Schools around the world are complaining about the social network phenomenon that is Facebook. This came after a meeting with a number of education departments.  The topic of the meeting was ‘Learners today are not competent enough to handle pressure in high learning’.

Research has shown that more than 76% of high school learners are using Facebook, which has further proved that children are mentally affected by the website. Facebook has also shown to be dangerous as young people are giving off very important and private information about themselves to strangers.

Child Psychologist Doctor Ooza Daganyembe says that this does not only create a youth that is not involved with the world, but the risks of depression leading to obesity are increasing tremendously.

Though social networking can be seen as a tool of learning and keeping your children in doors and away from negative influences, it hugely affects the learners.

Not only do children obtain negative academic marks but slowly their relationship with their parents is being compromised. Parents are also said to be failing their children by neglecting them and allowing them to have computers in their rooms. It is advised for parents to limit the time the children spend on the computers and rather spend their time on other physical activities.

After much anticipation and lots of excitement, Rhodes rapper SCAM (a.k.a. Matthew Callcott-Stevens) will hit 5FM with his hip-hop music, soon to be played on both Gareth Cliff and DJ Fresh’s shows.  Although he defines his style as hip-hop, there are strong elements of rap in it, with witty lyrics laid over the unique beats of DJ Abstrakt’s mixes.

But do not mistake him for Eminem at all, as he makes this clear with one of his tracks titled “Just Not Em”.  SCAM’s music is currently more popular in countries like the US and Britain, and he attributes this to how they have a “bigger market for all sorts of music”.  And that is exactly the category in which his music would fit: “all sorts”. With SCAM experimenting with several different styles, one of his main goals is to create unique music.  He is presently working with DJ Abstrakt, and “Noble”, while collaborations with several other artists like Puff Johnson of the US are also in the pipeline.

SCAM started using rap in 2004 as a cathartic tool after his father passed away to work through this tragedy.  He describes his early days as a rapper saying, “I went to a rap battle…and I was like the only white guy there.” However, SCAM’s music was a huge success.  Even though he is trying out different styles, he aims to inspire the younger generation and to connect people with his music.  For SCAM, it is not about the fame, but what excites him the most is making a life for himself in music.

SCAM’s album “Last Year” launches this October and promises to both entertain and offer a distinctive listening experience, with titles like “Breakthrough”, “Get That Punk”, “Proudly South African” and many more.

Definitions of statements and words change as time passes – just like the term beauty. How it was defined centuries ago is certainly not the same today. In the early years before South Africa became colonised by Europeans, black skinned women with light and dark complexions were seen as gorgeous and compared to all beauties of nature. Beauty was, as today, the body and the face and not much has changed today, but the wheel has taken a turn and now beauty has a ‘skin colour’.

Nolizwe Nzuzo, a 16-year-old black high school girl, says she is more conscious about the shade of her skin then her mother was at her age. “Being light skinned is hectic, I have a constant fear that I will one day lose it and I do not want be ugly”, she said. Umbrellas are no longer just to protect her from rain but help her maintain her shade of skin and protect it from the sun whilst she walks a long distance to and from school. She said, “before people tell you are ugly you and compare you to a burnt bottom of an African pot, you know it because mirrors exist and there are always two sides to a coin, if there is pretty there is ugly”. She explains that thin dark girls do not even have it better, boys do not recognise them and to be invisible and not taken seriously because of your shade of skin is not so glamorous. This is where the business of face creams begins, to be noticed and to have a ‘fair and beautiful’ skin. Most girls use face creams to look like the girls portrayed by our media as beautiful, but truth be told the girls in the magazines are faultless and are dominantly light skinned.

That is what represents beauty today. Face creams are made so that if you happen to have the ‘misfortune’ of being dark skinned you can rub it away. Even dark skinned boys prefer light skinned girls. Nolizwe says skin colour has been a problem since she was a young girl, she is lighter than her older sister and they do not get the same treatment when they walk around their neighbourhood or around town. Boys always whistle at her even though her sister is curvier. She found it easy to make friends not because she had a bubbly personality but because other children at school thought she was lucky because she had such light skin. They thought she was gorgeous and she always blushed until she knew what they had meant all this time, she was not too black and that made her lucky.
Dark skin is seen as negative just like what the colour black symbolises and ugliness has been made the core aspect of dark skin. Londiwe Ngxeko, a second year BA student says her self esteem is bruised every day she lays her eyes on the mirror. “It does not resemble what I know of myself, but what society believes of my reflection. I was born beautiful but deluded to feel ugly.”

While some people feel negative about their dark skin some learn to embrace their unique beauty and accept it. Just like Ntendeni Lurhengo a first year Journalism student agrees that she has once wished she was lighter when she was younger because that was what beauty meant to her and she felt inferior to other lighter kids her age, but it came to an end when she came to realise that she is a strong beautiful woman and who happened to have dark skin.

Some black complexions are said to be inadequate and lack the true essence of blackness and some opposite namely too black because of their dark skin. But how did we get here in the first place?

Rod Amner a Journalism and Media Studies lecturer explains that it comes from the history of this country. He says “people have embedded racism and inflicted it on themselves”. He further explains that colonisation was in the basis of dominating, showing superiority and power. White people oppressed black people to a point that they too have learnt to oppress those different to them. Similar to the issue of the xenophobic attacks, people said foreigners were ‘too black to be South African’.

White women were seen as more beautiful than black women which justifies the way black women see light skin as a privilege. The impact of the media weighs in heavily in this topic, and “no one is brave enough to stop it”, says Amner. There are technical problems in perfectly reflecting pictures of dark skinned people but it is not an excuse because we have advanced technology today, and we cannot compare to other African countries because we experienced apartheid, what we are going through now is because of South Africa’s unique context.

The male gaze also contributes to this matter. As women want attention from men and men fall victims to the programming that beauty resides in light skin. Amner says that the issue of complexion is not divorced from racism, and that, “racism is deep centred.”

We may not believe it but on the science side, there are six genes that control skin colour and we all have the same ones. The fact that we look different does not mean we are. Skin colour is a ridiculous battle and the history that brought us to this point might have bruised our mentality, but we need to change it.

The face of beauty comes in various forms, they don’t glow in the same way but they do have one thing in common, they are all beautiful. If you wonder or wish to know what beauty looks like ladies, you should turn to the mirror and you will see it.

After the hectic Intervarsity weekend, it seems people are looking forward to upcoming, calmer weekends. As promised I will be giving you the best ways to have a “lekker jol” in and around Grahamstown in many different ways without having to get drunk.

Port Alfred is one of the most sought after holiday destinations and a wonderful place to visit. It is most widely known for its temperate climate and lovely beaches. Port Alfred is also a perfect place for its romantic scenery. Long strolls down one of the many beaches watching the sun set over the town from the pier on the West Bank and having drinks in the nearest pub are a definite must for couples looking to spend quality time together. Swimming at the beaches is also a desirable option. There are also some fantastic surfing spots where one can enjoy great breaks. Kelly’s Beach not only has Blue Flag status, it is also a place where one can enjoy a day of fishing off the pier or hiring a small boat to sail into the ocean and catch some fish. There is much to do in Port Alfred such as playing golf at the famous Royal Port Alfred for the more cultured characters amidst us Rhodents. Water skiing up the Kowie River for the more adventurous types is also available.

Hogsback is suspended on the edge of the beautiful Amatola Mountains. This little town is surrounded by indigenous plants, and has been described as nature’s fairytale land in the Eastern Cape. In winter, this little fairytale town is often blanketed in snow and this is the perfect opportunity to snuggle up in front of a fire and for those of us who come from places where it never snows, it is a chance to witness the beauty of snow by taking a brisk walk in the crisp air. In the spring there is plenty to experience. Huge trees such as the ancient yellowwoods, shade thickets of ferns and fields of St. Joseph lilies, where waterfalls and streams tumble down the mountainside. Some activities include trout fishing, rock climbing, swimming, abseiling, mountain biking and horse riding. The local arts and craftsmen are talented and have a lot to offer.

The Eastern Cape has plenty to offer and if you look in all the right places it is possible to have lots of fun and enjoy a more holistic experience of being a Rhodent without having to consume the slightest bit of alcohol. Enjoy!

Corruption, politics, revenge, murder and the all-important shock factor; Ian Martin’s new book Pop-splat has it all. A story set in South Africa and, better yet, Grahamstown specifically, injects new life into dreary Shakespearean literature in the form of the ‘disgusting life of Matt Dreyer, Hamlet of the 21^st century.’

The author explores a sick South African psyche and tells a story that is filled with cruelty, violence, perverted sex, mad revenge and bitter despair. But it is a story told in the form of an over-the-top, zany black comedy.

Martin says that Grahamstown suited the plot admirably in the sense that one could view Grahamstown as ‘a place of isolation and exile’, but also because Martin had the ‘absurd’ idea of Matt being persuaded to commit suicide from one of the three bridges along the Garden Route.

Pop-splat is pure fiction but it deals with several important real-life issues ranging from political and economic corruption to cultural decadence, materialism, violent crime and even more recent issues such as the recession and build-up to the 2010 World Cup. People are encouraged to pay more attention to issues that threaten to ‘rob them of a future’. Martin adds, “In the light of recent student massacres at Virginia Tech and schools in Finland and Germany, Pop-splat is particularly relevant.” The more serious aim of the book is to stimulate people into rethinking and possibly changing their values and beliefs to better understand what could drive a student to unleash a mindless and senseless massacre on his own peers.

Martin is targeting a readership between 18-30, but Pop-splat will appeal to any open-minded reader who is keen for an easy read filled with action, humour and ideas. After reading this book one might also want to look for Martin’s fictional biography, The Life of Henry Fuckit 1950-2015, which is being serialised on www.kagablog.com. And there is even more to look forward to: he is currently working on a book which is set in South Africa in the year 2030 – after the apocalypse. Judging from the success of Pop-Splat, apocalypse or not, it will be well worth the wait.

Pop-splat is available for R100 from on-campus agent Guy who can be contacted on 078 531 0037. Also check out www.pop-splat.co.za.

Netball is a game perceived as an art, where women show their grace around a court, whilst at the same time maintaining a high level of ferocity and determination to win. This is the view of most ordinary individuals, yet to the students of Rhodes University, 25 May brought a refreshed meaning to the game. Men from all corners of campus arrived to show off their skill and talent as they traded in their rugby and soccer boots for a pair of court ‘takkies’ to go head-to-head in an all out battle for victory.

As in the past, teams were scheduled to play one-another in a knock out round-robin for the title of ‘best Netball Res on campus’. The outfits that presented themselves were extremely befitting of the occasion, with men of all shapes and sizes turning out to give aid to their respective houses. Tempers flared and the real brawn of men became very evident, right from the onset of the tournament. Teams were disappointed as the final whistle blew, sending their hopes and dreams to the next year, where they would once again have the opportunity to win. The games were scheduled to 3 and a half minutes, with a swop-over taking place at half-time. Hoops were scored at regular intervals and, although the results were not as emphatic as in the real game, the anticipation of victory ran rife through all the teams playing. In the end, the victory went to Botha House of Founder’s Hall, with 1, 2 finishes, showing that it is not only strength and power that wins trophies, but also a little femininity.

“People get to see themselves on stage. They relate to each and every character on one level or another. They laugh, cry, sigh and breathe because of such a bond that could only have been created by Minghella.” So said Christine Balt, who acts in one of the scenes of Listening to the Rain: A Tribute to Anthony Minghella which recemtly ran at the Rhodes Theatre.

Directed by Acty Tang, this collage of Minghella’s work before The English Patient form a brilliant show performed by a well-blended mix of first-years, Masters graduates and staff members. Listening to the Rain provides the audience a first-hand account into one of England’s most prolific playwrights. Set in an extremely intimate setting in the theatre, there is no better occasion than this for the audience to truly and deeply connect with the actors and their character, and vice versa – so far to the point that you are feeling with one of the characters who in fact is dead. The production is an amalgam of dance theatre, short film, film text and a play. Brought forward with such intensity that enables the audience to become one with the characters.

As the production rolls on, one may get the feeling that words are unnecessary because the actors lay bare raw emotion which I, alongside many in the audience eagerly lap up. Listening to the Rain is not a production for everybody’s list. However, if you have not heard of Anthony Minghella, it is still worth watching if you want an emotional and profound experience. What to expect is a mirror which forces or rather enables you to delve into your own soul and see what is there and reach your own conclusion.