- Social:
South African novelist and playwright
South African novelist and playwright whose latest novel, Sometimes There Is a Void: Memories of an Outsider was published this year; Professor of Creative Writing and World Literature at Ohio University
PROFILE
Zakes Mda
Guest
FROM Zakes Mda
To the Point
South Africans Mourn the Death, Celebrate the Life of Nelson Mandela Since he died yesterday at the age of 95, much of the world has been mourning Nelson Mandela , South Africa's first black president. Despite 27 years of brutal imprisonment as a suspected "terrorist," he is remembered as the father-figure who liberated a black majority from oppressive white rule and became a champion of racial reconciliation. But, the history is more complicated than that. We hear different opinions about the man and his legacy.
To the Point
Mandela's Fading Vision of Peace for Southern Africa With just a few weeks to go before a presidential run-off election, Zimbabwe 's Robert Mugabe continues to crack down on his opponents and has banned aid groups from getting food to the hungry. And in neighboring South Africa , despite a strong economy, unemployment is rising and so is crime. A recent wave of violence directed at foreigners has shocked the nation. As Nelson Mandela turns ninety, what are the prospects for peace and democracy in the region? Should African and Western leaders put more pressure on Mugabe to hold fair elections? Have post-apartheid policies failed to create a new South Africa?
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To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.