Dr Athambile Masola is a writer, poet, researcher and lecturer whose work centres Black women’s histories, reading and education in South Africa. In this episode she traces her journey from a childhood upended by her mother’s mental illness to finding anchors in school, church and the written word, reflecting on how journalling and poetry became a way to witness chaos and grief.​

We dive into South Africa’s reading crisis, overcrowded classrooms, mother‑tongue bilingual education and the “inequality of experience” between public and private schools, as well as the invisible emotional labour teachers carry as the “aunties and uncles of the world”. Athambile also grapples with phones, AI and attention, asking what is lost when we outsource thinking instead of doing the slow work of reading and writing for ourselves.

Dr Athambile Masola – links:

• UCT profile: https://humanities.uct.ac.za/department-historical-studies/people-academic-staff/dr-athambile-masola​

• Poetry collection Ilifa: http://uhlangapress.co.za/athambile-masola-ilifa​

• The Conversation articles: https://theconversation.com/profiles/athambile-masola-1289114

If this conversation with Dr Athambile Masola helped you read the world a little differently, take a moment to support the work: follow or subscribe to the show, leave a quick rating or review, and share this episode with someone who cares about books, teachers or Black women’s histories.

Recorded at Vodcast TV

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