Kakadu - The Musical

A bit of a late review; Joburg Theatre hosted the Nigerian musical - Kakadu - as part of its Africa Month celebrations. The musical is set shortly after Nigeria's independence and charts the decent from democracy to military dictatorship and the Biafran war; a civil war that tears the multi-ethnic community apart. 

The story itself traces a few different characters representing various groups in Nigeria, who get together and party in the popular nightclub, Kakadu. At first, without the context of the various names, it is difficult to understand the differences of the various groups; but the program was very detailed and helpful in this regard. The music - mostly American and British hits from the 1960s - leads a very energetic performance; with a show time of over 2 and half hours. The performances were superb, and was a great showcase of African story and theatrical performance.

For me, what was most interesting however, is that, despite the upbeat music and a love story of reconciliation across ethnic groups; the story is one of despair, as evidenced in the final song. That despite the massive human and mineral resources; how is it that the country has not progressed to that of a first world nation - and the lack of progress cannot just be laid at the foot of colonialism. Corruption, nepotism and ethnic strife are big stumbling blocks, which cost a lot and have very little to do with global super power interventions. A similar story is emerging in South Africa; and the story has a lot of alarm bells worth heeding.

Decoda and The JPO

As the JPO is slowly regaining its feet, the new CEO and Artistic Director, Bongani Tembe, has really brought some interesting musical performances to the table. The Decoda ensemble - a group of 9 musicians affiliated to Carnegie Hall in New York, is one such example. Decoda are in South Africa for a 3 week tour - with shows still scheduled in Durban and Cape Town in the coming weeks.

The concert started with the debut performance of a commissioned piece by South African composer Matthijs van Dijk, Drop - featuring all 9 ensemble musicians and the orchestra. It's a relatively short piece - about 8 mins long, focused around the word "drop" - including water and electronic music references. It was upbeat, fun and very different to the rest of the program; and very enjoyable.

In contrast to previous JPO performances, the second piece was performed purely by Decoda - Lutoslawski's Dance Preludes. While originally written for clarinet and piano, the ensemble has rearranged it for the ensemble; and as noted in the introduction, the arrangement highlights the different instruments in the ensemble. The piece was far longer than the advertised 7 minutes in the program - and well worth the extra minutes :)

The final part of the first half  was Haydn's Symphonia Concertante, featuring the violin, cello, oboe and basson players of Decoda. This is probably the first Haydn symphony that I really enjoyed - again something really different to normal JPO performances; even though this is very much a classical music piece.

After the break, conductor Yasuo Shinozaki, led the orchestra through one of the best performances of Beethoven's 5^th Symphony I have heard. It is probably my favourite classical music piece - and the tempo of the final movement was just amazing. It capped off an amazing concert - and things are really looking up for the JPO.

Movie: Silence

Martin Scorsese's passion project spanning over 25 years, Silence, tracks the mission of two Jesuit priests in Japan. It's a beautifully shot movie - with stunning cinematography -  but it is difficult to judge the movie beyond its visual merits.

Primarily - this is a movie about faith and culture; and about changes in both. The story takes place at a time where Christians are persecuted for their faith; as the Japanese traditionalists see the usurping religion replacing, not only Buddhism, but also the traditions of Japan. This resistance is itself not investigated in detail - but rather, the persecution and the hiding from this persecution becomes the centre of this story; leading to torture and death - of both villagers and priests. 

My own interpretation is that this is a movie about Christianity (and by extent, Western civilisation)'s cultural superiority - about how people would rather convert, suffer and die, rather than stay in their own culture. It is unsettling and ultimately unsatisfactory - because in the end; there is very little looking at why - why would they convert? why are the officials unhappy? 

Reboot of the Rebooted Top Gear - Season 24

I did not enjoy Season 23, and The Grand Tour resurrected a lot of the magic of the old Top Gear. The reboot of the reboot managed to resurrect some of the old formula to good effect. It got rid of the rally cross, and brought back the old lap; albeit with an "everyday" sports car in the form of the Toyota 86. Matt le Blanc is an excellent anchor - and channels the James May weirdness in bringing heavy machinery for amusement. There are some crazy challenges - not as off beat as Clarkson shows - but still interesting - such as the taxi challenge in Kazakstan and playing Pac Man.  Extra Gear continued and brought a lot more behind the scenes views - which greatly increased my appreciation on what it takes to actually film an episode of Top Gear. 

All in all, Season 24 of Top Gear manages to resurrect the show - and it is more of a driving, car show than 3 blokes having fun. It's more balanced from the absurdities of the Clarkson era; a whole lot better than Season 23 - so there are signs of hope once more.

Amazon Video

It has been just over 3 months since the global launch of Amazon Video; and I have been a subscriber since then - initially to watch The Grand Tour - but there have been other things that have kept me paying. 

I have mostly been watching TV series but have also watched a few movies - even though I find that selection rather meagre. At least in SA. One of the interesting experiences was to see the difference in content between South Africa and Reunion - some content I had downloaded on my phone disappeared, while I had access to other content. 

I also find it strange that some of Amazon's own content is not immediately available - even if it is for an additional cost. Manchester by the Sea is the example that comes to mind, but there are other series that I have heard of but not seen on Amazon. I expect that will change over time - or at least I hope so.

 Technically, I have had few issues with streaming HD content on what is still a fairly slow 4 Mbps ADSL line - and that says a lot for Amazon's streaming codecs. I would prefer if my Nvidia Shield TV cached or otherwise downloaded content that is in my queue - but except for a few occasions, haven't had cause to complain.

Movie: Hidden Figures

In a time where exclusion or special treatment, based on nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation, is a easily highlighted problem - especially with politicians promoting such exclusions - Hidden Figures manages to portray the power of inclusiveness; and what that can contribute to monumental achievements. 

Based on the true story of how a group of brilliant black women mathematicians and engineers were instrumental in NASA's space program - this is a super-charged tale of the fight against racial discrimination and gender discrimination to achieve some of the biggest achievements of humanity. 

There are some embellishments to the story - in the name of dramatisation I am sure - but it is an achievement on its own to weave the various elements into a comprehensive tale. The performance as impressive - perfectly showcasing the grit and determination required to survive, as well as the impact of the humiliation and obstacles in the way. 

In the time we live, this is what we need to remind ourselves on what diversity brings to the table; to remind ourselves what the forgotten and the disenfranchised could potentially contribute to our society if they were able to.

Movie: Denial

The central plot of the movie is the libel case brought by noted holocaust denier David Irving, against American historian Deborah Lipstadt; which ends up being a great court room drama on defending the idea that the holocaust happened. 

But in the modern day news environment it highlights a larger issue - how difficult it is for truth to overcome deliberate falsehood; and how difficult it is for the lay person to identify the nuances between fake and real events. This is not about the easily overturned items that populated the tabloid press - but rather the nuanced ideas from otherwise reputable persons (as in the case of David Irving - who, according to Wikipedia still has notable biographies and historical studies to his name). We see this often with climate science denial, and previously in research into effects of smoking - deliberate misdirection and misinformation is difficult to identify, and ultimately leads to mass confusion.

Overall, Denial is an ok movie; and a great primer to the key issues of the court case. The long slog to prove something that is so well documented and researched as the Holocaust proves that the fight against fake news has a long road ahead.

Buskaid at the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival

For their fourth consecutive appearance at the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival, there were some substantial diversion from a traditional Buskaid recital - no Rameau for instance; and all the composers were pretty mainstream. That is not a criticism of the program; although I did think the sequencing could be enhanced.

The first piece, appropriately given the name of the festival, was Mozart's Divertimento in D Major. As in recent concerts, Buskaid are now playing more complete works, and the piece was an excellent choice in highlighting the prowess of the orchestra in general.

The next two pieces, in my mind, were the highlights of the performance - and should have been used to bring the concert to a close as the highlight performances. Mzwandile Twala, who I first saw perform with the orchestra while he was barely taller than his violin, delivered an amazing performance of Fritz Kreisler's Preludium and Allegro. I have only heard one other performance - Itzhak Perlman's on YouTube, and the experience of hearing the performance at Buskaid was better! It was followed up by Kabelo Monnathebe's performance of Ralph Vaughn William's The Lark Ascending - yet another amazing solo performance.

The first half closed with Shostakovich's "Five Pieces", a selection of joyful pieces from his vast collection of compositions, which were re-arranged for string performances with dual soloists from the ensemble. 

The second half started off with yet another full work - Grieg's Holberg Suite, before moving to some vocal and kwela pieces. As part of the kwela, was a lovely orchestral hymn dedicated to the recently deceased driver for the Buskaid - which I think should have been featured as part of the main program itself. 

The kwela section often introduces new members to the ensemble, and this occasion was no different.  It does raise the question though - should Buskaid members not consider building their own professional orchestra? It is the 20^th anniversary of the Buskaid, and perhaps the right legacy is building an orchestra that not only teaches music but also performs music for the masses on a regular basis - and one that can not only bring western classical music to Africa; but that can take African music to the world.

Rate of Global Warming

This is a few months old, but it remains so relevant. Direct link to xkcd - manages to deliver the succinct history of mankind, and change in temperature in one amazingly long graphic!

Dark City

The shuttle from the Gautrain Park Station to work every (week)day goes past a number of "bad buildings" in Johannesburg. Some have been abandoned, some have been hijacked - and many have slowly turned into squatter camps.

Dark City is a graduate architecture project by Hariwe, and probably the most impressive thesis document I have come across - together with an art exhibition by a number of collaborators on one particular bad building, known as "Dark City". I found out about the exhibition almost by accident - reading an old news article, and it just finished its run of 2 months today.

The photos and presentation is depressing - stories of police brutality, people living without water, electricity or sewerage services, crime, xenophobia, dangerous environments and an overwhelming amount of garbage. Through all of this, Hariwe documents the building using architecture blueprints familiar to anyone who has considered investing into a new development - except the size is far more depressing. 

The thesis itself holds out for hope - that instead of demolishing the buildings, it is possible to convert them to more usable, humane, low cost housing; and that they can provide sustainability (for example through roof top gardens) and bring back hope. In a country with a shortage of housing; with massive housing back logs, this is not a bad proposition. It has after all been done before - and in Johannesburg too - but are there investors willing to do this; and are the owners who have abandoned buildings willing to participate?

The Grand Tour

Take the recipe of Top Gear (before the relaunch in 2016), remove the annoying celebrity interviews, add even better production quality (I didn't think it was possible for a car show), and you have The Grand Tour. 

There is not much new - and in fact, the segments that are frankly not needed. There is no need to have a chat sideline in "The Conversation Street" - the in-between segment banter is sufficient. "Celebrity Brain Crash", which replaced the celebrity interviews and instead manages to kill off interviewees in weird accidents is getting boring and nonsensical. 

The stand out is off course the cars and the fantastic test drive scenarios. Some segments - such as the Jordanian Special Forces in episode 2 or the environment cars in episode 4 have been weak; but overall the spread of cars, and the locations have been great.

Grand Tour can certainly run for the next 3 seasons - but the formula is ageing and I don't know how much longer it will make sense. But Top Gear itself, I think is now dead an buried.

Amazon Prime Video

The Grand Tour is not the most pirated show ever - but it certainly is one of the most pirated shows ever. That is not too surprising - Top Gear in the days of Clarkson was also one of the most pirated shows. Some years back, I wrote a paper on digital piracy (also related to a presentation at Indicare 2005) where I proposed that a key cause of piracy was availability of media and convenient format of media - and while factors such as price matter, digital piracy would remain an issue if availability in the right format is not solved for. The Grand Tour is the perfect example of this proposal - launching a highly popular show (well at least Top Gear was) but constrained to a few locations instead of the global reach.

Amazon's Prime Video service has now taken the leap of bridging the availability conundrum with its global launch. The key attraction - shown prominently on the web page - is off course The Grand Tour; but it does offer more than that. Amazon's own original series - Mozart in the Jungle, Man in the High Castle - are also on offer; and the price is phenomenal at USD 2.99 for the first 6 months followed by the standard price of USD 5.99. Oh, and there is a free trial also for a month.

However, the breadth of content is quite underwhelming. Starting with Amazon's own content - the content available is not all the content produced by Amazon. Furthermore, not all the seasons are there - I have access Mozart in the Jungle's first season, not the second for example (and the same with Transparent). Outside Amazon's own content - there are very few other top TV series, and the catalogue for movies is equally bare. 

Catalogue of content aside, the other big annoyance is the lack of Apple TV support. At this moment, I am downloading content to my phone and then playing via Airplay (and I am very impressed with its power efficiency). But what I would rather prefer is to queue content download on Apple TV, instead of relying on downloading when I am at home.I have tried the streaming - and have been generally quite impressed with the quality and speed. My Internet connection is flaky so prefer the download approach - but generally I have been impressed by the app.

I expect that the catalogue will grow with time - and there is enough right now to keep me interested and subscribed. I just need the Apple TV app ...

Governance in Africa

The Economist Newspaper's podcast this week features an interview with Mo Ibrahim on governance in Africa. Given the past week's events in South Africa, there is understandably some specific focus on Jacob Zuma; but the interview as a whole brings forward some very interesting discussion points.

Firstly, there is the role of the liberation struggle parties. Across post colonial countries in general, and in Africa specifically, liberation parties have often gone on to erode the trust of the people they liberated; and in some respects become the new oppressor. Mo Ibrahim's critique centred around the recent events in South Africa; but also drew comparisons to other countries such as Zimbabwe that also failed to make transitions - and the transition was not necessarily to another party; but rather the liberation party transitioning to a proper political party that has to deliver and govern the country (and is therefore not dependent on its history of liberation).

The second related point was on institutions. South Africa can manage the discourse around state capture because there are strong institutions to support the rule of law - most other countries in Africa, do not have the luxury. He specifically noted his own homeland of Sudan (and South Sudan) as failed states amongst the many countries in Africa that is struggling.

The highlight for me however was the discussion on migration. The number of migrants that manage to even get to the European sea or land crossings are tiny in comparison to the internal displacement within Africa. He called out the xenophobia within Europe and that ultimately, without addressing the underlying problems of migration and the hypocrisy of Europe's attitude to migration; he does not see lasting development in Africa. 

The podcast is a rare occasion where the issue of migration has been tacked so eloquently and so directly. In addition, it highlights some of the real challenges to improving governance - and to paraphrase the beginning; good governance is not about democracy; it also includes whether citizens are safe, have good nutrition, have access to jobs, education and healthcare. Governance improvements in Africa has stagnated and there is a long way to go.

Generous Orthodoxy: #FeesMustFall requires academic disruption

As per my last few posts, I have been really enjoying Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast series. For me, the penultimate episode, Generous Orthodoxy, really resonated with the discussions around #FeesMustFall and for that matter some of the wider discussions in South Africa around land, BEE, and wider discussions around the world regarding refugees and #BlackLivesMatter.

Similar to the #RhodesMustFall movement, there has been a lesser reported movement in the US across a number of universities regarding buildings named after racist benefactors and slave owners. But unlike the success at University of Cape Town, and much like the discussions at Oxford, these movements have had very little success.

In Generous Orthodoxy, Malcolm Gladwell, argues that it is incredibly difficult to make arguments around just cause, when the balance of power and years of ingrained orthodoxy commits to keeping the status quo. The key argument Gladwell postulates is - that the arguments made for the just cause, despite being logical, coherent and articulate; are made to people who are ingrained in their orthodoxy; and arguments from the protesters do not take a position to actually acknowledge the orthodox institution's position's power and place in the world. And in that positioning, Gladwell argues the protesters come across as over bearing and entitled; and thus their arguments are not heard. Instead Gladwell argues the key success criteria for any such movement to proceed would be to show that, yes the prestige of the institution does matter and to save the very prestige of the institution, the courageous and right act is to actually to abandon the institution instead of arguing with the powers directly on logical choices.

In the podcast, Gladwell contrasts the effectiveness of two protesters - to remove the name of US President Wilson from Princeton's School of Governance (because he instituted racist policies that enforced segregation) and another by a highly decorated clergyman who decides to leave the clergy after 60 years because of his church's position on gay marriage. Gladwell argues, that the Princeton movement didn't get the results it warranted because it came across as over bearing and entitled; while the protest over gay marriage, while not yet resolved, has resulted in far more dialogue and changing in internal positions.

There are two direct parallels in South Africa today. In #FeesMustFall, many universities have proposed that academic activities should carry on instead of actually addressing the very real issues surrounding the affordability of higher education. Burying the head in the sand, stating that protests cannot disrupt academic activities; fundamentally does not acknowledge the very real problems highlighted by #FeesMustFall. This does not mean that I support destruction of property - but I very much support the notion that university education must be accessible to all that academically qualify for it.

The second parallel is off course in the ANC. I recall Gov. Mboweni talking about changing the organisation from the inside rather than the outside a number of years ago; but I think it is now very clear that it is actually external forces such as the EFF, that seem to be pushing change. But I would rather not get more into the machinations.

Of all the podcasts in the series, Generous Orthodoxy, gave me the most food for thought. As Galdwell states in the last episode, ultimately change requires courage and sacrifice.

Free Sunday Times

For the past few weekends, there has been a pile of free Sunday Times by the gate of the complex. It seems that it was part of a promotion, which has now sadly ended. But despite the generous offer for a discounted subscription, I am unlikely to take it up.

Although I enjoyed reading the newspaper, and it's wide variety of articles - I was not really reading the paper for news. That is because, most of the articles were not new, and already well covered in other outlets. The cover stories and opinion pieces were excellent however.

Ultimately, I may consider getting a digital only subscription. The cost of R80 a month is actually not that high considering the general high quality of the articles. But I am probably too lazy to actually get one.

Challenges in Education

I discovered Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History Podcast accidentally - not because it was difficult to find; but rather because I wasn't even looking for new podcasts. The series (or season 1) is over; and I am only halfway through - but the middle episodes on education has been fascinating.

So far, the podcasts have all been very US centric - but the US does have quite a few similarities with South Africa: historic racial inequality, history of segregation, high inequality and high disparity in education levels. Education in South Africa, specifically higher education, has been a hot topic in South Africa - and the three podcasts on education leave a lot of food for thought.

Episode 4, Carlos Doesn't Remember, traces the wider impact of inequality and social problems associated with inequality on the "smart kids". The compelling argument is not that the distribution of clever people is bound to race or wealth - that is obvious; but rather that they do not have the actual tools at hand to really take advantage of their talents. It is not just a matter of do well in school; and the world will open up - the wider support structure is an inherent part of making it happen. In the context of transformation targets in South Africa; this is an important point - it will be difficult to change the face of sport and business without the wider socio-economic support; not just waiting for talent to rise to the top.

Episode 5, Food Fight, traces the decisions of two different private colleges in the US to funding poorer students; and makes the case that there is a moral issue at stake when a college decides to focus on better food or on better facilities rather than funding poorer students for education. In the context of #feesmustfall, I wonder how many South African institutions have made these type of calls. 

Finally, episode 6, My Little Hundred Million, traces the huge endowments of US universities; and the absurdity of philanthropic donations of education institutions that already have endowments bigger than some countries' GDP. And for that matter, the fact that most of these elite universities remain closed to many underprivileged students; despite the fact that they can actually afford to financially support many more such students. There is however a take way for South African universities - ultimately, the success of institutions such as Harvard, Princeton and the like is due to their endowments. South African universities, and universities in general across the developing world, will need to build similar endowment funds to be able to compete and thrive.

I have really enjoyed the series so far, and would highly recommend the podcast to all.

Movie: Where to Invade Next

Michael Moore's latest documentary is a sarcastic take on US invasions - instead of military conquests; how about implementing ideas that expand the social good - such as universal healthcare, universal higher education, maternal leave etc. As Michael states at the beginning, the documentary is about picking flowers and leaving out the weeds; and in many ways it mirrors the leftist agendas of Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbyn and in many respects the South Africa's EFF. It doesn't present any political propositions - just that other countries have managed to do a lot more to achieve equality; and that these should be ideals to pursue.

Top Gear

I think I have watched every episode of Top Gear since it was relaunched in 2002 - even the ones that features reviews of second hand cars, or the ineffectual Top Gear Stuntman and the lesser seen Top Gear Dog. I have watched many episodes of Top Gear before the relaunch - during repeats of BBC World in the late 1990s. Needless to say, I am a Top Gear fan. 

And yes, I did watch the most recent Top Gear series - and also agree with most reviews and other commentary on the general weakness of the series in comparison to the previous series. Series 23 retained the amazing production values in terms of cinematography and video production; but almost everything else was below par. 

But to be fair, Season 23 was actually 2 parts - the hour long TV show that tried to be like the previous 22 seasons, and the online Extra Gear. Extra gear was the car nerd special - the one that features car guys talking about cars and motoring - something similar to what the previous 22 seasons of Clarkson, Hammond and May. 

Top Gear's previous 21 seasons (leaving aside the first season of the reboot) was more than just a show about cars - it was really a show about 3 guys doing things with cars that other people may have considered; but didn't have the money, time or just creativity to pull off. Be it building hovercrafts, or racing across countries; or playing large scale games with caravans as pieces; it was entertainment that pushed boundaries of what cars could do.

Season 23 on the TV had plenty of car reviews - and on their own; they were quite good. But put them together as a show it seemed to fall flat. There was a race against a train - and the cars lost. There was a race with SUVs; but it wasn't that memorable. There was a race with reliable robins; that just didn't seem to have a point. 

There was some madness (both featured Matt LeBlanc - the Ariel Nomad and the Tour of London) but it just wasn't the same. Maybe next season will be better; I will wait one more season out. But if it is the same as this season; there are other better things to watch.

How far we have come

I am flying to London tonight, and saw this poster in the British Airways lounge. My flight will take 11 hours, far shorter than the 5 days it used to take (which was off course shorter than taking a ship). I wonder if people complained of crying babies back then ....

Uber Wars

I am an occasional user of Uber, although this past weekend, I ended up using it three times - probably more than the rest of the year combined. Uber has revolutionised personal transport; and its costs are not significantly higher than alternatives; especially when used in more off peak times.

I got talking to all three drivers this weekend - and one thing stood out - their stories with dealing with the traditional metered taxi competition. I have seen some reports on the news; but their stories are far more personal and eye-opening. Whether it is one driver, whose car was scratched by a metered taxi driver taking a plank to his car (he was the lucky one - the other Uber driver had a smashed windscreen) or the other driver who covers his phone and doesn't openly display the operating permit to avoid detection - there is clearly far more opposition than I initially believed.

What is interesting however, is that I would not really consider using metered taxis in most situations (in contrast to the Uber). I have taken a few - especially from the Gautrain station when travelling - but in most cases they are a pain. Metered taxis are difficult to get hold off; their quality of cars are usually inferior; and their rates are usually higher. If I consider my three trips this weekend, I would only consider doing one of them using a metered taxi - but even then, it would have been unlikely. I wonder how many Uber users would use metered taxis instead.

Clearly metered taxis are feeling the pinch - but I am surprised by their reaction in most cases. The vast majority of Uber drivers I have talked to are employed drivers - the cars are owned by someone else (sometimes a family member) and the drivers are employed to drive and take a cut as salary (around 20 - 25% seems to be the norm). And Uber is not that different to metered taxis - except that they regulate fares. Surely, it would make more sense for the metered taxi owners to join the Uber brigade instead of trying to compete on a largely ineffective service offering. Heck - there is nothing that is truly stopping them to run both modes - in fact some Uber drivers seem to do this also (one driver mentioned dropping of a customer in Magaliesberg for the weekend and then fetching them at a pre-determined time). 

Overall, the anger of metered taxis, in South Africa and elsewhere, is just a sign of what to expect from other disruptive economic models. From AirBnB to self driving cars; existing business models will feel the pinch and may make their anger felt.