Small by small [A book review]

Popular though they may be, there has often been something missing from the overseas medical memoirs and dramas I so hungrily consume. Rosamund Kendal’s Karma Suture and Angina Monologues are two of very few novels that hit the nail on the gritty metaphorical head; but then she went and became a popular author who branched

The Story of an African Christmas

It is a little known fact that long ago, back when they first realised that the world was big (and round), the Santas of the world united to ensure that no child would be left without joy during the festive season. That’s right: Santa, or “Father Christmas”, as we called him growing up, is in

An Africa Day Collective

Today is (was) Africa Day. My favourite way of celebrating Africa is by celebrating her literature – and by implication, her narratives. I have loads of posts about South African books, but not one about the continent. Here is a handful of my favourite pan-African books. There are many more. I am shamefully missing a

For an Organ Donor

The final stitch placed Surgical clamps released A kidney turns pink. *  *  * He was right. Nothing compares. Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa Love Life, Gift Life

An Audio Treat in Afrikaans

As a little girl, my dad created a special story and character with which to entertain me at bedtime. Her name was Lientjie (pronounced “Linky”) and she was a “cheerful butterfly”. As you may recall, my dad is visually impaired, so bedtime stories were told (often of his own invention, as is this one) and not read.

Under Thy Fingers*

My phone rings while I am taking ward round.

“Doctor, you must come quickly,” says the ER nurse, “We have a stab-heart in casualty.”

And I run, like they tell you in med school to run for stabbed hearts.

For Heritage Day: What Traveling Teaches Me About Being African

You will notice each other: no matter the hue of your skin or the lilt of your accent. Perhaps it is a longing in our eyes, or the curve of our spines where they take root in our soil. Africans traveling gravitate toward Africans. Our souls call out to one another, despite our warring ancestors.

Learning Through Fiction | Ethiopia in “Black Dove, White Raven” [+Infographic]

Before reading Black Dove White Raven, my knowledge of Ethiopian history was confined to the few chapters in high school history about Italy’s onslaught upon Ethiopia during WWII.

What I See In Your Photos With “Poor African Children”

5. I see someone who took a picture of an attraction.

We take pictures of the Taj Mahal and Mauna Loa and the Shwedagon Pagoda and Table Mountain and so, why not, of these adorable African children. And we post them online too, because the world must see what we saw.

Throwback: Roadtrip Through History

I wrote this post as a note on Facebook exactly five years ago, 6 July 2010. I’m often ashamed when I read my past writings, but this isn’t one of those times. I’ve left it exactly as is. I’m not sure how much sense it will make to people who are not familiar with South