Sunday Independent 2021-12-19

Shingai Darangwa shingai.darangwa@inl.co.za AFTER the dread of 2020, I think it’s safe to say we all hoped and wished that 2021 would come with respite. While things haven’t quite been smooth sailing on several fronts, we’ve at least been blessed with the emergence of some serious local talent. We look back at the year to uncover five of our favourite breakthrough talents: Uncle Waffles There’s really no other place to start than with Uncle Waffles. In just two short months, she’s elevated from being a little known up-and-comer trying to find her feet in the entertainment industry, to one of the most in-demand female DJs on the continent. Since her viral video caught the attention of the entire country, and Drake, she’s gained over 300K followers across Twitter and Instagram…

IOL Food have curated recipes that will make your life easy this festive season. From how to cater for a smaller number of people, to a six-page Christmas Day menu, it’s all designed to make the festive season manageable. We also share a bit of history, like why we eat the food we do during Christmas, our picks of the best wines this season, alcohol-free beverages that the whole family will enjoy and how you can and should have an eco-friendly festive season.…

Clinton Moodley clinton.moodley@inl.co.za Road trips during the pandemic are a perfect way to explore with loved ones safely. Then there is the appeal of traversing through exotic landscapes, meeting new people and sampling tantalising cuisine. Road trips are also perfect for those who want to venture into small towns en route to their final destination. As an avid believer of road trips, multi-day road trips have their pros and cons. One of the most appealing aspects of a multi-day road trip is the sheer beauty on offer. The Western Cape, for example, has many small towns – some situated close by – that one can explore. A few years ago, I set on a solo road trip from Cape Town to L'Agulhas. I stayed in a cabin with a view…

Buhle Mbonambi buhle.mbonambi@inl.co.za THERE are many untold stories of women in history, who have shaped discourse and made contributions that are felt to this day. One of those women is Nokutela Mdima-Dube, a visionary, author, musician and scholar. Her story is being highlighted and brought to life in a Legacy Creates project titled Amagama kaNokutela, a collaboration with magazine editor, stylist and creative director Asanda Sizani; photographer Thalente Khomo; several writers, including poet Siphokazi Jonas; and actress Nokuthula Mavuso as Nokutela. Nokutela, whose work was first published in the US when she was 10 years old, was a qualified teacher who founded Ohlange High School in Inanda. She was already an established individual before marrying the ANC’s founding president, Rev John Langalibalele Dube, in 1894. She continued her selfless life…

Emily Heil Cardi B just stirred the pot on vegan diets. On Sunday, the rapper revealed to her more than 20 million Twitter followers that although she felt about meat the way she does about million-dollar deals (see the lyrics to I Like It), she was thinking about ditching animal products altogether, and asked for thoughts on whether plant-based meat substitutes were similar to the real thing. “I want to go vegan but I love meat,” she wrote. “Are vegan meat replacements similar to meat in taste or not really?” Predictably, her query instantly prompted responses from every angle of the conversation about animal-product-free diets. Later, she explained what had made her rethink her diet. It seems that Cardi is less interested in the environmental benefits of eating fewer…

Buhle Mbonambi HAS there been any other year that has had so many African-born authors awarded the top literary prizes? It is without a doubt that Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, David Diop, Damon Galgut and Abdulrazak Gurnah, have all made history by winning the Prix Goncourt, International Booker Prize, Booker Prize and Nobel Prize for Literature, respectively. In our final Editor’s Choice for 2021, here is why you need to read the books they won these awards for. Mohamed Mbougar Sarr The 31-year-old Senegalese author won France’s prestigious 2021 Prix Goncourt for, La plus secrète mémoire des hommes (Men’s Most Secret Memories). It’s a story of a young Senegalese writer living in Paris who, by chance, comes across a novel published that was originally published in 1938 by a fictional African…