Rats in the spotlight; afternoon with the photographer

Group of enlightened Rats. Photographs taken by Jan Potgieter; official UJ photographer.

Pair of confrontational Rats.

The war of the roses - does the pansy have a chance; will his shiny silver stiletto be a match for his counterpart's 24 carat gold member.

Palaver (for more details see caption below)

Palaver.

The title refers to the village palaver or council model in many parts of Africa; it is a model of free discourse for the purpose of making good judgement and for doing justice for individuals and the community. " Those that have lived in Africa know that the African people are democratic to a point of inaction. Things are never settled until everyone has had something to say. (The traditional African Council) allows the free expression of all shades of opinions". This simplified response does not necessarily make the practise of such a palaver "democratic" or "philosophical." It does, however , suggest that beyond "a point of inaction" some due process may be taking place and extensive consideration is given to important issues concerning village life - issues such as fairness, equality, kinds of punishment, general welfare, and the just resolutions of disputes. These are, of course, the very issues of concern in all the recent studies of justice in Western Philosophy, i.e. by Rawls, Nozick, Dworkin, Sandel, and others (Bell, R Understanding African Philosophy. 2002; 113.)