Join us for an eye-opening conversation with anthropologist Joshua Rubin, who sees rugby as a kind of performance shaped by politics and history. Through years of research and powerful conversations with coaches, players and officials in Blue Bulls country, the Boland and Eastern Cape, Josh shares how this beautiful game has shaped his perspective. Whether you're a die-hard rugby fan or just curious about the sport’s cultural impact, this episode is packed with insight, passion, and personal stories you won’t want to miss.
South African sports historian Hendrik Snyders came by to talk rugby history, rugby politics, Rassie Erasmus, and his favorite Springbok players.
We're Brothers is a series of conversations between brothers, David in Cape Town and Sean in New York, and guests exploring politics, culture, sports, and transatlantic connections. We post once a week.
Filmmaker, DJ and academic Dylan Valley joins us to talk about white South African refugees, hip hop influencers, drill rap, and Jean Grae’s new memoir—not exactly flattering to her father, Abdullah Ibrahim.
We're Brothers is a series of conversations between brothers, David in Cape Town and Sean in New York, and guests exploring politics, culture, sports, and transatlantic connections. We post once a week.
After the initial group of 59 white South African refugees arrived in the U.S. last month (with all other refugee programs officially on hold or scrapped), another nine arrived last week. We provide an update on some of them—though honestly, we’re getting tired of the “story,” which increasingly feels like a giant racist Ponzi scheme.
Meanwhile, very few visitors – including those from countries that qualified – will have an easy time entering the U.S. for the 2026 World Cup, despite it being mainly hosted here.
And finally, we’re wondering: is there a young politician on the continent—especially in South Africa—who comes close to 34-year-old Zohran Mamdani? Born in Uganda and now running for mayor of New York City, Mamdani has a real gift for galvanizing his base. Who’s his equivalent? TikTok politician Liam Jacobs? Julius Malema? Maybe Mbuyiseni Ndlozi—before he left parliament for a radio gig?
As always, follow, subscribe, listen, or watch the show on Spotify, Facebook, and YouTube.
In this episode, we discuss the Brooklyn premiere of "When I Say Africa," a new film executive-produced by Sean. We also share updates on the biographies of the 59 white South African refugees—four of whose stories we’ve already explored. Plus, we review Vinicius' latest documentary and dive into the aesthetic politics of YouTube "journalism," with a look at content creators like Dan Mace.
This episode focuses on a single subject: the meaning behind the made-for-TV spectacle of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s visit to Washington, D.C., aimed at "resetting" the country’s relationship with the United States. Central to this effort is countering the fake news narrative that black South Africans are deliberately targeting and murdering white farmers because of their race—a claim fueled by intense lobbying from white right-wing South African groups and amplified by figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk (via X).
We’re back after a short break—David was working long hours on a film set, so there wasn’t much time to record. We start by catching up, then dive into the hot topic on both sides of the Atlantic: the fake news surrounding white “Afrikaner” “refugees.” That conversation branches out in many directions. Whites, including Afrikaners, make up about 7% of South Africa’s population but own 73% of private land and dominate wealth, media, and leadership. They hold 62% of top leadership positions, and five of the country’s ten wealthiest individuals are Afrikaners—including the richest, Johann Rupert. Meanwhile, crime continues to disproportionately affect Black South Africans due to entrenched poverty and historical inequality. Despite no land expropriation, groups like AfriForum push false persecution narratives that resonate in U.S. conservative politics. Even in sports like rugby and cricket, Afrikaners remain dominant, despite the ongoing transformation efforts. These stories aren’t about South Africa but U.S. culture wars. Afrikaners are not victims of genocide; they remain among the most powerful and privileged in the country. We wrap up with a review of Kün by Agüero, the new documentary sold as a story about his life with cardiac arrhythmia and friendship with Messi. But beneath the surface, it’s about involving your family in your business.
In Episode 9, we explore the topic of DNA testing. Growing up, we never knew our paternal grandfather—our father doesn’t even know who his father was. What we do know is that our paternal grandmother was descended from enslaved people brought from Mozambique at the end of the seventeenth century. But our grandfather’s identity remains a mystery—or perhaps closer to being revealed than we once thought.
Following the initial West African shipments in 1658, the Dutch increasingly turned to Mozambique and the broader East African coast for enslaved labor. These individuals came to be known, colloquially, as “Mozbiekers.”
After government and church records led nowhere, Sean turned to DNA testing—specifically through 23andMe, which has since filed for bankruptcy. What he uncovered revealed long-buried histories of race and class that had been hiding in plain sight. However, it also enables us to discuss the politics and economics of DNA testing.
In this catch-up episode, Sean and David begin by congratulating their nephew, Caleb, and niece, Lauryn, on graduating from university and another nephew on completing a marathon. David then shares the details of a bizarre Uber ride, discusses the issue of gun violence in Cape Town (David's friend, Clayton, who lives in Ocean View in Cape Town's southern peninsula, was shot and is paralysed as a result), reflects on the chaos in the United States (it has little to do with white South Africans), and explains why it's a huge blow that South Africa may never host the Rugby World Cup again. And no, unlike what Trump's refugees may claim, the decision by World Rugby has nothing to do with any action or inaction by the ANC.
In this episode, Brazilian novelist and journalist Marilene Felinto joins us from São Paulo to discuss racism in South America. I’m not sure who told David to wear an Argentina national team shirt, but right off the bat, Marilene declares Argentina, followed by Chile, as South America’s most racist countries. She also has strong words regarding the tendency of black Brazilian footballers to “whiten up” — mainly once they make money, to marry a white partner. Finally, David gives a shout-out to his friend Charlton, another actor who was shot and is now paralyzed. Charlton lives in Cape Town, South Africa's most violent city.
A white rugby coach once suggested that Cheslin Kolbe should switch from outside back to scrumhalf because he was too small. In 2025, Kolbe is named South African Rugby Player of the Year. Sean and David note how a sport once associated with muscular whiteness is now dominated by black South African players.
Louis Saha is seven times as wealthy as his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo.
Why do racists always say their best friends share the same ethnicity as their victims?
David asks Sean whether black Americans would be better off moving to Africa—prompting Sean, as usual, to draw on history.
A conversation about must-visit spots in New York City and Cape Town leads to David confessing that he once stole Sean’s copy of Jamaica Kincaid’s “A Small Place.”
In a football-heavy episode, Sean and David praise Benni McCarthy’s appointment as Kenya’s new head coach but call out unflattering images in some media coverage. They agree Afcon is a major tournament and discuss the chaos of football ownership in South Africa. The conversation shifts to crime in South Africa, emphasizing the real victims aren’t Trump’s refugees. It’s personal: recently, their first cousin once removed was shot and killed on the Cape Flats, followed by the shooting of a former student of their older sister. Follow them on IG: @seanhjacobs and @davyjay.
Sean and David Jacobs invite Sean's 15-year-old son, Leo, to share his recollections of a recent visit to Anfield to watch Liverpool play. David talks about attending a reunion in Cape Town with relatives from their family line (their father's side) descended from enslaved Mozambicans. This leads to a broader discussion of their father's biography (they briefly introduced their mother's biography in episode 2), relatedly on coloured identity (Tyla's latest explanation), and the influence of loud right-wing politicians, including Donald Trump, Afriforum, and Gayton McKenzie.
In Episode 3 of "We're Brothers," David and Sean Jacobs discuss whether David romanticizes his childhood; fascist teachers and corporal punishment in South African schools; whether sports figures, like popular South African rugby player Siya Kolisi, could succeed in politics (the cue is the long tradition of sports personalities in the US running for political office) and the disruptive politics of Elon Musk and Donald Trump.
Includes brief Afrikaans phrases.
You can also watch the recording on Youtube.
In Episode 2, Sean and David – brothers in real life – discuss listener reactions to the first episode of WE'RE BROTHERS. Some people seem to think Sean is a hater of Cape Town, while others are curious if there are any famous figures from Goodwood aside from Eben Etzebeth (who, by the way, is actually from Parow). Sean brings up a few Communists who lived there.The conversation then shifts to more personal topics as we provide background about our family; in this episode, we delve into our mother’s side of the family. Sean shares his thoughts on living with Donald Trump as President, while David reflects on the impact of Trump’s policies in South Africa and why Trump has such an appeal among some South Africans. (The episode was recorded just before Trump made his infamous comments, without citing evidence, that "South Africa is confiscating land," that "certain classes of people" were being treated "very badly," and that the US would cut off aid to South Africa.)Lastly, we dive into a curious question: Why do so many South Africans love English football?WE’RE BROTHERS features two siblings living on opposite sides of the world: David in Cape Town, South Africa, and Sean in New York City, US. There’s a 10-year age gap between them; they haven’t lived in the same city for over 20 years. The show comes out every other week.Follow us on social media, comment, like, and subscribe.https://www.instagram.com/seanhjacobs/https://www.instagram.com/davyjay69/
In Episode 1, Sean and David - brothers IRL- introduce themselves and the idea behind "We're Brothers." They then discuss Cape Town being voted the best city in the world (16:10), explore the potential costs for sports people to align themselves with political parties or movements, especially in more conservative sports like rugby (28:03), and examine people picking up American accents on the way to the airport (49:19). Sean used his advantage as the older sibling to dominate proceedings, but we suspect David won’t let him get away with it next time. Social Media: https://www.instagram.com/davyjay69/ https://www.instagram.com/seanhjacobs/
