Lesedi Mafura, 25

Lesedi Mafura, 25

When it comes to describing the effect of her work, only Lesedi Mafura herself can quite do it justice: “I want my work to liberate, to set a platform where we tell our African stories without fear of being cast aside or swallowed. I want to see it serving as a badge...
Mutinta Bbenkele Simelane, 27

Mutinta Bbenkele Simelane, 27

Mutinta Simelane knows what it’s like to share a stage with greatness. After all, she performed poetry at the Global Citizen Festival in 2018 — an event where some of the most recognisable faces of the entertainment industry arrived on our shores. Symbolically, this...
Phumlani Pikoli, 32

Phumlani Pikoli, 32

Writer Phumlani Pikoli has ambitions that go beyond being the author of a couple of popular books. He’s shaping himself as a multi-disciplinary artist by working with theatre makers too. Right now he’s best known for his book of short stories, The Fatuous State of...
Ami Faku, 27

Ami Faku, 27

Rising star Ami Faku has a rich, soulful voice that beguilingly draws you in, even if you don’t understand the words. Faku comes from Port Elizabeth and often sings in isiXhosa, but loves to explain the stories behind her music. For her song Inde Lendlela (I’ve come a...
Nelisiwe Nkosi, 21

Nelisiwe Nkosi, 21

After Nelisiwe Nkosi was raped, she was unable to talk about it for months. She silently carried the burden alone and retreated into her mind until the trauma began to break her. When she was raped a second time, she found a way to end her silence and work towards...