The radical birth keeper

A celebration of South African traditional music and a giant of the genre: Dizu Plaatjies became famous as the founder of the 1980s band Amampondo when it toured the world during apartheid, bringing indigenous sounds and African music and melodies to European audiences. Now 63, the son of a Pondoland sangoma is performing his third act of life as a teacher and maker of indigenous instruments. Carte Blanche honours the keeper of ancient music as a Professor at the University of Cape Town where he manages a course in traditional musical performance, passing on the gift of playing to young, urban women.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟰 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮 The stage was set: The Springbok A rugby side was facing a dangerous French Barbarians team at the spectacular Moses Mabhida stadium in Durban. It was billed as a clash of titans that would be played in front of an army of chanting spectators. But the stadium was empty… Alarmed, avid rugby supporter and patriot, Chulumanco Macingwane, made a few calls that would ultimately birth a new movement: the Gwijo Squad. The concept was simple: bring together a group of sports fans who would raise the roof at stadiums across the country. Now, almost a thousand strong, the Gwijo Squad is singing its way into the hearts of sports lovers. Your favourite episodes are now available on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟰 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮. Why are we here? Are we alone? How did it all begin? Last Christmas the James Webb Space Telescope was launched into space on a 10-year mission to help find those answers. The size of a school bus, Webb is the successor to the legendary Hubble Space Telescope. Six times larger and a hundred times more powerful, its infrared view of the universe has already heralded the most exquisite pictures of the earliest galaxies and the birth and death of stars. Carte Blanche gets lost in these first stunning images of colliding galaxies and exoplanets with atmospheres that, tantalisingly, could sustain life.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟴 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭. 𝘜𝘗𝘋𝘈𝘛𝘌: 𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘠𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘻 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘕𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘻'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘥. Last year, we investigated the allegations made by several young mothers that the delivery of their babies at the birthing home of one of Pretoria’s foremost midwives had gone wrong. A handful of women submitted complaints to the South African Nursing Council (SANC), the government body responsible for registering midwives and assuring their qualifications. As SANC prepares to investigate and hear evidence on the professional conduct of midwife Yolande Maritz from You & Me birthing home, Carte Blanche speaks to several more women who reached out after our first exposé in October. While Maritz steadfastly denies all adverse claims against her practice and conduct, we ask what led to the birth injuries and deaths of these babies. Your favourite episodes are now available on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv