At FunDza, we have a team of young staff members who help with editing and writing. They generate many of our ‘Did you know’ blogs, as well as our Inspiring Tomorrow interviews with extraordinary South Africans. Collectively they have produced more than 60 articles and blogs… and there are still more to be published before the end of the year.
Below they share their favourite written piece from the year.
Lukhanyo Matshebelele
The Did You Know blog that I enjoyed writing and I’m proud of is ‘Did You Know Fat Shaming is Harmful?’ Fat shaming has always existed and as a result most overweight people have always felt ashamed of their bodies. Some would even put their health at a greater risk by refusing food when they feel exercising isn’t as effective as they would like it to be. I felt this blog was relevant as more people have gained weight during the lockdown. The readers commented positively on the blog and agreed with the points that were raised. The readers who commented made me believe that they are either fat-shamed or they know someone close to them who’s being fat-shamed.
One of the comments reads: Stop calling fat people “sdudla, fatty boom boom” that’s not okay because they end up committing suicide because they feel judged in our community.
You can read the blog here.
Busiswa Mahonono
My favourite article has to be the one I wrote about my mother who I interviewed for an ‘Inspiring Tomorrow’ blog. She has been through such a lot. But the most interesting thing to me is how much healing I got from writing it. Parents sometimes make decisions that their children may not understand at a younger age, which may create unconscious resentment and trauma. So, having your parent take accountability for her part in actions that might have hurt you as a child is healing. Also, she doesn’t usually talk much about her life, and that article was a way to get to know her better as a person and not just my mother.
You can read it here.
Amber Solomons
Last night I had a very strange dream. I was with my friends at a restaurant and we weren’t happy with the service, and then suddenly I was at a crime scene trying to help save someone. It was all so odd. This crazy dream brings me to one of my favourite articles that I’ve written called ‘Why we dream’ for the Did You Know blog. It was so much fun to write. I wrote about whether dreams predict the future, what the stages of sleep are, and the different dreams we have. When researching a topic that concerns the mind I usually find my information and research on health-related sites and from psychology textbooks that I own.
I found the ‘Why we dream’ topic so fascinating because it’s something that all humans experience and therefore something we can all relate to in some way. So if you’re not sure why you’re dreaming about lions chasing you or why you’re jumping through scenes, then please check out my article here.
Tamica Mopp
My favourite article that I enjoyed writing was the ‘Did You Know’ article on ‘Music and Personality can be linked’. I enjoyed writing this piece because it is interesting to learn about the different personalities out there and how they relate to the specific kind of music we would generally go for. I conducted my research through various sources on the internet and also comparing it to my own personality and music taste and found that it was true for my life. Reading people’s comments were also interesting as people could resonate with the article and found the theories to be true for their lives.
You can read the article here
Asithandile Tyulu
The piece I enjoyed writing the most was my MindSpace, ‘Don’t be gay’. I enjoyed it because it was my experiences and personal reflections on the matter of homophobia in our society – and you can read about why I wrote it in the article itself…! I believe the piece made the readers think and gave members of the LGBTQI+ community as space to share their thoughts too.
You can read the article here.
Ndibulele Sotondoshe
One blog that I enjoyed writing in the 2020 year was ‘Did You Know? Why Black Coffee Uses One Hand’. Black Coffee is an internationally acclaimed DJ who’s arguably the biggest and richest artist in Africa. He was involved in an accident that left his arm disabled but that didn’t stop him from reaching great heights. His story is a reflection of true resilience, optimism and that any dream is achievable so long the dreamer persistently works towards it. Black Coffee is an inspiration not only to local artists but to people living with disability as well.
You can read the article here.