In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser

I decided to re-broadcast the incredible story of geophysicist professor Musa Manzi. I don't wanna summarise it in this blurb. I interviewed him a couple of years ago and his amazing life story remains poignant. There is SO MUCH that is dreary in South Africa right now. This story is a story you didn't know you needed to listen to - whether for the first time or again - RIGHT NOW. Litera...

In this latest edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I voice an essay I wrote this week that means a lot to me;  it is a meditation on the joy and value of reading.  I hope you enjoy it. If you are a keen reader, I hope you will feel affirmed. And if you are not yet a keen reader, I hope you will feel motivated to give books a chance. #ForTheLoveOfReading #ForTheLoveOfBooks

A man who is on the DownLow wrote me a message sharing his story. In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser I give my view on men who are married but who have same-sex desire, and who may even actually be having same-sex sex. There is a helluva lot to say so this is the start of multiple conversations on the issue rather than one definitive take on it.  Have a listen. And feel free to...

We're in the middle of bisexuality awareness week.  There are lots of myths and stereotypes about bisexuality. These myths and stereotypes aren't only held and expressed by many straight people but even by gay men and women. So. In this episod  of In The Ring, I went into my archives and am lifting to the surface a conversation with three black bisexual men about their lived experiences...

Can one ever get enough of the incisive commentary of South African author, essayist and commentator Sisonke Msimang? I hosted her on this edition of In The Ring to explore aspects of the social and cultural impact of Queen Elizabeth II. I started off by asking Sisonke whether she would like an opportunity to mourn the Queen. I wonder what you will make of her response? It was uhm #Awks We explore...

In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser I share an audio version of my essay ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/opinion-and-analysis/2022-09-10-eusebius-mckaiser-the-ifp-wants-unconditional-love-so-its-protesting-against-a-lowly-newspaper-man/ ) that critiques a decision by an opposition party in South Africa, the IFP, to march to the offices of one of the weekly papers...

What is the place of intentions in our lives? If someone "meant well" should they get discount for harmful actions that flow from "good intentions"? These questions matter in politics, allyship, law, ethics and even basic interpersonal relationships.  In this episode I explain why intentions do matter BUT ... why it is disingenuous to always refer to your good intentions when c...

Broadcaster Oliver Dickson asked me to think through the place of struggle songs, and iconography, in contemporary South Africa.  We discussed it on SAfm, an SABC platform, where he is a broadcaster. It was a rich and fascinating discussion, so much so that I thought that if you had missed it perhaps, then you may want to have a listen to it. Enjoy.

Many of you - sadly - have written to me complaining about managers and bosses who are toxic, not empathetic and the proverbial 'boss from hell'.  I asked brilliant executive coach Dawn Klatzko ( from www.theartofthesuit.com ) to provide a toolkit that can help you cope, and maybe even thrive in your workplace, despite your feelings about and experiences of your manager or boss.  This po...

In this second podcast special, focusing on James Baldwin, historian Vashna Jagarnath and I dive into his brilliant essay collection, Notes of a Native Son. In episode 113, which is worth listening to if you missed it, we introduced you to the life and times, and overall significance, of Baldwin. In this episode we examine Baldwin the essayist. We decided, in particular, to focus on two of his mos...

In this epsiode of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser I share my recent essay ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/opinion-and-analysis/2022-08-09-eusebius-mckaiser-searching-for-the-meaning-of-life-in-your-grey-hair/ ) about the meaning of life.  Searching for meaning need  not be dreary. I draw on existentialism to reflect on the quandary of making sense of our existence

Do you also, wittingly or otherwise, change languages or accents or vocabulary between different spaces (for all sorts of reasons)? [Many of us do so at school, in lecture rooms or at work]  In a country like ours, with so much diversity, and skewed cultural and economic power distributions, sometimes you have to code-switch in order to survive, to be accepted, to fit in, in order to THRIVE/EARN.....

Based on an essay I recently wrote ( https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times-daily/opinion-and-analysis/2022-08-02-eusebius-mckaiser-outrage-about-rape-must-be-accompanied-by-action-heres-what-we-might-do/?device=feature_phone   ) about rape culture, in response to the gang-rapes that had happened in Krugersdorp here in South Africa, I narrate the content of my essay. It focused on several aspect...

Brilliant historian Vashna Jagarnath is back!! We have decided to show James Baldwin lots of love in August, with three or four podcast episodes dedicated to the life & times of Baldwin.  If you secretly don't know anything about Baldwin but have been too embarrassed to say so, we will bring you up to speed, and you'll know what the fuss is about. Hopefully it will inspire you to rea...

Theuns du Toit was found guilty of violating various clauses of Stellenbosch University's disciplinary code for students and amended residence rules. The findings were deemed sufficiently serious to justify expulsion. Is Theuns du Toit a drunk who lacked control of his bodily functions and urinated on a fellow student’s property? Or is he a white student who intentionally urinated on a black...

I know many of you will be shocked that I agree with SOMETHING said by former president Thabo Mbeki. But an ad hominem response to his speech at the memorial service held in honour of the late ANC leader Jessie Duarte would not be useful.  In this episode of In The Ring, I tell you what Mbeki said about Ramaphosa, explain why I agree and tell you the irresistible conclusion that follows from all t...

Ida B Wells was a brilliant anti-colonialist activist, journalist, writer, teacher and a leader within the human rights movement of her time. Born on 16 July 1862, she grew up during a time when the legal end of slavery did not translate into an anti-racist United States of America. Lynchings, for example, which is a dominant theme of her work, was one mechanism used by white supremacists to conti...

Police minister Bheki Cele shouted at some guy called Ian Cameron (from an outfit called Action Society) at a community safety event in Gugulethu, Cape Town.  It is one of the most horrendous acts of  public bullying from a politician I have seen. In this edition of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser I analyse the issues: what might have triggered the minister's response? Is there any explana...

A debate that's never been settled- and perhaps never will- is whether or not president Cyril Ramaphosa is liable for the deaths of 34 mineworkers in August 2012. He was a director of Lonmin, the mining company the workers worked for. In a series of emails with other leaders of the company, Ramaphosa described the mineworkers strike action as "dastardly criminal" and he promised to...

I asked you to send me any questions, without fear of being shamed or lashed, that you have about homosexuality/queer people/"the queer community" etc. There were too many! We'll do another round in future. For now, in this episode of In The Ring With Eusebius McKaiser, I offered answers or thoughts (where clear answers evaded me) in response to the following ten sets of questions/c...

IS BALENCIAGA'S 'DISTRESSED' R30 000 SNEAKER ART OR EXPENSIVE TRASH? I hosted an energetic debate about a controversial limited-edition sneaker released by Balenciaga. The 'distressed' design, looking like very dirty, well-worn shoes that only persons under conditions of extreme poverty may be reluctantly compelled to wear, not having alternative choices, retails at some $...

I LOVED LOVED LOOOOOVED reading Into Dark Water - A Police Memoir by Jeremy Vearey. It is so much more than a police memoir. It is a memoir about his life as a political activist, and how that life segues from there into the role of career cop after returning from Robben Island, and following a stint as a Nelson Mandela bodyguard. But Jeremy is an activist, teacher, poet, intellectual, and so this...

Historian Dr Vashna Jaganarth joined me to explain why Juneteenth matters. We inevitably hear her brilliant narration of many complex aspects to the historical (formal) end to slavery in 1865. Along the way, she talks about the gaps between legal declarations of freedom, and forms of enslavement that continue thereafter. Unsurprisingly, who can access legal justice becomes a matter of class politi...

In this episode of In The Ring, I simply voice an article I had recently written - Pride Month - Mind the gaps in the rainbow - which reflects on aspects of our experiences as queer people within a heternormative and patriachal world. I acknowledge, reference and affirm the importance of legal rights victories. But, these legal victories do not always translate into changes in our social realities...

  The 2020 Booker Prize winner, Douglas Stuart, spoke to me about his sensational second novel, Young Mungo. Stuart became an international writing sensation after his debut novel, Shuggie Bain, won the Booker, and gained him countless readers and fans in the literary world. In this episode, we explored the story of Mungo in great detail. As I summated in a review recently ( https://www.timeslive....