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Siyanda Mohutsiwa (born 1993) is an internationally recognised satirical writer and speaker from Botswana. She created the satirical hashtag #IfAfricaWasABar that went viral in the summer of 2015.
She describes herself as a pan-Africanist.
She delivered a
TED talk
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
titled "Is Africa's Future Online?" in November 2015,
and another titled "How young Africans found a voice on Twitter" in February 2016.
Early life
Katlo Siyanda Mohutsiwa was born in 1993 in
Swaziland
Eswatini ( ; ss, eSwatini ), officially the Kingdom of Eswatini and formerly named Swaziland ( ; officially renamed in 2018), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its no ...
, where her mother is from and moved to Botswana, where her father is from when she was very young. Her initial language was
SiSwati
The Swazi or siSwati language is a Bantu language of the Nguni group spoken in Eswatini and South Africa by the Swati people. The number of speakers is estimated to be in the region of 2.4 million. The language is taught in Eswatini and s ...
, but relocating not only changed her language, but brought her awareness of having lost her Swazi identity and becoming part of the shared history of African identity.
When she moved to Botswana, Mohutsiwa lost her ability to speak SiSwati and became a
Setswana speaker
Education
Mohutsiwa graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the
University of Botswana
The University of Botswana, popularly known as UB, was established in 1982 as the first institution of higher education in Botswana. The university has three campuses: one in the capital city Gaborone, one in Francistown, and another in Maun. T ...
in October 2016.
Siyanda Mohutsiwa is a graduate of the prestigious
Iowa Writers Workshop
The Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa, is a celebrated graduate-level creative writing program in the United States. The writer Lan Samantha Chang is its director. Graduates earn a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Creative Wr ...
where she received a MFA from the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...
in 2018.
In 2020, she joined the Sociology department at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
.
Writing
Mohutsiwa began writing at the age of five and by age twelve was writing an opinion column in a national newspaper. By the age of sixteen, she was writing a blog focusing on issues such as
black consciousness
The Black Consciousness Movement (BCM) was a grassroots anti-Apartheid Activism, activist movement that emerged in South Africa in the mid-1960s out of the power vacuum, political vacuum created by the jailing and banning of the African Nationa ...
,
economics and development,
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
, and
pan-Africanism
Pan-Africanism is a worldwide movement that aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all Indigenous and diaspora peoples of African ancestry. Based on a common goal dating back to the Atlantic slave trade, the movement exte ...
. The blog was picked up by several international radio stations, including the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. In 2013, Mohutsiwa was an invited to contribute to the blog for
Zanews
''ZANEWS'' (now also known as ''Puppet Nation ZA'') is a South African satirical puppet show first produced in 2008 by Both Worlds, a Cape Town based production company. The show is a daily and weekly satirical news programme in the form of a mo ...
, an international commentary site out of
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. She is also a contributor to the ''
Mail & Guardian
The ''Mail & Guardian'' is a South African weekly newspaper and website, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa. It focuses on political analysis, investigative reporting, Southern African news, local arts, music and popular cult ...
'',
Siyanda Mohutsiwa has been a dominant voice in social media writing since at least 2014.
as well as being a UNICEF Special Youth Reporter, writing about youth employment, HIV, peer pressure and other topics.
As a part of her work in reporting on youth issues, Mohutsiwa has participated as a featured speaker in conferences, such as the 21st International AIDS Conference held in
Durban, South Africa
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
.
However, most of her writing takes place on Twitter, where she observes social media trends and engages in online community dialogue. In January 2014, she began the satirical hashtag #africannationsinhighschool, which was tagged over 50,000 times.
In 2016, Siyanda moved to America to enroll at the prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop where she studied fiction under
Lan Samantha Chang
Lan Samantha Chang (張嵐; pinyin: Zhāng Lán) is an American writer of novels and short stories.
Life
Lan Samantha Chang was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, and attended Yale University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in East Asian S ...
,
Ethan Canin
Ethan Andrew Canin (born July 19, 1960) is an American author, educator, and physician. He is a member of the faculty of the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa.
Canin was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, while his parents were vacatio ...
, Ayana Mathis,
Charles D'Ambrosio
Charles Anthony D'Ambrosio, Jr (born 1958) is an American short story writer and essayist.
Life
The son of Charles D'Ambrosio, Sr (1932-2011), a professor of finance at the University of Washington, D'Ambrosio grew up with two brothers and four s ...
and
Jess Walter
Jess Walter (born July 20, 1965) is an American author of seven novels, two collections of short stories, and a non-fiction book. He is the recipient of the Edgar Allan Poe Award, and was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2006.
Career
Wal ...
.
After receiving her MFA, she went on to work for the International Writing Program as a coordinator for the Summer Institute
If Africa Was A Bar
On 27 July 2015, Mohutsiwa posted a question from her personal Twitter account: "If Africa was a bar, what would your country be drinking/doing?" The question was quickly transformed into a hashtag as people all over the African continent began tweeting their responses, including the tag #IfAfricaWasABar. The hashtag was used over 61,000 times. When asked what inspired her original post, Mohutsiwa responded "I thought it would be a fun way for Africans to laugh at themselves and each other by putting geopolitics in a comedic light."
The discussion turned to another on-line media platform, TedTalks, when Mohutsiwa was invited to discuss how social media is being used to transform social conversation. She discussed that the internet has changed the way people deal with issues, their ability to criticize stereotypes, their governments, policies, and identity.
Leading to a broader platform and recognition, she has discussed how social media has driven culture on her Twitter feed, which has been re-quoted as relevant commentary by mainstream international media such as ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'', ''
BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ken ...
'', ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' and others.
References
External links
Twitter accountTED talk - Is Africa's Future Online?TED talk - How Young Africans Found A Voice On Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohutsiwa, Siyanda
1993 births
Living people
Botswana women writers
University of Botswana alumni
21st-century women writers
Iowa Writers' Workshop alumni
Botswana writers
University of Chicago faculty