The Real Network The Ma(i)de Sessions

The Ma(i)de Sessions

Domestic workers and cleaners occupy a unique position in a society. They are simultaneously the most ubiquitous and invisible among us. They are ever-present in our personal, professional and public spaces but often go largely undetected. These women have the potential to be the most powerful and astute social commentators as they hold a mirror to ourselves, to our children, and to our fellow citizens. Be a fly on the wall as we gain their unique perspectives on an interesting range of matters that characterise South African society.
Weekly English South Africa Society & Culture · Health & Fitness
69 Episodes
24 – 44

Innocent Creative

It’s one thing to want to pursue a career you can get a degree in that your parents don’t quite approve of, like art history or theatre arts. It’s no coincidence that both of those examples have the word ‘art’ in it. Now imagine explaining to your parents that you…
20 Apr 2017 41 min

Redress through Dress

The Nocebo effect, as panellist Timothy Maurice rightfully pointed out, is when a negative expectation of a phenomenon or experience causes it to have a more negative effect than it otherwise should. Sometimes if we expect to be judged in the clothes that we wear, we will feel judged, even…
13 Apr 2017 1 hr 15 min

Our Urban Glitch

Urban design is, simply put, about public space: the spaces that we share. What we are comfortable to share is a reflection of the type of people that we are. Others learn about us through our public spaces. Apartheid spatial planning designed hostile and exclusive public spaces. The only thing…
23 Mar 2017 42 min

International Women's Day Special

To extend the International Women's Day celebrations from yesterday, The Ma(i)de Sessions dug up some good ol' inspiring moments of womanhood throughout the shows to date and as you can imagine, there are plenty! The ladies have somehow managed to narrow it down to 5 moments; 5 whole moments that's…
9 Mar 2017 27 min

The Ma(i)de Sessions - Broken Home: Curse or Opportunity?

Innocent and Koketso are 21 year old twins. They have only known each other for a month. Innocent, a boy, lived with their mother and Koketso, a girl, lived with their father, with only one of them aware that the other exists. Innocent was told that his father had died…
2 Mar 2017 43 min

The Wage to Live

Nigel "the white guy they don't want you to know about" Branken discusses how he got to pay a living wage, rather than the minimum wage to his then domestic worker, Loice. He helps us understand how this is no small feat, by tying into what we've come to know…
23 Feb 2017 1 hr 02 min

The Help: Review Part 2

The ladies round up their impressions on The Help - the movie that tracks the journey of Skeeter, a young white female writer determined to write something meaningful with the courageous black maids in her town of Jackson, Mississippi in 1962.
16 Feb 2017 1 hour

The Help: Review Pt 1.

Over the next two weeks the ladies review The Help, a 2011 American film directed and written by Tate Taylor, and adapted from Kathryn Stockett's 2009 novel of the same name. The film and novel recount the story of young white woman and aspiring journalist Eugenia 'Skeeter' Phelan. The story…
9 Feb 2017 52 min

School of Hustle

Lebo didn't matriculate with her class at age 18. Among other things, she fell pregnant and had to get her hustle on to support her child. This saw her leave her home in Limpopo to become a domestic worker in Johannesburg... which didn't last for long because she has always…
2 Feb 2017 36 min

Clothes by Christine

Ever heard of Clothes by Christine? Bet you haven't, so remember you heard it here first! Christine is a domestic worker by day and designer/tailor extraordinaire by night. She's also her very own model, in more ways than one. The ladies interview her and uncover a business sensibility that could…
26 Jan 2017 34 min

R.O.H.I.

Julie, much like her employer Penny, is a national asset - or what socio-business analysts might term a return on human investment (R.O.H.I. - it's totally a thing...). She is the classic example of the benefits that accrue from treating our domestic workers as partners and equals. This is an…
19 Jan 2017 50 min

The Ma(i)de Model

The Ma(i)de Model unleashes the most underestimated in a society by harnessing the ironic yet insane power of silence, invisibility, and obscurity. We run quite a few pioneering ventures that awaken historically unheard voices whilst elevating them to their rightful place in our social and economic order. As a third…
12 Jan 2017 35 min

Ma(i)de Resolute

Not uninspired by Her Majesty of talk, Oprah Winfrey, the ladies kick off 2017 with lessons learnt from their favourite shows of 2016. These may look and sound like New Year's resolutions but that's just a coincidence...Oprah would NEVER make everyman New Year's Resolutions...only timeless pearls of wisdom.
5 Jan 2017 51 min

The Spatial Canvas

The Ma(i)de Sessions hosts explore architecture's social and psychological properties and the impact that it has on domestic workers in South Africa, i.e. how does physical space affect our head-space? South Africa's history in particular is a prime example of how space has been used to segregate, oppress, exploit, and…
15 Dec 2016 58 min

On par?

Do you know the difference between the au pair industry and the domestic work industry? The origin might surprise you, but it will really clarify the dynamics. Our resident au pair Mbali is interviewed to uncover the real and perceived differences between such similar roles, as well as what created…
1 Dec 2016 58 min

Office Savvy with Nelly

Office cleaners are a huge asset to companies. Think about it. Who would want to work or spend their money in squalor? How would it affect your day if the office restrooms were stinky and the coffee station was unstocked. How would it affect your business if the client slipped…
17 Nov 2016 23 min

MAD Penny

After being strangled within an inch of her life in her own home, Penny didn't run from crime - instead she took it head on! She spearheaded Domestic Watch, a programme that works with domestic workers and gardeners to fight crime in South Africa. By leveraging the powerful networks and…
10 Nov 2016 58 min

Breaking Ground with Yvonne Chaka Chaka

Yvonne Chaka Chaka is a force of nature. She is both a legendary songstress and an active civil society leader. Celebrated across the world as one of the Mothers of our Nation, it all began with her very own mother, who was a domestic worker. Yvonne’s story is testament to…
3 Nov 2016 50 min

Whose Title is it Anyway?

Are we our industry name? A mere collection of adjectives? Pronouns, tags, stereotypical labels? Tuliza explores, with Afrikaans Urban Planner Lené le Roux, the many titles that have defined the lady in your home and how those words have mutated with the sometimes messy presence of culture, prejudice and personal…
27 Oct 2016 42 min

The Other Domestic

Felicia and Amanda had very different upbringings. Where their lives intersected was not just through domestic work, but also their deep mutual love for animals of the domesticated kind. Although sometimes a horror story between domestic worker and family pet, this dynamic duo helps us explore the source of their…
20 Oct 2016 41 min
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