This week on Womanity-Women in Unity, Dr. Amaleya Goneos-Malka talks to Lebo Mashile who is an award-winning poet, author, actress, and producer. She reflects on her journey into the creative arts, which deviated from her initial academic pursuits to study law and international relations at the University of the Witwatersrand.

As an actress her film credits include Hotel Rwanda, and on the stage The Quiet Violence of Dreams. On the publishing side she won the NOMA Award for Publishing in Africa for her premier collection in A Ribbon of Rhythm (Oshun) and in 2008 she released Flying Above the Sky, her second book of poetry. One of her theatrical productions is Venus vs Modernity: The Life of Saartjie Baartman,  and we draw some enduring parallels of challenges that women still face today, such as power imbalances and unequal pay for performing the same work as their male counterparts.  

Resilience and relevance are a couple of drivers in the creative space and Lebo proactively curates her skills, in particular communication and connection, to be a versatile asset who is capable of creating employment across the creative spectrum, that has enabled her contributions to span 33 countries to date. Every piece you create is part of your legacy and incorporates memories into your work.  Tune in for more…

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