The Cheeky Natives is a literary podcast primarily focused on the review, curatorship and archiving of black literature. Founded by Dr. Alma-Nalisha Cele and Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane, the podcast is a platform dedicated to the celebration of all things literary. This is done through the reviews of books, poetry and occasionally theatre performances, interspersed with author discussions at book signings and readings.
Dr. Alma-Nalisha Cele is a doctor in public practice, having graduated from Wits in 2016.
She has a strong interest in the socio-economics of health as it relates to public health and plans to pursue further studies in this area.
An avid bibliophile who has been reading since the age of 4, she credits books as having saved her life countless times and given flight to her imagination. She counts feminism and the radical act of re-imagining one’s self as her driving forces moving forward. In 2019, she was named one of the Mandela Washington Fellows to undertake a prestigious fellowship in the United States. She was also named one of the top 200 Young South Africans in 2019.
Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane obtained his LLB from Stellenbosch University. After University, he served articles and later become an associate at Bowman Gilfillan Inc. In July 2016, he served as a law clerk for Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga at the Constitutional Court of South Africa.
His areas of interest include queer theory, intersectionality and dismantling oppressive systems. He obtained the Sonke/UCLA Health & Human Rights Fellowship in 2017/2018 and completed his Masters in Law specialising Public Interest Law and Policy and Critical Race Studies. He was named one of the top 200 Young South Africans in 2018.
Cheeky Natives recently interviewed Rekgotsofetse Chikane author of Breaking a Rainbow, Building a Nation, here is their website intro to the podcast.
“Whiteness seeks to remove us from its embrace because we threaten it. We place its position at the centre at risk when we dare to usurp it rather than simply remain constant in relation to it. Exerting my identity undermines the identity of whiteness. Yet exerting my identity calls into question my commitment to follow this feeling of emancipation from whiteness to its natural conclusion. It challenges whether or not I am willing to dismantle the system in which I exist to place myself in the centre at the expense of whiteness and the social leverage it has afforded me. This uncertainty of the coconut’s commitment begs the question: as a coconut, are you willing to slide down the snake to join those who have been excluded from the born-free ladder and assist them in the revolution, the chimurenga?’ – Rekgotsofetse Chikane
These words end the first chapter of Rekgotsofetse Chikane’s Breaking a Rainbow, Building a Nation: #ThePolitics behind #MustFallMovements
Rekgotsofetse Chikane found his passion in the field of youth development and politics since 2009. He is a University of Oxford graduate with a Master’s in Public Policy.
This book is a first-hand account of the university protests that gripped South Africa between 2015 and 2017, widely known as #FeesMustFall. In this book, Rekgotsofetse delves into what he calls the politics behind #MustFall movements. He explores – through a musical and biblical language –themes around fighting the perpetual sense of survival, challenging the score and setting of the stage for #RhodesMustFall, identities in the movements from Black radical thought to Black Radical Feminism and ends the book with the question “Should Coconuts be Trusted with the Revolution?”
In this podcast, we sat and dive deep into the work that Rekgotsofetse puts into the book. We speak about double consciousness, his relationship with his father, party politics, and who has the right to tell the story of #FeesMustFall. We also challenge him on certain framings in the book that could be read as further marginalising certain voices that uplifted the movement.
