You’ve read our books, listened to our podcasts, and heard us speak at festivals … Now you can book us for a public talk, conference, after-dinner chat, business event or keynote speech.

Matthew and I don’t just write about South African history, we love talking about it in public. Because we know our subject so well, we’re able to speak casually and with humour about a wide range of topics that are extremely relevant to South Africa today. We’ve listed some of our most popular talks below, but we can easily tailor our content to suit a specific industry or interest.

To book a talk, simply use the contact form at the bottom of the page, placing the name of the talk that interests you in the ‘Subject’ field. Or email.

 

Good News at Last

This talk is based on our latest book, Legends: People Who Changed South Africa for the Better and is the perfect antidote to the prevailing gloomy mood. We usually work with the client to decide which four or five Legends to focus on (there are 12 in total). At the end of the talk, attendees will leave filled with hope and pride about their country.

Fingers in the Till

This talk is based on Rogues’ Gallery: An Irreverent History of Corruption in South Africa, and it puts the bad guys on centrestage. While a talk about the loooong history of corruption may sound depressing, anyone who’s read the book will know that our politicians have engaged in Monty Pythonesque acts of deviance for more than three centuries.

The Good, the Bad and the Democracy

The most serious of our talks, this one is based on Spoilt Ballots: The Elections that Shaped South Africa. Listeners will discover why a black man at the Cape had it better in 1854 than at any other time until 1994. And they’ll learn why giving women the vote was actually a step back for our democracy.