Sandiside

There is nothing more daunting than being your true self. The decision to stop following prescribed societal roles and pressure from close family and friends, can make one buckle under pressure and struggle to find their own identity. Confessions of a Gay Goddess by Delamo Bentley has decided to share his journey of transitioning into a goddess on Instagram, especially after a rough start of the year. I felt quite honoured when Delamo asked me to write something about his journey, his views on the LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,  Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual) community, becoming an ambassador for End of Girl Hate and how Confessions of a Gay Goddess came about. Delamo is an ambassador for End Girl Hate. Photo: Supplied Delamo believes it is important to still educate people, despite huge strides in informing people on homosexuality on our screens. The amount of ignorance and hate is still quite astonishing. "People have a lot to say of your sexuality, e...

How many times in the news cycle we hear and see women being victims of gender based violence Countless... We react, speechless at times, outraged, angered, call for action, national shutdowns and march. However, is collective activism going to do much in fighting this scourge? The rape and murder of UCT student Uyinene Mrwetyana’s by a post office worker, who confessed to killing her was a gruesome reminder of the high prevalence of violence against women and children in this country. When Uyinene went missing the hashtag #FindNene was born, sadly bombarded by many missing women and girls on my timeline on Twitter every day. I retweeted, however, her story was different and quickly went viral. Her death was shocking and infuriating. Her killer felt like he owned her body, brutally killing her, alleging bludgeoning Mrwetyana with a scale, tricking her to come back to the post office after it was closed. He then raped her and it is reported that in his confession to the ...

I did it think I needed another headline because the four-part series phenomenon by the amazingly talented screenwriter and director Ava Duvernay, is still the most watched and most talked about Netflix series at the moment. The back story is heartbreaking. On April 18 1989, five lives of young black men were changed forever in central park, New York. Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise and Raymond Santana were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Guilty for being black. A night out of 'wilding out' turned into a nightmare as then lead investigator Linda Fairstein was certain that the Central Park Five coined by the media in the 80s and 90s, just teenage boys aged 14 to 16 committed the heinous crime of rape and brutal assault of a white female jogger. When They See Us, a must-see series. Photo: flixable.com We see during the series at how far the prosecution and investigators went to wrongfully convict the boys despite their own evidence showi...

The best South African musicians gather every year to celebrate local music at its best. We usually get into a bit of debate, tit for tat on who should win Album of the year award and also disputing another category. We have had a few days to take it all in on what happened last weekend. The set at SAMA25 seemed to be a downsize from the previous years and I liked it. It gave a more intimate feel and it was a good decision to have three different pair of presenters throughout the show. For me, the best performances without fail are usually traditional and gospel artists, they are world class. The biggest winners of the night included Sho Madjozi, Sjava and Black Coffee. Sho Madjozi has been in the industry for a few years and has already made her mark, walking away with the Newcomer Award and Female artist of the year. She is unapologetic in her authenticity. Madjozi's music which is profoundly infused with her Tsonga heritage and goes with her outfit at times has shown t...

My birthday month has long past. I do not know why people have decided to celebrate their birthdays for a whole month these days, but I am all for it. Especially for Jan and Feb babies, because people are really claiming that they do not have the money or time for us. Christmas binge excuses every year. The feeling of those unwanted birthdays in the first two months, I am kidding.  But in my circle, it is not bad at all as friends and family have made it special for us. By us, I mean me and my twin brother including my fellow Aquarius friend Dimpho. The month of February is usually associated with love, everywhere you go you are reminded of the looming Valentine’s Day. The month for me is every year a reminder that I am getting older, hopefully getting wiser and filling up my life with beautiful experiences and memories. This year I had an idea of trying to be a self-made entrepreneur, all about me. Focusing on my blog and trying to grow some type of business, h...

Our invitation to celebrate the Market Photo Workshop being honoured at the Prince Claus Awards at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg was met with great excitement highlighting the significance of these awards. Named in honour of Prince Claus from the Netherlands, the annual ceremony showcases outstanding achievements in the field of arts, culture and development across the world by judging applications submitted by thousands of artists. The judging panel consists of five committee members who process all the submissions and draft the finalist list. The awards are given out to groups, individuals and organisations who have made an impact in their community within their respective fields. In attendance was Dutch Ambassador to South Africa Han Peters who presented the award to the recipients. Dutch Ambassador to South Africa, Hans Peters. Photo: Sandisiwe Mbhele This year, the Market Workshop was awarded the Prince Claus Laureate Award. Dating back to 1989, this institution...

March 16 was eventful, tiring, laughter and most of all worth it. Let me start off and say our hiking squad, yes, we do have one but we are far from professionals. We travelled all the way to Magaliesburg in the North West Province, 1 hour and a half to do a 10 km hike, only to find out it was 12km! Hiking is one of the best things to do in order to detox, meet people and test your body to the limit. But I am not here to blog about my hiking experience but rather what we did afterwards, attending my first play at the famous Market Theatre in Newtown, Johannesburg Myself and Pearl Mahachi. Photo: Market Theatre I had one of my closet friends tag along to what was a completely unexpected experience. The Rule of Three kicked off the Flemish dance season in SA. The play was marketed as a dance and music infusion that is inspired by both the musician who we came to know as NAH, real name Michul Kuun and choreographed by Jan Martens. The play is...