firstrand
perspectives
FirstRand is recognised as a highly innovative business that encourages and rewards original thinking from its people. It has created Perspectives, a portal of original, specifically commissioned content, to provide writers, authors, artists, thinkers, academics, researchers and visionaries a platform to share new ideas and unique concepts.
To register for an alert when new content is uploaded please familiarise yourself with paragraph 3 of the terms and conditions for use of the website here and send us an email with your name, surname and email address with the subject line ‘Alerts’ by clicking the button below
Featured article
In defence of workaholics
I once designed a conference on a train in Italy. Travelling through a foreign country with different sights and sounds had turbo-charged my creativity. The kids were sleeping and I wanted to test out the concept before we reached the next stop.
Read moreAfrican animation is catching global attention
For the past few years, we’ve seen an increased global interest and demand in African stories, works and the creatives behind the work.
04.2024 | Rebone Masemola
When is appropriation appropriate?
The answer is almost always. Cultural borrowing and exchange are the fuel of human creative progress.
The idea that “cultural appropriation” must be guarded against, and rooted out, is arguably one of the wobbliest ideas that the era of identity politics has given us. Cultural appropriation is a vastly bigger and healthier process than its opportunist edges: in a very real sense, it is the engine of human intellectual progress.
04.2024 | Carlos Amato
Modern snakes evolved from a few survivors of a dino-killing asteroid
Love them or loathe them, there is now new information that suggests that snakes have an even more intriguing origin story than previously thought.
The ancestors of the modern snake may have been among the few reptiles to survive the giant asteroid catastrophe that erased dinosaurs from the face of the Earth at the end of the Cretaceous – a period in time that began 145 million years ago and ended 66 million years ago.
12.2017 | Denise Slabbert
Fashion designer, Diane Von Furstenberg, once said “everything in fashion begins in the streets”. In the midst of our consumer culture, where fashion trends change quarterly and we feel pressure to adhere, we have become out of touch with the true ingenuity and creativity with which it all began
02.2024 | Rachel Edelstein
How rudeness leads to Anchoring in life and death situations
We’ve seen it all too often. A rush of blood to the head, a moment of insanity, an “emotional” decision taken through the spoken word, or an action that can never be taken back.
01.2024 | Adrian Ephraim
Other Voices - Confessions of a TV Translator
“I’m setting my lawyer on you,” said the furious woman, speaking from a Crimplene shop in Joburg. “You told lies on TV. When I tried to book the holiday you promised, they told me you made it all up. I can get you into big trouble.”
01.2024 | Tom Learmont
Lying is wrong, except when it isn’t, and morality is not as black and white as we sometimes like to believe. Scientifically.
One of my earliest memories is when my mother, to her embarrassment, forgot about a doctor’s appointment. Calling the doctor to reschedule, she made up an excuse supported by fictitious car troubles.
12.2023 | Josh Gordon
When the guy in the changing room corner ends up as your coach one day
In a classic case of gamekeeper turned poacher, French international referee Alexandre Ruiz recently quit officiating to become a defence coach for club side Montpellier
11.2013 | Simnikiwe Xabanisa
Artificial intelligence vs the world.
‘Deep Blue versus Garry Kasparov’ was a clashing of six game chess matches between World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov and IBM supercomputer Deep Blue
10.2023 | Josh Gordon
Yes, they really are listening to us
Amidst all the revolutions that are sweeping the world, from economic to political, the omnipresent Fourth Industrial Revolution keeps powering ahead with no sign of reaching a peak or slowing down. One aspect of it which receives surprisingly little media coverage and rarely enters discussion is the radical development of voice profiling.
09.2023 | Athalie Russell Besseling
How ancient trees are becoming a hot new investment asset for the rich
After the financial crisis in 2008, rich people branched out into greener pastures by putting their generational wealth into acres of lands with roots in ancient trees. This global economic event alerted the rich because they saw their assets heavily affected, driving investments in safer commodities that grow in the long-term with a value that isn’t determined by unpredictable highs and lows of stock market forces.
09.2023 | Rebone Masemola
How Gaming Conquered the World
For many, the 70s marked the beginnings of the true modern phenomenon that is broadcast television. In 1976 South Africans gathered around these boxy units with fiddly buttons and bunny ear aerials waiting to be amazed, and they would not be disappointed.
08.2023 | Alistair Duff
Born in 1548, a captured Ethiopian herdsman is sold as a slave in Yemen, taken to Baghdad and from there to present day India, Malik Ambar not only raised his own armies, but casually replaced kings when they became annoying. A remarkable true story that is not nearly as well-known as it should be.
05.2023 | Jen Isaac
Private Schooling – is it worth the costs?
Lush manicured lawns, posh accents, and parents with executive positions. Being a private school kid is something I’ve always worn with a badge of honour.
05.2023 | Tendani Mulaudzi
Medicine, Pigeons and Pattern Recognition
Pattern recognition is the automated recognition of regularities in data. In recent years, and particularly with the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning, it has become significant to many industries.
04.2023 | Rachel Edelstein
The future of flight technology
The delicately beautiful butterfly finds itself at the centre of new research which reveals a secret hiding in plain sight that could influence the future of flying technology.
02.2023 | Adrian Ephraim
Why adults should (sometimes) read children’s books
If you agree that age doesn’t define who you are, you’re certainly not too old to read children’s literature.
02.2023 | Ingrid Wood
Disclaimer
“We make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information contained in the articles on this website and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or any losses or injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. It is the reader’s responsibility to verify their own facts. The views and opinions expressed in the articles on this website are those of the authors and do not reflect policy or position of FirstRand Limited and its subsidiaries and affiliates (“FirstRand”). Assumptions made in the analysis are not reflective of the position of FirstRand. The authors and FirstRand are not to be held responsible for misuse, reuse, recycled and cited and/or uncited copies of the content within this website by others.”