Cheeky Natives Podcast Discusses Mohale Mashigo's First Novel, The Yearning

I started listening to this episode of Cheeky Natives podcast because I was reading great things about Mohale Mashigo's novel The Yearning online.

Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele and Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane are two young bibliophiles who sometimes dabble in the fields of medicine and law. Together, they started a podcast called ‘The Cheeky Natives’ – a platform primarily focused on the celebration of all things literary. This celebration is done through the reviews of books, poetry and occasionally theatre performances, interspersed with author discussions at book signings and readings.

The story of how Mohale became an accidental writer resonated very well with me. I wrote my first novel in a very difficult time of my life when the only respite I got from the turmoil was in the nights spent frantically writing. I smiled as she talked about what an excellent storyteller her mother is. I've always felt that in another lifetime, my mother would have been a writer. She has a way with words and stories.

In this episode, the hosts cover a range of topics including rape culture in South Africa and the reality of women's lives in many parts of the world, generational trauma and how we need to address it, mental health issues etc. 

'My mother died seven times before she gave birth to me. I am grateful for that corpse that somehow always seemed to resurrect itself. My father is gone now but his smile is alive on my brother's face. There is no life without death; the two rely on each other and we rely on them both for our purpose.'

So begins the first chapter of Mohale Mashigo's The Yearning.

After the discussion, I instantly went online to buy the book. Hopefully the discussion inspires you to do the same.