Wars are packaged and sold – A tribute to Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010) - photo sourced: Wikipedia

Join us tonight (28 January 2010) at 9pm on Bush Radio 89.5 fm to pay tribute to Howard Zinn who passed away yesterday. Zinn was a historian, activist and professor emeritus in the Political Science Department at Boston University. He was the author of more than 20 books, including A People’s History of the United States.

Zinn died of a heart attack at the age of 87. He is survived by his daughter Myla Kabat-Zinn.

Zinn was active in the civil rights, civil liberties and anti-war movements in the United States, and wrote extensively on all three subjects.

Several of his talks have been featured on Bush Radio (featured prominently in the BUSH AGAINST WAR campaign) and tonight we bring you “Three Holy Wars” – which was recorded on the 11 November 2009 in Boston on Veteran’s Day.

From the introduction to tonight’s talk:

“The conventional view of U.S. wars follows a formulaic line: We are innocent victims of unprovoked attacks. The sleeping giant wakes and reluctantly goes to fight. All military action is imbued with benevolent intentions: human rights, democracy, and liberty. There are parades and flag-waving. Solemn ceremonies and gun salutes at funerals honor the fallen. But who asks for what and for whom were they killed? Who benefits? Weapons manufacturers and mercenary contractors make out like bandits. That’s a taboo subject. Resources? Empire expansion? Don’t go there. Stick to patriotism. You can mouth the typical prattle of they died for freedom. The Afghan war is Operation Enduring Freedom. And war crimes? That’s what they do, not us. Tribunals? Same deal: for them. Wars are packaged and sold just like any other commodity. Propaganda is skillfully used to win over the population. “

Howard Zinn appears on Bush Radio courtesy of Alternative Radio.

MPH TopGear Winners

The winners of the MPH Top Gear live competition are Benjamin Gallant, Simone Shaw, Tasneem Dollie, Sasha Forbes and Grant Patience. Congratulations and enjoy.

Listen to their hillarious car impressions below from the Breakfast Show below.

CAR IMPRESSIONS CLICK HERE

Going into TopGear

Bush Radio 89.5 FM is giving away five double tickets for you to see the MPH featuring Top Gear Live show this Friday (29/01/2010) at Grandwest from 17h30. To enter the lucky draw and win one double ticket sms the keyword CAR and your name to 32158.

The draw will take place at 08h00 in the Breakfast show this Thursday (28/01/2010) morning and those selected will be called, you will get the double ticket after doing an impression of an old car starting up LIVE on air.

Tune to 89.5 FM or via www.bushradio.co.za

SMS costs R1 and enter as many times as you like to improve your chances.

Fun times in Heideveld

Check out the slide show of the outside broadcast that was held in Heideveld this past Saturday (16 January 2010). The ob was part of Bush Radio’s way of saying thank you to listener and supporter Cassiem “Die Bossie” Jumat who helped raise awareness and pledges for the work of Bush Radio.

Issues in Heideveld were highlighted through interviews with soccer clubs and youth development projects.

Lots of Bush Radio listeners came through to support the event as well as a film crew from Sweden who are working on a documentary in Cape Town. A special thanks to Superspar Gugulethu Square for supplying freshments for the children in the neighbourhood.

Going bos with “Die Bossie”

This Saturday the 16 January 2010 , from 10h00 – 12h00, the Bush Radio 89.5 FM team will be broadcasting from our listener Cassiem “Die Bossie” Jumat’s house in Heideveld on the Cape Flats.

"Die Bossie" (centre) with Victor and Shiraaz at the site check for OB from his house

Cassiem who is better known to Bush Radio listeners as “Die Bossie” is a regular on the Breakfast Show and often participates in Bush Radio activities, he also helps to improve his community by raising funds and donations to schools and feeding schemes etc.

When Bush Radio held its local pledge drive, “Bossie” got as many of his friends and family to make pledges in support of the station.

To show our appreciation we will broadcast from his home, with members of the Heideveld community. We will be discussing and highlighting issues in the community and having loads of fun!

January 2010 Advertising special

For all advertising booked with us from now until the 31 January, we will charge R150, 00 per spot!  (CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS) .

Dennis Brutus: A hero remembered

by Khanyisa Tabata & Adrian Louw

Prof Dennis Brutus

Family and friends of South African poet, teacher, activist, and a fighter against oppression Dennis Brutus gathered at the Iziko Museum in Cape Town on Wednesday, 6 January 2010 to pay tribute to this remarkable man.

Dennis Vincent Brutus was born on the 28 November 1924, Harare, Zimbabwe (formerly Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia) to South African parents. His parents moved back home to Port Elizabeth when he was 4 years old.

In 1959, Brutus helped form the South African Sports Association as founding secretary. In 1962, he helped form a new group to challenge South Africa’s official Olympic Committee. The organization, the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee, of which he was president, persuaded Olympic committees from other countries to vote to suspend South Africa from the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.

In 1970, the group gathered enough votes from national committees, particularly those in Africa and Asia, to expel South Africa from the Olympic movement.

He was also a member of the Anti-Coloured Affairs Department organisation (Anti-CAD), a group that organised against the Coloured Affairs Department through which the nationalist government attempted to institutionalise divisions between blacks and coloureds.

He was arrested in 1960 for breaking the terms of his “banning,” which were he could not meet with more than two people outside his family, and convicted to 18 months in jail. While trying to escape, he was shot in the back at point-blank range. While recovering from the wound, Brutus was sent Robben Island for 16 months.

Brutus was forbidden to teach, write and publish in South Africa.

His first collection of poetry, Sirens, Knuckles and Boots, was published in Nigeria while he was in prison and received the Mbari Poetry Prize, (an award to black poets). He declined the prize because of the racial exclusivity of the prize.

After he was released, Brutus left South Africa and in 1983, he won the right to stay in the United States as a refugee.

He continued to participate in protests against the apartheid government while teaching in the United States.

He returned to South Africa after his “unbanning” by the SA government in 1990 and was based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal where he often contributed to the annual Poetry Africa Festival hosted by the University and supported activism against neo-liberal policies in contemporary South Africa through working with NGOs.

At an induction ceremony in 2007 into the South African Sports Hall of Fame, he publicly turned down his nomination, stating, “It is incompatible to have those who championed racist sport alongside its genuine victims. It’s time—indeed long past time—for sports truth, apologies and reconciliation.”

In the memorial Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane described Brutus as fearless, a hero who served people selflessly.

Ndungane added that Brutus will always be remembered.

Brutus died on 26 December 2009, at his home in Cape Town, South Africa. He is survived by his wife, May; two sisters; eight children; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A selection of audio clips from the memorial service:

Archbishop Ndungnane

Frank van der Horst (Sports Administration Community)

Professor Kader Asmal

James Matthews

Tony Brutus

Poems by grandchildren and closing

Greg Brutus

* The original version of this story was published by Bush Radio News

Looking back, marching forward

It has been a busy few months since we started the Bush Radio blog with WordPress. We hope that this platform has brought you more ways to interact with the “mother of community radio in Africa”.

Click on the links below to have a look at some of posts over the past few months and let us know how we can improve your station.

Also remember you can check out our facebook group and Zoopy page, for more pictures and videos.

July 2009 – Lending a helping hand

August 2009 – The Dream Big competition

September 2009 – Shiraaz finding his Africaness, 10 days / 10 presenters and Gugs Youth Radio etc

October 2009 – Launch of the news Bush Radio site and Deutsche Welle training at Bush Radio

November 2009 – Radio in Zimbabwe and Selling your soul

December 2009 – Our pledge drive (on-going) and MKK 2009

2010 is bound to be an exciting year!