South African writer and activist Sisonke Msimang, author of the memoir Always Another Country and the forthcoming collection of essays The Resurrection of Winnie Mandela, was recently profiled in The Wall Street Journal. The feature—titled “For Sisonke Msimang, a Childhood in Exile Created a Life of Activism,” and written by Alexandra Wolfe—focuses on her life as an activist, her experience of race living in South Africa and Australia, and her writing.
Msimang was named winner of the 2017 Brittle Paper Award for Essays. A profile in The Wall Street Journal is a big deal as the newspaper is one of the U.S.’s Big Four (alongside The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times), which means more visibility for Msimang and her work. And The Wall Street Journal is no stranger when it comes to the visibility of African writers, having been the first to publish photos of Imbolo Mbue back in 2015 following her million-dollar advance for Behold the Dreamers. So here’s to hoping for big things for Msimang.
An excerpt from the profile:
Author and activist Sisonke Msimang grew up surrounded by South African revolutionaries. Her great uncle was a founding member of the African National Congress, and her father was part of Nelson Mandela’s antigovernment militia. After Mr. Mandela’s imprisonment, her father fled the country to Botswana, Tanzania and Russia before making his way to Zambia, where Ms. Msimang spent much of her childhood.
She remembers their home in Zambia being filled with people who streamed out of South Africa, all agitating for Mr. Mandela.
Continue reading HERE.
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