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Scroll.in
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
Morabo Morojele: The social and political drum beats of the Lesotho jazz musician
We use the term ' Renaissance man ' very loosely these days, for anybody even slightly multi-talented. But Lesotho-born jazz drummer, novelist and development scholar Morabo Morojele was the genuine article. He not only worked across multiple fields, but achieved impressively in all. Morojele died on May 20, aged 64. As a researcher into South African jazz, I encountered him initially through his impressive live performances. I was surprised to hear about his first novel and then – as a teacher of writing – bowled over by its literary power. Celebrating a life such as Morojele's matters, because a pan-African polymath like him cut against the grain of a world of narrow professional boxes, where borders are increasingly closing to 'foreigners'. This was a man who not only played the jazz changes, but wrote – and lived – the social and political ones. Economist who loved jazz Born on September 16, 1960 in Maseru, Lesotho, Morojele schooled at the Waterford Kamhlaba United World College in Swaziland (now Eswatini) before being accepted to study at the London School of Economics. In London in the early 1980s the young economics student converted his longstanding jazz drumming hobby into a professional side gig. There was a vibrant African diasporic music community, respected by and often sharing stages with their British peers. Morojele worked, among others, in the bands of South African drummer Julian Bahula and Ghanaian saxophonist George Lee. With Lee's outfit, Dadadi, he recorded Boogie Highlife Volume 1 in 1985. Studies completed and back in Lesotho, Morojele founded the small Afro-jazz group Black Market and later the trio Afro-Blue. He worked intermittently with other Basotho music groups including Sankomota, Drizzle and Thabure while building links with visiting South African artists. For them neighbouring Lesotho provided less repressive stages than apartheid South Africa. Morojele relocated to Johannesburg in 1995 and picked up his old playing relationship with Lee, by then also settled there. His drum prowess caught the eye of rising star saxophonist Zim Ngqawana. With bassist Herbie Tsoaeli and pianist Andile Yenana, he became part of the reedman's regular rhythm section. The three rhythm players developed a close bond and a distinctive shared vision, which led to their creating a trio and an independent repertoire. Later they were joined by saxophonist Sydney Mnisi and trumpeter Marcus Wyatt to form the quintet Voice. Voice was often the resident band at one of Johannesburg's most important post-liberation jazz clubs: the Bassline. Although the 1994-founded venue was just a cramped little storefront in a bohemian suburb, it provided a stage for an entire new generation of indigenous jazz and pan-African music in its nine years. Voice was an important part of that identity, which is particularly audible on their second recording. Play Morojele also recorded with South African jazz stars like Bheki Mseleku and McCoy Mrubata. He appeared on stage with everyone from Abdullah Ibrahim to Feya Faku. His drum sound had a tight, disciplined, almost classical swing, punctuated visually by kinetic energy, and sonically by hoarse, breathy vocalisations. Voice playing partner Marcus Wyatt recalls: 'The first time I played with you, I remember being really freaked out by those vocal sound effects coming from the drum kit behind me, but the heaviness of your swing far outweighed the heaviness of the grunting. That heavy swing was in everything you did – the way you spoke, the way you loved, the way you drank, the way you wrote, the way you lived your life.' Wyatt also recalls a gentle, humble approach to making music together, but spiced with sharp, unmuted honesty – 'You always spoke your mind' – and intense, intellectual after-show conversations about much more than music. Because Morojele had never abandoned his other life as a development scholar and consultant. He was travelling extensively and engaging with (and acutely feeling the hurt of) the injustices and inequalities of the world. Between those two vocations, a third was insinuating itself into the light: that of writer. The accidental writer He said in an interview: 'I came to writing almost by accident … I've always enjoyed writing (but) I never grew up thinking I was going to be a writer.' In 2006, after what he described in interviews as a series of false starts, he produced a manuscript that simply 'wrote itself'. How We Buried Puso starts with the preparations for a brother's funeral. The novel – set in Lesotho – reflects on the diverse personal and societal meanings of liberation in the 'country neighbouring' (South Africa) and at home. How new meanings for old practices are forged, and how the personal and the political intertwine and diverge. All set to Lesotho's lifela music. The book was shortlisted for the 2007 M-Net Literary Award. There was an 18-year hiatus before Morojele's second novel, 2023's The Three Egg Dilemma. Now that he was settled again in Lesotho, music was less and less a viable source of income, and development work filled his time. 'I suppose,' he said, 'I forgot I was a writer.' But, in the end, that book 'also wrote itself, because I didn't have an outline … it just became what it is almost by accident.' In 2022, a serious health emergency hit; he was transported to South Africa for urgent surgery. The Three Egg Dilemma, unfolding against an unnamed near-future landscape that could also be Lesotho, broadens his canvas considerably. The setting could as easily be any nation overtaken by the enforced isolation of a pandemic or the dislocation of civil war and military dictatorship, forcing individuals to rethink and re-make themselves. And complicated by the intervention of a malign ghost: a motif that Morojele said had been in his mind for a decade. For this powerful second novel, Morojele was joint winner of the University of Johannesburg Prize for South African writing in English. At the time of his death, he was working on his third fiction outing, a collection of short stories. Play Beauty of his work lives on Morojele's creative career was remarkable. What wove his three identities together – musician, development worker and writer – was his conscious, committed pan-Africanism and his master craftsman's skill with sound: the sound of his drums and the sound of his words as they rose off the page. Through his books, and his (far too few) recordings, that beauty lives with us still. Robala ka khotso (Sleep in peace). Gwen Ansell.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'Dark Peppa Pig' horror as fake YouTube videos target terrified kids
Twisted creators on YouTube are taking advantage of Peppa Pig's popularity, leaving children at risk of viewing inappropriate content. The platform removed two worrying examples after being contacted by The Mirror With its wholesome storylines documenting everyday family life, Peppa Pig is a children's TV staple. And there was much excitement recently when fans were treated to the arrival of a new member of the family - a baby girl piglet named Evie. But while the show itself is universally trusted by parents, watching it on YouTube can be a different matter. As a hugely popular cartoon for kids, Peppa Pig has been a target for twisted YouTube creators over the years. This week, a search by The Mirror found a clip called 'MLG Peppa Pig (PARODY)' within seconds, which showed the character holding a machine gun. Made eight years ago, it has been watched 18 million times. A second disturbing creation called 'Peppa does Drugs' showed the pig snorting cocaine. In response to our investigation, a YouTube spokesperson told us "We've removed both videos from YouTube and terminated a channel for violating our child safety policies, which we rigorously enforce. Neither of the videos shared by The Mirror have ever appeared in the YouTube Kids app, our recommended experience for younger viewers. "Our teams remain vigilant, and will continue to take further actions as needed." While YouTube maintains its main platform is not for children, research suggests 80 per cent of 3 to 17 year olds in the UK regularly watch it nonetheless, mainly on their phones and devices. The tech giant says it prohibits content targeting young minors and families, which contains inappropriate themes, with videos flagged and reviewed using a combination of human reviewers and AI. YouTube places age restrictions and warnings on graphic content that doesn't violate guidelines but is inappropriate for users under 18 years of age. Professor Sonia Livingstone, a social psychologist at the London School of Economics and expert on child online safety, told the BBC back in 2017: "It's perfectly legitimate for a parent to believe that something called Peppa Pig is going to be Peppa Pig. "And I think many of them have come to trust YouTube... as a way of entertaining your child for ten minutes while the parent makes a phone call. I think if it wants to be a trusted brand then parents should know that protection is in place." The so-called 'Dark Peppa' videos first surfaced in 2017, when an investigation by BBC Trending unearthed hundreds of YouTube videos that appeared to be episodes of Peppa Pig and Thomas the Tank Engine, but were actually parodies with inappropriate themes. One video appeared to be an episode of Peppa Pig featuring a dentist with a huge syringe. Peppa's teeth got pulled out, and distressed crying could be heard on the soundtrack in the fake clip. Parent and journalist Laura June stumbled across the episode when she was looking for something for her three-year-old daughter to watch on YouTube. "This is not like a video of an animated Peppa Pig getting high with Snoop Dogg (that is also available) made for adults to laugh at," she said. "These videos are for kids, intentionally injected into the stream via confusing tags, for them to watch instead of legit episodes of beloved shows." While some of the videos use the characters in more innocent ways, others appear to be deliberately designed to trick children into watching disturbing content. One channel called "Toys and Funny Kids Surprise Eggs" had a landing page with a picture of a toddler alongside official-looking pictures of Peppa Pig, Thomas the Tank Engine, the Cookie Monster, Mickey and Minnie Mouse and Elsa from Frozen. However, many of the videos on the channel at the time had titles like "BABY HULK BITES BABY ELSA", "NAKED HULK LOSES HIS PANTS" and "SPIDERBABY CUTS ELSA'S DRESS". Some of the darker ones also depict violence and frightening situations. YouTube said that users can flag any problematic content by clicking on the "... More" button underneath a video and clicking "Report". The BBC report led to the channels highlighted in the investigation being removed - including the one containing the video of fake Peppa visiting the dentist. The company also suggested that parents use the YouTube Kids app, which has a much higher bar for content allowed on the platform. Parents are able to block specific content, set the age level of videos and report videos. YouTube also blocks search queries that are vulnerable to returning mature results.
News18
3 days ago
- Business
- News18
Pakistan's New Crypto Czar Is A Social Star With Global Resume, But Can He Deliver Policy?
Last Updated: Bilal Bin Saqib, Pakistan's new crypto czar, brings an LSE degree, an MBE, and a Forbes 30 Under 30 tag. But the fanfare around his appointment feels more like PR than policy At a glitzy Las Vegas crypto summit, Bitcoin 2025, held from 27 to 29 May at the Venetian and attended by US Vice President JD Vance and a host of blockchain evangelists, a Pakistani delegate unveiled a novel idea: a government-backed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. The announcement made headlines, as did the man behind it. Bilal Bin Saqib, recently appointed as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, with the status of Minister of State., is not a bureaucrat or a financial expert. He is a London-bred social entrepreneur with a polished demeanour – and now, the face of Pakistan's most high-profile crypto push to date. Who Is Bilal Bin Saqib? An alumnus of the London School of Economics, Bilal first gained prominence during the Covid-19 pandemic for co-founding the 'One Million Meals' initiative, which provided over 100,000 meals to NHS workers and vulnerable communities in the UK. His efforts earned him an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). He was also featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Europe Social Impact category. Honoured to be appointed as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, with the status of Minister of is a responsibility I carry with sincerity, for our youth, our builders, and the future we want to shape. Pakistan… — Bilal bin Saqib MBE (@Bilalbinsaqib) May 28, 2025 In Pakistan, he co-founded Tayaba, a non-profit initiative to distribute 'H2O Wheels' in water-scarce rural areas, garnering attention for blending social innovation with grassroots action. More recently, he launched the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), a platform that advocates for crypto awareness. However, the PCC's work has largely been confined to media outreach and events. There is no public evidence of Bilal contributing to technical development, policy drafting, or institutional crypto governance. Until now, he has been more of a campaigner and public advocate than a policymaker. Why This Appointment Matters And Why It's Unusual Bilal's appointment to a Cabinet-rank advisory position comes as Pakistan attempts to signal its digital ambition to global investors. As Special Assistant on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, Bilal now holds ministerial status – a rare elevation for someone without a background in regulation, finance, or statecraft. Superficially, the appointment suggests an attempt to modernise governance with younger, internationally recognised voices. Yet, beneath the surface, it has raised concerns about whether such gestures translate into meaningful institutional change. The centrepiece of Bilal's early tenure is the announcement of Pakistan's Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, made on Wednesday during the Bitcoin 2025 conference. The reserve is pitched as a sovereign digital asset storehouse – a national crypto wallet to hold digital currencies already in state custody. The move is intended to signal Pakistan's long-term commitment to decentralised finance. Just days before the Vegas summit, Pakistan's finance ministry announced the allocation of 2,000 megawatts of surplus electricity for Bitcoin mining and AI data centres. The initiative, led by the Pakistan Crypto Council, aims to monetise unused energy capacity and position Pakistan as a future hub for digital infrastructure. Trumpworld And The American Tie-In The timing of Pakistan's crypto initiative closely followed US President Donald Trump's March 2025 executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a US Digital Asset Stockpile, seeded with Bitcoin seized in federal forfeitures. US Vice President JD Vance, who addressed the Las Vegas summit, has also positioned the administration as crypto-friendly. Pakistan's deal with World Liberty Financial (WLF) – a US-based crypto firm with reported ties to Trump allies – further suggests Islamabad's crypto pivot is taking cues from Washington's current rhetoric. According to Reuters, members of the Trump family – including Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Jared Kushner – reportedly hold a 60 per cent stake in WLF through an affiliated entity. However, whether this alignment results in meaningful outcomes remains unclear. Style Over Substance? Pakistan's crypto ambitions are expanding, but its institutional groundwork remains underdeveloped. The country lacks a comprehensive regulatory framework for virtual assets. Past policy reversals, FATF pressure, and legal ambiguities have made it a volatile environment for both investors and developers. Bilal's appointment, in this context, appears more focused on public image than practical reform. While his global profile may attract attention, it is uncertain whether he possesses the institutional authority, or policy experience, to drive structural change. Without robust regulatory architecture, initiatives like the Bitcoin Reserve risk being reduced to proof-of-concept exercises. The crucial tasks of compliance, legal coherence, and cross-border credibility remain largely unaddressed. top videos View all Conclusion Bilal Bin Saqib's rise is emblematic of a political culture that prioritises global image over substantive action. With his credentials, charisma, and communication skills, he is well-placed to narrate a story of digital transformation. But whether that narrative translates into institutional capacity, or remains confined to conference stages and social media threads, remains to be seen. First Published:
NDTV
3 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
"Good Days Are Over": Chinese Students After Trump's Crackdown On Visas
Beijing: Chinese students with offers from US universities expressed despair after Washington promised to start "aggressively" revoking Chinese student visas and ordered US missions abroad to stop scheduling new student visa appointments. If applied to a broad segment of the 277,000 Chinese students already at US colleges, the move could disrupt a major source of income for universities and a crucial pipeline of talent for US technology companies as the Trump administration pursues its hardline immigration agenda. "It's pretty absurd. It doesn't seem like something that should happen these days. I scrolled social media and felt quite anxious seeing other people's reactions," said Chen, 22, who has a postgraduate offer to study a humanities subject from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "Although my major is not sensitive, my visa application process hasn't started yet and my course begins in early August." Chen, who lives in the southwestern megacity of Chengdu, is prepared to defer her studies for a term if the visa doesn't come through in time. She preferred not to share her full name for privacy reasons. "If I really can't go to the US, I may take up an offer from the UK's London School of Economics," she said. Reuters reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asked his department to pause the scheduling of student visa appointments until the department issues updated guidance on social media vetting of applicants. The news set off a wave of confusion and despair on China's Instagram-like platform RedNote, as incoming students scrambled to book the last remaining visa interview slots and others complained that they could no longer book. Wu said she stayed up until 3 a.m. on Wednesday frantically refreshing the webpage until she managed to snag a precious mid-June interview slot at the US Consulate in Shanghai. "At nearly midnight I saw the news and immediately started booking, the page crashed several times," she told Reuters. The 29-year-old biology student, who preferred not to share her full name for privacy reasons, has an offer from the University of Minnesota Duluth and no back-up plan if her visa is rejected. The cable, signed by Rubio, said previously scheduled appointments may proceed but did not specify when the interview booking system would resume. Nor did Rubio specify when the visa revocations would begin. "The Department's scheduling of nonimmigrant visa interview appointments is dynamic," a State Department spokesperson said in response to Reuters' questions about the suspension of appointments. "Visa applicants may continue to submit applications. Consular sections constantly adjust their schedules to allow for sufficient time to fully vet the cases before them." The spokesperson added that the Trump administration was focused on "upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process." Running out of time The announcement comes at a critical period in the international student application process, as many young people prepare to travel to the US in August to find accommodation and settle in before term starts. "I was super looking forward to starting my university life but then all this happened," said a Beijing high school senior with a media studies offer from Ohio State University, who declined to give her name for privacy reasons. "I still need 1-2 months to apply for my visa, term starts soon and I have no time left, it's really a disaster out of nowhere and really unfair to international students." In their posts on RedNote, a few Chinese social media users also reported additional scrutiny of their listed social media accounts from US consular officials during visa interviews this week. In Beijing, the foreign ministry condemned the measures against Chinese students and said it had lodged protests with the US "The US side, using ideology and national security as an excuse, irrationally revoked Chinese international student visas," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing on Thursday. "Its politically discriminatory practices pierce through the so-called freedom of speech it has always flaunted, this will only further damage its international image and reputation." China is also at the epicentre of Trump's global trade war that has roiled financial markets, upended supply chains and fuelled risks of a global economic downturn. The decision to cancel Chinese student visas is happening despite a recent pause in the US-China trade dispute. International students - 54% of them from India and China - contributed more than $50 billion to the US economy in 2023, according to the US Department of Commerce. "It is superpower suicide to stop the best foreign minds from coming to the United States and using their talents to propel American prosperity and technological advantage," Rush Doshi, a former Biden administration China official and assistant professor at Georgetown University, wrote on X on Wednesday. "The iron fist has come down," wrote an anonymous Chinese PhD student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison on RedNote on Thursday. "The good days are over and a new round of hard times will begin for international students."
AsiaOne
3 days ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
'Good days are over': Chinese students despair as US cracks down on visas, World News
BEIJING — Chinese students with offers from US universities expressed despair after Washington promised to start "aggressively" revoking Chinese student visas and ordered US missions abroad to stop scheduling new student visa appointments. If applied to a broad segment of the 277,000 Chinese students already at US colleges, the move could disrupt a major source of income for universities and a crucial pipeline of talent for US technology companies as the Trump administration pursues its hardline immigration agenda. "It's pretty absurd. It doesn't seem like something that should happen these days. I scrolled social media and felt quite anxious seeing other people's reactions," said Chen, 22, who has a postgraduate offer to study a humanities subject from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "Although my major is not sensitive, my visa application process hasn't started yet and my course begins in early August." Chen, who lives in the southwestern megacity of Chengdu, is prepared to defer her studies for a term if the visa doesn't come through in time. She preferred not to share her full name for privacy reasons. "If I really can't go to the US, I may take up an offer from the UK's London School of Economics," she said. Reuters reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio asked his department to pause the scheduling of student visa appointments until the department issues updated guidance on social media vetting of applicants. The news set off a wave of confusion and despair on China's Instagram-like platform RedNote, as incoming students scrambled to book the last remaining visa interview slots and others complained that they could no longer book. Wu said she stayed up until 3am on Wednesday frantically refreshing the webpage until she managed to snag a precious mid-June interview slot at the US Consulate in Shanghai. "At nearly midnight I saw the news and immediately started booking, the page crashed several times," she told Reuters. The 29-year-old biology student, who preferred not to share her full name for privacy reasons, has an offer from the University of Minnesota Duluth and no back-up plan if her visa is rejected. The cable, signed by Rubio, said previously scheduled appointments may proceed but did not specify when the interview booking system would resume. Nor did Rubio specify when the visa revocations would begin. "The Department's scheduling of nonimmigrant visa interview appointments is dynamic," a State Department spokesperson said in response to Reuters' questions about the suspension of appointments. "Visa applicants may continue to submit applications. Consular sections constantly adjust their schedules to allow for sufficient time to fully vet the cases before them." The spokesperson added that the Trump administration was focused on "upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process". Running out of time The announcement comes at a critical period in the international student application process, as many young people prepare to travel to the US in August to find accommodation and settle in before term starts. "I was super looking forward to starting my university life but then all this happened," said a Beijing high school senior with a media studies offer from Ohio State University, who declined to give her name for privacy reasons. "I still need one to two months to apply for my visa, term starts soon and I have no time left, it's really a disaster out of nowhere and really unfair to international students." In their posts on RedNote, a few Chinese social media users also reported additional scrutiny of their listed social media accounts from US consular officials during visa interviews this week. In Beijing, the foreign ministry condemned the measures against Chinese students and said it had lodged protests with the US. "The US side, using ideology and national security as an excuse, irrationally revoked Chinese international student visas," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing on Thursday. "Its politically discriminatory practices pierce through the so-called freedom of speech it has always flaunted, this will only further damage its international image and reputation." China is also at the epicentre of Trump's global trade war that has roiled financial markets, upended supply chains and fuelled risks of a global economic downturn. The decision to cancel Chinese student visas is happening despite a recent pause in the US-China trade dispute. International students — 54 per cent of them from India and China — contributed more than US$50 billion (S$64.5 billion) to the US economy in 2023, according to the US Department of Commerce. "It is superpower suicide to stop the best foreign minds from coming to the United States and using their talents to propel American prosperity and technological advantage," Rush Doshi, a former Biden administration China official and assistant professor at Georgetown University, wrote on X on Wednesday. "The iron fist has come down," wrote an anonymous Chinese PhD student at the University of Wisconsin, Madison on RedNote on Thursday. "The good days are over and a new round of hard times will begin for international students." [[nid:718361]]
