Author

REMOTEWORDS: Niq, what does MSAWAWA mean and where does it derives from? 

Niq Mhlongo: MSAWAWA is a nickname that has been given to Soweto and it simply means Soweto.  What happens here in South Africa: we have a way of calling things – of naming things and places. I don’t know how it originates. For example we call traffic lights ROBOTS here. So we Sowetans call the endearment of Soweto MSAWAWA. When you want to feel like “This is my Soweto” you will call it MSAWAWA.

REMOTEWORDS: So is it also an explanation that is filled with pride?

Niq Mhlongo: Yes, exactly, pride and also in the sense of belonging. So if I go out of Soweto, go out of the township not many people say: Oh you’re from MSAWAWA. So many things here in South Africa are associated with Soweto. In terms of music in terms of dress up people are looking to Soweto. If someone wants to be accepted among people they look into how Soweto is dressed. Even the things we see in TV for example the Kwaito groups are encouraged by Soweto. It’s all about that these people are associated with trends and with modern life.

REMOTEWORDS: So, MSAWAWA on your roof is indicating Soweto from the air like on a map.  Secondly MSAWAWA is a message of pride being send from Soweto into the world. Has pride and self consciousness been important for the liberation of South Africa after the terrible years of apartheid?

Niq Mhlongo: Yes, that’s why I like it so much, because it captures almost everything about arts, politics, economics, every sphere of South African life. As I said, Soweto is also a trendsetter in terms of politics. You know about the events of 1976. It happened in Soweto. It is the birthplace of the liberation fight. The rest of the country followed the message of black consciousness. Most of the political leaders are still from Soweto.

REMOTEWORDS: That brings me to our next message. ARTMIGRATION on the roof of the jozi art:lab located in the suburb of Melville. Can you please tell us about the migration of the people from Melville to other parts of the city.

This Interview by Indra Wussow, Niq Mhlongo, Uta Kopp and Achim Mohné was done at the writer’s Soweto home in March 2009.
The Interview continues: REMOTEWORDS#7 / ARTMIGRATION / Melville

Niq Mhlongo

Murhandziwa Nicholas Mhlongo was born in Midway-Chiawelo Soweto, South Africa on the 10th of June 1973. He is the eighth born in a family of ten children. In the belief that he would be spared the violence that characterized most Soweto schools at the time, his parents sent him to Limpopo province (former Northern Province) for his education, and he did both his primary and secondary schooling there. In his matriculation year in 1990, the schools were disrupted, coinciding with the release of former president Nelson Mandela from jail in February of that year. As a consequence of the widespread turmoil at schools in this period, he failed to graduate from high school and had to repeat the grade, which he did successfully in 1991. 

Mhlongo faced the typical challenges and difficulties of a unemployed post-school youth in Soweto, but managed to find employment as a part-time as dispatch agent for a company called Republic Umbrella in Johannesburg. In 1994 he enrolled for a BA degree (Bachelor of Arts) at the University of the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg), majoring in African Literature and Political Studies. He completed his degree in 1996 and enrolled for a Law degree (LLB) at the same University in 1997. In 1998 he enrolled at the University of Cape Town, where he continued with his law degree until 2000, when he dropped out of the law school at third year level to write his first novel titled Dog Eat Dog. The novel is an evocative account based on his experience as a young South African of the post-apartheid generation.

He considers his role as a young South African writer to ‘reflect on the changes, whether good or bad, that are taking place around me today. The end of apartheid and our ten years of democracy have posed new challenges, and given us the opportunity as new generation of writers to explore new things. Our contributions to literature today should be to write about issues that are directly facing the youth. We have the responsibility to explore topics such as, HIV/AIDS virus, unemployment, poverty, xenophobia, homosexuality, etc. These are the present issues that most South Africans will identify with, and our writings can help strengthen our democracy and to build a better future.’