Radio Days Jo’burg

Radio Art

I wasn’t entirely sure it would survive the flight back, but thankfully it did. A couple of the bits of wire needed straightening, but no major problems, and the radio plays like a treat. It now has pride of place in my office at work.

Visiting Soweto

“You don’t need to go on a tour of Soweto, I’ll show you around”, Paddy told me as we sat and chatted on Sunday night at the Ratz Bar in Johannesburg. Paddy introduced himself earlier in the night, asking if I would take a photograph of him and his mate David. “Would you please take […]

Glen Afric Country Lodge

“This is where they filmed ‘Wild At Heart’”, I was told on several times throughout the day. As I don’t watch a lot of television, I occasionally find myself confused by some popular culture references. As I understood it, “Wild At Heart” was a film made in 1990, starring Nicholas Cage, which had nothing to […]

Our Daily Bread

I don’t think I’ll ever eat white bread again. As much as I’ve read about it, and as much as I know instinctively it’s not a good idea to consume highly processed food, I still eat white bread on a daily basis for two simple reasons: white bread freezes and toasts well. Over breakfast, though, […]

Radio Days Jo’burg 2013 – Day 3

Soli Philander was, without doubt, the most entertaining and passionate speak on the third and final day (if not overall) at Radio Days Jo’burg. “I’m 52 and I look damn good”, he said at one point. Underlying this comment, which made me laugh out loud, was the confidence that comes from having found yourself in […]

Radio Days Jo’burg 2013 – Day 1

By about seven o’clock I was feeling really really tired. I’d spent the day thinking and talking, and foremost in my mind was the idea of going home and hopping in bed. Two things kept me at the opening night activities of the Radio Days Jo’burg Conference. The first, a rather practical one was the […]

Lots To Talk About

In contrast to the last couple of days, I never wandered very far today from the place where I’m staying at Meville, Johannesburg. After breakfast, I stayed indoors, spending most of the morning in preparation for my presentations at the Radio Days Jo’burg Conference, being held at Wits University Radio Academy over the next few […]

Apartheid Museum, Jo’burg

“You see that building in front of us?”, the taxi driver said to me. As I looked ahead at the large, non-descript building, he told me, “It was a prison and during the days of apartheid, they used to keep political prisoners in there. They would torture them and often throw them out of the […]

Hello Johannesburg

There’s a sign on the wall of the Sophiatown Bar which tells you a little about the history of the area of Johannesburg where I’m staying. The sign tells you Sophiatown was one of the few places in South Africa where blacks were allowed to own land. Unlike other areas, where the housing was very […]