With love and thanks."

Please consider joining this meditation - and be part of the change you want to see in the world.

Image: The Dove of Peace by Picasso

SEA CHANGE

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 07:49:00 +0000

The American people have resolutely - and in huge numbers - voted Barack Obama in as the first black president of the United States. Shortly after this was confirmed last night, the new President-elect made an extraordinary speech in his hometown of Chicago, giving the world a hopeful glimpse of a new kind of governance, a rapidly-evolving kind of truly inclusive democracy.

The challenges that lie ahead for him, for the United States, and for the world as a whole are the greatest any of us have ever faced. There is no doubt that the task before him as President is nothing short of monumental and, as he said, will require selfless service from ordinary people as much as focus and dedication from government.

But before we think of that, let's just cherish this moment for everything that it is - a time in history when we witnessed a sea change; when overnight the world became a different place.

Avaaz.org is aiming to collect a million signatures of congratulations for the new President-elect, and I have added my name - as well as this special message - to those of the many who have already signed:

"We are so proud to welcome you to the community of world leaders. You are the face of a new kind of democracy that is evolving in the 21st century, and we support your message of peace, humanism, unity, equality, environmental integrity and economic transformation.

"We hope that, like Nelson Mandela did in South Africa, you will break down old divisions, and carry this message out to a grateful and expectant world: WE ARE ONE.

"Let it be known: 'I cannot feast while my neighbour is starving; I cannot sleep easy while my neighbour is in danger; I cannot live peacefully while my neighbours are dying violently.' "

If you would like to add your own message of congratulations, click through to Million Messages to Obama.

Image of Barack Obama accepting election as the President Elect of the United States at Grant Park in Chicago last night courtesy of The Times (Joe Raedle, Getty Images, AFP).

YOU GO, BARACK!

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 13:41:00 +0000

Tomorrow the citizens of the United States go to the polls in one of the most important elections in their history. And, if the pre-election opinion is anything to go by, Barack Obama will soon be that country's first black president. More than that, though, if he is elected, he will be bringing a new kind of governance onto the American and the world stage, one that is sorely needed.

I've said before that my money is on Obama for President, not just because of his political focus, charismatic style, obvious intelligence, down-to-earth approach to some of the most complex issues, demonstrably democratic beliefs, and thoughtful handling of the global financial crisis, but also because he has managed to capture the imagination of the American people - and, indeed, the world - in a way we haven't seen in a generation.

With an awesome understanding of social networking, his campaign has tapped into internet-based communications in a way that has changed the face of campaigning forever, bringing his country's notoriously apathetic youth enthusiastically into the election process. On the other side of the coin, he's been out there at rallies and talking face-to-face with his constituents in the old-fashioned way, even going out for "trick or treat" with his daughters on Halloween last Friday.

And he has consistently called for unity and tolerance across racial, religious and gender lines, even in the face of some pretty vicious personal attacks.

In case anyone hasn't been taking note, this is a man of the people; the face of 21st century democracy.

And it ain't just smoke and mirrors; the policies behind the man are ones that anyone would be proud to vote for. For example:

He has opposed the illegal war in Iraq from the start and, should he be elected, will immediately begin working with advisors to bring it to an end in a responsible way. In case anyone has forgotten, the war is illegal because it was undertaken pre-emptively and unilaterally, in violation of UN resolutions and international law.

He has rightly called the current administration and the Republican Party on the laissez faire policies that have led directly to the current global financial meltdown, and he has explained the implications of the crisis to ordinary people in a clear and understandable way. He also took a considered approach to the whole situation as it developed, which is much more than we can say for his rival, John McCain. And, with so much at stake, wouldn't you want such an important world leader to take a considered approach rather than shooting from the hip?

He has a solid plan in place to deal with the financial crisis which, amongst other things, will involve cutting taxes for working people and implementing an aggressive job-creation programme. I think both the US and the world at large will need a whole lot more than that, but it's a good start.

He has committed to increasing energy efficiency, investing in alternative energy sources, and creating 5 million new "green" jobs in the US. You may recall that the US has, to date, steadfastly refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol, which sets defined emissions reduction targets for all signatories.

He opted to run his campaign without government funding and without using lobbyists, focusing instead on raising the money he needed from ordinary people who believe in his policies.

He has created a database by means of which the public can track federal contracts, narrowing the margin for bribery and corruption significantly.

His healthcare plan will provide accessible, affordable coverage for all US citizens, and he plans to pump billions of dollars into the worldwide fight against HIV/Aids.

He supports the right to choice on the abortion issue, as well as the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry.

He supports religious tolerance, something which is not only desperately needed in the US and across the world, but which will also serve to open up US dialogue with non-Christian countries.

He supports strong and responsible democracy in Africa and, because of his African heritage, will be in a better position than his predecessors to call for it.

And, as Mark Danner puts it in this week's Mail and Guardian, he offers a "politics of hope (that) is an antidote to the unspoken shame of US politics".

I'm not a great TV fan, but I've had a satellite dish installed so that I can watch the progress of this election closely. After all, we're watching history in the making.

You go, Barack!

UPDATE (4 November 2008, 13:37 CAT):

An Obama supporter wearing a T-shirt designed locally and emblazoned with the words, "If Obama loses, I'm leaving the planet."

My thoughts exactly!

Click to enlarge

IN MEMORIUM: ES'KIA MPHAHLELE

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:20:00 +0000

When I registered to study at Wits, there was no African Literature Department, and there were no black professors. It was only two years later, after the Soweto riots had changed the political and educational landscape in South Africa forever, that writer and academic Professor Es'kia Mphahlele joined the university to finally establish an African literature department at an African university.

One of the continent's most prolific and respected writers, Mphahlele was born in Marabastad outside Pretoria in 1919. He became a high school teacher, and started his writing career with Drum magazine after the Second World War. He was banned in 1952 for his stance against the introduction of Bantu Education, and went into exile.

While in exile, he published his famous autobiographical work, Down Second Avenue: Growing Up in a South African Ghetto, which has never been out of print. He also received a PhD from the University of Denver in 1968, and he left a full professorship at the University of Pennsylvania to return to South Africa in 1977.

His work includes The Wanderers, which was banned for many years in South Africa, Chirundu, In Corner B, Renewal Time, Afrika My Music: An Autobiography 1957 - 1983, and Mandela: Echoes of an Era.

Mphahlele was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1969, and in 1984 he was awarded the Les Palmes Academiques by the French Government for his contribution to French Language and Culture. In 1998 former President Nelson Mandela awarded him the Order of the Southern Cross, the highest recognition granted by the South African government, and in 2000 he was named Writer Of The Century by Tribute Magazine.

In 2002, he was honoured by the foundation of the Es'kia Institute, which "nurtures, supports and develops community initiatives in Arts, Culture, Education and Literature in an effort to advance and preserve our Afrikan (sic) Heritage".

Mphahlele, the great pioneer of contemporary African literature, died on Monday night, shortly before his 89th birthday.

Click to enlarge

BOOKWORM'S CHOICE: FROM ELECTRIC CAPITALISM TO THE HERETIC'S DAUGHTER

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 16:04:00 +0000

I confess that I can't keep up with all of the new books being released at the moment - it's a veritable embarrassment of riches. There are, however, a few that have really caught my eye, so here's my latest selection of new releases:

Non-Fiction

Electric Capitalism: Recolonising Africa on the Power Grid
David A Mc Donald (Ed)
HSRC Press

From the extraordinary HSRC Press comes Electric Capitalism, co-published with Earthscan, an impeccable investigation into the politics and economics of access to electricity in Africa.

Africa's economies are as dependent on electricity as those of the developed nations, but it remains the world's most under-supplied region. Not only that, but there are enormous inequalities of access, with industry receiving an abundant supply of cheap power, while more than 80 per cent of the continent's population remains off the grid.

Africa is not unique in this respect, but levels of inequality are particularly pronounced here due to the inherent unevenness of 'electric capitalism' on the continent.

This book provides an innovative theoretical framework for understanding electricity and capitalism in Africa, followed by a series of case studies that examine different aspects of electricity supply and consumption.

The chapters focus primarily on South Africa due to its dominance in the electricity market, but there are important lessons to be learned for the continent as a whole, not least because of the aggressive expansion of South African capital into other parts of Africa in order to develop and control electricity. Africa is experiencing a renewed scramble for its electricity resources, conjuring up images of a recolonisation of the continent along the power grid.

Written by leading academics and activists, Electric Capitalism offers a cutting-edge, yet accessible, overview of one of the most important developments in Africa today - with direct implications for health, gender equity, environmental sustainability and socio-economic justice. From nuclear power through prepaid electricity meters to the massive dams projects taking place in central Africa, an understanding of electricity reforms on the continent helps to shape our insights into development debates in Africa, and the expansion of neo-liberal capitalism across the world.

For more about this book, to order a copy or to download a free electronic version, click through to HSRC Press.

The Mbeki Legacy
Brian Pottinger
Random House Struik

This book takes stock of Mbeki’s presidency by focusing on a simple question: how did South Africa prosper or weaken under his stewardship?

The Mbeki Legacy covers Mbeki’s consolidation of power and his defeat at Polokwane, weighs up his policies on crime, education and health; investigates the arms deal and the electricity crisis; and considers the effects of land reform and BEE.

A compelling, accessible and authoritative analysis of Mbeki’s political, economic and social legacies, and an insightful glimpse into the post-Mbeki era.

For more about this book, or to buy a copy, click here:

Fiction

The Heretic's Daughter
Kathleen Kent
Macmillan

Martha Carrier was hanged on 19 August 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, during the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Unyielding in her refusal to admit to being a witch, she went to her death rather than join the ranks of men and women who confessed and were thereby spared execution.

In this fictionalised account of that tragedy, we are taken into the heart of the terror that was Salem at that time.

Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and wilful, openly challenging of the small, brutal world in which they live. Her father is a farmer, English in origin, quietly stoical but with a secret history. Her mother is a herbalist, tough but loving, and above all a good mother. Often at odds with each other, Sarah and her mother have a close but also cold relationship, yet it is clear that Martha understands her daughter like no other.

When Martha is accused of witchcraft, and the whisperings in the community escalate, she makes her daughter promise not to stand up for her if the case is taken to court. As Sarah and her brothers are hauled into the prison themselves, the vicious cruelty of the trials becomes apparent, and the Carrier family is faced with the task of battling through the hysteria armed only with the sheer willpower their mother has taught them.

For more about this book, or to buy a copy, click here:

DIWALI GREETINGS

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:04:00 +0000

SAbookworm would like to wish all of its Hindu readers a very happy Diwali.

Diwali or Deepawali, which takes place over a period of four days, will be widely celebrated tomorrow (28 October), as lamps are lit and fireworks set off on the night of the dark moon.

This Festival of Lights (the Sanskrit word 'deepawali' means 'row of lights') is the most widely-celebrated Hindu festival, and marks the triumph of light over darkness, of good over evil. It is held to honour life, goodness and community, and is viewed by many as the start of a New Year. The symbolic triumph of light over darkness is meant to illuminate the earth, bring people closer to divinity, restore hope, and empower individuals and communities to commit themselves to good deeds in the year ahead.

Diwali is a people-orientated festival when enmities are forgotten, and family and friends meet to enjoy the festival.

As Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore said of Diwali: “The night is black. Kindle the lamp of love with your life and devotion.”

P.S. As spectacular as fireworks can be, they can also cause serious injury if not used correctly, and be terrifying for animals and small children. Keep animals safely locked up indoors, away from the bright light and the noise, and ensure that children watching fireworks displays are always accompanied by an adult. Older children using fireworks should also always be supervised by an adult, and the instructions on the packaging should be followed precisely. Try to be considerate of neighbours who might find the noise disturbing too.

JULIUS "JELLY TOT" MALEMA ... AGAIN

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:58:00 +0000

Julius "Jelly Tot" Malama (thanks to Andrew Donaldson of the Sunday Times for this glorious moniker), has been mouthing off again. Speaking yesterday at a rally to celebrate the ANC Youth League's 64th anniversary, he had a lot to say about the ANC breakaway group being led by veteran members Mosioua "Terror" Lekota and Mbazima "Sam" Shilowa.

“(Their) allegiance is not to democracy or the rule of law," quoth he, "but to a culture of entitlement ... to leadership roles and positions. They are not prepared to accept the outcomes of democratic processes that do not favour them.

“They would rather shamelessly drag the entire nation to the abyss of anarchy in pursuit of narrow, self-serving interests.”

Malema warned that the Lekota breakaway party could lead to violence: “We run the risk of breeding a monster that will take our country to civil war,” he said (Source: The Times).

Now let's think about this ...

Who was it that called for a "political solution" to Jacob Zuma's prosecution? Who lambasted the judiciary for being "counter-revolutionary" when it adhered to the due process of the law? Who vowed that the members of the ANCYL would "Kill for Zuma"? Who was it that chanted "Kill Lekota, Kill Shilowa" at a peaceful political gathering on Thursday, and is trying to disrupt the formation of a breakaway party by any means possible? Who was it that was charged with 16 counts of fraud and corruption, and is still under a cloud of suspicion? Who is it that used a two-thirds majority in parliament to have the Scorpions disbanded despite huge pressure not to do so?

Hint: It wasn't Lekota. It wasn't Shilowa. It wasn't any of their supporters.

Can any thinking person who sees Malema, the ANC, its alliance partners and its supporters continuing in this manner actually take them seriously, let alone trust the party to lead the country?

Photograph courtesy of The Times

SPEAK OUT, PRESIDENT MOTLANTHE

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 07:20:00 +0000

If there has ever been any doubt about the Stalinist tendencies of the Zuma-led ANC (see previous posts An Empty Garden?, Be Very Afraid and Without Further Commentary), yesterday's events at Orange Farm must certainly have put paid to it.

A political rally convened by Mosioua "Terror" Lekota, one of the senior members and former members of the ANC who are proposing a breakaway party, was violently disrupted by the ruling party's supporters. Police had to form a human shield to prevent the crowd from storming the hall where the meeting was to be held, and Lekota had to be smuggled into the venue in a decoy car. His supporters - or just ordinary people who wanted to hear what he had to say - had to be escorted into and out of the meeting.

Their "crime"? They do not support The Party and The Great Leader, and either just want to hear an opposing opinion or be part of forming another political party.

After the rally, the mood turned from ugly to violent as the crowd chanted "Kill Lekota, Kill Shilowa", in a chilling replay of the chant that caused so much controversy in the 1990's, "Kill the Boer, Kill the Farmer". Lekota's armoured vehicle had to be protected by police as it left the venue, while Olga Lutu , who had resigned as an ANC branch secretary this week and had helped to organise the rally, said she too had received death threats. As she rushed to an armoured police vehicle with other Lekota supporters, Lutu said she feared for her life: "They say I must be killed. They want to murder me."

Today, the ANC "strongly condemned" Lekota supporters for tearing down pro-Zuma posters outside the rally, saying this had incited the crowd to violence. The party has not condemned the actions of its own supporters.

Yesterday's events are an early warning sign for us - like a canary in a mine - and we need to take heed, for out of skirmishes like these could easily come civil war.

It is time for our President, Kglama Motlanthe, to show us what he is really made of. So far, he has shown extraordinarily good governance, but this is his first real test. As the President of the country more than an ANC member, it falls to him to speak out against this behaviour and to protect the rights of South Africa's people as a whole - the right to assembly, the right to free speech, and the right to engage in political activity, whatever the ANC might have to say about it.

We're waiting, President Motlanthe ...

P.S. Note to Mr Lekota et al: Get on with it and form the proposed new party already. This splashing around in the shallows without taking clear and decisive action doesn't show the kind of leadership South Africans desperately need, and weakens your position and your message.

Photograph of ANC supporters courtesy of the Mail and Guardian (Oupa Nkosi)
Photograph of Lekota being escorted out of the meeting courtesy of The Times (Thys Dullaart)

INDIE IS BEAUTIFUL

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:30:00 +0000

I'm always delighted to hear about independent publishers and writers who publish their own work, because this adds such richness to the world of books. Much of what is published by independents wouldn't be considered by any of the big publishing houses, and it would be a huge loss to creative and analytical diversity if this were to be so. In literary ecology (to coin a phrase!), the small is equally as important as the large.

So it was with some excitement that I heard about Seaberg, a small publisher based in Port Elizabeth which focuses on Eastern Cape poetry and children's stories. For it is the kind of work it publishes that gives us insight into local cultures, sentiments and beliefs that we would otherwise never have access to. Not only that, but one of Seabird's authors is award-winning poet, Brian Walter, who has just published a new collection.

Mousebirds
Brian Walter

In his first book, Tracks, which was awarded the 2000 Ingrid Jonker Prize, Brian Walter included a sequence of delicate and evocative poems about the Swartkops region of Port Elizabeth – Athol Fugard country – that had already earned him the 1999 Pringle Prize for Poetry.

Since Tracks and his second book, Baakens, an extended meditation on the Baakens Valley in Port Elizabeth as symbol of the landmarks of his youth in apartheid South Africa, Walter has kept faith with the poetic exploration of his grounded landscapes and their real inhabitants. Mousebirds, in its explorations of poetic situations and of poetic language itself, is testimony to the integrity – and the humanity – of this quest.

What is new is the rich vintage of time, the poet's growing assurance in voice, and the authority of experience as he looks back on the years of our young democracy, its promise and its problems, hopes and failures.

There is the older man's questioning of identity in these poems, the search for a metaphor to wed place and poet, as he continues to balance past and present.

Mousebirds is available from Seabird for R90, excluding postage. Please contact the publishers directly on 041 366 2074, or by e-mail at info@seaberg.co.za to order.

On a fun note, Seaberg has also just published a new children's title:

A Royal Dog
Les Cawood

This is the story of a black and white wanna-be corgi living in Richmond Hill, Port Elizabeth, who has aspirations of living in a palace like the royal corgis in England do. She searches for a Queen in South Africa in order to realise her dreams. Despite all her efforts she is destined to continue living in the little house on the hill but she discovers, to her surprise, that this life has its own rewards.

Author Les Cawood, born and raised in the Eastern Cape, has lived and taught in Port Elizabeth for many years. She has had an ongoing fascination with stories, and particularly how they are and can be used in classrooms. Her Royal Dog story is the first in a projected series that will include a brace of characters from the Bay, and which will incorporate issues that touch on – in a fun and accessible way – historical, social and environmental responsibility.

Rachel Main, who provides the illustrations, is an artist and art teacher living in Port Elizabeth and delights in drawing for children. This is her third children’s story. Les and Rachel have previously teamed up to produce a story for Colleagiate Junior, called We Are All Winners.

A Royal Dog is available from Seaberg for R60, excluding the costs of postage. Call 041 366 2074 or e-mail at info@seaberg.co.za to order.

Reviews supplied by the publisher

WRITING RETREAT: HOGSBACK

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:16:00 +0000

Would you like to live the life of a writer, if only for a few days?

Poets and writers Dorian Haarhof, Cathal Lagan, Bob Commin and Brian Walter invite all SAbookworm readers to join them on a four-day writing retreat in the magical Eastern Cape hamlet of Hogsback. The retreat will offer writers and aspirant writers inspirational settings, creative space in which to work, and the personal guidance of four experienced writing mentors.

It will also include talks about writing, and visits to special sites in the area such as Dianna Graham's eco shrine, and the labyrinth in the mountains at The Edge. Writing time will be supported by workshops about editing, as well as poetry readings in the evenings.

When? Monday evening, 24 November to Friday noon, 28 November
Where? Hogsback, Eastern Cape
Cost? The cost for the four-day writer's workshop is R2 350 (this does not include travel, meals or accommodation).
Contact? For more information, contact workshop administrator, Les Foster on 082 868 4265, or by e-mail at lesfoster@telkomsa.net.

Visit the eco shrine, walk the labyrinth, write in the mountains, read at the fireside. Live the life of a writer.

2008 MAN BOOKER PRIZE ANNOUNCED

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:53:00 +0000

Indian debut novelist Aravind Adiga was awarded the Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2008 for his work The White Tiger in London on Tuesday. The 33-year-old journalist tells "the story of two Indias" in his book, praised by Booker Prize judges' chairman, Michael Portillo, as "being in the tradition of Macbeth with a delicious twist."

Adiga is the third first-time novelist to win the

£50 000 Booker Prize (a staggering R872 000 at today's exchange rate), which is awarded each year for the best novel published in the UK, the Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland. He is also the fourth Indian-born author to win the prize, following Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy and Kiran Desai.

The five other authors on this year's shortlist included one other Indian writer, Amitav Ghosh, and another first-timer, Steve Tolz.

The novel studies the contrast between India's rise as a modern global economy and the lead character, Balram, who comes from crushing rural poverty.

"At a time when India is going through great changes and, with China, is likely to inherit the world from the West, it is important that writers like me try to highlight the brutal injustices of (Indian) society," says Adiga. "That's what I'm trying to do - it's not an attack on the country, it's about the greater process of self-examination. The criticism of writers like Flaubert, Balzac and Dickens in the 19th century helped England and France to become better places."

Adiga, who has wanted to become a novelist since he was a boy, was born in Madras (now Chennai), and later moved to Mumbai.

MINI-REVIEW: THE WHITE TIGER

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:50:00 +0000

Balram Halwai is a complicated man. Servant. Philosopher. Entrepreneur. Murderer. Over the course of seven nights, by the scattered light of a preposterous chandelier, he tells the terrible and transfixing story of how he came to be a success in life, having nothing but his own wits to help him along.

Born in the dark heart of India, Balram gets a break when he is hired as a driver for his village's wealthiest man, two house Pomeranians (Puddles and Cuddles), and the rich man's (very unlucky) son. From behind the wheel of their Honda City car, Balram's new world is a revelation.

While his peers flip through the pages of Murder Weekly, barter for girls, drink liquor (Thunderbolt) and perpetuate the Great Rooster Coop of Indian society, Balram watches his employers bribe foreign ministers for tax breaks, barter for girls, drink liquor (single-malt whiskey), and play their own role in the Rooster Coop.

Balram learns how to siphon gas, deal with corrupt mechanics, and refill and resell Johnnie Walker Black Label bottles (all but one). He also finds a way out of the Coop, which no-one inside it can perceive.

Balram's eyes penetrate India as few outsiders can: the cockroaches and the call centers; the prostitutes and the worshippers; the ancient and Internet cultures; the water buffalo and the white tiger. And with a charisma as undeniable as it is unexpected, Balram teaches us that religion doesn't create virtue, and money doesn't solve every problem, but decency can still be found in a corrupt world, and you can get what you want out of life if you eavesdrop on the right conversations.

For more about this book, or to buy a copy, click here:

Review supplied by the publishers

BEHIND THE GLOBAL MELTDOWN

SAbookworm@telkomsa.net (Lee Cahill) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:05:00 +0000

Last week has been dubbed "Black Week" by some, as it saw the global financial crisis deepen and world stock markets continue to plunge in the wake of the banking crisis in the US.

Shortly after the US government authorised a $700 billion "bailout" package (about R6,6 trillion at current exchange rates), the UK followed suit with a similar package of £50 billion (about R830 billion) to rescue perilously indebted financial institutions and to prevent a collapse of the global financial system. Japan was the next to do the same, pumping $45,5 billion (about R429 billion) into that country's economy, while the European Central Bank intervened by not only opening up an unlimited cash lifeline for credit-starved institutions, but by pumping $100 billion into markets in the form of one-day loans.

Here at home, despite the fact that South Africa is "relatively insulated" from the crisis sweeping the US, Europe, Asia and Australia, Friday's trade on the JSE has been called "Freak Out Friday", with the all-share index falling by 3,09%. To put this latest slide into some kind of perspective, in the past five months, 48% has been shaved off the equity of the companies listed on the JSE, representing an almost unbelievable

R3 trillion (Source: etv). In the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Index is headed for the lowest level in its 112-year history (Source: The Times).

Traders and analysts from New York to Tokyo have never seen anything like it and, despite the intervention of central banks, the crisis shows no signs of easing.

The beginning of the end

The blame for all of this is being placed at the door of the so-called sub-prime crisis in the US, precipitated by the practice of pooling and selling off packages of default mortgages. Locally, some analysts have said that the impact of this on global markets is simply a "correction", and that it will "bottom out soon".

This may well be true, but what no-one on the inside of the financial system is saying is that this is the beginning of the end for capitalism. The patient may rally; hell, it may even go into remission for a while, but the prognosis, in my opinion, won't change. This isn't an ideological position, it's an observation.

Capitalism has the seeds of its own destruction built into it, and it was just a matter of time before it began to implode.

Some of the issues

In the first instance, it is a system founded on surplus value, the difference between the value of products produced and the input costs required to produce them, particularly the cost of labour. This means that, in order to be successful, the system fundamentally requires that workers should not be paid the full value of their labour. It also means that it is a system based on profit, and not on people, with ramifications too numerous to mention.

Only one of these ramifications is the fact that it creates an huge - and ever-widening - gap between rich and poor, with the rich being not only able to earn profits from doing business, but to invest these profits in public companies and so increase their wealth through dividends and capital gains. These, in turn, can be used to secure an ever-growing asset base that brings in more profits - all while an estimated 1 billion people live of $1 a day or less. And this is without mentioning what the impact that the privatisation of essential and social services has on populations across the globe.

Secondly, the entire financial system is based on the assumption that consistent economic growth is a basic requirement for sustainability and success. It is this idea that is the root cause of the continual "boom and bust" business cycle that is so characteristic of capitalism. Growth demands the development of new markets and high levels of production. If markets become saturated, retract, change or collapse for any reason, the result is a production surplus, which triggers falling prices and, well ... you know what happens.

Growth also requires more and more resources and, on the other side of the coin, creates more and more waste. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that, in a world of limited resources, growth can't continue indefinitely. The oil industry itself , for instance, believes that the world has reached peak oil levels, just as countries that have recently adopted the capitalist model - like China and India - lock into the growth model and require greater resources.

Thirdly, advanced capitalism is characterised by a practice called on-lending, in which financial institutions lend money they have loaned from the Reserve Bank or other investors on to businesses and individuals, with an incremental effect on interest rates. Not only does this mean that the end user inevitably pays a high rate of interest, but that they are paying interest on interest.

Also, in highly de-regulated markets, these loans need only be secured by a percentage of the lending institution's capital value, creating a value "bubble" in which the market value of certain assets and/or asset classes simply does not reflect their true value. This is why no-one can quite figure out how much money is at stake in the so-called sub-prime crisis in the US.

And then, of course, the past two decades have seen the rapid globalisation of capital, which means that some corporations are now worth more than some countries.

It also means that capital can be moved around the world with ease, enabling global corporations to by-pass local labour laws (including minimum wage regulations), and avoid the impact of localised economic, social and political events at will. It also means they can repatriate profits, taking surplus value out of the economies in which it was created, impoverishing local communities, and making wealthy individuals, companies and nations even wealthier still.

That's what the anti-globalisation movement (referred to by activists as the Global Justice Movement) is about - the globalisation of capital, not the globalisation of communications and socio-political interaction.

What's the alternative?

In the face of this, the question on everyone's mind is, if capitalism is collapsing, what then? Conditioned to believe that the current economic system is the only viable one, we can hardly bare to think of what would happen should it fail.

Revolution - despite whatever ANC Youth League President, Julius Malema, might have to say on the subject - simply isn't an option. The fallout for ordinary people everywhere would simply be catastrophic. And we know what Communism proved to be in practice - state capitalism (without even taking into account the attendant socio-political issues).

What is, however, possible is a revolutionary transformation of the economic system, and the window of opportunity is open.

But what kind of transformation?

A simple downshifting from big business to small business, as some have suggested, isn't going to do it. The same issues would still apply. And there's no way of turning a steel foundry, a water utility or an airline into a Mom-and-Pop business.

We simply can't turn back the clock - we have to work with what we have, and aim for ownership of the means of production by the people, not through state institutions, but through equitable participation in ownership and the fair distribution of surplus value. This would require a re-definition of the concept of the "shareholder" and the attribution of appropriate value to labour as a form of capital investment, effectively enabling us to transform capitalist structures without the turmoil of trying to destroy them.

We would also need to collectively re-define the entire concept of consumption, democratically reducing personal and collective consumption to sustainable levels.

This effort could be supported in both urban and rural communities by the creation of a variety of self-organising systems (such as community forums), which would be focused on producing as much of the community's needs locally, and on involving the people in governing themselves at local level.

The role of government, then, would be to manage the macro issues, and to regulate the national economy with this set of values and objectives in mind, bearing in mind that it would be responsible to the people who elected it throughout its term of office, and not just at election time.

At state level, there would ideally also be the opportunity for people to have ownership of state structures, and this is where an extraordinary window of opportunity is currently open. As governments bail out private companies with public funds to stabilise the world economy, it is an opportunity to demand buy-ins rather than bailouts; to demand that, through government, the people be given a share in the institutions that need to be rescued because of poor corporate and financial governance (see how to lobby for this at Avaaz.org).

South Africa and the global community

Finally, I believe that South Africa is uniquely positioned to bring a new form of governance into the world arena, and that it is our responsibility to get our house into order not only for ourselves, but for this reason.

The cultural concept of ubuntu (African humanity) honours and respects people before money, and puts great value on community. This, together with the kind of structures developed during the struggle years (like community collectives, stokvels, socio-poltical movements etc.) mean that South Africans have embeded in their culture a potentially new way of organising society. Supported by the thinking behind one of the world's most liberal constitutions, which protects the legal and social rights of every individual, they also have a tradition of vigorous and insightful debate that balks at nothing, and results in innovative solutions to a wide range of problems.

What kind of society will you create?

It is time to reclaim individual and collective power from the capitalist system and to create a viable - and vibrant - alternative that will benefit all of the world's people. As former President Nelson Mandela put it, one can never be secure and content if one's neighbour is starving.

It falls to each of us to begin bringing this new society, which I call Communalism, into being. What kind of society will you create?

For a wide range of books that examine socio-political and economic issues from a different angle to the prevailing system, click through to 100Fires.com, an independent distributor of titles published by independent publishers, NGOs and individuals (it'll be an eye-opener!).