Nongcebo McKenzie: The Podcast
Dr Sipho Sithole: Maye! Maye! The History & Heritage of the Kwa Mai Mai Market
On this episode of The Podcast Nongcebo Vukile McKenzie sits down with Dr Sipho Sithole ; the author of Maye! Maye! The History & Heritage of the Kwa Mai Mai Market.
"Kwa Mai Mai is the embodiment of everything Johannesburg is meant to be – the City of Gold, a place where dreams deferred come true. It is a constellation of people’s cultures, imbued with beautiful memories of life in villages left behind but cherished by those who refuse to forget.
The book explores how the keepers of cultural memory can use it not only to survive but to invoke the entrepreneurial and creative spirit buried deep within their souls. Moreover, it builds on the assumption that if cultural memory can be stored and retrieved through artefacts, sites, ceremonies, myths and rituals, then Kwa Mai Mai is the place where these elements converge in inspiring displays of craftsmanship, worship and healing.
Yet, Kwa Mai Mai has a darker side. It is a place of painful memories and ignored pleas – where its members are in a constant battle to be acknowledged by the city that created it.
This book reveals how the subversive, socio-economic order that epitomised Kwa Mai Mai turned class theory upside down. In an interesting reversal of roles, the Kwa Mai Mai community, who used to be a migrant working class, wrested the power and control over the means of production from the dominant class. Through their heightened cultural consciousness, this marginalised migrant community has reimagined new economic realities and possibilities, forever distancing themselves from the painful, repressive past." SOURCE: www.readerswarehouse.co.za
Technical Editing: Sibusiso ‘Dust’ Nkosi
Studio: United Rhythms Recording Studios
Host: Nongcebo Vukile McKenzie
On this episode of The Podcast Nongcebo Vukile McKenzie sits down with Dr Sipho Sithole ; the author of Maye! Maye! The History & Heritage of the Kwa Mai Mai Market.
"Kwa Mai Mai is the embodiment of everything Johannesburg is meant to be – the City of Gold, a place where dreams deferred come true. It is a constellation of people’s cultures, imbued with beautiful memories of life in villages left behind but cherished by those who refuse to forget.
The book explores how the keepers of cultural memory can use it not only to survive but to invoke the entrepreneurial and creative spirit buried deep within their souls. Moreover, it builds on the assumption that if cultural memory can be stored and retrieved through artefacts, sites, ceremonies, myths and rituals, then Kwa Mai Mai is the place where these elements converge in inspiring displays of craftsmanship, worship and healing.
Yet, Kwa Mai Mai has a darker side. It is a place of painful memories and ignored pleas – where its members are in a constant battle to be acknowledged by the city that created it.
This book reveals how the subversive, socio-economic order that epitomised Kwa Mai Mai turned class theory upside down. In an interesting reversal of roles, the Kwa Mai Mai community, who used to be a migrant working class, wrested the power and control over the means of production from the dominant class. Through their heightened cultural consciousness, this marginalised migrant community has reimagined new economic realities and possibilities, forever distancing themselves from the painful, repressive past." SOURCE: www.readerswarehouse.co.za
Technical Editing: Sibusiso ‘Dust’ Nkosi
Studio: United Rhythms Recording Studios
Host: Nongcebo Vukile McKenzie