WOMAN ZONE STORIES

Woman Zone's annual Women's Day show, broadcast this year on August 8th on FMR, radio station based at Artscape,  features Dr Marlene le Roux, CEO of Artscape; details of the performance Broken Crayons with disability and social justice activist Nothukela Makohliso; Cindy Buske, CEO of Soil for Life; Nina Geraghty of the Life Righting Collective and finally Beryl Botman, author of With (-out) You. If you weren't able to tune in on the day, here's a chance to catch it again. Presented by Theresa Smith and produced by Beryl Eichenberger. 

Grief is an inevitability of life, and each of us handles it differently. It took Beryl Botman some years before she was able to process hers following the death of her husband Prof Russel Botman in 2014. In her book With (-Out) You, she shares in first hand detail how she felt, coped, struggled and ultimately survived. She spoke at her launch at the opening of Artscape's Women's Humanity Festival. (intro song: Beautiful Woman by Tina Schouw)

Twenty-one years ago, Karen Lazar, academic and language lecturer suffered a stroke that left her paralyzed down one side and disabled. It doesn't define her, but has impacted her life dramatically. A champion of gender and disability, in her books Hemisphere - Inside a stroke and Echoes an anthology she describes how. (Intro song, Beautiful Woman is by Tina Schouw)

We start this special series of Woman Zone podcasts for the Women's Humanity Arts Festival 2022 with Artscape CEO, Dr Marlene le Roux who shares her personal messages of care, concern and Covid. 

First time novelist, but well practiced feminist researcher, Joy Watson's The Other Me (Karavan Press) is an eye-opening book with a damaged but fascinating central character. Writer, editor, publisher Karina Szczurek digs deeper to get the back story...

Natasha is one of ten women home food gardeners whose stories feature in a book celebrating 10 years of Woman Zone and 20 of Soil for Life. Beginner gardener turned passionate trainer, Natasha shares how learning and working with Soil for Life has changed her whole outlook. 

Writing her latest novel, The Man Who Loved Crocodile Tamers (Kwela), brought author and poet Finuala Dowling to tears on occasion. It's the story of her father, Paddy Dowling, but laced with fiction, creative licence and a lot of love and experience, it makes for a memorable read, that may well bring a reader to tears too. 

A featured chef at the Plant Powered Show in Cape Town, life-long foodie and author of Veggielicious Mokgadi Itsweng shared her journey as committed plant-based food evangelist. 

In her debut novel, Lightness of Air (Texture) Angela Miller-Rothbart weaves the real life reminiscences of a holocaust survivor into a piece of art.

Kenyan born Rose Ssali tells the remarkable tale of how she traded her attorneys gown for the writers pen and publishers passion - across the world. 

Co-authors of the Imbokodo trilogy of books Athambile and Xolisa have showcased 10 Inspiring Singers, Writers & Artists; 10 Extraordinary Leaders, Activists & Pioneers and 10 Curious Inventors, Healers & Educators (Jacana). In Woman Zone's 10th year, we where thrilled to host them at our first Book Club meeting of the year back at Artscape.

Adolphine Misekabu's flight from then Zaire (DRC) to South Africa back in 1996 was long, horrendous and terrifying. Like that of so many refugees. Many years later she shared the journey with writer Estelle Neethling, the result is a book called Escape from Lumbumbashi (Unisa Press). It was an emotional experience, for both of them, as Estelle explains.  

Thrown Among the Bones: My Life in Fiction is an extraordinary work by writer, poet, publisher Patricia Schonstein. It's the story of her own life and  how people and events within it have impacted and appeared in her novels and poems. Textured doesn't describe! Published by African Sun Press.

This Might Sting a Bit is an eye-opening but seriously entertaining story of one woman's addiction and her dysfunctional family set in crisis-ridden Zimbabwe in the early 2000's. We spoke to Claire Adlam at the first ever mobile WZ Book Club at the Beach Blanc open air cafe in Milnerton.

In her heartbreakingly moving book Waterboy, award-winning journalist Glynis Horning tries to make sense of her son's suicide. 

Co-founders of The Mothertongue Project, arts-activists Sara Matchett and Rehane Abrahams talk about the origins of the project as well as Collaborative Conversations, the book they put together to celebrate their twenty-first anniversary.

Singer, songwriter, composer Nicky Schrire shares the story behind her spell-binding musical fusion of strings with the poetry of Ingrid Jonker. Scheduled for performance at The String Quarter Biennale in Amsterdam February 2022.

The Woman Zone Book Club guest author this month is FUTHI NTSHINGILA, writer, researcher, journalist. Here she talks about her third book, written during lockdown, called They Got To You Too (Pan Macmillan).

The Peace Garden in Bonteheuwel on the Cape Flats is a symbol of what can be done – by one woman, by a group of women, by a community. But whilst it symbolizes peace and the fight against violence in general, gender based-violence in particular,  it also inspires environmental awareness and a togetherness, a unity, which in these conflicted, confusing times, is exactly what we need. On the garden's 2nd birthday, we went to visit...

This month's Woman Zone Book Club author is one-of-a-kind Lynn Joffe whose book The Gospel According to Wanda B Lazarus (Modjaji) is a roller-coaster of note. Listen as she explains the genesis to Dominique Malherbe.

CHRISTINE WEIR is a multi-layered singer-songwriter with a colourful background and a phenomenal range. Despite the recent setbacks life has dealt her, she remains upbeat on a crystal clear and inspirational note. 

The authors of this month's Woman Zone Book Club book have produced a title that's a must for everyone's shelf. FLOW - The Book about Menstruation (Kwela) one way or another affects every person on this planet - for some its a 'curse' for others it's lifegiving. Listen here as Candice and Karen explain their motivation and the message. 

The Woman Zone Book Club is pleased to bring you a chat with communications guru LEAH SEFOR. With a background in the self-help biz since childhood, a quick mind and attentive counsellors ear, she was well placed to write That's Not What I Meant: The smart savvy guide to real communication (Tafelberg). Enjoy and learn!

The 5th and final episode in this special series honouring Artscape's 50th anniversary, Woman Zone speaks to NADINE MCKENZIE, co-founder of the Unmute Dance Company. The intro song, 'Beautiful Woman', is written and performed by Tina Schouw

WZBC Introduces you to award-winning journalist, writer and publisher ZUBEIDA JAFFER on her book Beauty of the Heart – the life and time of Charlotte Mannya Maxeke (No 10 Publishers). Charlotte is the icon, activist, academic, educationalist and inspiration behind Artscape’s Women’s Humanity Art Festival 2021

Number 4 in this special series honouring Artscape's 50th anniversary, Woman Zone speaks to AVERIL BARRY-HUGHES, Managing Director of Jazzart Dance Theatre. The intro song, 'Beautiful Woman', is written and performed by Tina Schouw

In number 3 of this special series honouring Artscape's 50th anniversary, Woman Zone speaks to DEBBIE TURNER, CEO of Cape Town City Ballet.  The intro song, 'Beautiful Woman', is written and performed by Tina Schouw

The WZ Book Club invites you to meet: activist, academic, feminist poet BERNEDETTE MUTHIEN. Her book Rethinking Africa: Indigenous Women Re-Interpret Sothern Africa's Pasts (Fanele) co-edited with June Bam takes a deep look at 'herstories' though a creative, woman-focused lens. 

In this special series honouring Artscape's 50th anniversary, Woman Zone speaks to LAURENCE ESTEVE co-founder and CEO of the Zip Zap Circus The intro song, 'Beautiful Woman', is written and performed by Tina Schouw

In this special series honouring Artscape's 50th anniversary, Woman Zone speaks to LIZE THOMAS acting artistic director of Cape Town Opera. The intro song, 'Beautiful Woman', is written and performed by Tina Schouw.

In case you missed our special Women's Day radio show, broadcast on FMR yesterday, presented by Theresa Smith and produced by Beryl Eichenberger - here's your chance to catch our celebration as part of Artscape's Women's Humanity Arts Festival 2021 in Cape Town's much loved  theatre centre's 50th golden year. 

The WZ Book Club invites you to meet: A'EYSHA KASSIEM. Her book Suitcase of Memory looks at how cultural identity is shaped and influenced by memory.  

In this brand new series, the WZ Book Club invites you to meet: BRIDGET MCNULTY whose self-published The Grief Handbook started as a result of personal experience. 

Woman Zone Book Club guest author this month is the prolific and award-winning writer FIONA SNYCKERS. She’s writes short stories, series, novels – as well as for mobile phones, and her recent acclaimed novel Lacuna was an impassioned response to Nobel laureate JM Coetzee’s Disgrace. But Fiona's latest, 8th novel The School Gates, is based on more first-hand experience.

The WOMAN ZONE BOOK CLUB review page is a great place to find new reads – but its also a great place to have your opinion heard if you’ve come across a really good title. But we are especially thrilled to welcome a new reviewer into our ranks – she’s HAZEL MAKUZENI and you can read her first contribution on our website under Book Reviews. But who is Hazel? Find out more about her here…

Fans of award-winning author Marita van der Vyver now based in France, will love her latest book.  In A Long Letter to my Daughter (Tafelberg) she shares, with 21 year old French-speaking Mia, stories and secrets from her childhood and youth in South Africa - as well as books and quotes that shaped her world and writing. It’s an Exclusive Books Homebru choice for all of July and Marita is one of two WZ Book Club guest authors for June.

Who was this woman Sarah Goldblatt to whom literary icon CJ Langenhoven bequeathed his literary legacy? Why was she so important in his life? Author, lawyer and great niece to Sarah, Dominique Malherbe, set out to uncover the story that had been the subject of family gossip and much speculation over many decades. Searching for Sarah (NB Publishers) is a poignant reminder of identity, commitment, dedication and love. Dominique is one of two WZ Book Club guest authors for June.

Finding freedom in books in a different way, Christy Weyer gave up an academic career to follow her dream, and start a book shop. Liberty Books. You can find it at Peregrine Farm Stall – but listen here for the whole story.

Writer, storyteller Dr Sindiwe Magona has been declared a South African Living Legend. She’s received an Ikamanga award for her literary and humanitarian work, amongst many other awards and honorary doctorates too numerous to mention. As a founding friend of Woman Zone she has honoured us often with her words and her presence. This time we honour her - her life of writing and her new book, When the Village Sleeps (Picador).  

Her prolific Instagram account refers to #subversive stitching – but artist WILLEMIEN DE VILLERS work, combining beauty with brutality, speaks volumes about so much more than vintage cloth and thread.

For writer, author, poet, doctor and teacher Dawn Garisch, writing is life. Listen as she explains how it’s helped her navigate her own journey – and also how it’s worked for so many others who have found themselves through her Life Righting Collective. Dawn is both our Finding Herself candidate and WZ Book Club Guest Author for April. Her latest books, Breaking Milk and Disturbance, an anthology are published by Karavan Press. 

Literacy Director at the Otto Foundation Trust, an IBBY SA judge and on the board of Nal’ibali, NONIIKIWE MASHOLOGU has been celebrated as one of 12 women in South Africa working hard to drive early literacy change. Listen as she shares her journey from daughter of activist, academic parents exiled in in Lesotho, to where she is now…

Saving A Stranger’s Life: The Diary of an Emergency Room Doctor is an eye-opening peep into one woman’s highly-stressed working environment clouded by the deadly shadow of COVID 19. Written between March and Sept 2020, it’s a tale told with honesty, humour and non-holds-barred insight.

Scatterlings is Resoketswe Manenzhe first, and award-winning, novel. Legendary, historical, thoughtful. Woman Zone Book Club's February guest author, Shoki herself is also an engineering student at UCT. Enjoy the story of all her stories right here. 

The EVERYWOMAN Project is an ambitious initiative linking three Cape Town organisations: WOMAN ZONE, ARTSCAPE and the ZEITZ MOCAA. The end result is destined to be one giant textile art installation – still to find a name – that will ultimately be presented to the Artscape Theatre Centre on the occasion of its 50th anniversary on May 19th 2021. Many hundreds of women have helped, and are helping, to create it. The Education Department of Education at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Africa Art has supplied limitless enthusiasm as well as the venue for the construction workshops. Da Gama Textiles in East London supplied the iconic shweshwe fabric and Artscape has supplied support all along the way and will be the artworks final showcase. As we reach the halfway mark of its completion – listen here to how it’s been going….

With a lot expected from her when she was a learner, educator Gugu Radebe, expects, or hopes for, a lot from other young women. Listen to her journey and the philosophy behind the organization she founded called GALE, Girls Advocacy Leadership and Education based in Langa.

Zimbabwean born writer-filmmaker Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu weaves magic in her books. The latest is The History of Man, the first was the award-winning The Theory of Flight. Nancy Richards spoke to her about them both.

twyg is an online platform designed to inspire and support a modern, eco-conscious and forward-thinking lifestyle – focusing on fashion, food and places that don’t harm the planet. Founder Jackie May talks about its origins, its ethos and its awards.

Trudy Rushin’s is the beautiful voice and gently haunting song that opens every episode of this FINDING HERSELF series. Find out here how despite a number of challenges, she came to be doing what she loves best, singing.

In her book Death and the After Parties - a memoir (Karavan Press) JOANNE HICHENS shares the full range of emotions she felt following first the death of her mother, then in quick succession her husband, her father and her mother-in-law. Recovery after the death of loved ones is a life-long affair – but what she deals with here is coping with the raw early stages and the agonising aftermath. It is a book to which every one can relate, on many different levels.

Our December online Woman Zone Book Club marked this year's 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence. Our speakers, NECHAMA BRODIE author of Femicide in South Africa (Kwela) and TRACY GOING author of Brutal Legacy - a memoir (MFBooks) shared some invaluable insight and information on the scourge of violence that affects so any women in our country. 

At roughly half way through her life – Jessica Hewson is, broadly speaking, a journalist. But media in all its in many forms, past and present is her passion. Despite a disability she has taken her future very much into her own hands on a journey that has been sometimes seriously bumpy, but never dull.

Each year the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence renews the fight against this national scourge. But GBV is not new. XOLISWA NDUNENI-NGEMA’s shocking history of mental and physical abuse goes back 30 years to the days of Sarafina! the musical. In Heart of a Strong Woman she shares her own side of this high-profile story. NB: Our apologies for the poor quality of the sound in this episode.

Just turned fifteen, Lea Lukoji has her whole life ahead of her - with so much more to discover about the world, and to find out about herself. But she’s a thoughtful young woman – with her very own brand of wisdom, and care. This episode has been kindly sponsored by Emma Numanoglu, childbirth educator, midwife and lactation specialist at breastfeedingmatters.co.za 

Kagiso Msimango is the sort of woman many of us would just love to be. She’s bright, beautiful, funny with a multi-layered media career, a caring partner and two lovely daughters. But her third book 'Unf*ck Yourself Unf*ck the World' describes how it all very nearly came crashing down around her. She doesn’t profess to have all the answers, but in it she shares much hard-earned wisdom.

Following an impressive career in Human Resources, Professor SHIRLEY ZINN now has her own Consultancy specialising in HR, Transformation, Leadership and Education. But getting there is a longer story as she explains in a memoir called Swimming Upstream. Beryl Eichenberger of Woman asked her first, what she orginally hoped to be. This episode was kindly sponsored by Charlene Yared West, Doula Hypnotherapist and Hypnobirthing practitioner at RelaxIntoBirth.com

Multi-disciplinary arts coordinator, curator, writer, FAYE KABALI-KAGWA talks about #DearUs Matric 2020 – her WhatsApp exhibition featuring six learners. It is in included in the Fak’ugesi African Digital Creativity Festival.

Jo’burg based Financial Planner KIM POTGIETER talks about her new free e-book called 30 MONEY MISTAKES WOMEN MAKE & WAYS TO GET BACK ON TRACK. She also shares her own money journey. 

‘The Karen Book of Rules’ takes a good hard look at what it means to be ‘a karen’ – the rather unflattering, relatively new name, or meme, associated with women of a certain type and attitude. Sub-titled ‘Harness your INNER KAREN and use your power for good’, it’s been put together, ever so slightly, but only just, tongue-in-cheek, by writers Karin Schimke and Karen Jeynes – both of whose name certainly qualifies them to comment.

JEN THORPE is a feminist. She describes it as a being and a doing word. But for her its also a thinking word – and to help share the concept she has focused on capturing it as a written word. Most recently this has been through the two anthologies she has edited called Feminism Is and Living Whilst Feminist, Our Bodies Our Truths. I’m NR and I asked Jen when she first came across the word…..

DESIREE-ANNE MARTINS book We Don’t Talk About It. Ever talks so honestly and openly about her utterly dysfunctional life of addiction, abuse and agony as a child and young woman, that you just want to hug her – then give her a medal for surviving it. She has come out the other side, 16 years clean, a counsellor and award winning writer. Her life, her story is complex, compelling – and for many will be so very, very familiar.

The forced removals of the apartheid era in Cape Town saw communities ripped apart, families damaged and the hearts of many individuals irreparably broken. Decades later, as a journalist BRONWYN DAVIDS covered many forced removal stories but was always reluctant to tell her own. Until one day the floodgate opened. Writing first on facebook, then on a retreat, with the input of a number of people and several drafts later, she finally put together Lansdowne Dearest: My family’s story of forced removals a book that’s filled with rich memory and colourful narrative. It begins in 1920 with the house that great-grandpa Joe McBain built and tracks the family members that follow with passion, honesty and humour. Bronwyn has written for the community and for her family’s legacy – but more than anything, to free herself.

HEDI LAMPERT'S novel The Trouble with My Aunt – deals primarily with the issue of Fragile X Syndrome. A condition as common as Down’s Syndrome, but less well-known, and often linked to autism. In real life it affected her own Aunt, Aunty Vi – as well as her whole family one way or another. Hedi’s novel, while based on the experiences of her own family, offers both an entertaining love story, uncovering long held family secrets as well as a well-researched and informed approach to the condition itself. She's in conversation here with Beryl Eichenberger, Woman Zone’s chief librarian at The Women’s Library at Artscape.

On Women's Day, August 9 2020, as happene every year as part of Artscape Theatre Centre #WomensFest2020, Theresa Smith hosted our Women's Day Radio Show on Fine Music Radio Inc.  She interviewed some of the artists involved in this years virtual Festival including: Siphokazi Jonas poet, Nadine McKenzie of Unmute Dance Company, Vuvu Nompetshini of Jazzart, Bianca Flanders actress and songwriter and of course Artscape's very own CEO Marlene le Roux. Good news, you can listen to it right here, right now. Enjoy......

If you’ve been listening to earlier episodes in this WZ podcast series, you may have wondered about the siren call at the beginning and at the end. Well that lovely voice belongs to PHILIPPA KABALI-KAGWA – singer, storyteller – facilitator and long-term member of Woman Zone who has shared many a story with us at the Women’s Library at Artscape. I’m NR and when I asked Philippa for a title for this her very own episode, she suggested ‘What Story Gives Me’…. So I suggested, she tell us a story….which she does, but first she gives us the story behind the story….

Kelly-Eve Koopman is a multidisciplinary artist – and author of Because I couldn’t Kill you described as a memoir on her Feminist Struggle, Missing Father and Myths of Memory and published by Melinda Ferguson.  Kelly-Eve herself also describes it as a ‘queer manifesto.’ Here in conversation with Desiree-Anne Martin, she explains more of its origins and process. These two have much to share because Desiree-Anne Martin is also an author - a poet, a counsellor and integral member of the Woman Zone Book Club which meets once a month at The Women’s Library at Artscape inviting a guest author to come and share her story. Desiree also recently won the Arts24/Kwela Corona fiction award for her story Delirium. But here, she asked Kelly-Eve first, to describe herself…

Welcome to WOMAN ZONE – connecting women through their stories At Woman Zone, an organisation designed to bring together women of different backgrounds, we find that one woman’s story often resonates way beyond her, her community, town or country. Through these podcasts we hope to spread such stories wider. In this episode we talk to COLLEEN HIGGS, founder of Modjaji women’s publishers and author of MY MOTHER, MY MADNESS in which she reveals the very personal story of her complex mother, and mother complex. Maybe you have a story you’d like to share? We’d love to hear it. Find us on www.womanzonect.com or facebook Woman Zone CT.

Welcome to WOMAN ZONE – connecting women through their stories. Woman Zone is an organisation designed to bring together women of different backgrounds – to get to know and understand one another through their stories. Based in Cape Town we meet sometimes in our Women’s Library, sometimes in one another’s homes or communities. But women’s stories often resonate beyond one woman, one town or community and in this podcast we’re taking the opportunity to spread them wider. In this episode we talk to mother and daughter team, PORTIA MBAU and LUMAI MIRA DE SMIDT who put together THE AFRICA COOKBOOK, a delicious collection of Portia recipes from Cape Town's famous Africa Cafe. They talk us through the journey of this visual feast. Maybe you have a story you’d like to share? We’d love to hear it. Find us on www.womanzonect.com or facebook Woman Zone CT.