The dilemma of accounting for race, class and equity in admission to university education is not a new one and yet, it remains a heated debate and an unsolved problem to this day. The grey surrounding this dilemma far outweigh the proverbial black and white areas. This study argues that the equity dilemma may have a great deal to do with the way access is granted into university. It aims to offer actionable alternatives to the debate surrounding this dilemma, i.e. should access be granted – in an attempt to redress past inequalities – on the basis of race or class? By focussing solely on race and/or class, the underlying signals of agency and resilience in students who work against disadvantage may be misread and even, at times, thrive in the face thereof. 

In the 1980s South Africa was subjected to cultural embargo. However, at the height of the embargo, Paul Simon went against the political climate of the day and mounted a cross-cultural, multinational music project called Graceland. Although South African popular music can facilitate the prosperity of musicians, only few musicians have succeeded in fostering this aspect. Using popular music and pop culture Afrocentrism as frameworks, this study analyses the Graceland project in the context of the South African popular music of the 1980s.

The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, mandates the state to take practical and positive measures to elevate the status and the use of indigenous languages. The implementation of this pronouncement resulted in a growing demand for specialised translations in fields like technology, science, commerce, law and finance. The lack of terminology and resources such as specialised bilingual dictionaries in indigenous languages, particularly isiXhosa remains a growing concern that hinders the translation and the intellectualisation of isiXhosa. A growing number of African scholars affirm the importance of specialised dictionaries in the African languages as tools for language and terminology development so that African languages can be used in the areas of science and technology.