Lidudumalingani first caught our attention with his 2016 Caine Prize winning short story, “Memories we lost”, which discusses mental illness and issues of access in an often forgotten rural context, it was poignant and powerful giving a voice to a population often ignored. Lidudumalingani is a master of many trades as a writer, photographer and filmmaker. After the success of winning the Caine Prize, Lidudumalingani went on to win the Marshall Scholarship for his manuscript of his eagerly anticipated debut. Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele sat down with the prodigious Lidudumalingani to discuss photography, mental health and Black literature. In under hour, The Cheeky Natives held an eye opening and heart warming conversation on the state of literature in South Africa, decolonisation and his hopes for writing.
‘We seek a world in which there is room for many worlds’- Sunil Yapa in her beautiful novel “Your heart is a muscle the size of your fist”. An apt quote for the conversation in today’s episode.