Hello Podfriend!

Happy New Month! Happy Black History Month! How have you been? Hopefully you’ve remained true to your goals, your new routines and made it to the end of Dry Jan safely.

My January was EPIC, as my kids would say. My bestie Maria McCloy turned 50 and I got to celebrate with her in Johannesburg. It was a night for re-living our youth and a good interlude that gave me a chance to reflect on the massive leap of faith that our family took by leaving the United States at the end of 2025.

This newsletter is coming to you from Cremona, Italy’s historical city where violin-making is still a living art. Classical music somebodies know it as the city of luthier, Antonio Stradivari, where the rare violins and other classical string instruments named for the master craftsman come from. I have it on good authority that a good liutaio (luthier/maker of bowed or plucked instruments) in Cremona only needs to make three or four instruments per year. There are people who will pay anything from EUR 37,000 to half a million or even more for a well-crafted string instrument! More updates on life in Cremona in future logs.

For now, here’s what’s coming up:

-Studio Update

-On my mind this month

-Giving me Joy and Pause

Let’s get on with it, shall we?

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Season 10 is ready 🥳. Our first episode features an energetic and insightful conversation with Author/Keynote Speaker/Coach Magogodi oaMphela Makhene. Not only is she a sought after keynote speaker, but she’s also the person you want on your team when you are ready to step into your power. Magogodi is also the host of the Madame Speaker says podcast, which you need to give a listen if you haven’t already. Through her coaching practice, Love As A Kind of Cure, she teaches clients how to find their own value and share their stories without fear or shame, and most importantly, how to monetize this personal goldmine. She knows what she’s talking about because she’s been there. After realising that she was giving away her value for free, she resolved never to do that again and started charging for her services . So, if you are tired of sitting on the sidelines while watching less qualified people get paid for their ‘expertise’, then you need to tune into this episode and find out how you can also recognise your own power.

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South African private schools are wild! There’s a lot of gaslighting, which I’ve talked about in previous editions, and it requires a lot of mental gymnastics to survive. On the afternoon of February 11^th ,1990, our Matric English Literature class were gathered in the English block, ready to witness history on live television. Nelson Mandela was being released from prison. Thinking back on it, it was a very confusing moment because up to then, I never got the impression that anything related to Black people was important, but there we were waiting to see the future president of the country. Nobody had seen him in the 27 years that he was incarcerated, except for the artists’ impressions of what he might look like when he emerges from the Victor Verster prison just outside of Cape Town. We stayed. We watched. We listened. Some were moved – our English teacher may have shed a tear - others were fired up and I didn’t learn how others felt until later. The televised moment turned out not to be the most interesting part of the school’s commemoration of this historical moment. It was when one fellow student – spoilt, rich and entitled – boldly declared that Nelson Mandela had not said anything important during his speech at the Cape Town City Hall’s Grand Parade.  I remember me and another Black girl looking at each other in disbelief. We were left wondering, “what gives?” Needless to say, that speech was monumental and momentous. It set the tone for how we would conduct ourselves during the transition to freedom, and this tone continued through to country’s first democratic elections of April 27, 1994.

I’m telling you all of this because I got to feel this euphoria once again on a recent trip to Johannesburg. My bestie turned 50 and threw an EPIC party that took us on a journey back in time. We danced into the night on a warm Jozi night. The rooftop of The Bannister Hotel in Braamfontein, generously housed our 50-year old asses and those of our younger peers while DJ’s Bionic, Glen Lewis and Cleo spinned the tunes. I lost my shit when Thebe ‘Lenyora’ performed. My bestie lost it completely when a bunch of us surprised her with a performance by Joe Nina - a moment that went viral, ending up on radio segments and newspapers. It was fitting that Mandela was watching over us. I don’t need to go to another party for the rest of the year - or the next few - because nothing will come close to the euphoria of the night. I danced to every single DJ from 18:30 and my legs were cramping by 02:00 - yes I stayed up that late - that’s never happened to me before. 🤣

I’m also telling you this because everything is not okay in South Africa and the kids have forgotten how hard worn their freedom is. Seems our current commander in chief acts like he also forgot that he was the one holding the microphone when Mandela gave his speech to the crowds gathered at the Grand Parade. He is one of the chief architects and negotiators of our relatively peaceful transition to democracy. But under his watch the state of Johannesburg seems to get worse with every passing year. Don’t know about you, but I think it would be unforgivable to lose control of the country’s financial engine.

I am telling you this because I caught a glimpse of the Madlanga Commission live on television one day and the testimonies were revealing, embarrassing and painful to watch. It’s a circus and a far cry from the standup leaders of 1994. But seriously, how did we become these people? Callous, selfish and greedy thieves with no sense of obligation or accountability. We had ‘Fees Must Fall’ movement and more recently, the ‘Anti-GBV’ march which means that people care. There are corporates that have taken it on themselves to cover potholes and deliver other services that government is no longer bothered with. Politicians and other elected public servants seem to be fine wading through rubbish strewn streets and dodging potholes to get to the office. So now the question is: what more needs to happen? Kenya, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Iran …

I am telling you this because despite all of this, my cup is always full when I go back to Johannesburg. And what a lovely soft cushion to absorb the rough landing of relocating our family to Europe in the middle of winter, in a town that hardly ever sees snow. So now I’m back to my new life in Italy.

It’s time to get back to work buoyed by the good vibes of summer nights in Jozi.

So, before flying back home to Italy, I stopped in a couple of bookstores at the OR Tambo airport looking for some YA or romance novels like ‘Sweet Dreams’ or “Sweet Valley High’ for my soon to be teenage son - gotta vet before he gets there. Of course I didn’t find anything for him – don’t know if it’s just me or if the selection is quite poor, but I’d really appreciate some recommendations. Anyway, I digress, in the same way I got distracted in the bookstore. During said search, I stumbled on Kopano Matlwa’s Bosadi and I can’t wait to get into it. It’s been a long time since I’ve read anything by her. I’ve also just finished The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives by Lola Shoneyin which was tragic and humorous at times, and Critical But Stable by Angela Makholwa, which was scandalous, tragic and funny. I’m also dipping into a short story collection, African Delights by Siphiwo Mahala; I found during an unsupervised visit to the book store at 44 Stanley, what else was I going to do? 🤷🏾‍♀️ My current non-fiction read is one that’s followed me from bedside table to bedside table, Unmasking A.I. by Dr. Joy Buolamwini. I do appreciate a nerdy woman and she’s the queen of them all. Do read it because it explores bias in digital technology and what justice means when real world problems/injustices are mirrored in the digital.

Photos of Naomi Osaka making her entrance in a jellyfish-inspired outfit at the Australian Open were just sublime. Coco Gauff’s early exit from the same tournament was disappointing but that jumping backhand is top tier athleticism and a sight to behold. More please Coco!

And the Pause is: I have no idea how Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her husband will even start to live through the nightmare of losing one of their twins to illness over the holiday season. You can read more about it in this Guardian article. It’s one of the most heartbreaking things that can happen to a family. Parents imagine the worst-case scenario when it comes to their children (at least the ones who survive long enough to get out of the womb), but this one is unimaginable for anyone who still hears the sound of their children everyday.

It’s Black History Month in the US, and the lack of fanfare and focus from the White House is to be expected, but I’m wondering if it’s coincidence that all attention has been diverted towards the First Lady instead. No matter, congratulations are due to South African cinema houses for not showing that $70 million propaganda called Melania. 🥳 The Daily Show’s Jordan Klepper pretty much sums up who this nonsense is aimed at and when you hear this coverage by Vox Media, then you’ll understand why no self-respecting South African would want to be seen at the premier, let alone be interested in the so-called documentary. I mean, even half the crew reportedly refused to be credited for their work, so …

Anyway, so glad to see that the sun has changed positions in the sky, even under rainy skies in Cremona. The light is different and it’s hinting at a move toward Spring. Hope the coming 8 weeks go by fast!

That’s it from me, so until next time, please do take good care.

Cheers,

Kutloano