As the 29 May election draws near, South Africans have a a clear responsibility to this beloved country and Thamm is ready with what is dubbed ‘performance journalism’ to help them make an important decision with her insightful updates on the political landscape.
In an article written by Charles Leonard for Mail & Guardian, Thamm says “A general election is around the corner and with the new Electoral Act as well as, a wider range of candidates to choose from, the political landscape is about to become even more exciting. This is a pivotal moment in South Africa’s history. Are you ready for the ride?”
With Round of Applause, she brings some updates to the original show about what is going on in the country, with hilarious anecdotes and surprising facts, so it is not all doom and gloom.
The idea for Round of Applause was sparked by her invitation to participate in the Spier Talking Heads series in Stellenbosch two years ago.
“Every single person who circulated to my table had no idea how the nuclear deal was stopped or what the community at Xolobeni achieved in taking the Australian mining company to court ... also they knew nothing about the Slapp [strategic lawsuits against public participation] suit or the amounts involved in state capture,” Thamm explains.
That is how this piece of performance journalism was born.
"It was written for me by South Africans themselves and politicians. What to put in and what to leave out was the issue,” she continues.
She staged it at the Woordfees (word festival) in Stellenbosch in October 2023 as well as at Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre for three weeks to rave reviews. It will have another Baxter Theatre run at the end of the month, before it heads to Johannesburg.
Thamm has worked in the media space for nearly four decades and her work has appeared in a variety of local and international newspapers and magazines. She has published several books which include the best-selling I Have Life: Alison’s Journey, When All Else Falls Away – The Nigel Fairhead Story, How to be a South African, Shooting the Moon, To Catch a Cop: The Paul O’Sullivan Story, Mental Floss and
Fairlady Collection: Forty Years of Fine Writing. In 2016, she released the memoir, Hitler, Verwoerd, Mandela and me.
