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There will not be another Maria McCloy

Those who loved her remember a woman who gave everything — to her art, to her city, and to every person lucky enough to have her in their corner

Loving memory: Maria McCloy was someone who made
Johannesburg feel possible. Someone who gathered people across
class, art, music, fashion and politics and convinced them that
beauty, style and radical care belonged together.

Maria McCloy made Johannesburg feel possible

Friends, creatives and a city in mourning gathered to celebrate the woman who helped shape how Johannesburg saw itself after 1994.

Filmmaker Milisuthando Bongela. Photo: Hankyeol Lee

Milisuthando: A film reckoning with our past

Through Milisuthando, cultural thinker Milisuthando Bongela confronts South Africa’s unfinished healing — reimagining nationhood, belonging and love through deeply personal…

En garde! Paris Saint-Germain’s forward, Kylian Mbappé, has a certain style, and has the makings of a ruthless Messi or Ronaldo. (Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)

All the knowledge we do not know yet

"Recovering ancient hidden knowledges, as long as we are responsible with them, is important considering how many ills there are in our society."

En garde! Paris Saint-Germain’s forward, Kylian Mbappé, has a certain style, and has the makings of a ruthless Messi or Ronaldo. (Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)

​Learning to trust curiosity over fear

"What a funny sight it would be to see power dynamics neutralised by something as ordinary as friendship".

En garde! Paris Saint-Germain’s forward, Kylian Mbappé, has a certain style, and has the makings of a ruthless Messi or Ronaldo. (Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)

What does blue-ticking mean for building trust?

How has our digital communication affected our relationship to the concept of seeing each other’s humanity?

En garde! Paris Saint-Germain’s forward, Kylian Mbappé, has a certain style, and has the makings of a ruthless Messi or Ronaldo. (Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)

The bitter pill of being just to a meanie

After an encounter on the plane Milisuthando Bongela concludes that: “When given the choice to be right or to be kind, always choose to be kind.”

In her own right: Many mourn the death of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela

For Winnie

Milisuthando Bongela attempts to put into words who it was that has died

En garde! Paris Saint-Germain’s forward, Kylian Mbappé, has a certain style, and has the makings of a ruthless Messi or Ronaldo. (Franck Fife/AFP/Getty Images)

Some histories to keep our interracial friendship honest

"It’s not that I wanted to be white. But I wanted them to accept and like me and I was all too happy to jump through the hoops."

Milisuthando Bongela looks at how we can restore the idea of pleasure around sex.

If only we were taught that sex should be fun

How can we look at teaching boys and girls that sex is also a natural and delightful part of being a human being, asks Milisuthando Bongela.

The 12-track “album” launched on the United States pay TV channel HBO and immediately sent the internet into a yellow-stained frenzy.

When life gives you lemons, Beyoncé drops ‘Lemonade’

The singer’s 12-track album seems to have been informed by ‘Becky with good hair’ but judging from song titles she forgave her wandering Jay-Z.

This week’s Iimbali column zooms in on the Pollsmoor prison restaurant.

Dining in Pollsmoor: The ethics of a prison restaurant

Pollsmoor prison restaurant serves the Cape Town public food. Milisuthando Bongela reflects on the ethics of running a prison restaurant.

High and low fashion sensibilities collide on South Africa’s streets.

This street style is ho-hum, not sharp-sharp

With his new book, photographer Ed Suter attempts to capture the essence of urban style, but it is a contrived package, writes Milisuthando Bongela.

Religious leaders conducting ceremonies at the historic Lalibela site are closely tracked by camera-clicking visitors.

Warm-hearted hospitality sets Ethiopia apart

Whether you are gawking at 800-year-old sunken churches or gyrating in hole-in-the-wall clubs, the country’s main attraction is its beautiful people.

Controlling emotions is a fine heart

Having seen the beginning and the end of the love journey, the middle is an interesting but precarious place to be.

A deep desire to believe

Most of the things that people do religiously in a religious ­setting have little to do with their deep desire for something to believe in.

Racism still rules in adverts

The doctrine of racism, that a person’s race determines his or her level of intellect or ability to do certain things, is a human construct.

Greedy Jozi must lighten up

I find it easier to place my trust in somebody who is not from Johannesburg.

When a job is not working

South Africa has the ability to arouse pride but it can also make one hate it with a passion.

Two sides to that sparkle

There is a comfort in knowing that it is okay to feel flat, to have the ­effervescence fizzle out.