Amanda van Niekerk
Well, alive and chatting, but the experience was so exhilarating for all FunDza staff involved, that the title is very appropriate.
For FunDza staffer Busiswa Mahonono this was her first time hosting a FaceBook live chat and she says that “as a young black woman to be in the presence of two powerful and empowering black female authors is an experience I will never forget.”
The authors in question were Drs Athambile Masola and Xolisa Guzula, who co-wrote the recently launched Imbokodo: Women Who Shape Us series, and Ms Mahonono interviewed them on 8 March 2022 about their respective motivations for, and experiences of, writing the series. After overcoming her first-time-on-the-job nerves, Mahonono could relax into the FunDza: Meet the Authors broadcast and enjoy it along with all who signed in to watch.
FunDza’s aims and those of the series are aligned, as both want to tell good stories that inspire readers, and to empower them as emerging writers, with access to role models who are already making waves in the literary world – because they can!
FunDza wants to broaden its literary platform so that in addition to stories available for reading, it also provides additional 21st century platforms for young people to access stories and consume information.
As Mahonono says: “Live chats are a good way to humanise stories because they allow those who access our site to see the people that do the work, as well as the people being featured. Most of the time we write and people never get to see us.”
More live chats are in the pipeline and they will show that FunDza is growing its reach beyond the mobisite to new social media horizons.