Meeting one of South Africa’s greatest storytellers, Dr Gcina Mhlophe, was just the inspiration and affirmation, I needed.
Days before, I was mesmerised as I watched her piece titled – I Dream A River – online. It formed part of my webinar to marketing students at MANCOSA on the topic, Why Authentic Storytelling Matters More in the Era of AI. And yes, you don’t get more authentic than Dr Gcina Mhlophe.
I fell in love with her storytelling many years ago in school, when we studied her acclaimed play, Have You Seen Zandile?. I remember being moved by the unfolding events and learning intricate details about the harsh realities of apartheid. It made me realise that effective storytelling is about taking your five senses on a journey; it’s about emotion and truly allowing the reader, listener or viewer to become immersed in your world.
Back to my presentation – I completed it on Thursday ahead of the webinar on Tuesday. And when I saw her walk into the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on Saturday for Pat Pillai’s production, My Cape Town, my heart danced with joy.
Of course, I had to tell her all about it. I did just that during the interval before we captured this picture. She is truly an iconic woman with a passion for bringing people together through the power of stories in various languages. Thank you Mama for giving us all the gift of YOU.
I’m going to share a bit of my webinar with you and invite you to do an exercise as I did with the students.
Close your eyes and think of a story you were told as a child by your gogo, umkhulu, ouma, oom, nani or thatha. This is not reading from a book, but sharing a story from memory. Now, how was this narrated to you? Probably in a mix of English and your mother tongue. The pronunciation may not have been perfect, but the emotion? Powerful and on-point! That’s why all these years later, you still remember that story.
Open your eyes and see the lesson: the best stories are the ones we carry with us. AI can never do that or attempt to replace that. With creativity, honesty and through our lived experiences, we have many stories to tell…