Hello Podfriend!

How’ve you been? The last time we connected I was lamenting the hesitant summer, and now the heat is here, stronger than ever. It’s been unbearably hot. Actually, the temperature (37*C on some days) I can deal with, the humidity is another thing all together. Can’t have it all I guess, and I’ll take this over two meters of snow and sub-zero temperatures. Shout out to all of you in the Southern Hemisphere, I know the winter has been pretty harsh this time around. How are you keeping warm?

I’m in Massachusetts for the summer, so that means I have to be a tourist in my own city. It’s been fun attending exhibitions with my boys. One of the most memorable stops so far was an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on Juneteenth. Entry was free so that meant a super long wait in the line to get in, but oh so worth it when we saw an exhibition for local artist, John Wilson (1922-2015). I was so moved by the exhibition, I was pretty damn near tears. Aptly named, Witnessing Humanity: The Work of John Wilson his work portrays Black people in all our humanity, and in doing that captures our common humanity. It doesn’t matter where you come from, you’d have to have a heart of stone not to see yourself in John Wilson’s subjects. Here’s more about the Roxbury-born artist and his significance not only to Roxbury, but in the African American art landscape.

That’s my life update, shall we get to what’s happening in the SAL studio? Oh, remember to share with your friends and as them to join in the fun at SAL.

Here’s what’s coming up :

-Studio Update

-Also This Month

-On My Mind This Month

Alright pod friends, let’s get to business!

Physical media is still a thing. Just like vinyl – for people of a certain age - everything we thought was dying is finding new ways to come back. My guest this week, Isha Gaye believes this is true for print publications and so, she created the recently-launched Afrique Noire Magazine: @afriquenoiremagazine

BUT WHY?! 🤓 Isha did a large part of her schooling in the United States and found that there was still a lot of misinformation about the African continent among members of the diaspora. Being from The Gambia 🇬🇲 and still very connected to her culture back home, she made it her mission to change these perceptions.

Isha graduated from college in 2020 and her plans to go to law school got upended by the pandemic. With a little nudging from her beloved aunt, she did some introspection and decided that law school was not what she wanted to do but instead started working on an idea to showcase the creativity and energy of African designers, artists and other cultural visionaries on social media.

Bonnie Meslane is the Founder of the online lifestyle and culture magazine, Nounouche Online. The Johannesburg-based publisher is also the force behind the A-list Public Relations and Communications company,  Azania Public, and like all multi-hyphenates, she has another gig as a marketing specialist at one of the iconic and legendary music radio station in Johannesburg, Kaya FM.

Bonnie and her team at Nounouche Online are story driven and dedicated to amplifying the voices that truly shape our world and culture - in their world, that means staying away from scandals and telling the stories of change makers, even if they are not celebrities.

In our conversation we cover a lot of ground, from leadership to readership, as well as how to thrive with grace and determination as a multi-hyphenate. We reflect on the shift from hard to soft skills in modern leadership and dissect the complexities that come with being in a position of authority. We discuss the role of a fitness routing in cultivating discipline, building resilience, and having fortitude. 

Bonnie Meslane  exemplifies what it means to lead with inspiration, and how to leave a legacy through the impact of your work.

The only things on my mind this month really are just keeping up with current events and enjoying the summer with my husband and our little people, who are on school holidays. They’ve got me playing video games, chasing soccer balls in the heat and doing elementary school mathematics in an attempt to make sure that they don’t lose their learning over the three very long months of holidays. We’ve been on hikes, tennis courts and enjoyed some time at the local public swimming pool. I’ve never been more thankful to live in this bubble we found in Massachusetts. Physical safety is something that I’ll never take for granted - it offers children (and women) a level of freedom that I had never experienced before growing up under Apartheid and also being a young woman in a big city; Johannesburg.

Since we opted for a staycation this year, we won’t be doing our annual summer visit to see family in Italy and South Africa. So that means getting a healthy dose of both places in different ways, we’ve been watching a couple of Italian TV series and revisiting some Mzansi favorites on Netlix. My favorites are I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone and Blood Legacy. I’ll also be re-watching Sabbatical since it got is debut on international streaming on Amazon Prime. Check out my recent interview with the film’s Director and Writer, Karabo Lediga.

It’s been a quiet listening month as far as podcast discovery goes. I’ve been sticking to the tried and tested news channels like BBC, Al Jazeera, Vox, The Guardian, NPR and NY Times, mainly to keep abreast of happenings with the current Maison Blanc administration because the pace at which things are happening is astounding, and one can’t afford not to know. We’ve seen the far reaching consequences of decisions taken and signed into existence with the swift flick of a Sharpie.

I have, however been going through some audio books that have been on my ‘playlist’ for a while. The one I’m listening to right now is Grown Woman Talk by Dr. Sharon Malone (a fave of Michelle Obama’s and Oprah’s). While the statistics quoted in the book are all American, it’s still a great guide for self care wherever you are in the world, especially if you’re a Woman of Color.

I am also making my way through this conversation about misconceptions regarding the manufacturing industry. It was recommended to me by my former professor and now friend, Per Jenster. Thought Sparks (the show) offers insightful reflection on what modern manufacturing is and why there’s a sudden interest in diverting funds away from creating more white collar workers and pushing young people towards trade schools. This is in no way an endorsement of what’s happening to academia in America, but it is worthwhile consideration and timeous to reflect on what it means to be well-educated in today’s society, why post-college job prospects are dwindling and what it means to be doing meaningful work. The conversation is wide-ranging and touches on the aforementioned topics. It’s worth the listen for the insights into why trade education is important for any country.

The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women is written by former teacher, Michelle Myeko Kekana and it’s my book recommendation this month. It captures the experiences of three young, Black women who are pushed to the edge by their various circumstances, while chasing success in the City of Gold. Hope can’t find a job after graduating from university, Zethu is assaulted at her boyfriend’s house and Ayanga is overwhelmed and disappointed by motherhood - she simply can’t bond with her newborn baby. Shoutout to our good family friend Irvin Mangwiza and his daughter Malaika for picking this out for me while traveling in SA and Zimbabwe recently.

My other book recommendation is Transitions - Making Sense of Life’s Changes by William Bridges. If you’re going through major changes, like, I don’t know, navigating the mental and physical changes that come with reaching middle age 😁, there’s a way to get through it. Parenting teens is also quite different from parenting small children. Aweh!

Ok, Podfriends that’s all from me this time around . Let me know what’s exciting you, what’ you’re reading or whatever is on your mind.

Until next time, please do take good care.

Cheers,

Kutloano

(your host with the most)