This is a recording of a live event that took place at the Open Book Festival in March 2022 in Cape Town. In this conversation, Relebone Rirhandzu eAfrika, Bongani Kona and Bridget McNulty speak to Joy Watson about how we survive.
This event was made possible by the support of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, as well as the Heinrich Boell Foundation.
Relebone Rirhandzu eAfrika is a writer, editor and the podcast host of 'The Nine Lives of Depression Survivors'. The Tzaneen-born and bred essayist, literacy advocate, life coach and mental health advocate has been writing for years but still sees herself as a baby writer. Her debut book, Broken Porcelain, is a collection of essays exploring mental health. She is an avid bookstagrammer (@blackfeatherhideout) who promotes Black writers and their work, and a plant mom who doesn’t believe that there is such a thing as having too many plants. You can find her ranting and being goofy on all social media at @relebone everywhere.
Bongani Kona is a writer, editor and lecturer in the Department of History at the University of the Western Cape. His work has appeared in a variety of places including Chimurenga, Safe House: Explorations in Creative Nonfiction, The Daily Assortment of Astonishing Things and Other Stories, The Baffler and BBC Radio 4. He was awarded the Ruth First Fellowship in 2019 and shortlisted for the Caine Prize for African Writing in 2016. Most recently, he has edited Our Ghosts were Once People (2021). He has previously participated in the Open Book podcast series.
Bridget McNulty is a writer, content strategist and co-founder of Sweet Life, South Africa’s largest online diabetes community. Following the loss of her mother, she battled to find the support she needed. Her first book, The Grief Handbook, weaves her personal experience with expert psychological insights and practical advice, to enable you to navigate your grief in your own way.
Joy Watson is a feminist researcher with 20 years experience in feminist activism. Her research areas of specialization include women in politics, women and governance, violence against women and analyzing public policy and expenditure from a feminist perspective. Her debut novel is The Other Me (2022).
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