5 MINUTES WITH LEBOHANG MASANGO

SOCIAL ANTIIROPOLOGIST AND AUTITOR

- SINDEKA MANDOYI

In every generation there's a voice that speaks louder and moves a room with a single sentence. Lebohang Masango has one such voice. The Joburg-based social anthropologist has written several children's books and recently released her first adult book, The Soft Life, which addresses love, choice and modern dating. Her children's books have won several awards, and she was longlisted for The Sunday Times Literary Awards in 2023. We sat down with her to find out more...

When did you realise you wanted to be a writer?

I was always good at writing, but only realised that it was something I could do professionally six years ago, when I decided to distract myself from my Master's degree by writing my first children's book, Mpumi's Magic Beads.

What challenges have you faced as a writer in South Africa?