Book of the Month June 2010

African soccerscapes : how a continent changed the world's game

From Africa and Algiers to Zanzibar and Zululand, African football today reflects the history and culture of those who play the game and how they have shaped it in a distinctively African manner. Football may obey global rules, but the influence of magicians and healers, the nurturing of different tactics and styles of play, and local forms of spectatorship give football in the continent a cultural and sporting imprint all of its own. In African Soccerscapes Peter Alegis explores how football was influenced by colonialism, the growth of cities, independence, and globalisation. Regional differences and the links between sport, culture and politics feature prominently in his book. In the independent era football offered a rare form of "national culture" in ethnically diverse nations and symbolised pan-African unity and solidarity through the anti-apartheid struggle and the campaign for more guaranteed places for African teams in the World Cup finals. Huge numbers of Africans play overseas, disproportionately rewarding European leagues at Africa's expense, and this phenomenon is discussed, as are the recent privatisation of the African game, football development programmes and the growth of women's football.

Source: African soccerscapes : how a content changed the world's game / Peter Alegi

Book of the Month May 2010

Roofvoëls - 'n identifiseringsgids vir Suider-Afrika

Die adellike, indrukwekkende en soms wrede voorkoms van roofvoëls dwing nie net die meeste mense se bewondering af nie, maar maak hulle ook die gesogste groep onder voëlgeesdriftiges. Ongelukkig kan dit egter baie moeilik wees om roofvoëls te identifiseer. Die feit dat kleurvariasies binne 'n spesie voorkom, en jong en volwasse voëls baie verskil, maak dat mens hulle nie bloot volgens kleur reg kan identifiseer nie.
Ongelukkig kan dit egter baie moeilik wees om roofvoëls te identifiser. Die feit dat kleurvariasies binne 'n spesie voorkom, en jong en volwasse voëls baie verskil, maak dat mens hulle nie bloot volgens kleur reg kan identifiseer nie.
Jare se ervaring in identifiseringstegnieke het aan die skrywers bewys dat die maklikste manier om 'n roofvoëel te identifiseer, is om eers die groep waartoe die voël behoort, te bepaal. Sodra 'n sekere roofvoël in een van die 11 roofvoëlgroepe geplaas kan word, kan hy in 'n japtrap van ander roofvoëls onderskei word.
In 'n unieke afdeling in dié boek word spesies wat met mekaar verwar kan word, vergelyk en die verskille uitgewys.
Roofvoëls - 'n identifiseringsgids vir Suider-Afrika het 'n uitsonderlik gebruikersvriendelike stelsel van kleurkodes en kruisverwysings wat die gebruiker in staat stel om vinnig by die verlangde plek in die boek uit te kom. Die 12 bladsye vol vliegpatrone maak dit ook moontlik om roofvoëls in vlug met mekaar te vergelyk.
Die skrywers:
Ulrich Oberprieler is die afgelope 20 jaar al by omgewingsopvoeding betrokke en het veral bekend geword vir die uitstekende kursusse oor natuurverwante onderwerpe wat hy aanbied. Hy is 'n geesdriftige natuurlewefotograaf, en in hierdie stadium adjunkdirekteur van die Nasionale Dieretuin in Pretoria. Hy en Burger Cillié is ook die skrywers van die Sakgids tot Suider-Afrikaanse Voëls en Suider-Afrikaanse Tuinvoëls

Burger Cillié se liefde vir die natuur en natuurlewefotografie het hom aangespoor om 'n aantal diere- en voëlgidsboeke die lig te laat sien. Benewens die voëlboeke wat hy saam met Ulrich Oberprieler geskryf het, is hy ook die outeur van 'n Veldgids tot die Soogdiere van Suider-Afrika, Sakgids tot Suider-Afrikaanse soogdiere en Die Soogdiergids van Suider-Afrika

Bron: Roofvoëls - 'n identifiseringsgids vir Suider Afrika / Ulrich Oberprieler and Burger Cillié

Book of the Month April 2010

Koekemakranka: Khoi-Khoin-kultuurgoed en kom-kuier-kos

Die geskiedenis van 'n groep mense se eetgewoontes oor eeue heen word ook uiteindelik hul kultuurgeskiedenis. In dié eeue oue verhaal van die Khoi-Khoin se kos, word ook die verhaal vertel van hule kultuur en leefwyse van toe tot nou. Van hul musiek en die ramkie met net een snaar. Van hul kleredrag, hul eetgerei en woonplekke, met selfs 'n beskrywing van hoe matjieshuise gemaak is.
Talle vertellings regstreeks uit die mond van 'n paar Khoi-Khoin wat nog onthou hoe dinge nog 'n paar dekades gelede gedoen is - en dalk plek-plek nog gedoen word - omskep hierdie in 'n besondere leeservaring
Vir die bewaringsbewustes is daar volop raad vir die aanlê van 'n eie veldkostuin en 'n tydige waarskuwing oor plante wat aan die uitsterf is en liewer met rus gelaat moet word. En om seker te maak dat die Khoi-Khoin se kom-kuier-kos op almal se tafels kan voortleef, word 'n verskeidenheid resepte ingesluit
Renata Coetzee is 'n navorser van formaat. Sy het onlangs 'n eredoktorsgraad ontvang van die Noordwes Universiteit vir haar dekades lange navorsing oor die eetkulture van die inheemse mense van Suid-Afrika. Deur mekaar se eetkultuur te leer ken, leer ons ook mekaar ken. Boeke wat uit haar navorsing gespruit het is onder meer Funa food from Africa - Roots of African food culture en Spys en drank - die oorsprong van die Afrikaanse eetkultuur

Bron: Koekemakaranka: Khoi-Khoin kultuurgoed en kom-kuier-kos/ Renata Coetzee en Volker Miros

Book of the Month February 2010

A life in transition / Alex Boraine

Alex Boraine's life is a fascinating story of fighting injustice and turning dreams into reality. A child of the Great Depression, he rose from lowly beginnings in a working-class family to become head of the Methodist Church, and MP for the Progressive Federal party, and deputy chairperson of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

This is an insider's account of a range of important institutions and events in South African history: the halls of parliament in the 1970s and 1980s, the controversial conference with the ANC in Dakar in 1987, and the hearings of the TRC in the mid-1990s. Boraine gives insights into people he met along the way, including Harry Oppenheimer, Steve Biko, Van Zyl Slabbert, Thabo Mbeki and Desmond Tutu. He also takes us beyond South Africa to some of the world's most turbulent trouble spots, from Serbia to Sierra Leone, Liberia to Sri Lanka.

Something about the author:

Alex Boraine was born in Cape Town in 1931. After entering the ministry, he studied at Rhodes, Oxford and Drew University in the USA. He was appointed youngest-ever President of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa in 1970, worked as an employment practices consultant for Anglo American, and was elected to parliament as an MP for the Progressive Party in 1974. He resigned in 1986 and, together with Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, founded IDASA, which organised the 1987 meeting with ANC leaders in Dakar, Senegal.

Boraine was one of the main architects of the Truth And Reconciliation Commission, and served beside Desmond Tutu as its deputy chairperson from 1996 to 1998. After teaching transitional justice at the New York University Law School, he became the founding president of the International Center for Transitional Justice, and has travelled to many contries that are in transition from dictatorship to democracy, at the invitation of governments and NGOs' to share the South African experience and to assist countries in their search for a democratic culture and sustainable peace.

Book of the Month Nov/Dec 2009

A complete guide to the frogs of Southern Africa / Louis du Preez & Vincent Carruthers
"These foul and loathsome animals are abhorrent because of their cold body, pale colour, cartilaginous skeleton, filthy skin, fierce aspect, calculating eye, offensive smell, harsh voice, sqaulid habitation, and terrible venom; and so their Creator has not exerted his powers to make many of them" Carolus Linnaeus (father of modern taxonomy and one of the great naturalists of his time), referring to amphibians, 1758
Harmless, colourful, melodious and ecologically vital, frogs are the antithesis of Linnaeus's disdain. Some 6 000 species of amphibians are known worldwide and more are discovered every year. At the same time, the decline and extinction of species is occurring at a disturbingly high rate, indicating widespread environmental malaise.
This beautiful and authoritative book is the most comprehensive treatment of frogs of the region ever produced. A Complete Guide to the Frogs of Southern Africa covers frog and tadpole biology and behaviour. All 160 frog species (with their tadpole stages) are fully described, giving conservation status, calls, habitat and habits. To aid identification, there are large, full-colour images of each species, detailed keys and clear summary panels showing 'Distinctive characters' and 'Key ID points'. Calls for most species are recorded on the accompanying CD, and spectrograms are provided, offering the surest method of identifying these secretive and often cryptic creatures.
For all nature lovers, amateur 'froggers', students, as well as professional scientists, this is an inspiring and significant guide.
Source : A Complete guide to the frogs of Southern Africa / Louis du Preez & Vincent Carruthers 2009

Book of the Month October 2009

Vrypas / Dot Serfontein

Op tagtig, verklaar Dot Serfontein, neem mens kennis van die ouderdom se bedryfsrisiko's - en neem dan vir lief daarmee dat selfs die Bybel stilbly oor wat na tagtig met mens gaan gebeur. Jy vertel van dinge waaroor jy vroeër geswyg het en jy swyg oor dinge waarvan jy vroeër vertel het - want as jy dié mylpaal oorgesteek het, het jy die vrypas om te maak soos jy wil, sonder dat dit teen jou aangeteken staan.
Teen die agtergrond van agt dekades se sosiale, politieke en ekonomiese gebeure ( van die letsels van die Anglo-Boereoorlog, die 1914 Rebellie en die Groot Depressie, tot die verkiesing van 1948, apartheidsidealisme en die "politieke kapitulasie" van die negentigerjare) projekteer Dot Serfontein hier die gesins- en familiebande wat haar lewe as Vrystaatse Afrikaner gevorm het. Die leser leer ken 'n individu wat elke lewensfase met geesdrif en vurigheid aanpak en nie terugdeins om die tradisie van tyd tot tyd met 'n bietjie waagmoed en 'n porsie oorgeërfde stroomopgeit uit te daag nie.

"As ons spense vol is van wat vir ons van waarde is, kan ons harte oor brakplekke spring ; as ons niks anders kan doen nie, lag ons net saam"

Bron: Vrypas deur Dot Serfontein uitgegee deur Protea Boekhuis 2009

Book of the Month September 2009

Flora Herscheliana ; Sir John and Lady Herchel at the Cape 1834 to 1838 :
Sir John Herschel (1792-1871) has long been recognized as one of Britain's great nineteenth century scientists. His accomplishments in astronomy, mathematics and physics are well known, but this publications focuses on his private interest in botanical matters.
A visit to the Cape of Good Hope from 1834 to 1838 to survey the southern skies exposed Herschel to another great natural wonder - the beauty and diversity of the Cape Flora. The profound impact this encounter had on both John and his wife Margaret resulted in a magnificent portfolio of botanical drawings, outlined by John using a camera lucida for scientific accuracy and painted in watercolours by Margaret. Herschel's restless, analytical mind also led him to consider deeper issues, among them the morphology of bulbs, the diversity of species, and botanical scents and perfumes.
Something about the authors:

Professor Brian Warner

, Head of the Department of Astronomy at the University of Cape Town, trained as an astrophysicist at University College London, and has D.Sc degrees both from the University of London and Oxford University. Although principally an observational astronomer, his interest in the history of astronomy at the Cape has resulted in the publication of seven books and about twenty articles.

Dr John Rourke, Curator of the Compton Herbarium, National Botanical Institute, Kirstenbosch, studied botany at the University of Cape Ton where he was awarded the degrees of M.S.c and Ph.D. His special research interest is in the systematics and phylogeny of the family Proteaceae. He has published extensively on all fourteen genera of this family in southern Africa, including two popular works, Proteas of Southern Africa (Cape Tons, 1980, 1982) and the elephant folio volume, Mimetes (Cape Town, 1982. Botanical history is another of his fields of interest in which he has co-authored several works, notably those on the famous eighteenth-century botanical explorers, Carl peter Thunberg and William Paterson, the latter published by the Brenthurst Press in 1981. Dr Rourke was elected one of the select group of only fifty Foreign Members of the Linnean Society of London in 1996.

Source: Flora Herscheliana: Sir John and Lady Herschel at the Cape 1834 to 1838