SOAS University of London

South African Bookstagrammer Dr. Nokukhanya Ntsaluba Graduates with a PhD in Law and Gender from SOAS South African book influencer Nokukhanya Ntsaluba is now Dr. Ntsaluba! She has graduated with a PhD in Law and Gender and shared a set of six photos of the milestone on Instagram, posing in red and gold doctoral robes, a soft blue bonnet, and a sharp pinstriped suit on a tree-lined London street. Ntsaluba is the creator behind @pretty_x_bookish, and Brittle Paper readers know her well. Born and raised in Pretoria, she was named our 2023 Social Media Influencer of the Year for her work promoting African and African diaspora literature online. She has been a regular presence in our coverage ever since. In 2021, she reimagined Akwaeke Emezi’s Dear Senthuran through photography for Faber. In 2023, she joined a Brittle Paper-curated conversation with fellow bookstagrammers at Africa Writes. Her comments were also featured in our piece on reactions to the final book in Tomi Adeyemi’s Orïsha trilogy. In 2025, she returned with her #AroundTheWorldInBooks reading challenge, which encourages readers to widen their horizons. Her academic path has run alongside her online work. Before the PhD, she worked at UN Women, and she completed her doctorate at SOAS University of London, where her research focused on law and gender. She has said that books offer a way to transport yourself to another reality for a few hours, and her page has made reading feel cool, communal, and joyful for a lot of people. Congratulations to Dr. Nokukhanya Ntsaluba on this achievement! See more photos from her graduation below. Photos: via Nokukhanya Ntsaluba’s Instagram.

by Blessing Uwisike