The Oppidan PressEdition 10, 23 September 2015

Meet your Activism councillor

Should sub-wardens be elected?

Swot week, vac conundrum 2 3 4

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Artist Spotlight:

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Gemma Middleton

Heritage Day is intended to be a day for South Africans to get together and celebrate their histories, cultures and traditions. However, in recent years this day has been dubbed National Braai Day by some, a move which has been labelled as problematic.

Rhodes University International Programmes, Projects and Events Officer Allan Magubane said he is not comfortable with Heritage Day being called Braai Day as he is disturbed about what it says about South African heritage.

“Culture and heritage kind of speak to each other and that’s why I’m concerned about it because heritage is a concept, a deeply profound one, and a braai is an event…a meal. It’s almost like saying supper day or breakfast day. It’s weird,” he explained.

“Heritage Day is there to acknowledge [peo-ple’s] roots and to take pride in them,” added President of the Rhodes University Zulu Society, Tshianeo Mamphaga.

While the name “National Braai Day” is not necessarily bad in itself, as it may refer to a sup-posed collective South African braai culture, the term is exclusive.

“There is technically nothing restricting a person from calling it National Braai Day if it is part of their heritage. However, the same should be extended to those who want to call it National iBeshu Day or National Seshoeshoe Day or any other title associated with that particular culture if they feel that way,” added Mamphaga.

Others, however, do not believe that chang-ing the day’s name is politically motivated, but rather a phrase that has been used often enough to be assimilated into the South African lexicon. “I don’t think that those who began calling Her-itage Day Braai Day were intentionally making a political statement. To be honest, it sounds like something that started as a joke between friends and ended up somehow making its way into an advertiser’s office,” said Rhodes SRC Transfor-mation Councillor Naledi Mashishi.

Advertising is where this name begins to sound like a political move. By popularising the name, advertisers are knowingly putting their focus on middle class South Africans. This in many ways demeans what Heritage Day is sup-posed to be about.

While the current debate around the day’s name may have dampened the spirits of some, the Zulu Society remains upbeat. They have organized “Show me your roots”, an event which is to take place on Heritage Day and which aims to showcase aspects from various cultures.

The event will give guests the opportunity to sample food from the different cultures while watching cultural performances. “Show me your roots” is a good portrayal of how Heritage Day should be celebrated because it gives people the platform to showcase their heritage, dress up and also get to experience other people’s culture,” stated Mamphaga.

News Features2 The Oppidan Press 23 September 2015

Will September vac change to swot week? Thandi Bombi

On Tuesday 15 September Rhodes University Vice Chancellor Dr Sizwe

Mabizela addressed the Student Body Meeting in the Barratt lecture venue. He announced that after the University has had to deal with issues connected to short vacation accommodation, they have taken up the Black Student Movement’s (BSM) proposal to set up a task team to look at the issues that arise during the April and September vacations.

In a statement made as part of this meeting, Mabizela spoke briefly about one of the proposals made for Septem-ber vacation. “There was a proposal among many that it might make sense to swop the September vacations with swot week,” said Mabizela.

“However, I really don’t want us to engage in any discussion on that because at the moment that task team is applying its mind [to] various possibilities.” Mabizela went on to add that he believes it would be a futile exercise to argue about the merits and demerits of the proposal because of the fact that the task team has yet to engage with it.

SRC Secretary General Lindokuhle Zungu explained that this proposal

means that “instead of having the September vacation that week is used as a study break, like swot week. So like swot week you stay in res and [have] no lectures”. In order to maintain the number of weeks in an academic year, swot week (usually at the end of term four) will be taken away, added Zungu.

Although Mabizela went into very little detail about the proposed

solution, many students in attendance were unhappy about it. “You said that we should not even discuss the matter of swot week being swapped with September vacation and I agree,” said third year student S’fisokuhle Xulu. He added that this proposal should not be discussed because it is something many students would not tolerate.

2016 SRC Academic councillor,

Hope Mashozera agreed. “I am deeply concerned about this idea,” he said. “While I commend the University in that it is a creative way to ensure there is no loss to you, the University is taking from the students and once again placing the onus on them. There is so much pressure from academic commitments during and towards the end of the term.” Mashozera went

on to explain that between preparing for exams and other commitments, students need a break.

“We also need a break between third term and fourth term because the focus is different,” he added, before concluding by explaining that he hopes the task team puts the students first because they will be the ones writing the exams.

Allan Gray Warden Tlamelo Mothudi on the other hand, believes that this proposal could be very beneficial to students. “A lot of students don’t actually get swot week due to the fact that they start writing during that week,” said Mothudi.

“Swot week is like a vacation because people have the option of staying at school and studying or going home to study, so if they took [vac] and added it to the already existing swot week so it becomes two weeks and no September vacation it would make things better.” Mothudi added that if students had an extra week for swotting, everything would not be so compacted because swot week is the week most students use to prepare for their exams.

Either decision by the University on this matter will have its pros and cons and the various suggestions on the table need to all be taken seriously before a decision is made.

The question surrounding whether swot week should be swapped with the September vacation or not is an issue that is being addressed. Photo: ROBYN BARNES

24 September, National Heritage Day, is increasingly becoming known as National Braai Day and some believe that because of this, the day is at risk of losing its historical significance. Photo: KYLE PRINSLOO

The politics surrounding Braai Day

Kathryn Cleary Politics

In upcoming editions, The Oppidan Press is going to sit down with one prominent person within the Rhodes community

and discuss their feelings regarding local transformation and activism. This week, we spoke with Naledi Mashishi, 2016 SRC Activism and Transformation Councillor.

Oppidan Press: Who inspires you and what about them inspires you?

Naledi: “I think that ideologically speaking I have been most inspired by the writers like Stephen Biko and bell hooks. bell hooks has especially been inspirational to me because through her I was introduced to intersectional feminism which allowed me to truly identify with feminism and understand many of the experiences I have had throughout my life. I also find it inspirational that she makes an effort to make her work accessible for the average person through her informal and simple writing style, because I’ve always felt that academic language can often be very inaccessible which in turn makes academia elitist and insular.”

OP: Do you consider yourself a leader, a fol-lower, or something in between?

N: “It’s interesting because I can switch between the two. Sometimes I really don’t want to be in a leadership position and I just want someone to take over and make all the hard decisions for me. This is particularly because, and I know that this

sounds odd, but I consider myself an introvert and quite shy so if I don’t feel strongly about some-thing or feel obligated to say something because no one else is speaking then I tend to disappear into the background, especially when I’m work-ing with people I either don’t know or don’t feel comfortable with. But when I’m feeling passionate about something or I have a strong opinion about

it then I tend to want to take charge.”OP: If a fellow student argued that transfor-

mation, in its entirety, was unnecessary, what would your response be?

N: “Quite honestly, my automatic response would be to be very annoyed because people, such as the BSM, have been giving many reasons why transformation is necessary at this university so

if someone still thinks that it’s unnecessary then it’s either because they haven’t been listening or they don’t care, and I cannot stand apathy towards injustice.”

OP: What are your thoughts regarding the recent actions of the Black Student Movement?

N: “I fully support the occupation because it has really held management to account in a way that they hadn’t been before. Over the past couple of weeks some really important issues have been raised ranging from vac accommodation, to the fact that students on NSFAS have been unbooking meals in res in order to afford printing credit, to the fact that many support staff are paid less than sub wardens. And these are not new issues, but BSM has been able to raise them with an amount of pressure and energy that has made it very dif-ficult for management to ignore and I believe that we needed that at Rhodes.”

OP: What advice do you have for students and members of the community in terms of leader-ship and activism?

N: “In terms of leadership, I’m still learning a lot. I think that so far the most valuable lessons that I’ve learned is to always trust your gut and to not keep quiet. If something feels wrong it usually is and when something feels wrong keeping quiet is the worst thing you can do. At the same time, listen to those who know better than you do; espe-cially those who have been in a similar position to the one you’re in now and can offer insight.”

To read Naledi’s full interview, visit The Oppidan Press website (oppidanpress.com).

Features23 September 2015 The Oppidan Press 3

Who’s Who? Naledi Mashishi

2016 SRC Activism and Transformation councillor, Naledi Mashishi, sat down with The Oppidan Press to talk about the continued need for transformation on campus and beyond. Photo: NITA PALLETT

How does the Rand’s strength affect me?Esihle Matshaya Business

The devaluation of China’s currency, the Yuan, has resulted in a drop in the value of the currencies of emerging and developing countries like South Africa as they are highly dependent on trade relations with China.

The decision by China’s government to deliberately devalue the Yuan was the result of the slow economic growth in the global economy. After the decision was made, China has been met by numerous setbacks and so cannot afford to buy as many goods as it usually does.

China is South Africa’s largest market for commodities, meaning that economic problems that affect China ultimately affect our country as well. A weakening outlook for Chinese growth, and a slip in China’s currency, have combined to put pressure on developing country’s economies. Particularly affected are those countries, like South Africa, whose growth models depend on Chinese demand for industrial and other commodities.

The South African Rand has decreased in value since the devaluation of the Chinese currency, and it appears that the mining sector will be the hardest hit section of the economy.

However, it is important to note that the South African economy is diversifying and the mining sector is contributing less to the overall state income than previously, but still generates a large percentage of South Africa’s foreign income.

The depreciation of the Rand puts South Africans in an

unfavourable position as pressure mounts for the government to remedy the situation. However, the prices of goods and services will need to increase to enable the government to address this issue.

According to Rhodes Economics student Aisha Rassul, “What most people fail to understand when the Rand goes down is that prices subsequently go up and yet salaries stay the same.” Consumers who have already tightened their belts to be able to afford basic necessities are now in an even more unfavourable position, with those unable to afford even the bare necessaries being hit the hardest.

However, the Rand’s depreciation is positive for some students. According to Zimbabwean student Denisse Mutembwa, the weakened Rand, combined with the fact that Zimbabwe uses the United States dollar, means that her family has to spend less on her monthly allowance now.

The American dollar did decrease slightly as a result of China’s commodity depreciation, but due to the fact that America is not heavily dependent on China for trade their economy was able to recover more quickly.

Not all students are as fortunate as Mutembwa, however. In the face of the falling Rand, South African students who are going on exchange programmes overseas will now find that the values of their bursaries have decreased.

While the value of the Rand constantly fluctuates, many feel that the current depreciation has hit the country’s economy harder than previous ones. China’s devalued currency therefore ultimately means that South Africans are fearful of the effects the current financial strain will have on their lives.

As the Rand continues to depreciate, prices are set to rise locally, leaving many South Africans in financial trouble. Photo: THAPELO MOREKWENA

Will September vac change to swot week?

Opinion4 The Oppidan Press 23 September 2015

The Oppidan Press staff and contact details

The Oppidan Press

Editor-in-Chief: Stuart Lewis. Deputy Editor: Lelia Stein. Executive Consultant: Amanda Xulu. Financial Manager: Likho Sithole. Advertising Manager: Smangaliso Simelane. Marketing Manager: Leila Kidson. Online Editor: Liam Stout. Assistant Online Editors: Pierre Durandt, Leila Kidson. Acting News Features Editor: Phelokazi Mbude. Politics Editor: Kim Nyajeka. Assistant Politics Editor: Kathryn Cleary. Opinion Editor: Deane Lindhorst. Assistant Opinion Editor: Jordan Stier. Business Editor: Esihle Matshaya. Arts & Entertainment Editor: Nkosazana Hlalethwa. Assistant Arts & Entertainment Editor: Ellen Heydenrych. Scitech Editor: Bracken Lee-Rudolph. Environment Editor: Lili Barras-Hargan. Sports Editor: Gabriella Bellairs-Lombard. Assistant Sports Editor: Leonard Solms. Chief Photo Editor: Kellan Botha. Assistant Chief Photo Editor: Bronwyn Pretorius. Chief Online Photo Editor: Jamie Tucker. Chief Sub-Editor: Kate Jennings. Senior Sub-Editor: Danica Kreusch. Sub-Editors: Emily Stander, Nokwanda Dlamini, Lebogang Mashego, Andrea Le Goabe, Janet Clift, Wynona Latham. Chief Designer: Hannah McDonald. Assistant Chief Designer: Amy-Jane Harkess. Junior Designers: Tiffany Mac Sherry, Sarah-Jane Davies, Lauren Dixon-Paver. External Content Advisors: Carissa Govender, Tope Adebola, Mishka Hoosen. OppiTV Chief Editor: Welcome Lishivha. OppiTV Managing Editor: Sarah Middleton. OppiTV Content Editor: Carey Moraladi. OppiTV Deputy Content Editor: Khanyi Mlaba. OppiTV Webcast Producer: Joseph Minde. Ombudsperson: Professor Anthea Garman.

Letters to the Editor: editor@oppidanpress.comAdvertising details: advertising@oppidanpress.comwww.oppidanpress.comwww.facebook.com/theoppidanpresswww.twitter.com/oppidanpress @oppidanpress

The Oppidan Press publishes letters which are bona fide expres-sions of opinion provided that they are not clearly libellous, defamatory, racist or sexist. We publish anonymous letters, but as an act of good faith on your part, we require your full name. We reserve the right to shorten letters due to space constraints and to edit them for grammatical inaccuracies. Letters that do not make it into our print edition will be published on our website.

Jordan Stier

Second semester at Rhodes University is a time to vote. Just as the SRC election posters started

coming down around campus, the posters for dining hall head student elections started to pop up. They will soon be followed by campaigns for residence head students. House com-mittees will be also be elected in some residences, like New House, while others, such as Calata House, will use a selection process.

While the particulars of process in selections and elections across campus vary, the principles are the same with pros and cons to each. For the purpose of creating student leaders, selection is far more preferable to elections, however, and should even be considered for the formulation of the SRC in the future.

For a start, selection panels can consider issues of leadership diversity in leadership teams, while election processes often result in the same kinds of leaders or demographic groups occupying all the positions on a leadership team. This makes for unwholesome leadership teams as well as leaving many students feeling disenfranchised because no student

leaders appeal to them. The bias or lack of diversity of a selection panel can hamper this, but this is a problem that can be overcome far more effectively and simply than the diversity problems arising from popular vote.

The problem of student apathy is pronounced in the electoral process, partly because of the difficulties that arise for electoral officials in terms of actually getting voters to participate. However, student apathy also results from the lack of importance students often place on their votes.

It seems to me that a worryingly large proportion of votes are still placed from greatly uninformed positions and no-votes are still widely underutilised. Because many voters have little to no knowledge about candidates or their campaigns, voting decisions are left to be made by elements as menial as the likability of candidates’ names, their photos, or even their position on the ballot.

Selection panels, on the other hand, are formed by a far greater proportion of truly interested and informed individuals. These individuals are involved with the panel for one of two reasons. On the one hand they may have experience of the positions on offer and

the qualifications necessary to fill them adequately. Or they may be on the panel because they are invested in the results and so are willing to give their time to the application and selection process in order to ensure the best candidate is chosen.

Candidates also make more considered decisions in selection processes. Candidates consider their decisions to run for positions far more carefully when they will be interviewed and selected by a panel than when they merely run for election.

This being said, however, the selection process does have some of its own problems. Bias is the most obvious of these issues, but not the only one. Interested candidates may be less likely to run because they are intimidated by the selection process, and panels may allow little room for the radicalisation of leadership.

These problems can, however, be effectively mitigated if they are addressed by the panel itself. I therefore strongly encourage all those involved in selection processes this term to stringently consider these issues and overcome them as best as they can to ensure the best leadership for the University in 2016.

The selection vs election debate

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The selection versus election process of student leadership is an ongoing debate in residences. Image: VICKY PATRICK

It’s fair to say that a lot of students started this term off in denial. Exams are coming and there are only two and a half months until the end of the academic year. Studying will have to replace parties and books will replace hours of procrastination on YouTube. We held our AGM last Wednesday to postpone this inevitability and to celebrate our outgoing staff and welcome in our new team.

This year we say goodbye to a few stalwarts and hello to plenty of new faces as well as some established members moving up the ranks. This strong team will surely continue the hard work that was put in by our 2015 team throughout the year and continue to grow what has expanded into a wide-reaching brand.

This new team will be reporting during a time when university campuses, with Rhodes very much included, have become more politicised than ever and students are insisting that their voices are heard. From the protests regarding the name and transformation to the debate about accommodation for students during the vacation, learners’ concerns are being voiced with persistence on various platforms from artwork to posts on social media.

As these events unfold, we have committed ourselves to covering them to the best of our abilities and in line with the ethics and integrity expected of professional journalists. We will protect the rights of our reporters as well as ensure that the responsibilities of a reporter are upheld by all of our staff.

This is an exciting time for student journalists. Reporting on such events allows for debate and discussion as well as first-hand experience of navigat-ing what can only be considered difficult terrain for the still-learning media student. The challenges already faced have tested and expanded the abilities and understanding of the old team and will surely do the same for the new.

To this new team, we also welcome the addition of a new division of The Oppidan Press: OppiFM. This will be a fortnightly podcast which will be dis-cussing the most relevant events and issues that are present on our campus. This will include discussions with invested parties and visiting guests who can enrich the dialogue and bring new insights to developments covering a range of topics. It will also be a reflective space which will look at and con-sider the work of other aspects of the organisation have undertaken.

This new project will be a first for Rhodes student journalism as well as a first for universities in South Africa. Currently no other student media or-ganisation has endeavoured to produce such a programme and incorporate it into an already widespread media organisation. This will be a process with a few learning curves but we are confident our team of dedicated, experi-enced staff led by Julia Fish will produce work worthy of our audience.

We all look forward to what this new team and new project will produce.

Environment 23 September 2015 The Oppidan Press 5

Nita Pallett and Lili Barras-Hargan

Arbor Week came to a close almost two weeks ago and saw the South African government tackling some

of the country’s biggest ‘greening’ concerns. The theme of this year’s Arbor Week revolved around the relationship between people and their natural environment. One way in which students at Rhodes University are able to invest in a sustainable future is through the paper-saving printing system in place at the University.

During the first week of enrollment at the University, students are introduced to the print-ing system and how to buy printing credit. How-ever, they are not shown the innovative printing system on ROSS that allows them to view their printing activity in an environmental context.

The application equates the number of sheets of paper printed to the number of trees you would hypothetically have used. Furthermore, the energy used in the paper-making process is measured in hours, by how long it would power a 60W light bulb.

The system allows for an aesthetically pleasing

visual representation of a student’s paper and en-ergy consumption while also providing impor-tant statistics. A recent study conducted by the scientists at “How Stuff Works: Science” website claim that one pine tree equates to roughly 80 500 sheets of paper.

Although it is nearly impossible for any student to use such a vast amount of paper dur-ing their time at Rhodes University, the student body as a whole consumes reams of paper every day. Since 21 October 2014, the University has used 37.9 trees, 13 725 kg of CO2 and 864 138 lightbulb hours.

Print less for a sustainable future

In an effort to promote eco-friendly practices, The Oppidan Press has compiled a list of ways in which we can all reduce our paper consumption:

Be frugal in your printing activity: Only print what is necessary. If you only need a couple of pages from a reading, do not print the whole chapter.

Print on both sides of the sheet: If you are printing slideshows, try to fit as many slides onto the page as you can.

Utilise electronic copies where possible: In certain programs you can highlight and add notes as you read through.

Invest in an e-reader or tablet: If your course involves a lot of reading, it could be beneficial to buy a Kindle or Kobo. Although expensive, they can hold up to 500 books at a time and allow for a ‘real reading’ experience.

Read online magazines and newspapers: Most publications have electronic copies you can sign up for, or else free content featured online. Not only are online publications more up-to-date, but they also cut out the greenhouse gases emitted during the transportation of the physical copies.

Encourage online assignment submissions: Although many courses utilise RUConnected as a database for course resources, there are still a vast number of subjects that require ‘hard copy’ submis-sions. Speak to class reps or lecturers directly about moving towards a more environmentally friendly approach to distributing readings and assignments.

Although an understanding of the direct environ-mental impact of our paper consumption is valuable, this is just the tip of the iceberg. In the USA, the exces-sive use of non-biodegradable paper cups accounts for the deforestation of 6.5 million trees every year. Furthermore, the greenhouse gases released in the production of paper contribute to global warming.

In order to make sustainable progress towards a more environmentally friendly university, electronic copies and internet sharing platforms must be properly utilised. With the involvement of all students and staff, the relationship between the university and the planet’s finite resources can be improved.

The University’s printing credit system comes into question when the problem of “going green” still incorporates the usage of paper in our digital era. Image: SOURCED

Lili Barras-Hargan and Lauren Buckle

As the end of the academic year approaches, students are booking their transport home, choosing to go either by air or by road. However, when this decision is made, the environmental impact of the choice must be taken into account as any mode of transport releases greenhouse gases and contributes to global warming.

The distance between Johannesburg and Grahamstown is almost 1000km. It can take around 11 hours to travel by car and 13 hours by bus. However, this distance takes only one hour and thirty minutes by plane.

The ratio between the number of people in a car and the amount of fuel consumed is in fact higher than the ratio of people in a plane to fuel consumption, according to a recent study by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. This means that the amount of fuel used by one person travelling in a full aeroplane is less than the amount of fuel used by one person travelling by car. However, the environmental impact of travelling by car can be reduced by carpooling since a vehicle carrying more than three passen-gers is likely to be more fuel efficient than an aeroplane.

According to Green Car Reports, flying uses 57 percent less energy on average than driving. However, some cars are more fuel efficient than others, a fact which must be kept in mind when calculating travel costs. According to the City of Cape Town website, an average car in South Africa

consumes 7 litres per 100 kilometers covered. If a student were to travel in an eco-friendly car such as the Volkswagen Polo, they would use less than half the fuel for the same distance at 3.4 litres/100km.

Bussing back home is the most environmentally friendly option as it transports a large number of people at a time. Therefore, the amount of greenhouse gases produced per person is much lower as the fuel consumption is divided among more people. However, for national students, bus journeys take up to 110 percent longer than flying and so students are more likely to fly home, especially for the shorter holidays.

This is due to the fact that some bus routes take up to 18 hours either way. This is not a large part of a one month or three month holiday but in the case of a shorter break, stu-dents lose a significant portion of their holiday to travelling.

For international students, however, flying home is some-times the only option as this saves them time which they would otherwise have to spend sitting on a bus. Travelling to Zimbabwe by bus takes approximately 24 hours of travel-ling where as a flight takes about 6 hours including transit time. International students who live overseas often stay in Grahamstown or travel within South Africa during short holidays as the travelling time can span three or four days in some cases.

Despite all these variables, it is clear that the most environmentally friendly travelling option for students is bussing and the most detrimental choice is driving alone.

Which is greener? Flying vs bussing

The issue of choosing between flying and bussing is addressed – and the harm it brings to the environment – as the end of the academic year approaches. Photo: KYLE PRINSLOO

Features6 The Oppidan Press 23 September 2015

Social media

Bradley Prior Scitech

On 20 August 2015, a documentary titled ‘Luister’ was posted to YouTube. It detailed the stories of

various students of colour from Stellenbosch University, highlighting racism in the institution. One month and over 300 000 views later, the documentary has gone viral, receiving coverage by national media and responses from throughout the country.

‘Luister’ garnered attention from the likes of Stellenbosch University Vice-Chancellor Wim de Villiers, Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande and various popular news publications around the country. It also served to highlight the plight of Open Stellenbosch as an organisation fighting against the remnants of apartheid.

Closer to home, social media erupted over the coverage of the Black Student Movement’s (BSM) sit-in of the Rhodes council chambers. Some rallied to support the BSM, while others criticised the movement for the manner in which it went about its protest.

In both of these cases, it was evident that social media is becoming incredibly influential in both shaping and enhancing socio-political movements. Neither protest would have received nearly as much visibility, and by extension support, if it was not for the internet.

History lecturer and prominent voice on social media Dr Nomalanga Mkhize believes that social media holds a unique role in socio-political movements. “Social media can do two things very quickly: draw attention, and give high profile to an issue that was perhaps not in the public eye,” she explained.

This has been evident in the rise to prominence of the BSM. The organisation

initially attached itself to rigorous debates regarding instances of institutional racism, such as the #RhodesMustFall movement. Through the use of social media – most notably Facebook – the BSM has since brought other topics into focus, such as the steep price of vacation accommodation.

Mkhize appreciates the ability of social media to connect users to people with similar interests. “Social media plugged me into a community of like-minded people,” she said. “It has allowed me to meet people who want to think differently and I value that.”

However, she also warned about the

downside to being a social media activist. “It can hype up and exaggerate things, giving them the sense of having greater traction than they actually do in real life,” she said. “They can make the cause of a few appear to be the cause of many. People can be outraged and loud online, but not be willing to back that up with actual participation offline.”

Despite its flaws, it is clear that social media provides an incredibly dynamic platform for discussion and that online socio-political debates are here to stay. And for good reason too: they have proven to be instrumental in forging social change.

Mihlali Ntsabo Business

Ukutya kwaseKhaya is an isiXhosa phrase for “homemade food”. As exams approach and the need to snack at night while one studies is going to increase; Olde 65 Ukutya kwaseKhaya owner Siya Masinda has taken advantage of this and now delivers traditional African food to customers. We talked to one of the kitchen staff members and bartender, Siyamthanda Mahlakahlaka to find out more about the place.

“This space used to be a fast food pub that sold your burgers, etc. but in April of this year, the kitchen closed down and Masinda saw this as an opportunity to open up his traditional food restaurant,” explained Mahlakahlaka.

The purpose of this restaurant was to provide Olde 65 customers with homemade food with their drinks in order to give them a sense of having a great time in the comfort of their own home. “People like drinking and eating fulfilling food; it makes them feel like they’re at home,” said Mahlakahlaka. He added that Masinda saw an opportunity for creating a home-away-from-home environment at Ukutya kwaseKhaya.

Originally this service was designed for Rhodes University students, especially those who lived off campus and had to go through the hassle of cooking. “The reason behind this restaurant was to accommodate students who couldn’t cook at home because they were tired or they missed home-made food or if they were just lazy to cook,” Mahlakahlaka explained.

However, the restaurant’s service is popular with people beyond the University community too. Mahlakahlaka attributed this to word-of-mouth advertisement and said that Ukutya kwaseKhaya’s customers include municipal workers and employees from places like Steers and Debonairs.

The restaurant has received a number of great reviews from regular customers such as Rhodes student Sinazo Tshongweni who said that the food they serve at the restaurant is delicious. Tshongweni added that she was excited when she heard that an African dish restaurant was opening in Grahamstown. Out of ten, Tshongweni said she would rate their food a seven.

Ukutya kwaseKhaya is open seven days a week and Mahlakahlaka invited people from all backgrounds to come in and try their food.

African food menu succeeds at Olde 65

With exams on their way, Olde 65’s “Ukutya kwaseKhaya” menu promises to keep students well-fed through the long nights. Photo: ASHLIEGH MEY Caption. Photo: ASHLIEGH MEY

Can you force change with your computer?

Bracken Lee-Rudolph Scitech

While the university and our publication may have halted for vacation, science and technology have not stopped progressing since our last edi-tion. A number of discoveries and reveals have been made during this time, some of which you will find below.

Homo naledi The biggest discovery that has been made since our last edition is undoubtedly Homo naledi – a human evolutionary ancestor that was dis-covered by the Rising Star expedition at Maropeng in 2013 and revealed in recent scientific papers.

The excavated site, which is at the end of a somewhat treacherous cave, including a crawl through a chute less than 10 inches (25.4cm) high, a 15-metre climb and an 11-metre drop, was the home of 1,554 Homo naledi bone fragments.

However, according to Professor Cristoph Zollikofer of the University of Zurich, we cannot conclusively claim Homo naledi as a new human ancestor just yet. This is due to a lack of dating of the site and specimens it contained, which means that Homo naledi may turn out to be nothing more than a variation on one of the existing species of human ancestors rather than a new species in its own right.

“If there is not a serious attempt to date the whole site, it is difficult to draw any conclusions. It might be an early homo [species]… but a lot of the implications depend on what we think about how old it is,” Zollikofer explained.

Despite this, he was positive about the discovery as a whole. “This Dinaledi [find] adds to the argument that human evolution didn’t occur in a single jump, but that it is something that happens slowly, slowly over

time… It is fantastic that [Professor. Lee Berger, the lead researcher on the project] finds new fossils in these quantities – it’s not easy to do.”

Melatonin to treat MS?Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a rare disease that causes the body’s immune cells to attack the brain’s neurons which are responsible for transmitting signals from the brain to other parts of the body. This can cause issues with vision, balance and muscle coordination and causes permanent neu-ral degeneration over time.

A new study has found that melatonin – a hormone generated by our body during sleep and used to treat insomnia – can slow the effects of MS by defending against errant immune cells. While researchers are optimis-tic this will yield results for sufferers of MS in the long run, they advise caution in misinterpreting the results of a relatively small study too hastily.

“We don’t want patients to see the study and misinterpret our results,” said Dr. Mauricio Farez, a neurologist at the Institute of Neurological Re-search in Buenos Aires. “It’s a neat study and great data, but we still need to do a lot of work.”

Apple KeynoteApple is arguably the most popular producer of consumer technology at the moment, and their keynote presentation on 9 September showed off their new range of devices.

The tech giant unveiled the new iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, both of which use the 3-D Touch feature. This allows the phone to register different levels of pressure and so provide more detailed contextual actions.

Phones aside, the iPad Pro was also revealed, with a 12.9 inch screen, four-speaker system and claims of a 10 hour battery life. The iPad Pro Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil – which interacts directly with the iPad’s screen to produce better drawing and writing performance - were revealed as accessories for the device.

The use of social media escalates in our society in its assistance of bringing masses of people to join movements and various other platforms that speak to issues raised in our society. Photo: NITA PALLETT

Since Last Edition: A montage of vac

Arts & Entertainment 23 September 2015 The Oppidan Press 7

Nkosazana Hlalethwa

Social media app Instagram has given digital fine artists, such as Cape Town-based artist Tony Gum, a quick and easy

way to curate their creations. Not only was Gum’s art showcased at the 2015 FNB Joburg Art Fair, but she was also the official face of the fair. In addition to this, Gum was named ‘The coolest kid in Cape Town’ by Vogue UK. It was thanks to Instagram that Gum was given these accolades.

While she is receiving immense traffic, Gum is not the only artist using the app to promote her work. Rhodes Bachelor of Fine Arts student Mosa Anita Kaiser also uses her Instagram ac-count as an online platform to share her work locally and globally.

While Kaiser currently uses Instagram to showcase her art, the idea actually began with Tumblr. Kaiser began curating her art on Tumblr because the process of creating and

then photographing her creations seemed incomplete. “I’ve always been taking photos and framing things. At least on Tumblr it’s being displayed or having some sense of purpose instead of just sitting there,” she explained.

But Kaiser prefers Instagram to Tumblr now as it is more interactive on a local scale. She explained that Instagram allowed the Graham-stown community to interact with her artwork, making it more personal.

Majoring in Politics and Fine Arts, Kaiser describes herself as an artist whose creations are influenced by current affairs. She therefore sees the digital space as best suited for her artwork because it allows her to exhibit work that is related to trending issues on social media. Platforms such as Instagram therefore allow for greater artistic interaction between Kaiser, her audience, and her art because they are more immediate than traditional curation platforms such as gallery viewings.

Another one of Kaiser’s major inspirations is

from other artists who use Instagram to curate their work. One of these artists happens to be Gum. Kaiser draws from Gum’s work because of its simplicity. “I mean she uses a point-and-shoot,” said Kaiser to explain that Gum has shown her that artistry is about using what you have.

Kaiser is in her second year at Rhodes and has yet to specialise in a particular artistic medium. Currently, Kaiser’s Instagram page consists of a mixture of portraits, paintings, sketches and sculptures she has created. “I don’t have an elective yet. I literally do everything,” she said.

Although she is exploring all these different fields, Kaiser sees herself leaning more towards anything that allows her to make use of digital art, especially sculpture and photography. “I kind of like to incorporate all three mediums in one. Whenever I do sculpting I find myself translating it into a photograph or video [and] then I incorporate sound,” she explained.

Social mediaFine Arts student Mosa Anita Kaiser uses Instagram as her personal artwork gallery to showcase her creations and interact with her audience. Photo: SOURCED

A Sunday well spent brings a week of content

Ayanda Gigaba

Situated at 37 on New, Atmosphere Market regularly entertains Grahamstown locals with food, drink, and clothing stalls. Established by Rhodes students, Sithasolwazi Kentane and Buhlebezwe Ndaba earlier this year, the market has become a much-loved Sunday tradition.

Atmosphere Market was bred from the need to have something to do on a Sunday, especially considering that on this day most places in Grahamstown are closed. Reflecting on the first Atmosphere event that took place in May this year, Kentane admitted that the process was chal-lenging. “At some point we thought we were in over our heads,” she said. However, the success of their first event was evidence enough that their idea was a good one.

The market has a prominent presence on Face-book, Twitter and Instagram. These sites are used for strategic marketing, a ploy which the founders say has played a key role in their success. “A lot of the behind the scene stuff of actually organising the market is not even the hard part. Marketing is what you really need to focus on because that is what is going to get people here in the first place,” explained Ndaba.

Ndaba and Kentane are also using photography as an ongoing market strategy. “We want to show something new that people will look at and get ex-cited about. We want people to feel like they don’t want to miss out on Atmosphere,” said Kentane. One way in which they achieve this is through Visual Director Tshiamo ‘Tiger’ Maremela’s pho-tographs of each event.

During the National Arts Festival, Atmosphere hosted a market that proved the success of their marketing strategies as they reached a national audience. “Drawing in different people that didn’t know anything about our market proved that At-mosphere’s marketing was on point,” said Ndaba.

However, Kentane also defended Atmosphere Market against claims, from some Grahamstown critics, that its appeal is not necessarily univer-sal. “We’re not going to impress everyone. Not everyone is going to like what we do because it just might not be what they’re looking for. But everyone who comes here has a good time.”

Every version of the market has a different theme. The most recent event had a Chisa Nyama theme. Those who attended had the opportunity to enjoy the vibe of a braai while jamming to old-school Kwaito. Although each incarnation cre-ates a different atmosphere, they all live up to the market’s description: “A Sunday well spent brings a week of content”.

redefining art

Holly Allison

In this edition’s Reading series, The Oppidan Press asked Jazz Studies lecturer, pianist and composer Dr Nishlyn Ramanna for his book recommendations which ranged from comedy to classics.

Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Salman Rushdie):

Rushdie is known for writing magic-realism novels that Ramanna said take a lot of work to get through. However, Haroun and the Sea of Stories is an exception. The book was written for the author’s son. In order to get close to a children’s story, Rushdie makes use of simplified language. “The novel is, in essence, an interrogation of creative stories and the classic question of, ‘Where do stories come from?’” said Ramanna.

Small Moving Parts (Sally-Anne Murray):Ramanna grew up in Durban and noted that

this book struck a chord close to home. He said that the book was wonderful as Murray describes growing up in Durban so aptly that the city “comes to life in quite a special way”. Murray

is also a poet and, because of this, her use of language throughout the novel is pleasantly lyrical. The book focuses on the life of Halley, who lives below the breadline and finds that imagination helps her in holding things together.

The Colour of Magic, The Shepherd’s Crown and Hogfather (Terry Pratchett):

Ramanna labelled these books by Pratchett as whimsical, extraordinarily clever and easy to read. However, he does not see that this takes away from the depth of the two books. On the contrary, Ramanna explained that Pratchett creates incredibly nuanced and real characters and situations.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams):

Ramanna recommended this book for all science fiction lovers. The hilarious and nonsensical novel follows the adventures of a small town British man, Arthur Dent and his alien friend, Ford Prefect who manage to escape Earth on an alien spaceship just before the planet is destroyed. The story is a trilogy told in five parts and is very different from other sci-fi books, most of which are intrinsically American.

However, Ramanna argues that Adam’s trilogy is quirky and more British in tone.

The trilogy is also intensely real, describing accurately the frustrations of everyday living.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (William Shakespeare):

The comedy play tells the story of events surrounding the marriage between the Duke of Athens and Hippolyta. Although Ramanna may have enjoyed reading a great deal of Shakespeare’s work, he says A Midsummer Night’s Dream has a unique beauty to it because of Shakespeare’s particular use of language.

Classics to Comedies: a music lecturer’s best reads

Dr Nishlyn Ramanna. Photo: SOURCED

The Atmosphere Market was started by two Rhodes students, Buhlebezwe Ndaba and Sithasolwazi Kentane, to ensure that Sundays in Grahamstown can be well-spent by all. Photo: ASHLIEGH MEY

SportsGet home the

greener wayThe making of

Atmosphere MarketSocial media and activism5 76

Prior to the recently-mowed Prospect Fields and King Field, frustrated sports teams faced challenges with the overgrowth of weeds. Photo: TOM SWIFT

Rhodes struggles to fight growth on sports fieldsGabi Bellairs-Lombard

Both Prospect Fields and Kings Field are frequently used for various sports, whether it be for formal and informal

matches or training sessions. Recently, how-ever, both fields have experienced an enormous growth of clover weeds due to high winter rainfall levels.

“We have experienced the highest winter rainfall on record and ground temperatures have remained cold throughout these rainy spells,” said Rhodes Head of Sport Siya Magopeni. Magopeni further confirmed that it is “perfectly common for the clover weeds to be excessively prolific at this time of the year under these conditions.”

With the fields left in an unmaintained condi-tion for an extended amount of time despite their frequent use by students, the overgrowth of weeds has become a hindrance to sports teams.

“As a result of the intermittent rain that we have experienced in recent weeks, the regular mowing of the fields could not be performed by Grounds and Gardens,” Magopeni explained. He added: “Mowing the fields in wet conditions will do more damage to the fields than good.”

Grounds and Gardens made efforts to contain the excessive weed growth by spraying the fields with a prescribed broadleaf weed killer. How-ever, this method brought about serious health concerns for staff as well as members of the public

who live to the east of the Prospect Fields and the spraying was stopped immediately as a result.

Manager of Rhodes Soccer and frequent soccer player Kudzi Nzombe, said, “It is actually sad and surprising that at a tertiary level we still have field maintenance problems. This term we only have one soccer field – Kings Field, and we have no choice but to make do with what’s on offer.”

Despite the frustrations, Magopeni and the Grounds and Gardens division have assured students that they have been working together to make sure the fields can be used. “Great news is that with last week’s sunny weather conditions, mowing has commenced on Prospect Fields and now the team [has also mowed] King Field,” Magopeni said.

Philip Crous from the Ground and Gardens division added, “Because our fields are essentially outdoor facilities, prevailing weather conditions do play a role in determining our success in maintaining fields at an acceptable standard.” While it is important to Crous and his staff to “keep the fields not only ready for fixtures, but also in terms of aesthetic appeal”, unpredictable weather conditions do come into play.

Keen athletes can look forward to freshly cut fields if the weather is favourable for maintenance operations. Magopeni and the Grounds and Gardens staff said that they are prioritising the conditions of these fields so that they are available for use as soon as possible.

Wentworth hoping to bring home international award

Leonard Solms

He may only have truly discovered his passion for rowing during his five years at Rhodes, but PGCE student Tristan Wentworth is now one of six rowers waiting anxiously for results after having reached the final of World Rowing’s Parmigiani Spirit Award.

The award aims to recognise a student who has made a significant contribution in his or her social, academic and sporting life through embodying the core values of rowing. Wentworth, who was nominated by the Rhodes University Rowing Club, is one of two South Africans on the list of finalists. The other, Lawrence Brittain, studies at the University of Pretoria.

Although the winner stands to gain a hand-crafted Parmigiani Fleurier watch, Wentworth is more excited by the prospect of winning a custom-made new Filippi racing eight boat, which will be used by the women’s rowing team at Rhodes.

Wentworth joined the Rhodes University Rowing Club in 2011 after rowing sporadically at school and in his first year at university, which was spent at NMMU. That was the year that Wentworth’s passion for rowing was ignited, and he quickly dedicated himself fully to the sport. Now 24 years old, he has long since been a key member of his current club here at Rhodes and was the 2012 men’s Captain and 2013 Vice Chair. For the last two years, he has held the position of Maintenance and Equipment

Manager.Wentworth was also one

of four Rhodes rowers who represented South Africa at this year’s World Student Games in South Korea. Murray Roodt, his national and club team-mate, singled out Wentworth’s dedication and work ethic as two of his most notable character traits.

True to form, Wentworth had some advice for junior and aspiring Rhodes rowers aiming to scale similar heights to him, or even to attempt to push further: “Our old president [Sam Vosper] always said that the more

you put into the club, the more you get back, and I fully believe that.”

Club President Jed Theron was ecstatic, but not shocked at Wentworth’s inclusion in the final six. “The fact that one of our own has been named as a finalist for such a prestigious international award bears testament to the world class atmosphere that we strive for at the Rhodes University Rowing Club,” Theron said. “Tristan deserves the nomination fully and him making the finals of the award comes as no surprise to me.”

Rhodes rower Tristan Wentworth has proven his skills after being nominated as one of six finalists in the World Rowing’s Parmigiani Spirit Award. Photo: BRONWYN PRETORIUS