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Daily Maverick
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
Ramaphosa gets braaied and fed to Trump's Maga at the US-SA Boerewors Summit
Cringe diplomacy reigns as timid South African delegation stumbles into Trump's made-for-TV unreality show. There is a genre of comedy, probably as old as laughter itself, that asks the audience to baste in the sauce of the protagonist's humiliation. Not being a classicist, I have no idea if this kind of thing appeared in, say, Euripides; not being an Africanist, I have no notion of its prevalence in pre-contact Bantu poetry. I seem to remember some of it in Shakespeare, but don't quote me. It is certainly a feature of British sitcoms. Think Basil Fawlty, John Cleese's splenetic hotelier from the Fawlty Towers series, who bumbled himself into excruciating social mishaps. Or Ricky Gervais' The Office, where David Brent snivelled his way into disastrous interactions with his colleagues at a dead-end paper factory. Cringe comedy is now a staple on television and in the movies. It's also a staple of international diplomacy. Consider the unfolding of the much-anticipated Boerewors Summit betwixt President Cyril Ramaphosa and US President Donald J Trump, which unfolded in and around the Oval Office on Wednesday, 21 May. There sat Ramaphosa as Trump played a video montage of Julius Malema's greatest hits, wearing a face that suggested 'recently embalmed'. It was an arse-clenchingly difficult experience. But welcome to the era of cringe geopolitics. And remember, if it's free to watch, you're the product. Braai (front) pack Give Ramaphosa this much: he knows how to pacify cranky white supremacists. Remember when he talked a whole bunch of trigger-happy (yet, sadly, broke) apartheid people off a ledge? Neither do I. But we're constantly reminded of it by Ramaphosa's apologists, who insist that he is to negotiation what Kim Kardashian is to lip filler. In advance of the Boerewors Summit, so named because, as my colleague Rebecca Davis has pointed out, Trump doesn't like to hear ladies talk (AKA DEI), Ramaphosa stacked his delegation with men. And indeed, it's as if Ramaphosa & Company planned to set up a braai in the Oval Office and jaw about golf and stuff. Johann Rupert was on the dance card, as living, walking, breathing proof that nothing has ever been taken from white people in South Africa. And maybe to furnish Trump and Melania with a host of luxury goods-cum-bribes, as has now become the norm? There were also golfers on the list, good ones, and there is nothing Trump loves more than golfers – a sport he would later describe as a sort of messianic rite of passage akin to walking over hot coals while carrying a small planet on your shoulders. It escaped no one that the delegation was stacked towards white folks. This abused minority group was finally having its moment – a visit to the White House, never more appropriately named, to meet the Grand Vizier of the latest franchise of the Ku Klux Klan. They carried gifts – although none as eye-catching as the luxury Bribe Airways 747 recently handed over to the Pentagon by Qatar – and they were ready to smooth the white sheets, bribe the administration with a Starlink deal memo and try to get some business done. The thing about braais, though, is you never know how they're going to end. Once the sausage hits the flames and the third Klippies and Coke is poured, it's game on. The only thing missing was the rugby. Sausage in Chief Twenty-first-century politics is indiscernible from entertainment. In fact, it is entertainment. Trump not only understands this, he embodies it. He not only embodies it, he doubles down on it. Ramaphosa, on the other hand, lives comfortably in and around 1998. The South African Constitution has been drafted, he's been deployed to business, he's farming large draft beasts, and all is well across the land. Unhappily, time moves on. In his various roles since those halcyon days, which now includes more than a decade as either deputy president or president, he has cut an enigmatic figure. 'Enigmatic' is a euphemism for someone who refuses to speak to the press, and prefers to communicate by reading off an iPad into the blinking eye of a television camera. This means that there was no one on Earth less prepared for a press scrum in the Oval Office, apart from death row prisoners held in solitary confinement, or medieval friars at the tail end of a vow of silence. The initial parts of the meet-and-greet seemed to go according to protocol, minus the usual blips. And it was clear, as everyone filed into Trump's lair, that the South African delegation was determined to stay on message and come home with some of that delicious Foreign Direct Investment. And, at first, it did go well. Soft and obsequious, careful not to ruffle the Big Bwana's hairdo, Ramaphosa laid out the case for South Africa as an investment destination. He made Trump aware that 600 American businesses flourish to varying degrees in the country, and that it remains a place replete with 'critical minerals' – a term that made Trump twitch like a slumbering lion that catches wind of a buck, and may have doomed South Africa to a barrage of intercontinental ballistic missiles in the near future. Trump seemed bored, mostly because he was. This meeting was, for him, nothing at all to do with business and the usual diplomatic niceties. Which is why, after Ramaphosa's pitch was done, he began playing videos of Julius Malema's greatest hits. On screen, the lights in the Oval Office darkened for dramatic effect, a supercut of Malema singing Dubul' ibhunu played for what seemed like an Andy Warhol film installation amount of time. The braai had begun. And it turns out that the South Africans were the boerewors. Flames thrown What unfolded next was an ambush that should have been anticipated, but wasn't. Give Trump this much – he has tried to get the entire world to play along with his Oval Office slugfests, but so far only Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has been willing to stand up for himself and push back against the administration's lies. Ramaphosa shifted vaguely in his seat like a puppet whose master was in the toilet doing coke with a fallen congressman. After Trump showed a video of a protest in Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal, featuring white crosses lining a roadside – not grave sites, as he implied, but rather a memorial to victims of South Africa's unacceptable levels of violence – and after Trump shoved reams of paperwork into his hands, all the South African could muster was a weak, 'I haven't seen that.' Trump showed nothing more than the usual stuff circulated by Maga. What was required now was a forceful rebuttal, a reminder to those pre-sent that there is no 'white genocide' in South Africa, and that minority rights are protected. It was time to own the internet and the nightly news shows with a polite but determined speech. Crickets. Instead, Ramaphosa deferred to John Steenhuisen in his capacity as minister of agriculture. He gave a short, standard DA campaign speech. Trump then threw to the golfers, whom he seemed to regard as second sons, who couldn't muster a full-throated pushback against Maga lies. In fact, Retief Goosen was spectacularly inarticulate, but nevertheless it seemed to thrill Trump that he could speak at all. Then came Johann Rupert, in keeping with the theme of white grievance, insisting that he was the greatest victim of Malema's agitation. (Tell that to the township folks shaken down by the EFF's racketeering troops, but that's a story for another day.) The handbag salesman also wasn't able to say THERE IS NO CAMPAIGN OF WHITE GENOCIDE, perhaps because he was too busy tapping Ronald Lamola on the shoulder and referring to him as 'this one'. Oh, and incidentally, a black woman spoke for several minutes. It was a shambles, but one that should have been anticipated. Trump's intention was simple – to throw red meat to his base as it came off the grill. It was the equivalent of asking Ramaphosa, when was the last time you beat your wife? And the only reply was simpering. Tongs for the opportunity I'm aware that there are those who thought that the Boerewors Summit went about as well as it could have. Clearly, I disagree. The second Trump administration is hardly an American anomaly, but a culminating point on America's long imperial arc, and a return to an expansionist, transactional mode that existed back in the 19th century. You either understand this, or you are unfit for a leadership role in 2025. By visiting the Imperium, Ramaphosa and his delegation should have realised that they were bit players in a larger drama – Trump's acceptance of the role as the White Supremacist in Chief. Yes, business is important, but if there is nothing in it for this administration, it doesn't matter what Ramaphosa says or does, they'll do what they want when they want, with no deference to diplomatic niceties. In other words, it's time to grow up. The message should have been: we're open for business, but we're closed for input in our sovereign affairs. The second Trump regime is an authoritarian gong show, a DEI initiative for drunks and failsons, and a vast empire's noisome death grunt. The moment demanded strength. It demanded a braai master. And that is indeed an ironclad rule in South Africa – never let another person touch your braai tongs. As the refugee farce unfolds, and as the lies pour in from Trump's team of bullshit mongers, it would be wonderful to return to business as usual. But that's not to be. Maddeningly, like all South African reporters in the past 30 years, about 98% of my work concerns the failure of the ANC to do even the basic work of governance with honesty and competence. I'd like to get back to that. But there's a braai happening. It's free for all. Which means we're the product. DM
Daily Maverick
08-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Maverick
A baobab has fallen – RIP to legendary Africanist and journalist Nick Kotch
Nick Kotch, a towering figure in African journalism, has died aged 72 in London. A graduate of Oxford University, Nick Kotch had many postings over the decades with Reuters, mostly in Africa – Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. South African readers may recall his exquisite and piercing prose from his time in Johannesburg, where he was Reuters' Africa Bureau Chief from 2001 to 2004. He subsequently worked for Business Day as Africa Editor and his work also appeared in publications such as National Geographic. 'They are tough editors at National Geographic,' Nick once told me. 'If you make an error, you will be shot at dawn.' Nick could be a tough editor himself – I know because he was my boss from 2001 to 2004 – but he was also generous and fair, inspiring fierce loyalty among his team. The formidable talent pool that he recruited and mentored in his Reuters days included the likes of Michela Wrong, whose books are must-reads for anyone with an interest in the continent. I certainly learnt a lot from Nick over the years as both a colleague and a friend. He wrote like a dream; his concise and penetrating points flowing along in a lyrical stream. Accolades have poured in since his passing. Cris Chinaka, the former Reuters Bureau Chief in Harare, said Nick always had his back as Zimbabwe lurched from crisis to crisis, and reporting on the unfolding saga became increasingly daunting and dangerous. 'Nick had complete faith in the Zimbabwe team in covering what was mostly a very difficult political story during President Robert Mugabe's long reign,' Chinaka said. 'Nick regularly checked in on the team to discuss safety and security, welfare issues and news coverage plans. He deferred decision-making and the tone of the Zimbabwe story to my judgement. 'Cris, this is your story, you know it better. We are here to back you up,' he said routinely, in what I came to treat as his signature tune.' Allan Seccombe, who worked with Nick at both Reuters and Business Day in Johannesburg, recalled his commitment to fostering young talent. 'He was massively supportive in advising, assisting and making moves of promising young journalists to foreign bureaus or desks. He was an absolute mensch and a bloody good journalist.' His passion and commitment to Africa and African journalism burnt brightly. David Smith, a Johannesburg-based Canadian and good friend of Nick's who works on media projects in Africa, said: 'Nick was a journalist who was constantly giving back to the profession. I'd bump into him all over the place over the years, from newsrooms in Nigeria, where he'd be teaching young cadets the art of telling the story, to workshops in Johannesburg advising NGOs on how to strengthen writing skills at community radio stations. Nick was truly A Good Man in Africa. I miss him.' Nick was a noted Africanist who often felt that reporting on the continent failed to capture its vibrancy and complexity. 'Nick was a talented journalist and Africanist who advocated better and more honest coverage of the continent in all its complexities,' his beloved wife Véronique Tadjo, an Ivorian novelist and poet, wrote on Facebook when she announced his death. 'We met in Abidjan and married in London in 1985 … We travelled through Africa and lived in Nigeria, Kenya, Ivory Coast and South Africa with our two boys, Larry and Matteo. Our life has been quite an adventure. From country to country, we've learnt a lot about the world and about ourselves, and forged strong friendships wherever we've been.' Nick was a lot of fun to be around, but he did not suffer fools at work or snobbery at play. 'I arrived at Nick's house in Joburg for a party he was throwing. When I greeted him, I could see he was fuming. I asked him why. He said Tito Mboweni, then still the SA Reserve Bank Governor, had just arrived,' Daily Maverick's foreign affairs correspondent Peter Fabricius recalled. 'Nick had offered him a drink and he said whisky. Nick gave him a blend of some sort, maybe J&B, and he said no thanks, he only drinks single malt. Nick told me that his father-in-law had been a Cabinet minister in Cote d'Ivoire and J&B had always been good enough for him!' Nick had an earthy mannerism and Bohemian side that would reveal itself on a Friday night when he would have a few tokes with drink in hand. I had many great chats with Nick over the years. He was a fantastic conversationalist, animated by his curious nature and love of Africa. He and Véronique were gracious hosts, their Joburg house often brimming with well-fed guests who had no complaints about the adult beverages served. My wife and I arrived early at one of those social events during the festive Christmas season and I volunteered to braai up some appetisers. But they had a problematic back door and all of the other doors – Joburg being Joburg – were locked. I closed the back door by mistake, locking us all out of the house – which meant that the rest of the expected guests would also be locked out and the appetisers would only go so far. One of his boys eventually found a solution: breaking the door window with a brick to reach the handle! The Kotch household was never dull. Born in Hammersmith, Nick was an ardent Fulham supporter and he was very attached to Cornwall, where the family had a rustic get-away home. He was devoted to Véronique, and sons Larry and Matteo. I took the boys fly-fishing once, and Nick was thrilled when we returned and one of them had actually landed a trout on fly. I was also thrilled – he was after all my boss at the time! Nick and the family loved Johannesburg, but during the Zuma years his optimism for South Africa waned. The 'lost Zuma years' were not lost on Nick and, by 2014, the family made the difficult decision to relocate back to London. I last saw Nick 10 years ago this month when I was passing through London. I had an enjoyable meal with him and Véronique at an Iranian restaurant, and afterward Nick and I had some whiskies – not single malt – at a pub near their home in Notting Hill. He was in his usual fine form – charming, witty and erudite. He was good company and a good man.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Ancient DNA reveals Maghreb communities preserved their culture and genes, even in a time of human migration
The Neolithic period began in southwest Asia around 12,000 years ago. It marked a major shift in human history as societies transitioned from hunting and gathering to farming. This sparked migrations across Europe and dramatically reshaped the continent's gene pool. For a long time, North Africa was seen as a passive participant in this transformation. The dominant narrative suggested that farming economies never fully took root there. Some studies proposed that North African communities actively resisted agriculture, except perhaps in the Nile Delta and the western Maghreb (modern-day Morocco). They continued to rely on land snails, wild plants, and hunting for survival. Only later, they also began herding domesticated sheep, goats, and cattle, introduced from southwest Asia. Genetic studies have only recently tested this reconstruction in North Africa. This has never been done in the eastern Maghreb (modern-day Tunisia and eastern Algeria) – until now. As an Africanist archaeologist, I specialise in the study of ancient societies across Mediterranean Africa and the Sahara. My focus is on how humans adapted to their environments and the rise of food production in these regions. I recently conducted research in the eastern Maghreb alongside an international team of archaeologists, geneticists, and physical anthropologists to trace ancient population movements. Our new study has just been published in Nature. We analysed the ancient genomes (complete DNA sequences) of nine individuals who lived in the eastern Maghreb between 15,000 and 6,000 years ago. This may seem like a small sample. But, in the field of ancient DNA research, even a few well-preserved genomes can provide significant insights. They serve as reference points for tracing genetic lineages and identifying ancestral connections. By adding genetic evidence to broader archaeological findings, we reconstructed patterns of population continuity, interaction and change over thousands of years. Our results were striking. It's clear from these genomes that some influence from farmers did reach north Africa from across the Mediterranean. But much of the genetic makeup of the eastern Maghreb populations remained rooted in their ancient foraging heritage. This challenges the long-held narrative about migration into and out of north Africa before and during the Neolithic. It deepens our understanding of the past and highlights the incredible complexity of human movement and cultural exchange. As we continue to unravel the genetic legacy of our ancestors, studies like this remind us of the complexity of human history. They show that the history of agriculture in the Mediterranean was not merely one of population replacement. Rather, it was a tale of cultural exchange, adaptation and continuity. And researching these ancient human movements is more than just a matter of understanding history. It also provides insights into the patterns of migration and adaptation that can help us understand similar processes today. We worked with ancient genomes extracted from human skeletal remains housed in museum or heritage institution collections. They came from excavations at four sites Afalou Bou Rhummel, Djebba, Doukanet el Khoutifa and SHM-1 (Hergla), all in the eastern Maghreb. We chose the specimens because they were well-preserved, which is not always the case with ancient DNA. The analysis found that some of the sampled individuals possessed European farmer ancestry around 7,000 years ago. Europeans contributed some genes to the region – but no more than 20% per individual. This is a modest genetic influence compared to ancient western Maghreb populations where, at some sites, European farmer ancestry can reach as high as 80%. Our findings suggest that food-producing economies were introduced to the eastern Maghreb not by a large-scale replacement of the population (as seen in Europe) but more gradually. Change happened through sporadic migrations, mixing of cultures, and the spread of knowledge. One of the most intriguing discoveries was the genetic trace of European hunter-gatherers found in one individual from Djebba, Tunisia, dating to around 8,000 years ago. This suggests that early European and north African populations could interact via seafaring routes across the Strait of Sicily. Researchers have long known that cultural exchange took place across the Mediterranean. We see this from the spread of technologies such as the so-called pressure technique – a method of shaping stone tools by carefully applying force with a pointed implement rather than striking the stone directly. The discovery in Tunisia of obsidian (volcano glass) from Pantelleria, a small island in the Strait of Sicily, strengthens the link between the Mediterranean's northern and southern shores. Prehistoric wooden artefacts are seldom preserved over time. This may explain the absence of boat remains from this period in North Africa. However, dugout canoes from similar periods found in central Italy (Bracciano Lake) suggest that seafaring skills were well established around the Mediterranean. While there is no direct evidence linking these specific canoes to connections between Europe and North Africa, they support the idea that navigation was within the technological capabilities of the time. Our study is the first time the connections suggested by this existing evidence have been substantiated genetically. Read more: Another exciting aspect of our study is the identification of early Levantine (modern southwest Asia)-related ancestry in the eastern Maghreb. This was detected in human remains dated to around 6,800 years ago. It's a genetic signature that postdates the arrival of European farmer ancestry by several centuries. It likely reflects the movement of people associated with early pastoralism, who introduced domesticated animals, such as sheep and goats, to the region. It is especially rewarding to see the genetic evidence aligning with the archaeological record. This underscores the value of multidisciplinary research in uncovering past human dynamics. What emerges overall is a region of strong genetic and cultural resilience, consistent with archaeological evidence. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Giulio Lucarini, National Research Council (CNR) Read more: Taung child: the controversial story of the fossil discovery that proved humanity's common origins in Africa – podcast DNA detectives in Antarctica: probing 6,000 years of penguin poo for clues to the past 'Brain vitrification': new research shows how the Vesuvius eruption turned a man's brain to glass Giulio Lucarini receives funding for this study from the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) and ISMEO – International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies, Italy. He is affiliated with the National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Heritage Science (CNR-ISPC). This study resulted from a collaboration between the following institutions: Harvard University, USA; the Max Planck Institute, Germany; the National Research Council of Italy (CNR); the Institut National du Patrimoine (INP), Tunisia; the Centre National de Recherche Préhistorique, Anthropologique et Historique (CNRPAH), Algeria; the Institut de Paléontologie Humaine (IPH), France; the University of Vienna, Austria; Sapienza University of Rome, Italy; and ISMEO – International Association for Mediterranean and Oriental Studies, Italy.
