Nkateko’s Thoughts on #WHM
“My hope for the future is that we will see a greater investment in programs for girls to gain access to the world of literature, not only as readers but as the writers, publishers, editors and booksellers of the future. There should be an intentional undertaking by established African women in the literary sector to provide mentorship, as well as tools and training programs, to those who are coming after them. The role models for young girls who love literature are visible; it is you and me, by our mere presence in the sector, stating the case for diversity in the publishing industry, writing books that reflect our lived experiences, keeping the gates of the industry wide open so that every young girl with a story gets to tell it, in her own voice and on her own terms.”
Nkateko Masinga is an award-winning South African poet and 2019 Fellow of the Ebedi International Writers Residency. She was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2018 and her work has received support from Pro Helvetia Johannesburg and the Swiss Arts Council. In 2019, she co-won the Brittle Paper Anniversary Award. Nkateko is an interviewer and director of the Internship Program at Africa In Dialogue, as well as the founder and managing director of NSUKU Publishing Consultancy. She is the author of a digital chapbook titled the heart is a caged animal, published by Praxis Magazine. Her latest chapbook, psalm for chrysanthemums, was selected by the African Poetry Book Fund and Akashic Books to be published in the 2020 New Generation African Poets chapbook box set. She is currently based in Nairobi, Kenya.