Mohale Mashigo, born Kgomotso Carol Mashigo (and also known by her stage name Black Porcelain) is a South African singer-songwriter, novelist, and former radio presenter. Her debut novel ''The Yearning'' (Pan Macmillan, 2016) won the 2017

University of Johannesburg Prize The University of Johannesburg Prize for South African Writing, also known as the UJ Prize, is awarded annually by the University of Johannesburg (UJ) for the best creative works in each of five categories: English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Northern Soth ...

for South African Debut Writing and was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award 2018. She lives in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

Background

Mohale was born in Mapetla,

Soweto Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...

, in 1983. She describes herself as a storyteller who uses the medium of music and prose for expression.

Music

As a musician, she performs under the name Black Porcelain. Her music is play-listed in 36 countries and debut album, ''Invincible Summer'', won two Wawela Music Awards in June 2013.

Writing

Mashigo's debut novel, ''The Yearning'', was published by

Pan Macmillan Pan Books is a publishing imprint (trade name), imprint that first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the United Kingdom, British-based Macmillan Publishers, owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group of Germany. Pan Books b ...

in May 2016. It has been described as "a bewitching addition to the current South African literary boom...", a story told "with charming lucidity, disarming characterisation, subversive wisdom and subtle humour." Mashigo says she wrote it "as a story of healing primarily for myself. The entire book is about secrets and how we heal ourselves from our past." It won the 2016

for South African Debut Writing and has been longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award 2018. Other books include ''Intruders'' (Picador Africa, 2018), a collection of speculative short stories, and ''Beyond the River'', a novelisation of the film by the same name. She is one of the writers for ''Kwezi'', a comic book series set in contemporary urban South Africa. Mashigo won the inaugural Philida Literary Award in 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mashigo, Mohale Living people 1983 births People from Soweto 21st-century South African novelists South African women novelists 21st-century South African women writers