Episodes
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This final episode is intended as an homage to who Eusebius was over time and space. Through conversation with Nick Ferreira, Julie Taylor and Bongani Khumalo, our host Lovelyn Nwadeyi delves into their experiences of Eusebius in the key locations that so profoundly shaped his life: Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) and his time at Rhodes University, Oxford town and University, and Johannesburg which he fondly called "Johussleburg". In this lively discussion Eusebius' friends share some of their favourite memories about him in each place, they share some intimate struggles that they journeyed through with Euby, and now reflect on the changing nature of their relationship to these different locations.
As the team behind this Finale Season, we hope this episode will help many of his fond listeners move towards a sense of closure, as it has done for us. Thank you for journeying with us so far.
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Before his untimely passing, Eusebius was working on a series of essays about the different types of friendships we encounter throughout our lives . In this episode, our host Lovelyn Nwadeyi explores the different types of friendships Eusebius had with people of different age groups, genders and racial identities. In a country like South Africa, these markers matter, making friendship both a sacred and vulnerable space. Listening to Mikhail Brown, Dawn Klatzko, Scott Burnett and Nduduzo Nyanda about the nature of their friendships with Eusebius may encourage you to remain attentive to those in your inner circles of friendship.
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Episodes manquant?
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Eusebius was a loud and proud gay man. He was often very open about the experiences, struggles, celebrations and achievements of queer people. In this conversation, our host Nolwazi Tusini, explores the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation across the continent of Africa and the urgency required to engage the reality of queer people's lives today. Through reflections about the role of the law in affirming the inherent dignity of queer lives, the utility of being a publicly 'visible' queer person and the links between hypervisibility and harm, our guests Sebenzile Nkambule and Xhanti Payi take us on a journey of what they think it would take for us to access the key to each other's humanity.
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Remembering Eusebius exactly one year after his untimely death on 30 May 2023 is not an easy thing to do. In this sometimes hilarious and sometimes poignant episode, Lovelyn speaks to some of the people who have had to make sense of a world without Eusebius namely: His father Donald McKaiser, his niece Jodie Colville and one of his best friends Lwandile Sisilana. -
This second part of the Final Literature Corner is a combination of tributes from fellow writers, journalists and broadcasters who share what they love about how Eusebius discussed their work and what they miss about Eusebius’ contributions to the landscape of public intellectual life. -
Everyone knows about Eusebius' love for books. He would regularly admonish his friends and listeners to keep reading, to stay curious, to ask questions, to challenge their beliefs and he felt very strongly that building a solid relationship with literature would enable that. To that end, this conversation pays tribute to the Literature Corner, a regular feature of Eusebius's former live radio show in which he regularly featured authors and readers to talk about books. A key component of these discussions were about the role of reading and literature in shaping the imagination. There were ways in which Eusebius often spoke of how reading helped him to imagine himself out of his reality into different worlds to cope with his life at various points. In this episode, Lovelyn speaks to Joanne Joseph: Author, Journalist and Broadcaster, Zukiswa Wanner: Author, Publisher and Editor as well as Vanita Daniels, a close friend and regular guest on his Literature Corner feature for his show. Each guest takes us on a journey about how literature shaped their lives and their friendships with Eusebius.
Happy listening! As usual, any feedback and pointers are always welcome!
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Eusebius's last public contribution to the conversation about the upcoming national elections in South Africa was on 30 May 2023, the day he passed away, in which he asked if there was a viable option to the ruling party in the country. By all predictions, South Africa is likely to end up with a coalition government at a national level. We started our democracy in 1994 as a coalition with the government of national unity, are we approaching a full circle moment after May 2024? In this discussion, Lovelyn speaks to Ebrahim Fakir - Political researcher/Analyst and Mbali Ntuli, Founder of the Groundwork Collective, exploring some key questions about the performance and future of coalition governance in SA. Why hasn't our politics matured enough that we are able to do coalitions well? What does it take for political actors to collaborate properly in service of the people? How should you as a voter be thinking about the power of your vote beyond these elections?
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Eusebius McKaiser was very deliberate about expressing his Coloured identity online, showcasing what it meant to him, challenging stereotypes and sometimes hilariously confirming stereotypes. In this conversation, host Lovelyn Nwadeyi speaks to three Coloured South Africans each with differing roles in the South African media landscape: Tessa Dooms a political analyst and author of Coloured: How Classification became Culture; Megan Lubke - Executive TV Producer at the SABC and Investigative Journalist as well as Lance Claasen - Station Manager at Rise FM in Mpumalanga. Each of our guests was invited to reflect on questions about representation, authenticity and what it means to be Coloured in post-apartheid South Africa. In this layered, interrogating and sometimes emotional episode, our guests unpack the history of Coloured identity in South Africa, what it means to them and how they connect to this racialised and cultural experience today.
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In this episode, we spotlight key organisations in which Eusebius McKaiser was affiliated. Lovelyn speaks to Wayde Davy, Former Deputy Director of the Apartheid Museum and Zaakira Mahomed, Founder of the Mina Foundation, and explores issues these two organisations face (race, gender and period poverty) as we celebrate our 30 year old democracy. While Eusebius did not consider himself an activist, we delve into his work with the Apartheid Museum and the Mina Foundation as we remember both his selflessness and commitment to building a better and more equitable society... -
In this edition of In The Ring, I analyse Prince Mashele's responses in interviews granted to eNCA, 702 and the SABC, in light of media reports that he had, ok the face of it, been dishonest about the nature of his biography of Herman Mashaba.
Herman Mashaba is leader of politica part ActionSA, and prior to that was always known as a very successful businessman in an against-all-odds tale at the height of apartheid; in recent years he a new career pivot that had also seen him becoming mayor of Johannesburg.
Mashele, a well-known South African political analyst, had claimed that he had "self-funded" his book on Mashaba, and the subtitle of the book declared it to be "unauthorised".
It has emerged that Mashaba had provided funding for the book, and had engaged the author on drafts of the chapter.
This raises sharp ethical questions: was the work unauthorised or authtoised ? Did Mashele lie on eNCA? Did Mashele WRONGLY withheld the information from Jonathan Ball ? What, most importantly, are the consequences for the professional integrity of the author? And what are we to make of the other actors in this drama: the subject; the publisher; the researcher/former best friend Brutus Malada who 'blew the whistle'?
Have a listen to my uhm unauthorised take. -
Sihle Khumalo has written a fascinating, witty, brilliantly researched new book, Milk The Beloved Country
One of our continent's best writers, Zukiswa Wanner, came over to my house, and after a hearty lunch we hit the 'record' button for this edition of In The Ring.
We dissected Sihle Khumalo's new book, reading from it, telling you why we both loved it (for overlapping but also different reasons), and debating where and how we think he might have done things differently (or not).
Dig in! -
Redi Tlhabi, well-known South African journalist now based in London and working across the globe, joined me for a bloody fascinating and blunt conversation about South African media.
It was wide-ranging and interesting.
Dig in. Debate it. Share it widely. -
In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I reflect on both Freedom Day and Worker's Day.
I spend some time arguing that my generation and those of you who are younger shouldn't be ahistorical and glib about the achievements of those who came before us.
That said, we have to be rigorous in our conceptualisation of 'freedom': what precisely is it? Unless we do some definitional work, we can't mind the empirical gap between the normative vision of the constitution and our present social un/realities.
I end this edition by weaving all of that material, in turn, into a set of reflections on the moral limits of markets. If we want our democracy to flourish, and for all of us to realise our potential, then there is simply no room for the fantasy that questions of fairness or justice can be settled with deference to economic markets. There is no point in pitting the exploited worker against the unemployed.
Let me explain it all. Click. Enjoy. Engage. Leave a rating and review comment. And share the episode with a friend or two!
Enjoy! -
All I ask is that you listen to this entry of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser. It is ONLY 6min20sec.
Only engage me afterwards. Just do me that favour. -
In this exceptionally short audio entry, I voice my argument, first published by TimesLIVE ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/opinion-and-analysis/2023-04-11-eusebius-mckaiser-the-opposite-of-pointing-out-western-moral-viciousness-isnt-to-let-putin-off-the-hook/ ), for why South Africa should arrest Russian president Vladimir Putin should he come to our country.
Have a listen. -
I tweeted a picture of Julius Malema marching to the Uganda embassy where he spoke - with the rainbow flag wrapped around it - condemning the bill criminalising identifying as gay in Uganda.
I accompanied the tweeted image with the following words:
@Julius_S_Malema thanks for showing leadership today and not being worried about homophobic backlash even among some of your supporters online.
Shame on the ANC government for SILENCE.
Doing right isn't about calculating how many 'likes' you'll get.
#GayRightsAreHumanRights
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A friend of mine called me and wondered why I would praise Malema, suggesting rhetorically that Malema and the EFF are weaponsing allyship and not being genuine. They added that they know I *must* know this, so were wondering what the thinking behind my tweet was.
My friend - love him to bits - asked an excellent and important and incisive question.
In this 10 minute audio, I share some of what I told him in my response to him.
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I listened to John Steenhuisen's acceptance speech after he was re-elected as the federal leader of the Democratic Alliance, South Africa's official opposition in parliament. This is a very important leadership position given that the DA is the second largest party in the country.
I was shocked by the bizarre content at the heart of the speech. It was filled with relentless negativity and fear mongering, which bodes very poorly if this is a dress rehearsal for how the DA will approach the 2024 national elections.
There were at least six massive own goals - more - but let's focus illustratively on six examples from Steenhuisen's victory speech that demonstrate my claim that the speech was deeply problematic on multiple levels.
Enjoy. Share the podcast in your own networks and circles. And don't forget to hit the subscribe button before you exit the podcast platform.
Thanks for your support of, and interest in, my work. -
This week, former president Thabo Mbeki wrote an extraordinary 17-page letter to deputy president Paul Mashatile. In it, he essentially critiqued various shortcomings of the current ANC parliamentary caucus.
In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I do several things: a) explain the essential point of the letter; b) explain the structure and logic of the letter in a bit more detail; and (most importantly perhaps) c) offer you political analysis of what is at play here, which may not be apparent if you merely focus on the Phala Phala and Eskom case studies that drive the overt argument in the 17-pager.
Want to know what the heck I am getting at? Dig into this latest episode. And please do share it widely.
[Also, remember to rate the podcast and maybe even leave a comment before exiting. If you never wish to miss future episodes, then it is crucial that you SUBSCRIBE.]
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Why do so many people obsess about what queer people do, and how we identify? The latest expression of hatred is in Uganda, where a bill has been passed that now even criminalises merely IDENTIFYING as gay. Yes, you've read correctly.
Now it is up to the president - a long-time homophobe - to decide whether or not he sign it into effective law.
Everyone must oppose hatred wherever it rears its head. I analyse in detail in this episode why the entire international community ought to be outraged when human rights are trampled on. But I also look at specific aspects of this bill that are, in turn, vague, hate-filled, internally incoherent, and irrational.
Of course, "the international community" is infamously inconsistent on this score.
Have a listen to my full set of remarks and analysis. AND PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE A) share this particular episode widely & B) rebuke yourself if you are unmoved by the plight of any group of people whose fundamental rights are trampled on. - Montre plus
