Luke Waltham

This opinion piece was originally written by Luke Waltham and published in Die Matie. You can read the original piece here . South Africa’s 25 th  State of the Nation address (“SONA”) took place last night and it faced mixed reactions from the South African population, in general. President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his speech which included a lengthy list of promises and plans to safeguard and improve South Africa’s economy and the livelihood of all South Africans. However, many of his plans may be too idealistic and difficult to implement. The current social situation Ramaphosa began his speech with a brief summary of South Africa in its current social context and the questions that we, as South Africans, should be asking ourselves. The questions focused on whether all South Africans are equal and able to “enjoy their rights to life, dignity and liberty,” and also whether we have been able to build a society where “injustices of the past no longer define the lives of the...

This article was originally written by Luke Waltham and published on Celeb Mix. You can read the original article here . BTS – The Grammy Takeover has begun The Grammy Awards show is regarded as one of the most prestigious award shows in the world, and BTS has  been invited ! But wait, not only have they been invited, but they have also been asked to be presenters! This is a role given to stars who present one of the Grammy’s top awards to a winner. This is a major opportunity for any celebrity, artist or individual as it shows that the Recording Academy has recognised BTS as a key role player in the music industry. Although BTS may not be nominated for one of the main awards, their album has been  nominated for “Best Recording Package”, which is still an important award and notable feat to have. Last year, BTS was  invited  to have “a conversation” at the Grammy Museum. Here, the global icons explained the message of their music, their talents, and behi...

This article was written by Luke Waltham and was originally published on Gay Star News. You can read the original piece here . LGBTI celebrities, politicians and influencers play major roles in the fight for equality Stonewall 50: Queer celebrities help normalize queerness and break down 'structural views of homophobia' It’s been 50 years since the Stonewall Riots, a vital event which launched the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Today, we have seen many victories for  equality and the empowerment  of queer people worldwide. Major role players in helping to empower the queer community are members of the LGBTQ+ community who are celebrities, politicians and influencers. They represent the  LGBTQ+ community  in many spaces such as Hollywood, government, the music industry and life, in general. 50 years later, it is important to acknowledge the role of queer celebrities and why they mean so much to fans and young people, especially in the fight for equality. Cel...

This article was originally written by Luke Waltham and published on Celeb Mix. You can read the original article here . A Jin Takeover on Social Media BTS and ARMY came together to celebrate BTS member, Kim Seokjin’s birthday in a true Jin-like fashion! After the Melon Music Awards, ARMYs were stunned to see the connection between the visual footage of the Fake Love performance and how it linked to a cult. Therefore, to add some fun to it, a group of ARMYs decided to start Jincult, a movement where ARMYs would change their profile pictures and cover images to the same, interesting photo of Jin, and would begin using Jin puns and his renowned dad jokes. This movement gained massive traction and soon, the majority of BTSARMY were involved including a few journalists such as Liam McEwan and Ikran! ARMYs would call themselves “Jin” and were sharing tweets, photos, videos and jokes about Kim Seokjin, all in good humour. Perhaps what topped it all off, was when BTS’s official ...

This opinion piece was originally written by Luke Waltham, Paul Joubert and Priyanka Govender and was published on iLizwi. You can read the original piece here . On “Victimhood”:  the Realities and Fictions O On 16th November 2018, an  opinion piece  by Mariné Bothma was published on Netwerk24. In this piece, Bothma attributes the emphasis on transformation and inclusivity on campus to students’ unwillingness to adapt to difficult situations. While she fails to name or characterise the group perpetuating the victimhood culture, it takes no stretch of imagination to know she is referring to people of colour, along with other marginalised groups. The iLizwi team felt compelled to respond to Bothma’s article because of the growing popularity of her line of argument on South African campuses. We used the opportunity to elucidate why marginalised groups rightfully express outrage at being consistently characterised as lacking in logic and accountability for their l...

This opinion piece was originally written by Luke Waltham and published on iLizwi. You can read the original piece here . Mental Health Needs to be Prioritised on our Campuses,  2.0 A year later and nothing has changed – the deadly crisis is still developing on our campus with little to nothing being done. Due to the nature of mental illnesses and the situation on university campuses, this piece may be triggering to some. In November 2017, I wrote a rather scathing article for the  Huffington Post , expressing the extremity of the mental health crisis on our campuses in South Africa. Since that piece, nothing has changed in terms of structural or policy reformation to solve the dire situation that Stellenbosch University’s students and staff members are in, and the situation will only worsen if we do not act now. The “Best Time of Your Life” Student life is often referred to as the “best time of your lives” because of the sudden apparent independence, freedom t...

This article was originally written by Luke Waltham and published on Celeb Mix. You can read the original article here . BTS ARMY Made a Difference for Jimin’s Birthday ARMYs continue to be inspired and motivated by BTS to make a difference, and once again, they have achieved uplifting, heartwarming results! A project organised by  One In An ARMY  and  Jimin Global  launched a charity project called #FlowWithJimin. This project encouraged ARMYs to donate money to Mind Leaps, an organisation that helps impoverished, underprivileged children in countries that are still recovering from past conflicts. Mind Leaps prioritises education, and finds creative ways to teach young children to learn academic content such as dancing. The project lasted throughout the month of October, which ARMYs refer to as Jimin’s month, since Park Jimin’s birthday is on the 13th October. In addition to this, One In An ARMY stated that the project not only raised a lot of money for th...