For generations, many of the stories about Black South Africans — our families, our struggles, our communities, our women and our history — have been told by someone else. Often, those stories
have been written through the lens of politics, academia, journalism or history books. But what happens when the people who lived those experiences pick up the pen and tell the story themselves? Today, we bring together three women who have done exactly that. Zodwa Zwane, who spent years working alongside Winnie Mandela and has written My Boss, Mrs Mandela; Lulama Mali, author of Held: Portrait of the Black Family, which explores family, memory and the historical forces that have shaped Black families; and Dr Vathiswa Papu-Zamxaka, whose own journey from difficult circumstances to becoming a Deputy Vice-Chancellor is documented in Greatness Undeniable.
Their stories are personal, but they also speak to much bigger questions about inequality, opportunity, education, family, history and the socioeconomic realities that continue to shape people's lives. So today, we ask: what happens when women take ownership of their narratives? Can telling our own stories become a form of resistance, preservation and social change? And why does it matter who gets to write the first draft of our history?