City Press

WE MUST EXPLORE OUR CULTURES TO DEVELOP OUR OWN IDENTITIES

For our interview, she’s dressed in a bright yellow dress, complemented by traditional African accessories. Cultural activist MoAfrika wa Mokgathi is visibly passionate about her heritage. “It should not be that we dress in our traditional attire because it is Heritage Month or Heritage Day, it should be our lifestyle,” she says.

“My curiosity to know more about my culture pushed me to tell people, through my poetry, more about their respective cultures. As Africans, we need to develop our own cultures.”

As South Africans celebrated Heritage Month in September, it was fitting that City Press spoke to MoAfrika. We met at her offices in Rosebank, where she compiles, produces and hosts a jazz radio show, Jazz Sessions with MoAfrika wa Mokgathi, every Sunday.

“We can never fully understand ourselves as a people if we don’t fully understand our culture,” says MoAfrika.

Born Muriel Mokgathi-Mvubu, she tells City Press about the decision she made to

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