This piece is from a school assignment, submitted in response to the essay topic: [I]nsofar as the academic discourse of history – that is, ‘history’ produced in the institutional site of the university – is concerned, Europe remains the sovereign theoretical subject of all histories, including the ones we call ‘Indian’, ‘Chinese’, ‘Kenyan’, and so. … Continue reading Imperial Ahistorical History and the Conundrum of Postcolonial Studies: the challenges of modernity and the nation state in African History
Author: Simon Rakei
The Spectre of Hair: A Note on Dehumanised Perception
I was recently telling some of my comrades that I am fast approaching a decision to cut my hair. For one, it just keeps growing and I don’t know what [I’m going] to do with it. That is still less annoying than the tired questions I get asking me the same thing. The more substantive … Continue reading The Spectre of Hair: A Note on Dehumanised Perception
Vive la résistance! : Unmasking the rich prospects of protest culture in Zimbabwe
by Zwe Xaba * Introduction Even when the people of Zimbabwe are not on the streets demonstrating, they are in profound protest. Make no mistake, Zimbabweans are effectively organising and ZANU PF is pressed against the wall! The people have consolidated power and the frustrated government has no option but to kill them, literally. The … Continue reading Vive la résistance! : Unmasking the rich prospects of protest culture in Zimbabwe
The things which ask the biggest questions of me
It seems that I may be starting to develop an annual habit roundabout this time of year, which makes me contemplate in broad strokes “what I’m doing with my life”. Whilst I am up for reflection, I’m not overly fond of doing this as an annual event so to speak. It suggests that I have … Continue reading The things which ask the biggest questions of me
Protected: To be Young and Angry: Reflections on Growing up, Love and Duty
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
A star so bright
A star so brightA treasure of the nightFixed in its independenceIt glowed so freeClaiming its placein the beautiful dark skyAnd it shined so serenely as if to bestow kindness upon the worldIn the pure radiance of its light my heart meltedAnd the humans enchanted by so enigmatic a forcefind the greatest of gifts bequeathed to … Continue reading A star so bright
Differences Matter
The last few years have been characterised by frequent and intense spectacle, particularly for those of us who have been based in institutions of higher learning. In sharp contrast, the year 2018 – at least on a personal front – has not only taken the form of a fizzling and hollowing out character; instead, it … Continue reading Differences Matter
Are you on track?
The last time I answered that question, almost a year ago, I told my bursar that I would be graduating at the end of 2017 or early 2018 depending on how the university academic calendar would be structured. I also indicated that the effective date of my joining Ernst and Young (EY – the bursar/firm … Continue reading Are you on track?
Please Do Not Call Me a Rebel
A few days ago I was at the airport waiting for a lift to pick me up. Cape Town weather was a welcoming sight in comparison to the rainy temperament of Johannesburg. Notwithstanding the drought in the city, the symbolic meaning behind a bright and sunny day was uplifting: in the sense that it so … Continue reading Please Do Not Call Me a Rebel
Walking Out Of a Dream
You looked at me like I was something out of a dream. as if your eyes were caught in a deep complex curiosity, your puzzling mind followed my footsteps. Wondering. Who wears sandals on a cold rainy night what strange kid is this with unkempt hair soaking jeans walking in a showery storm. I looked … Continue reading Walking Out Of a Dream
Simon Rakei 