SLG'Cubed: SLG Saturday Scoop ep1

Mukondeleli Mushiana

Mukondeleli “Mukondi” Mushiana is an authentic storyteller that whose work is always laced with nostalgia. Her exceptional story telling is through the work she has released thus far.

We were privileged with the opportunity to interview Mukondi from Culture Club and got to know more about her creative writing journey and her motivations. She is a creative machine on good days, a social media manager and a full time “Vuyo”. Her journey commenced in 2019 when she realised could be a full-time writer. The passion she has for writing made her follow her writing dream and she is now sharpening her writing skills by studying Creative Writing. After her matric, she enrolled in the University of South Africa to study Economics. However, Mukondi did not really like it so after sleepless nights and crying about it, she communicated with her parents-with some help from her sister. Her parents were not convinced whatsover, but they agreed nonetheless. The importance of her obtaining her bachelor’s degree in creative writing derived from her dad who believes in “education first”. Studying for the course exposes her to different types of writing that will make her a better writer and also expand her storytelling skills. “I had always wanted to have a platform that I would share my ideas, thoughts and views on different subject matters on” said Mukondi. In 2018, just a couple of weeks after receiving her grade 12 results and awaiting to start her first year of university, she decided to create her own platform using Wordpress which she titled “Word on the Blog with Mukondi”. “Word on the Blog with Mukondi” was then got converted into “Culture Club” in late 2019 with the help of her friends. The main purpose Miss Mushiana wants to truly fulfil is writing and sharing original stories about where she is from (Soweto), and the different environments and people who are constantly sparking new creative-sometimes crazy, ideas. On her journey with Culture Club, she has had an equal share of ups and downs like any other creative being. The writer’s downs within the publication were; not being able to interview the people she was eager to interview, the team, and that the magazine had startled to collapse and struggling to monetise. The ups were starting programs which became successful which are; five @ Five, Digital Exhibition and the 50 Shades of Denim campaign in which they collaborated with Levi’s Haus of Strauss on the second installation. In 2020 she wrote a powerful piece, “Most Influential Venda Artists”, where she stated that, “The representation of Venda creatives is definitely not recognisable in the pop culture media and industry as a whole and changing that is quite hard but it’s doable. The only Venda creative that is shining a light on the Venda creative space and the amazing talent it holds is Makhadzi and it’s unfortunate because there’s a lot more out there. It’s either they are on their ‘every man or himself’ tip or no one’s actually of their tribe”.

Mukondi Mushiana

“As a Venda creative myself, I can do my part as a writer by writing about more Venda creatives and shining a light that won’t dim or fade on them”, she continued to say.

She hopes that every individual that has been working hard, such as Mizo Phyll and many others, for decades but not getting the recognition they deserve mainly because of their tribe may know that their time to shine is near. Like what they said on the Venda Anthem, "Nne ndi shuma u kutedzela u swikela ritshi bvelela."

As SLG we are proud of her work and suggest you take a look at it too on socials @clubculture on IG, Twitter and Facebook.

SLG Team