Phumlani Pikoli is a writer and multimedia artist who has recently been on the receiving end of some “buzz” with the publishing of his debut novel ‘Born Freeloaders’. Most notably, Phumlani won the 2020 K. Sello Duiker Memorial Literary Award. Phumlani has been creating art since he and his brother started a rap group in their teens. He has since used almost every medium available to express himself and interrogate the world around him.
In this episode of the podcast, we reminisce over our early days as music journalists and the unbridled freedom that came with being a creative South African in the 2000s. Well, freedom and exploitation. Naturally, both of us being artists and critics, we get into the art of criticism and its value to artists. We also dig into writing what you know, the importance of offering new perspectives on being young and black in South Africa, and we discuss reframing traditional narratives around recreational drug and alcohol use. Oh, and we also lament the 1999 Cricket World Cup. Enjoy.
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Keep up with Phumlani Pikoli on Twitter and Instagram.
Photo by Lesedi Rudolph.
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