Short Story Time, Events and News from AFDA Durban

STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT by Andrew Verster

“Go right down to the bottom of  Uruguay, “ she said, “right to the tip and you can’t miss Montevideo.”

“And then, what?”

“That’s where my great-great Aunt Matilda was born. But of course, unless you speak the language you are, to use her phrase, “like a lost fart in a thunderstorm.”

“How, then, did she happen to be born there?”

“The Waratoga, it was a freighter that took a few passengers, stopped there as a Mrs. Roughead (unfortunate name), had had an attack of Angina and needed to see a doctor urgently. Touch and go, they said.  And Aunt Matilda’s father who was known for his curiosity, did a bit of wandering about to pass the time and got to the harbour to see the Waratoga sailing into the sunset.”

“So?”

“He shrugged his shoulders and made the best of it.”

“And?”

“He went to the Embassy and they put him in touch with a local businessman in the import/export business and before you could say Bob’s Your Uncle, he had made a fortune, married a local beauty queen, produced a handful of exquisite children, and then, in the dark of night, boarded a steamship and left for who-knows-where? Interpol could not trace him. His photo was on the Google for months. He simply vanished into thin air.”

“So what is the point of the story?”

“None that I can think of.”

“So why are you telling me this?”

“Can’t think.”

“Nice talking to you anyway. You said your name was?”

The End

Andrew Verster is a writer and artist - email: andrewverster784@gmail.com 

For more info and to register email news@mapit.co.za

New Faces at AFDA Durban Campus

 Joining the AFDA Durban Campus this year are a few new faces to boost the already impressive lecturing line up and a fusion of experience and youth.

Carmen Langston Mitchell; a well-respected and well-known television personality has recently just joined the Durban team with a wealth of experience where she will be lecturing and mentoring first and second year television students. Langston Mitchell has an impressive career in the media industry, where she has worked locally and internationally as a producer, director, scriptwriter and presenter for programmes including “Top Billing” which airs on SABC 3, “The Cosmo Show” and “Carte Blanche” on M-Net, “60 minutes”, BBC’s “Changing Rooms” and BBC’s “Newsround” as well as “BBC World News”. To top her list she has also worked as a social editor and features writer for Style Magazine and was the celebrity lifestyle columnist for Media 24’s YOU Magazine. AFDA Durban Campus’ students will be happy to have her by their side.

To give current AFDA Students hope for the future, a former AFDA Cape Town Campus student, Ashleigh Hart who obtained an AFDA Bachelor of Arts Honours in Motion Picture Medium has also joined the Screen Design Department in the school of film as a Costume, Make Up and Styling & Production Design Lecturer. Hart recently won Gold at the AFDA 2013 Awards for Costume, Make-up and Styling for the film The Other Woman (an Honours Graduation Film) directed by another former AFDA Cape Town Campus student; Thea Small where Hart was awarded Best Post graduate Film and the Critics Choice Award. During post graduate year at AFDA, Hart also worked on the feature film Die Windpomp, as well as a Ster-Kinekor Vision Mission commercial.

And last, but not least is New Marketing Assistant; Purity Shezi-Magaya who has joined the Marketing Department headed by Milena Gevers at the AFDA Durban Campus.  Magaya graduated with a National Diploma in Marketing Management, and also comes with a bag of experience having worked with the Vodacom KZN Regional offices and other various brands at The Creative Council promotions agency.

Franco Human, the Dean of the AFDA Durban Campus is very excited with the new team; “We welcome the new staff to the Durban Campus. I am sure that they will add much value to their respective departments. It’s our second year since our opening of this campus and we look forward to adding to the benchmark set by our first intake of students.”

For details on registration and general information, call (031) 569-2252 or e-mail milenag@afda.co.za

Article by Lauren Immelman

Edited by +Fred Felton