What is this blog about?

I started blogging while I was studying at Rhodes University, 2010. I had just started reading for a Masters in Education and I was struggling with writing. I mostly struggled because I didn't like academic writing (this struggle hasn't changed much if you read this post). Since I started blogging I have also written columns and op-eds for newspapers such as the Daily Dispatch (a newspaper in the Eastern Cape), Sunday Independent, Mail and Guardian as well as other platforms like Huffington PostZA, The Journalist, Sable Magazanie and Prufrock Literary Magazine.

I opted for the title ixhanti lam because the phrase relates to what is known as a kraal in South African English. Ixhanti is a family homestead where family elders meet to speak to the ancestors. It is an important and sacred part in any traditional homestead. This relates to the blog because I think of writing as an important part of my life, akin to family elders speaking to ancestors when things are good or when things are bad in the family. This blog is not a literal xhanti but for me it has the same sentiments of using this space to write about what I think is important.

I have also borrowed from Nontsizi Mgqwetho: a poet and writer from the 1920s. She is one of the inspirations who guide me in the work that I do as a poet and writing across publications. In a sense, this blog could be seen as a continuation of the tradition she began which makes my writing life possible.

To find out about Nontsizi Mgwetho and why her words are important, click on the tab Who is Nontsizi Mgqwetho?