The Liberal Spirit Blog: Revamped

                                                                    Part I She is beautiful. An image of perfection. These were my thoughts when I first saw Gene and today, she is even more enchanting. I loved her from first sight even though she did not pay much attention to me. I felt my heart pounding out of my chest the moment she asked for my schedule. I’d never felt this way before, the warmth running through my body, knots in my stomach, tingly things running a little marathon from head to toes. I was star struck but I decided to ignore it. It was a sunny day on campus and the warm breeze carried a gleeful atmosphere. I felt like nature was telling me that today Nia, today is your day. The past six months had been horrendous with the passing of my father. He died in a car accident- truck driver was drunk, dr...

                                                                                                        Be Colour Blind "No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, background or religion" - Nelson Mandela I am summoning old demons that have been buried beneath the surface today. I am not colour blind, not at all. I see colour, I love it in all its shades and tones and most of all, I love the blends and mixes you get when you're combining different colours-something beautiful always comes out. In this case, I am not referring to paint, crayons or pastels, today I’m talking about rac...

There she was. Strolling along the lonely street with no sense of direction. Her mind was occupied with deep thought and the desperation to find answers to the cause of her disgruntled state. After an hour of dread walking, she decides to walk into The Small Italian Cafe, finds a table for one, and signals the waitress for a menu. Decisions to make, if only she had the liberty to make her own. 'Coffee please, strong, black, no sugar' she says, blankly staring at the young woman standing in front of her, with an apron neatly tied around her waist and a little notebook in her hand.  She looks young, mid-20s, short-hair,  brown eyes, fair skin, round face, average height and moderate size. She's beautiful. 'Excuse me mam, is that all?', she's been staring at the girl all along, analyzing her appearance. She nods and Lethy, the new waitress, scurries away. Her eyes shift to the window. Little droplets of rain are racing along the glass. The street lights come on,...

Nosipho Funeka went on an opinion hunt on South Africa’s Youth by South Africa’s Youth and what they would change or improve about their SA if they were given the opportunity of becoming President for a day. Here’s what they had to say: Amanda Mzobe,18 yrs. (UKZN, Howard College) 2 nd year BA Criminology An energetic, bubbly and humorous Amanda says SA’s Youth is ‘Creative and innovative’. “Our young people want to change SA’s economy and are not just stopping at the matric age, they’re moving on with their live and want to elevate the economy by bringing in fresh ideas to businesses. If I had to become president for a day I would make education free because we could then drift away from all these things we have like drugs, alcohol, teen pregnancy and crime”. Mjabuliseni Nkosi, 23 yrs. (UKZN, Howard College) Masters Town& Regional Planning Describing himself as Hard-working, Innovative and Creative which is evident from what he has achieved ...

                                              Contributors’ Opinion We are often blinded by what we believe we are entitled to and find ourselves wanting others to conform to that which we believe. In this story, we find young people who have been parachuted into a building and neighbours who are disturbed by the behaviour of these students which compels them to police and impose their way of living on these students, creating a situation of ‘Them and Us’. We discover that one side believes the tension is rooted on race whereas the other believes its chaotic youth behaviour- I believe it’s neither. It all boils down to one simple and cliché word: RESPECT. We are looking at a situation where the differences between the young and the elderly disrupt the harmony...

                 Denham Place, Glenwood: A Cul-de-Sac for Disgruntled Souls?                                                        By Nosipho Funeka The prominent Glenwood community situated in the vibrant Durban suburbs, is an ideal sphere for those who enjoy their fair share of serenity. At the heart of the Denham Place cul-de-sac, you will find Camden Res- the minor version of a legendary Kofifi, home to the young and active minds of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College. At first one admires the beauty of the residential site which these students live and the cleanliness that hovers around the streets. But looking closely at the faces of the youthful ...