Writers revisit formative times
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Alumni networking event with authors Niq Mhlongo and Nthikeng Mohlele
A lively and entertaining discussion took place at an alumni networking event with authors Niq Mhlongo (BA 1997) and Nthikeng Mohlele (BADA 2000) at the Wits Club Barns on 2 August. The event was held in partnership with the Department of African Languages.
Tlou Legodi (BA 1998, BA Hons 2004) acted as event compere.
Mhlongo had just returned from witnessing the elections in Zimbabwe, which he intends to write about. He said he was reminded of South Africa in 1994, when he was at Wits. This was the setting for his novel Dog Eat Dog.
Mohlele said that on re-reading Dog Eat Dog he noticed in it the “seeds” of the Fees Must Fall movement. Mhlongo said that when writing the book, what he had in mind was his own experience of adjusting to the unfamiliar world of being a Wits student. He recalled writing an aptitude test in Hall 29, struggling to get a bursary, adapting to a culture of learning and teaching that was so different from his school days, and bearing the expectations of a large family.
Mohlele spoke of the “University of Humanity” as a good place to start learning.
The writers discussed their choices of language – Mohlele is currently writing a novel in Sepedi and Mhlongo said that because of his multilingual Soweto background there was no single, dominant language for him. “In terms of language I’m always an outsider.”
Responding to comments and questions from the audience, Mohlele spoke of the importance to him of consciousness and the total human experience, rather than binary thinking. “To say that JM Coetzee is a great artist is not to diminish Wole Soyinka.”
Prof Isabel Hofmeyr concluded the evening’s discussion by saying that African literature had become more visible in the book market than one could imagine 30 or 40 years ago. She paid tribute to the Wits academics who had contributed to this development, and said both of the guest speakers were “game-changers” whose books were used in teaching literature at university level.
- Books by Niq Mhlongo: Dog Eat Dog; After Tears; Way Back Home; Affluenza; Soweto, Under the Apricot Tree
- Books by Nthikeng Mohlele: The Scent of Bliss; Small Things; Rusty Bell; Pleasure; Michael K