I'm opinionated!

It turns I have a lot to say! Yip... I am opinionated! Who knew? So what does someone with a whole lot to say do with all these opinions and rants? Well, they write blog entries of course. This blog is more about my life in Sweden not so much about the things that get under my skin and make me what to throw a snowball across the room or slap someone. Nope, this is not the space for that.

So, if you are interested in reading my opinions....which of course you are (wink wink). There I go thinking I am important again (cough cough). But if you are interested you can read the introductions of my latest work below (note, most of it relates to African affairs and gender and is found on a blog called Africa Interpreted):


Prostitutes and the moral-victim-matrix

I had a fight last night. Not with fist punches and scratching. No. I had a fight where emotions got heated and feelings got hurt. There are many things that illicit this kind of intense debate. The three most common (and rather broadly cited) reasons are religion, politics, and sex. And what we spoke about had elements of all three, prostitution.[1]

I can’t even remember where the argument began. I think she, let’s call her Nancy, said something about prostitution and I made an off the cuff remark about her moralising and victimising prostitutes.

And so the spiral began.

Neither of us sat and truly listened to what the other person was saying. We heard each other. We understood each other. But there was no reconciling our differences on this topic.

We should have stopped there. We should have both backed down and, as the saying goes, agreed to disagree.

But we didn’t.MORE…

Don't be simple: Women on the rise
In a recent article byJessie Kabwila on BBC Africa she rants and raves about the new discourse of women on the rise. Whilst I agree with her that social structures need to be changed to improve the lives of women in Africa her simple and essentialist tirades irritate me.MORE…

Litter: A social ill with big implications
I cannot count the amount of times I have walked around either at University, at work, or even in shopping malls and have seen people callously, without thought, chuck a piece of paper on the floor. There is not even a hint of resignation. The wrapper comes off the chocolate, cigarettes, or other random item and soon finds itself floating down to the ground. This is even more infuriating when the people in question happen to be doing it while strolling past dustbins! MORE…

Questioning our assumptions: Domestic work in SA

Growing up in South Africa (SA) I don’t think we realise just how accustomed we are to the sight of nannies, maids, and garden workers; people who work for low wages taking care of and cleaning up after individuals that are wealthier than they are.

When travelling and experiencing other cultures, this subtle exploitation, which often goes unnoticed in SA society or is merely seen ‘as the way it is’, becomes ever more apparent and so to do the gender, racial, and class aspects of this phenomenon.MORE…

Running into trouble: Gender and sports

After reading Kenya’s investment in women pays off I was left contemplating the complexities of sports and gender.

Why is it that men’s leagues are so much more valued than women’s? Is it because they are better, more flexible, stronger? Is this all just a question of genetics and make up?

In the past when I have raised issues about the naturalisation of gender roles I have picked up on the defensiveness of my peers who have the desire to say that men and women are meant to be separate, and that it is only ‘natural’ that things remain that way. In no area (other than possibly the home – another entry for another day) does this desire to keep apart shine as much as in the world of professional sports.