Upbeat storytelling is difficult to get right. It's far easier to make people cry than it is to make them laugh -- comic timing is an elusive gift possessed by very few people, far fewer than the number that think they have it. But even taking the quest for laughs out of the equation, it's much simpler to create realistic-feeling tragedies than it is to depict inspirational stories that don't feel bathetic and contrived. What White Wedding is trying to do shouldn't work. This is a sunny road comedy, bookended with romance, which attempts to put a hopeful face on the future of race relations in a country where state-sponsored racial oppression is less than a generation in the past. more ›

Austin Danforth, reporter with The Alexandria Times, is in South Africa for the World Cup. This is Danforth's third travel dispatch for DCist from his trip; read his others here and here. more ›

Austin Danforth, reporter with The Alexandria Times, is in South Africa for the World Cup. This is Danforth's second travel dispatch for DCist from his trip; read his first here. more ›

Austin Danforth, reporter with The Alexandria Times, is in South Africa for the World Cup. This is Danforth's first travel dispatch for DCist from his trip. Keep an eye out for more. more ›

There is a pool that sits by the ocean in Sea Point, a suburb of Cape Town, South Africa. Like most public pools, it is a place where a diverse cross-section of the community come together to relax and to play. Unlike many other locations, however, South Africa is a place where the concept of "coming together" is still taking some getting used to. more ›

The big news this week came on Tuesday, as the Washington Project for the Arts announced it was officially splitting from the Corcoran Gallery of Art at the end of 2007. The success of the partnership has boosted the WPA to a place where they can function solo once more, and are currently setting up shop in Dupont Circle. The Post has an excellent summary of WPA\C's history. >> The Arlington Arts Center is our... more ›

Written by DCist Contributor Meghan Welsh What originally began as a venue to expose the residents of D.C. to traditional and folk dance genres has now become an annual tradition. Today through Sunday, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities will present the 4th D.C. Dance Festival. Arts enthusiasts and even dance aficionados can find something new to experience at the festival — the three jam-packed days feature over 37 performances and interactive workshops,... more ›

>> The 3rd annual Can A Sista Rock A Mic? Festival kicks tonight off at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Bahamadia and Emoni Fela among others will be performing tonight, stay tuned for a full preview from us later. 9 p.m., $12. >> Like we mentioned in the jazz agenda, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim is one of the most influential jazz musicians to come out of South Africa, and tonight he'll be at Blues Alley... more ›

>> Along with Hugh Masekela, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim (pictured) is one of the most influential jazz musicians to come out of South Africa. A professional musician since 1949, Ibrahim has toured all over the world with his blend of jazz harmonies and traditional rhythms. Tonight this week's must-see comes to Blues Alley for an evening of solo piano performance. Sets are at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m and tickets are available online. $25 + $10... more ›

MONDAY The perniciousness of apartheid, as well as its utter inanity, is well distilled in the person of Sandra Laing. While born to white parents, her darker complexion caused authorities to classify her as black at age nine, then white again at age eleven. For people too casually comfortable with discrimination, Judith Stone’s account of Laing’s life, When She Was White: The True Story of a Family Divided by Race [in South Africa], is a... more ›

> > Deadline worth noting! Anyone interested in participating in this year's DC Idiotarod has until tomorrow, Thursday March 1, at 11:59 p.m. to register your team for the big race on March 3. Don't miss out on this opportunity to bring wanton chaos to the streets of D.C. [DC Idiotarod] > > Fans of soccer, wine, photography, and philanthropy will descend upon the JW Marriott tonight for the Goals for Girls Auction & Wine... more ›

DCist will be at the Hirshhorn Museum and Scultpure Garden this Thurs. night at 7 p.m. (book signing starts at 6 p.m.) to hear celebrated Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto give an artist lecture about his new exhibition at the Museum, a retrospective of his 30-year career, which opens the same day. Sugimoto is well known for his attempts to convey a sense of time in his still photography, like in his Theatre series (5th Avenue Theatre, Seattle, 1997 is shown at right), where the artist photographs an entire motion picture until all that's left is an eerie glow that shows the elapsed time of the film. more ›

star Charlie Murphy. more ›

Seeking to curb increasing health care costs, the D.C. City Council yesterday voted unanimously to endorse legislation that would limit the costs of prescription medications, or, in some cases, provide the District government the legal authority to produce or purchase cheaper, generic alternatives. The legislation, sponsored by Council-member David Catania (I-At Large), who also serves as the chairman of the Committee on Health, would allow the city to compare prices for prescription medications to those... more ›