Latest news with #Terence
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Manhattan shooter Shane Tamura was the son of an LAPD cop and held jobs as a security guard and private investigator despite his mental health struggles
Manhattan shooter Shane Tamura's father was a Los Angeles police officer, and the gunman himself had a security guard license in California and Nevada, records reveal. Shane Tamura, 27, strode into the Midtown Manhattan offices that house the NFL's headquarters with an M4 assault rifle and killed four people on Monday, including an off-duty police officer. California government salary records obtained by Daily Mail show his father, Terence Tamura, was an LAPD police officer from at least 2011 to 2018. Tamura, who grew up around Santa Clarita, north of Los Angeles city, obtained a security guard license from the California Bureau of Security and Investigative Services on March 7, 2019, which expired on March 31, 2021. The now-dead shooter most recently worked at the Horseshoe Las Vegas hotel and casino as a surveillance department employee, a spokesperson for the business stated. He also had a private investigator license in Nevada, with his most recent residence listed at his parents' house, issued December 26, 2019, and expired December 28 last year. An apparent arrest record for his father Terence from 2008 states that he was booked by LAPD's 'Internal Affairs Division' and assigned a bond of $5,000 for an unspecified alleged offense, according to public records. However, there are no criminal charges against Terence filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. In response to Daily Mail's questions about Terence, LAPD said they are investigating. 'The Los Angeles Police Department is aware of the online rumors and media inquiries suggesting a possible connection between the individual involved in the recent New York shooting and our department,' a spokesman said. 'We take these matters seriously and are actively investigating the information. At this time, we are working to confirm details and gather the facts.' LAPD salary records documented by organization Transparent California list Terence K. Tamura as an experienced police officer with total pay of $101,403 in 2011. Tamura may have begun working with the department earlier, but records were not available from Transparent California. His last full salary recorded by the site was in 2017, for the same role of 'Police Officer III'. Terence earned $284.17 in 2018 according to the records, suggesting his work for LAPD ended very early that year. Terence and the Tamura family did not respond to Daily Mail's requests for comment. New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said Shane Tamura had a 'documented mental health history' and he appeared to blame the NFL for a brain injury according to a note found in his pocket. Police say they found medication in his car. LAPD salary records documented by organization Transparent California list Terence Tamura as an experienced police officer with total pay of $101,403 in 2011 Despite his alleged mental health issues, Tamura was able to obtain a concealed firearms permit from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, issued on June 14, 2022. However, his Nevada private investigator's license lists 'no' firearm status on his work card, meaning he wasn't legally allowed to carry while on the job. Authorities say Tamura arrived in Midtown Manhattan by car on Monday afternoon following a mammoth cross-country trip. New York mayor Eric Adams indicated that authorities believe his target was the NFL, which has its headquarters in the tower. A note found on the gunman's body mentioned the league. The three-page note outlined Tamura's perceived grievances with the NFL over its handling of the brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is strongly linked to sports in which players experience repeated head impacts. 'Terry Long football gave me CTE and it caused me to drink a gallon of antifreeze,' Tamura wrote, according to CNN. 'You can't go against the NFL, they'll squash you.' The shooter was referring to former Pittsburgh Steeler Terry Long, who committed suicide by drinking antifreeze in 2006 after suffering from CTE. 'Study my brain please I'm sorry Tell Rick I'm sorry for everything,' the note read. Authorities say Tamura arrived in Midtown Manhattan by car on Monday afternoon following a mammoth cross-country trip before entering the building that housed the NFL headquarters wearing a sport coat and button-down shirt while carrying the large rifle Tamura was born in Hawaii and grew up in Santa Clarita, California, where he was a high school running back. He later moved to Las Vegas. When Tamura arrived at 345 Park Avenue in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, he parked his black BMW around the corner before brazenly striding across a wide city plaza with his long-form M4 rifle in plain sight, by his side. Tamura had his concealed weapon permit issued by the Las Vegas Sheriff's Department on him as he walked straight into the building's lobby and opened fire. Once in the lobby he sprayed it with gunfire, shooting NYPD officer Didarul Islam in the back and a security guard who took cover behind a desk, before heading to the elevator bank and headed up to the 33rd floor and the offices of Rudin Management who run the building and other offices across New York City. One other victim, Julia Hyman who was an associate at Rudin, has been identified. Police believe was the shooting was premeditated and likely suicidal. 'It appears that he knew it would be his last stand,' said CNN chief law enforcement analyst John Miller, a former NYPD deputy commissioner. 'He fully intended to shoot his way through the lobby and make his way to that target – whatever that might have been.' The building became the scene of a frantic lockdown as gunshots echoed through the corridors and heavily armed police teams swarmed the floors. Authorities believe Tamura was trying to target the NFL headquarters but took the wrong elevator. And NYC Mayor Eric Adams said the Midtown Manhattan gunman missed the NFL office, which investigators believe was his intended target, because he got on the wrong elevator. 'From our preliminary investigation, he took the wrong elevator bank up to the NFL headquarters,' Adams told CBS Mornings. 'Instead, it took him to Rudin Management, and that is where he carried out additional shootings and took the lives of additional employees.' The NYPD revealed on Monday night Tamura had traveled through Colorado on July 26, through Nebraska on July 27 and through Columbia, New Jersey as recently as 4pm on Monday before arriving in Manhattan to carry out his deadly rampage. And during a late night press conference NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the police found a rifle case with rounds, a loaded revolver, ammunition and magazines, as well as a backpack and medication prescribed to Tamura. 'Police want to know what brought him to that building, who or what the target was, and what the grievance or motive behind it might have been,' Miller explained. 'These cases often involve people who experience a downfall and begin to blame others - bosses, institutions, society at large. 'Then they decide to get even with everybody, even though in most cases, the problem is usually them,' Miller said. Tamura was a promising football player in junior varsity, obsessed with the game and once on a path that suggested a future defined by discipline and teamwork. In a video posted online from the 2015 season, Tamura can be heard giving a post-game interview in which he spoke of his victory with the Granada Hills football team based in Southern California. Tamura was instrumental in his team's victory after scoring several touchdowns. 'We were down 10-0, stayed disciplined and came together as a team. Couple of touchdowns,' he said on the day of his interview. His old high school friends in California said they were stunned to find out he was the shooter. 'You never would have thought violence was something you'd associate with him,' classmate Caleb Clarke told NBC. 'Everything he said was a joke.' His former coach Walter Roby said Tamura was a talented football player and a 'quiet kid'. 'I'm just blown away right now,' he said.
AsiaOne
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
'It was not how I planned to be a dad': Terence Cao speaks about fatherhood, Entertainment News
Local actor Terence Cao has spoken up candidly about fatherhood. "I wasn't prepared to be a dad," the 57-year-old told actor-host Allan Wu in the latest episode of YouTube talk show Call Us Daddy, which was released yesterday (July 23). Despite that, he shared that he is "grateful" for his daughter Shi En, now 15, and everything that has happened. Terence recounted that he was introduced by a friend to the girl's mother — a Chinese woman — when he was in China, and they got to know each other better. "The pleasant surprise was that she only surprised me after she got pregnant," he added. In 2012, a 26-year-old Shanghainese woman, surnamed Shi, flew to Singapore with her 19-month-old daughter, claiming Terence is the girl's father. Back then, Shi had told reporters that she met Terence at a party in Shanghai in 2010 and they had a one-night stand. After discovering she was pregnant two months later, she claimed she told Terence, who reportedly initially wanted her to get an abortion, but later told her to keep the baby. Terence eventually acknowledged his daughter after a DNA test, but also said then that he could only be good friends with Shi. Terence told Allan it was a "total shock" for him when he first heard about the pregnancy. He said: "In my career right now, do I need a baby? We are not even married." Terence also said it is "against his religion" to abort the child. "I think as long as it's my baby, I will keep the child. The catch is how the 'higher powers' bestowed upon me this baby. That's not how I planned to be a dad," he said. Adding that he has a "cordial" relationship with the girl's mother now, he said they are both "focused on bringing her up decently and giving her a decent education" in Shanghai. Terence shared that he has a good relationship with Shi En, and she just came to Singapore recently to visit his parents. The elderly couple would like to see her more often, but she is busy with her studies. He said: "The problem with kids in China is they don't have time. They study at least 10 hours a day, not like Singapore. It's because everyone is so competitive; they have so much homework and they only get to rest one or two days a week and that's it. "It's a full day of school from morning till night. Kids in Singapore sleep at 9pm, but there at 12 midnight, they are still scribbling their homework." Allan, 53, also asked if Terence has any plans to bring Shi En to live with him in Singapore. He explained: "I visited them in Shanghai and they have a beautiful environment for learning... Right now, they are learning about AI (artificial intelligence) in primary school. So for me, as a dad, I want what is best for my daughter. "They are Chinese in China; her roots are very important for her. So I think for kids especially, she should be rooted to where her mum is." As to how he wants to be remembered by her, Terence responded: "Happy man, I want her to remember me being happy." [[nid:720543]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
Daily Express
12-07-2025
- General
- Daily Express
Warisan sounds alarm over water quality in Pitas villages
Published on: Saturday, July 12, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jul 12, 2025 Text Size: The natural pond that serves as the sole water source for residents of Kampung Mampakad Darat 1 and 2 in Pitas. PITAS: Warisan youth wing expressed concern over the deteriorating condition of the only water source serving Kampung Mampakad Darat 1 and 2, warning that the open natural pond is increasingly polluted and poses serious health risks to the community. According to Wira Warisan Pusat Chief, Terence Au, the pond, which supplies water to around 52 households, remains unprotected and lacks even the most basic infrastructure for maintenance and safety. 'Information from local residents confirms this is their sole water supply. Unfortunately, the pond is exposed to contamination and remains vulnerable to algae, sediment, and animal intrusion,' he said. Residents claimed the Ministry of Health (MOH) had previously deemed the water safe for use — but only on the condition that it is properly maintained and protected from external pollution. However, no action has been taken by the authorities, raising serious questions about accountability. Terence, who visited both villages earlier this week, asked why no basic infrastructure has been built to secure this vital resource. He also questioned whether the area's elected representatives have ever set foot at the site to witness the situation firsthand. 'How long must the villagers depend on an unprotected water source that clearly puts their health at risk?' he asked. 'Where is the state government's promise and commitment to ensuring clean water access for rural communities like Kg Mampakad Darat? Clean water is a basic right, not a luxury. 'We're talking about daily necessities = bathing, cooking, drinking — yet the people here are still relying on a water source with no guarantee of safety,' he said. They are calling for urgent intervention from relevant authorities, including the Pitas District Office, Sabah State Water Department, MOH, and the area's elected representatives to immediately present a concrete action plan to the villagers. 'If rural welfare is truly a priority, prove it with action — not just statements,' Terence said firmly. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Irish Examiner
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Book extract: Woman who refused to be silenced in fight for republican independence
In June 1923 the Belfast Newsletter described Mary MacSwiney as falling on those with whom she disagreed 'with every tooth bared, drops of clotted venom suspended from every outstretched fang'. In her lifetime, MacSwiney was not, however, just a one-dimensional caricature of extreme republicanism but rather a multi-faceted individual. Her biography cannot be written without sustained reference to the importance of family to MacSwiney; in particular, her politics must be understood with reference to the politics of Terence, both in his life and in the aftermath of his death. That is not to deny Mary individual political agency or to suggest that she was anything other than the strong and principled woman that she was. A recognition of the centrality of her siblings to Mary MacSwiney's life is instead a testament to familial love and the influence of such on a political level. Initially a supporter of female suffrage as a member of the Cork branch of the Munster Women's Franchise League, MacSwiney moved to prioritise the national cause in the second decade of the 20th century. In the lead up to the 1916 Rising she, as most republican women, was involved in gendered work. Unlike in Dublin where the Rising did take place, women in Cork had limited opportunity to expand their involvement in republican politics during Easter week. Founder of Cumann na mBan in Cork However, Mary as the founder of Cumann na mBan in Cork was centrally involved in all the discussions and recriminations that took place in the city. Her brother Terence's position as deputy leader of the Irish Volunteers in Cork meant that the MacSwiney home in the suburb of Blackrock was the locus for many of those who delivered the series of messages, often contradictory, that emanated from members of the Military Council of the Irish Republican Brotherhood in Dublin. After the Rising, MacSwiney began what would become a lifelong pattern of defending the actions of Terence. The MacSwiney siblings operated as a republican family unit; riddled with anguish about the failure of Cork to rise, Terence's sufferings were also Mary's. From this period, she sought to explain and rationalise his actions in pursuit of an Irish republic from her position as a firm republican in her own right. Relatively unusual for a woman born in 1872, MacSwiney was educated to third level. One of two women arrested in Cork after the 1916 Rising she lost her teaching position in St Angela's School on Patrick's Hill. While this was distressing on a personal and financial level, with true strength of character she established St Ita's High School in Belgrave Place in the September 1916. The first lay Catholic school of girls in the city, it was also intended to educate the future citizens of the republic. Irish activist, Maud Gonne MacBride, with the writer Miss Barry Delany and Mary MacSwiney, at Mountjoy Prison, during the hunger strike in November 1922. Pictures: Getty This was achieved while she visited her brother Terence and other prisoners in internment camps and jail across England and Wales in the aftermath of the Easter Rising. On Thursday, August 12, 1920, Terence MacSwiney left Belgrave Place where he had tea with his sisters, Mary and Annie, at half past five. He then took the six-minute walk across the north and south channels of the River Lee to the City Hall. Violence in Cork was high so Mary must have experienced some anxiety for his welfare when he departed. Three days earlier the Cork politician Liam de Róiste wrote in his diary that the city had experienced 'another night of terror: volleys of rifle fire in many districts; bullets entering houses; shops broken into and looted by the English soldiery'. Terence, along with 10 other men, was arrested in the City Hall less than two hours after he left Mary's home and later deported to Brixton Jail. The death of her beloved younger brother in a high-profile hunger strike on October 25, 1920, was a watershed moment for Mary. The everyday nature of her life as she carried out her teaching and political activities was viscerally sundered. After Terence's death, Mary MacSwiney assumed a central role in republican politics. She conducted two American tours in 1921 and again in 1925. Elected a Sinn Féin TD for Cork in 1921, a seat she held until the first general election of 1927. Her unyielding adherence to the ideal of full republican independence was a stance she maintained during the Civil War and after the Sinn Féin split in 1926, right down to her death in 1942. During the Civil War MacSwiney, described by the British government as one of 'the most extreme and dangerous women in Ireland', endured two gruelling hunger strikes: in November 1922 in Mountjoy Jail and again in April 1923 in Kilmainham Goal. She was a woman who refused to be silenced or defer to what she deemed inappropriate authority, for example, the right of the Catholic Church to make political statements during the Civil War. That de Valera explained his political choices and leanings to MacSwiney in an intimate political correspondence is noteworthy and testifies to her political centrality in the period of the war. MacSwiney was not a cipher for the extreme element within republicanism during the Treaty debates and during the Civil War. Her brother's 'agony' would never, as she wrote to de Valera, 'have been endured to the end for anything less than absolute and entire Separation'; this determined her unyielding rejection of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, 1921. Terence's high-profile death to advance the cause of full republican independence also meant that MacSwiney was not able to countenance, as de Valera was, re-entry into parliamentary politics in 1926. Mary MacSwiney was a woman who suffered ultimate loss in Brixton Jail in 1920. Her witnessing of, in the words of her sister Annie, scenes that were 'agonising beyond anything I could described', changed the trajectory of her life. When she declared in the Dáil on December 21, 1921, that Ireland had 'stood on a noble and spiritual ideal for the last three years', she was referring to the sacrifices of men such as her brother. Betrayal of the republic, for Mary, would have meant betrayal of a brother she loved and admired, and it would have been almost impossible for her to think and feel in any other way. Mary MacSwiney is in bookshops nationwide and at is in bookshops nationwide and at Mary MacSwiney will be launched by Taoiseach Micheál Martin at Cork City Hall on Friday, July 18, at 4pm. Read More Book casts fresh light on ideas that shaped Terence MacSwiney
Daily Maverick
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Are we still human? On writing and humanism, and why history matters
It is easy these days to fall into despair and helpless outrage, to feel utterly powerless, even as some of us march and protest against the conditions of terror and violence that are escalating around the globe. Easy to despair as, sitting on my couch, hundreds of thousands are being starved, killed, forced to flee; as Donald Trump launches his grand (birthday) military parade; and as I read an interview with Doris Lessing from 1981. The Nobel Prize-winning novelist spent her formative years in southern Africa, in what was then Rhodesia, a place where she railed against the wrongs of life in a racist and oppressive colonial society. In the interview, she is asked, 'What can you accomplish with your books?' 'Not much,' she replies. 'Not much,' I respond, sitting on my couch, far away from Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, the United States. 'Not much,' I say again, looking across at my desk where papers and notebooks are stacked, waiting for me. Instead, I read further, come to the part of the interview where Lessing speaks of her futile hope that 'our politicians should be human beings… who know, respect, and understand their fellow human beings'. Human beings. It is difficult not to swear or spit or laugh. Are they human beings, these men in power, doing the things they are doing? Can any of us remain human with these horrors occurring daily? Why writers and history can matter This is the despair taking over. But in better moments, I can remember some of the reasons that are given about why people like myself – writers – can matter, why history matters, what we can learn from them both, what they can mean to us all. Just recently, I have been thinking a lot about humanism, its development, and its connection to writing. Perhaps it is simply an attempt to find something on which to hold – there is a poem by Elizabeth Jennings (no relation) titled, In a Mental Hospital Sitting Room, where she writes, 'there are no lifebelts here on which to fasten'. Perhaps this essay is no more than a desperate grab for a lifebelt on which to fasten, a reaching out for some meaning, some trick or answer that can be used to drag me/us out of despair. I'll start a little over 2,000 years ago, near Carthage (in present-day Tunisia, North Africa). It is here that the man who was later known as Publius Terentius Afer (Afer refers to his being from Africa) or simply Terence to the English-speaking world, was born into slavery in roughly 190 BCE. At some point in his childhood or youth, he was taken to Rome to continue his enslaved existence. However, being handsome and clever, he was fortunate enough to be given his freedom while still a teenager, with the added bonus that his education was not only encouraged, but also paid for by his former enslaver. Terence used this education to become a playwright, focusing on comedies, ones which are still read and performed to this day. In one of these plays, Heauton Timorumenos (The Self-Tormentor) a character declares: ' Homo sum, humani nihil a me alimento puto ' (I am human, and consider nothing human alien to me). In context, the line would have been greeted with laughter from the audience since it is a nosy neighbour's response to being asked why he can't mind his own business. But, as Sarah Bakewell notes in her Humanly Possible (2023), the line sums up an essential humanist belief: that we are all tied up in one another's lives. To be clear, Terence was not a humanist himself – that philosophy wouldn't develop properly for almost one and a half thousand years, by which time the rediscovered classical texts of Greece and Rome served as models for the new humanist way of life. It was then that Terence's neat phrase was picked up by the Italian humanists and has remained significant in humanistic thinking ever since. As humanism spread from Italy across Europe, one of the most influential thinkers was the Frenchman Michel de Montaigne, who was such a great admirer of Terence that he had the famous quote written on a ceiling beam in his personal library. More than that, he found the plays to hold within them 'the movements of the soul and the state of our characters; at every moment our actions throw me back to [Terence].' This was, in his opinion, the value of the written word – books constitute an essential role in enriching our lives through understanding others. Montaigne found that it was especially in biographies and histories that humans are 'more alive and entire than in any other place'. In other words, it is through books, with details of the past and individuals who have lived, that we come to a greater understanding of what it is to be human, in all its complexity, variation, and confusion. David Hume With time, as the Renaissance made way for the Enlightenment, David Hume, a Scottish philosopher, stepped forward. He was a promoter of the need for evidence, and was one of the most unwavering critics of religion in his time. He did not believe in miracles or the concept of God-given morality. Instead, as a humanist, he believed that our morality lies in our own, human ability to feel sympathy for our fellow man. A noble belief, without a doubt. Yet, in a footnote, he made clear that this morality and sympathy did not apply to Africans, since they were barbarous and inferior with 'no ingenious manufacturers amongst them, no arts, no science'. Unfortunately, such thinking was not uncommon at the time. In fact, as rationalism took over and the world moved towards a desire to control and classify all things, systems of separation and rankings within those systems began to dominate scientific thinking and filter into the beliefs of ordinary citizens. Carl Linnaeus Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus invented the modern classification system which arranges organisms into several categories, from kingdom to species. This became the basis for the universal method of taxonomy that is still in use today. In 1740 he unveiled his maiden attempt at human organisation, comprising four basic groups determined by skin colour: ' Europaeus albus, Americanus rubescens, Asiaticus fuscus, Africanus niger '; that is, European white, American red, Asian yellow and African black. In 1758, when his Systema Naturae had gone into its tenth edition, he added two further types, namely wild men and monsters. To these he did not ascribe colours, but their addition tells us much about how preconceived notions regarding humankind influenced the system of classification. Yet, it is important to note that despite these differences in colour and behaviour, Linnaeus was clear that all men were of the same species. His belief was that, in fact, all men were created equal, each one composed of the same basic material, and each with the same capacity for mental and moral achievement. Anti-slavery sentiment The idea of all men being created equal persisted, despite the oftentimes simultaneous and contradictory belief in European superiority. Eventually, towards the end of the 18th century, powerful anti-slavery sentiment spread across Europe and North America, as well as the colonies. The suggestion was that all humankind had the same right to freedom, and freedom to pursue their own progress and advancement. The demand for the abolition of slavery manifested itself in the literature of the time in a multitude of ways, from the moral to the political, to the economic and the anthropological. One of the most celebrated campaigners for abolition was Frederick Douglass, who escaped his enslavement in Maryland in 1838 and fled to New York. A famous example of the humanism evident in Douglass's thinking appears in a letter that he wrote to his former enslaver, Thomas Auld, on the tenth anniversary of his escape. Douglass requests that Auld consider how he might feel if the humiliation and abuse Douglass had suffered at his hands had been inflicted upon Auld's daughter. Would the torture have been justified and natural then? Lodewijk There is another similar case, slightly earlier and closer to home in Cape Town. In November 1827, an enslaved 18-year-old male named Lodewijk protected his enslaved mother from a beating from the son of a white neighbour. The neighbour, Willem Boonsayer, complained to Lodewijk's enslaver that his son had been assaulted by Lodewijk. He also reported the assault to the authorities. When confronted, Lodewijk said he had done no more than push the boy away, and he had witnesses to testify that no violence had been done. Even so, he was taken to jail and flogged. Lodewijk had a petition drawn up by a notary, asking the government to explain how he had transgressed the law by stepping in to protect his mother. 'Though he is a slave,' writes the notary, 'yet he feels the same natural affection towards his mother as Mr Boonsayer can feel for his son.' In both these pleas, there is a simple request to be seen as human and equal, that same plea which was adopted by the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade: 'Am I not a man and a brother? Am I not a woman and a sister?' Abolition and colonialism While the 19th century did see the eventual abolition of slavery across the globe (a slow process, with it occurring formally in South Africa in 1838, for example, but only half a century later in Brazil), a form of slavery or servitude continued in European colonies. This was most notable in Africa, a continent which had been cut up and doled out to European powers in the late 19th century. As exiled South African writer Alex la Guma observed in his 1981 essay, Walk Among the Multitudes: 'I introduce colonialism because it is obviously impossible to talk about any aspect of African life without mentioning this horrendous phenomenon, which for generations smothered the continent in a stifling blanket of ignorance, poverty and stagnation.' La Guma was not the only one to speak out against the confines of colonialism and its impact on all aspects and experiences of life. In 1961, Frantz Fanon remarked in The Wretched of the Earth about 'Europe where they were never done talking of Man, and where they never stopped proclaiming that they were only anxious for the welfare of Man: today we know with what sufferings humanity has paid for every one of their triumphs of their mind,' concluding that, 'We do not want to catch up with anyone. What we want to do is to go forward all the time, night and day, in the company of Man, in the company of all men.' Again, this was the wish of so many in the 20th century: to be seen as equals; not to be tamed and moulded, but to grow and improve together. Here I return to Montaigne, reminded of his belief that it is through reading about others, as well as other places, that we learn about being human, understanding not only something beyond ourselves, but ourselves as well. Literature, rather than separating us, brings us together. After all, it is through writing and reading that the speaker in Oswald Mtshali's poem can be […] a man Amongst men […] [not] a faceless man Who lives in the backyard Of your house. I do not suggest that a single poem, nor even a single poet, can change the world just by existing. Literature cannot prevent pain and suffering; it cannot change history and injustice. But – and this is where its true value lies – it has the potential to create conditions and cultures which facilitate important endings and beginnings, such as abolition, such as independence, such as the end of apartheid, the end of genocides and tyrannies. In this sense, every writer is a promoter of humanism because their general project is one of understanding others – a project that extends to their readers, uniting us all. If our politicians cannot be human, let us, at the very least, remain so. Yes, continue to protest, but read and write as well. Educate yourself and others, create a culture in which each person is able to turn to their neighbours and recognise them, irrevocably, as fellow human beings. DM
