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IOL News
19-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
The political parallels of Trump and Shylock in 'The Merchant of Venice'
Ramaphosa should go no further than only saying 'I do' to the laws he signed and not give an inch beyond for the 49 Afrikaners who were Trump's flagship and pound of flesh have a Portia 'not a drop of blood' addendum to them as Trump tries to cut his pound of flesh. Image: AFP The second coming of Trump on the political platform of the United States with his arse open for would be wiling lickers reminds me of Shylock, the money lender in the Merchant of Venice. But the book comes with entertaining memories. In 1969 at the age of twelve I was in the seventh year of schooling and a year shy away from sitting for the exit exams that would qualify me to enter the five year duration of secondary and high school study. In my class were some distinguished veteran scholars who were aged 25 and 26 years respectively. These veterans had been on it from the day my eldest brother who is thirteen years older than myself set foot in school. They had been in class with each of my four siblings subsequently and ultimately myself. I was the last to share experience of studying with them. Our set book was The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare the greatest author of literature. Those who read the work of Shakespeare will know how complex it is to read it. It comes deep with Victorian English of thou and shalt and third person expressions and long complex sentences. In the 20th Century Shakesperean writing appear akin to English. It is not easy to read. By way of background Shylock, the Jew was a shrewd money lender and between himself and Antonio, a wealthy merchant, there was no love lost. Antonio had his dear friend Bassanio, who needed money. Antonio borrowed money from his worst enemy. A bond was signed for the money and Antonio offered a pound of flesh that would be cut from his left breast should the money fail to be delivered on the day. Shylock would perform the act of slicing out the pound of flesh. A sure death sentence to his enemy, Antonio. As fate would have it, Antonio's fleet of ships could not arrive on time and Shylock sought justice. But even as the ships arrived, but late, Shylock would have none of it but wanted justice - his pound of flesh. We had to act play the Merchant of Venice and often the teacher will nominate those who should read. The veterans were always reluctant to do so given the complexity of the English and the Shakespearean structure. On this afternoon, we had to act play Chapter 4 from page 88 and surprise, surprise Mrs Mabusa asked for volunteers this time around. One of the veterans raised his hand and Pinkie Motloha who was seated next to me and I started giggling, so was the rest of the class burst in laughter in anticipation. And we raised our hands too. But the order of selection was by who raised their hands first. The veteran was first. You see page 88 starts with two short sentences and subsequent ones are massive paragraphs. The veteran volunteered himself to be Antonio. At that the giggles turned into massive laughter because not only does Antonio answer with a short sentence of 'I do' when Portia the lawyer asks, 'Do you confess this bond?' but that is the only utterance Antonio he makes in the whole section. Of course, after regaling the court with sentences that were appealing to Shylock and the Jew was getting ready for his pound of flesh, Portia made the most devastating sentence to Shylock – not a drop of blood should be shed. The Duke affirmed the legal standing of that ordering Shylock to cut one and only a pound and no blood shed. Shylock was about to collapse as he forfeited not only the pound of flesh but the money that was borrowed. Perhaps when asked about the laws he signed, Ramaphosa should go no further than only saying 'I do' to the laws he signed and not give an inch beyond for the 49 Afrikaners who were Trump's flagship and pound of flesh have a Portia 'not a drop of blood' addendum to them as Trump tries to cut his pound of flesh. This is the 'no drop of blood addendum.' Whilst South African government has performed very badly on the economy, crime, corruption and everything else. They have not lied about the facts as these are not only in the reports of the Statistician-General, they are also in our faces. What is also in our faces regarding these numbers is the fact that Whites only have a 6.5% unemployment rate, a mere 2 percentage points above the US unemployment of 4.3 %. This is a far cry from the 43% unemployment rate of the Blacks. The data of the Statistician-General shows that 73% of Whites are in the fifth quintile as opposed to only 13.7% amongst Blacks. Of course, duplicity ridden Trump will turn the tables against Ramaphosa and question his governance over poverty of the Black. He may well justify the massive inequality gap as one leaving Whites with no option but to fear for the greedy eyes of Blacks over White god given accumulation. He may well ask for guarantees. Ramaphosa has to stick to 'yes I do' regarding the bills he signed into law. No more no less. He should leave Trump's arse to trump. Dr Pali Lehohla is a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, a Research Associate at Oxford University, and a distinguished Alumni of the University of Ghana. He is the former Statistician-General of South Africa. Dr Pali Lehohla is a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, among other hats. Image: Supplied BUSINESS REPORT
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ADL report says antisemitism in Western Mass. included vandalism, slurs
The Anti-Defamation League said it recorded 47 incidents of antisemitic incidents in the three counties that make up the Pioneer Valley in 2024. 'There's vandalism. We certainly saw a lot of that in those (western) counties,' said Samantha Joseph, ADL's regional director for New England, 'including a swastika drawn on the whiteboard of a dorm of a Jewish student at UMass Amherst.' They were part of the 438 incidents last year across Massachusetts the organization noted in its audit of antisemitic incidents in New England, which was released last week. Although the local numbers are much lower, so are both the general population and the Jewish population. And the rate of increase in reported incidents from 2023 is higher in Western Massachusetts than in the east, according to Joseph. She also mentioned two incidents of graffiti celebrating Hamas, which the United States has designated as a terrorist organization, at UMass. At Smith College in Northampton, someone ripped a mezuzah — a small scroll containing a passage from the Torah — from a student's doorpost and drew a swastika on the door. About half the incidents reported in Western Massachusetts were off-campus, however. One individual in Agawam reported being called a 'hooked-nosed money-grubbing Jew,' a 'Shylock' and another anti-Jewish slur. In Hadley, a person reported a coworker stating that 'Jewish bloodsuckers run (the) world' and hoping that all Jews would be killed. None of the 2024 incidents the ADL reported in the Pioneer Valley included physical harm. In Massachusetts as a whole, there were five physical assaults, including one with a weapon, and 17 bomb threats. The ADL's annual audits, which began in 1979, show that 2024 was a record-breaking year for antisemitic incidents in New England, but the biggest increase came between 2022 and 2023, coinciding with the Hamas attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in the Gaza Strip. 'One trend that's taking place across the country, that we're certainly seeing here in Massachusetts, is, for the first time ever, more than 50% of the incidents we track are somehow related to Israel. That shifted as a result of the Oct. 7 attacks,' Joseph said. She said the ADL audit only includes incidents where people or organizations are targeted for their Jewish identity. Criticism of Israel that does not refer to Jewish religion or ethnicity would not meet the ADL's definition of antisemitism. State Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, co-chair of the state's Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism, called the rise in incidents 'truly so sickening,' but added that after almost nine months hearing testimony and reading reports, he 'wasn't surprised' at the statistics. 'My surprise is at those folks who are surprised,' Velis said. 'In this commission, I have had any number of folks testify and reach out to us and, in essence, try to downplay antisemitism and where it's coming from, and how frequent it is. Even when you give them numbers that demonstrably show the opposite, you still have these folks who don't want to admit what is right in front of them.' Velis, who is not Jewish, said he began advocating for the creation of this commission after a conversation with a mother in his district who said her 8-year-old daughter 'was afraid to say they were Jewish' because of antisemitic comments she had heard at school. 'The first time she said that, I did a double-take,' Velis said. 'Because the (Jewish) population is less out here … this is something that for a long time, we didn't have to deal with. Little did we know this was going on here in our backyard.' Velis said another conversation he had recently drove home the point that these incidents aren't confined to college campuses, and the fight against hate has to start at an earlier age. A seventh grader in his district, Velis said, 'had been on the receiving end of an abundance of antisemitic incidents. The one thing this kid told me was, look, I am absolutely convinced that so many of the kids that are participating in this, they have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. Most (lessons) involving antisemitism and the Holocaust begin in earnest, if at all, in high school. Antisemitism is rearing its head earlier than high school. What this kid said to me was, we need to start with this education long before high school.' Velis said the commission has focused much of its efforts, so far, on examining antisemitic incidents in K-12 schools. Over the past week he heard testimony at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and then at Harvard, as the commission pivots to a look at higher education. Future hearings will center on antisemitism in law enforcement, in the arts and in business. He said the number of people who have provided testimony to the commission easily runs into the thousands. Velis said the hearings are scheduled to last three to six hours but always have more speakers than available time. The commission also accepts written submissions, and some people reach out directly to commission members. Though both co-chairs of the commission are Democrats — the other is state Rep. Simon Cataldo of Concord — Velis said antisemitism is a problem across the political spectrum. He said he's fighting against partisan blind spots on both sides. 'When someone is on the right, politically, they recognize antisemitism only when it's on the left,' Velis said. 'And when someone's on the left, they only want to talk about antisemitism as it relates to white supremacy on the right.' He drew a sharp distinction between the goals of his commission and the approach to antisemitism taken by the Trump administration, which has deported immigrants and canceled federal grants to universities because of anti-Israel protests on campus. 'The First Amendment is a bedrock principle,' said Velis, who is a lawyer and an Army veteran. 'I've had friends who died protecting the First Amendment.' He said the commission's recommendations, which are due Nov. 30, will likely include changes on how the history of genocide and racial hate is taught in schools, including a role for the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to review local curriculums and ensure they do not include 'antisemitic material, or Islamophobic material, or fill in the blank, any hate material.' Velis said his commission plans to have at least one more public hearing in Western Massachusetts, though the date and place have not yet been set. Those wishing to submit written testimony to the commission can email scca@ he said. The ADL encourages those who experience or observe antisemitic and other hate incidents to report them, so that victims can receive help and so that lawmakers and nonprofits can understand the scope of the problem. Incidents can be reported at Chicopee crash leaves victim seriously injured Repair of Springfield's Gerena School tunnel moves forward after delay Upcoming Election for Forbes Library Board of Trustees Will the long-closed Victory Theater in Holyoke ever re-open? Read the original article on MassLive.
Express Tribune
30-03-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Beyond the patriarchy
In the Shakespeare play 'The Merchant of Venice' the character Shylock highlighted societal discrimination: 'If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?' The prevalent gender inequality in Pakistan, in the words of Shakespeare, owes to societal discrimination. The gender disparity in Pakistan is abominable. Women alongside transgenders are being treated unequally on multifaceted grounds: social, political and economic. There is also a growing gap in employment opportunities owing to the glass ceiling. Concomitantly, women in politics remain on the back foot and get elected on quota. Similarly, the lack of health facilities has increased the mortality rate of mothers and children. Therefore, the impacts of gender inequality are immense. Gender-based violence is one of them and it continues to haunt marginalised gender in Pakistan. Pakistan's rating on the Gender Parity Index speaks volumes about gender inequality; Pakistan stands at 142 out of 146 countries (2023). The question arises as to why there is such an inordinate figure in the context, despite Pakistan's strong commitment to adhere to democratic norms. A worm's eye view of Pakistan's patriarchal society helps in answering it. Patriarchy prevails from bottom to top in all spheres and is deeply ingrained in society, further posing serious challenges in overcoming gender inequality. However, not all is lost. Gender inequality can be abated. The silver lining lies in farsightedness. The panacea to this discrimination lies in pragmatism; pragmatism lies in smart choices; and smart choice lies in absolute compliance with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals i.e. SDGs. Concerted efforts are required to abolish patriarchy, empower women and achieve gender parity – for us to rise as a nation. Ramsha Ashraf Islamabad
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former Eastenders star in critically acclaimed production this week
Following two triumphant West End season and a sold-out UK tour, Tracy-Ann Oberman (EastEnders, Doctor Who, Friday Night Dinner), has reprised her starring role as the first British actress to play Shylock in the critically acclaimed production of The Merchant of Venice 1936. She stars at Fareham Live until Saturday. With the city on the brink of political unrest, fascism sweeping across Europe and Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists threatening a paramilitary march through the Jewish East End, strong-willed single mother Shylock runs a pawnbroking business from her house in Cable Street where Mosley will march. (Image: Marc Brenner)READ MORE:Influential figure on the city's music scene to move on after 25 years Tracy-Ann Oberman said: "Demand has been so high that I feel bringing it back is essential. "The message of my female Shylock - based on my Great Grandma, a widow in the East End standing up to Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists, with all her neighbours and others horrified by the message of BUF - feels more pertinent than ever. "The play is about unity, standing together against hatred and the play's impact has been beyond my wildest hopes and ambitions for it.' Tickets from
