Luke Waltham

This opinion piece was originally published by Luke Waltham on Medium. You can read the original piece here . Factionalism: It can make or break a political party The rise of factionalism in political parties can determine their success or failure in governance and gaining support Political parties are well known for their feuds and ideological, political battles. This external political activity is widely reported and can assist a lot in growing or decreasing a political party’s support base. However, the internal politics of a political party plays a massive role too in determining the leadership, power and image of a political party. The rise of factionalism in political parties can determine their success or failure in governance and gaining support, and with the recent campaigns in the ANC for their next national leader, it is important to note the effects that factions in a political party can have. On the one hand of factionalism, it can definitely be beneficial to...

This opinion piece was originally published by Luke Waltham on Medium. You can read the original piece here . Why BTS’s performance at the AMAs is so important A new era in the music industry has begun and it is one of diversity, integration and change. The 2017 American Music Awards was definitely a brilliant awards show with various artists winning well deserved awards, great speeches being made, and, of course, iconic, historical performances. The name that was on everyone’s minds and mouths during the awards show was “BTS,” a global K-Pop sensation group who were invited to perform at the AMAs. Whether you are an ARMY, like myself, or not, there is no doubt that BTS’s performance at the American Music Awards, and their consequent takeover of the American media for the last few weeks are going to have a historical, powerful effect on the music industry for years to come. And, it is something that is definitely needed. Before BTS even performed at the AMAs, they were al...

This opinion piece was originally published by Luke Waltham on Medium. You can read the original piece here . Why the bisexual community needs more attention Bisexual individuals face many forms of marginalization, discrimination and issues that need to be discussed and resolved. The LGBTQ+ community, as a whole, faces a lot of persecution, unfairness and injustices on a day-to-day basis. The sad reality is that each particular group within the community faces different struggles and challenges. If we look at the bisexual community, we realise that society, in general, neglects and disregards the problems that bisexual individuals have to deal with. It is this inaction which further worsens the situations that bisexual people are in. Thus, it is paramount that discussions begin and people come together to find solutions to the various difficulties that the bisexual community faces. An interesting statistic which various surveys and research projects have conducted and found,...

This blog piece was originally published by Luke Waltham on Medium. You can read the original piece here . Reflection: A month being an ARMY A reflection piece about being a fanboy of BTS and being a member of their beautiful family known as ARMY Wow! What a month it has been! For the last 4–5 weeks, I have been a part of, perhaps one of the most diverse, supportive and uplifting fandoms that has ever existed, A.R.M.Y! This has been an emotional, energetic thrill ride of fanboying BTS, loving who they are, what they stand for and getting to know and love the fans who love and support them too. These last few weeks have been incredible and there is no doubt that as I continue being a part of this beautiful family, so much more is to come in the future! As I previously stated in a  blog piece  about BTS, I was introduced to BTS just before exams when I was not doing so well mentally and emotionally. University and life, in general, have both been quite challengi...

This blog post was originally written by Luke Waltham for HuffPost SA. You can read the original piece here . Mental Health Needs To Be Prioritised On Our Campuses At the University of Cape Town, six students have died from "unnatural causes" which have been linked to depression and mental health issues. Being a student at university and living the "student life" is considered to be one of the best times of a person's life because they are free and independent at a university. Yes, there are definitely a lot of perks and fun moments for students, but what is not discussed enough is the extreme pressure that is placed on them. In fact, there is a lack of awareness of mental health on university campuses in South Africa, and worldwide. This has resulted in debilitating, abhorrent stories and  statistics  regarding the number of students who suffer from mental health issues and is thus, something that needs to be spoken about and dealt with. For any uni...

This opinion piece was originally published by Luke Waltham on Medium. You can read the original piece here . BTS and its successes BTS continues to reach new heights after new achievements and records are broken and announced each week This past week has been an exceptionally busy and exciting one for ARMYs, the fandom (or family) of BTS, after many news reports and announcements were made regarding BTS visiting the USA and taking part in a number of talkshows, performing at the AMAs and collaborating on a remix of one of their tracks! This comes after a very upsetting time for ARMYs when many of ARMYs’ votes for BTS to win numerous awards were deleted by MNet MAMA’s voting technician team. The first exciting news that was announced was made by the American Music Awards that BTS is going to be performing on the main stage at their  awards show ! This is wonderful news to hear as it will be BTS’s first live performance on Western television. They will definitely be p...

This interview was originally published by Luke Waltham on Medium. You can read the original interview here . Interview with Twitter trendsetter Karabo Mokgoko Social media, especially Twitter, has become a vital part of our daily lives. It plays a formidable in discussing various topics, spreading awareness and keeping us up to date with the news. Social media has created a space for people such as Karabo Mokgoko to find their passion and engage with other social media users. Karabo Mokgoko is a well-known trendsetter on Twitter. She uses social media to inspire and convey powerful messages to her followers by motivating them and discussing various things such as fashion, beauty, photography, gadgets, music, and politics. She currently has over 1 million followers on twitter (@Karabo_Mokgogo) and she runs a successful website too which you can visit  here . I had the opportunity to interview her and ask a couple of questions that may benefit other South African s...