The Radical Mantate

M antate Q. Mlotshwa is the girl of the moment. She is a Senior Program Associate at the International Republican Institute (IRI), Zimbabwe and previously worked as a Programs Associate at Women’s Institute for Leadership Development (WILD). Mantate is also a Psychology student at the University of Zimbabwe.  She has on multiple occasions  spoken on radio, TV and gatherings on issues relating to the women and youth leadership. Mantate is a lover of Afrocentric  fashion. Afrocentric Vibez caught up with her and asked about her life and the many roles she plays in Zimbawe. The Radical Mantate A.V: Tell us about yourself. M.M: My name is Mantate Queeneth Mlotshwa and ngingumtakagogo (I am my grandmother’s child). I was raised by her in  Nkulumane, Bulawayo where I also did my Primary school.  Above and beyond my name and where I come from, I believe Mantate is a voice of the voiceless. I’m very passionate about issues that affect women, girls and youth. So, in w

It was about fifteen minutes to midnight, and I was still stuck in that tiny closet. I’d been there for at least three hours twenty minutes. My heart was pounding and I swear I was sweating profusely, forget that it was stone cold in that room- well a lot of things about that house were cold. I was such a fool. Allowed myself to get entangled with a potbellied man whose sack of a stomach could barely stay put in the realms of his expensive crocodile skin belt. The way it looked ugly, I had to know he is moneyed to believe that it wasn’t just one of those fake belts from the streets.  My parents would never have been proud of me. It was disgusting enough that I was dating men who could easily call my father son, but being beaten up by a mad woman just because she caught me sleeping with her frog of a husband would definitely have my mother burying her head in the sand. Poor woman, thinking her only daughter a saint! I mean, I go to church every Sunday, even sing in the choir and t

We have often heard people joke that “being Zimbabwean is an extreme sport” and that gives us chills- because it is absolutely true. You unfortunately do not get to decide if you are up for this high risk lifestyle. It comes packaged within your nationality. Growing up in a country where education has always been a point of pride, the notion that ‘education is the key to success’ was like oxygen to any student. Our conviction was that with just enough patience, commitment and hard work, a degree or diploma would land us a decent livelihood. It made sense, but only until we started struggling to make sense of the unemployment rate; the thousands of graduates that have had to find alternative sources of income because the economy does not seem to have plans for them. It does not seem so simple anymore, the notion on the streets is disputing the capacity of education to ensure decent livelihoods for our young people. And if young people themselves are questioning education, it scare