By Sayuri Persotham The 2025 Community Engagement Awards Gala Dinner took place at Rhodes University’s Oppidan Dining Hall on Wednesday. The hall, draped in colours of red, black, and white, teemed with people from diverse walks of life. Student volunteers, academics, and community partners each came together for an evening celebration of excellence, recognition, and achievement within the community engagement discipline. Live music wafted through the venue, while the guests mingled cheerfully around heart-accented tables. Each seating arrangement was scattered with inscribed Queen of Hearts cards, one of which reads: “This was my first time mentoring in Gadra, and it…
Author: Sayuri Persotham
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By Sayuri Persotham Judy Kirkwood’s motherly presence fills The Highlander on a Tuesday afternoon. A registered nurse, midwife, and the founder of Best Start Baby nonprofit, Kirkwood has dedicated her career to offering practical support for South African mothers and their children. “I’ve always been a bit of an idealist and love connecting with people,” she explains. Kirkwood saw a need among the mothers of local communities and rose to the challenge. She focuses her maternal support on impoverished and under-resourced areas, equipping mothers with basic feeding skills and familial counselling, and raising awareness about other social issues. Born and…
By Sayuri Persotham The Rhodes Drama Department is in the throes of renovation. While the refurbished Rhodes Theatre will be launched early next year, theatre administrator Gary Kitching gave Grocott’s Mail a glimpse behind the construction curtain. But a good story needs more than one scene so take this as the prologue. Upon entry, the smell of paint floods your senses. The walls are dotted with paint samples, from egg yolk to sunset yellow. Kitching teems with excitement over his mini reveal: the new department colours will be a striking combination of purple and coral. Good-naturedly, he highlights the…
By Sayuri Persotham Whether an afternoon stroll through the Botanical Gardens or an early morning jog past SAC, Makhanda’s residents capitalise on the city’s scenic exercise routes. However, its valley landscapes and infrastructural issues make exercising decidedly more difficult for the elderly. In view of addressing these challenges, Makhanda hosted the annual Golden Games for Older Persons event on Thursday, 28th August, on the Astro Fields of Rhodes University. Falling under the Active Aging Programme initiated by the Department of Social Development, the event aims to be more inclusive of the Eastern Cape’s vulnerable groups. The Golden Games seek to…
By Sayuri Persotham The local launch last week of Lucky Bastard, writer Anthony Akerman’s memoir, introduced Makhanda to this story of adoption, apartheid, and exile. Akerman’s book traces his South African origins while traversing landscapes of 1980s England and Holland. He roots the epilogue of Lucky Bastard in his biological mother’s painful encounters with adoption. “She took out a few black and white photos of the baby boy. She was expected to put the past behind her and pick up the pieces of her life as if nothing had ever happened.” Akerman describes the wonderful upbringing he shared with his adoptive…
By Sayuri Persotham We joke a lot about the potholes, we even named a restaurant in honour of Makhanda’s two main features (potholes and donkeys), but biting humour does little to fix the very real danger of the city’s broken roads. Damaged road pose major risks to both driver and vehicle safety and mounting frustration about the situation has prompted citizens and businesses to take matters into their own hands, initiating community-led repairs. With local businesses chipping in to offer practical support, community engagement and keeps Makhanda’s traffic flowing. Now, going beyond inspiring local businesses to fix roads, Democratic Alliance…
BOOK LAUNCH Coastlines: Writings of South Africans of Indian Origins By Sayuri Persotham South Africa is a diverse medley of black, white, coloured, and Indian. On paper and in the spirit of equality — we embrace all. Why is it, then, that Indians are described not by the colour of their skin but by the country of their origin? The answer is resoundingly simple: Our stories are still waiting to be told. It is with quiet pride that I attended Dr Amitabh Mitra’s book launch at the Amazwi Museum of Literature on Thursday 11 July when he and Harry Owen,…
Collaboration Day, Event Venue: The Black Power Station Next performance: 6 July 13:00 Preview By: Sayuri Persotham While the atmospheric highs of the National Arts Festival (NAF) are beginning to subside, The Black Power Station (TBPS) presses on, so catch the last of the cultural afterglow before your journey back into normality. In the cozily decorated space, inspired by the underground arts scene, TBPS strives to keep the Festival spirit alive. Wooden panelling and stacked bookcases are bathed in soft hues of yellow and pink, almost reminiscent of your grandfather’s sitting room – a hub of culture and love bound…
Circle Song, Theatre Venue: Victoria Theatre Next performance: Saturday 05 July 18:00 Review By Sayuri Persotham Upon entry, I see the room is bathed in darkness. A soft circular glow illuminates the stage, defined by chalk markings and a few scattered props. It is within these boundaries that Ashley Dowds enacts the poignant work of Circle Song. Dowds relives his life’s memories on stage, evoking a sense of shared humanity. Sharing a deeply personal and heartfelt performance, Dowds elicits laughs, tears, and an overwhelming nostalgia through his production of remembrance. Circle Song is rich in nuance, beginning with a reimagined…
TX Theatre Hub Venue: Glennie Hall Interview By: Sayuri Persotham Within the social circles of theatre, actors’ and directors’ names are often clearly evident. But what of the wonder behind the scenes? The production team wields the power to make or break a performance. Stage techs are responsible for crafting a true theatre feel, framing shows with dramatic punchlines or softening hues. Techs are essentially the elves, working in the shoe shop of theatre – the stage. They work in high-pressure environments under the director’s watchful gaze. Students of Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), Tessa Mvelase and Xaba Ntjana illuminate…