Gcina Mhlophe

Gcina Mhlophe (born 24 October 1958) is a South African storyteller, writer, playwright, and actress. In 2016, she was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women. She tells her stories in four of South Africa's languages: English, Afrikaans, Zulu and Xhosa, and also helps to motivate children to read. Quotes Strengthen love, dear Africans! Strengthen love Let it stand rock solid! Christmas means nothing If we do not love each other With no compassion for one another A poem on strengthen love ‘I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. Life is no “brief candle” for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for a moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible, before handing it on to future generations. ‘ "I tell stories in order to wake up stories in other people, because I truly believe that every living being has got a story to tell." Storytelling is the art of sharing tales from long, long ago. It can also be stories of true life experiences but the most important thing is to enjoy the language, imagination, magic spells, mystery, laughter and lessons embedded in those stories. She spoke about storytelling. In African societies storytelling has been a very rounded experience with music, singing, drumming and other indigenous instruments, call and response, chants, all accompanying the narration of the story. Audience participation occurred organically. It was important because everybody felt a part of the stories being told which made them easier to remember. she spoke about the importance of music and storytelling in African societies The only way to keep the tradition alive is to never stop telling our stories and the stories of those who have gone before us. The mother of all creativity is storytelling, you cannot create without wanting to tell some kind of story. Therefore, in everything we do, we are storytellers by nature. We must embrace these stories with pride. Our histories have been preserved through oral history and without that oral history being documented, especially under colonialism and other forms of oppression we have endured, it has been pushed aside as insignificant. In order for a people to gain oppressive power it must place itself as the only legitimate and most valid narrative, therefore African histories have been buried. I believe that every living being has a story to tell. I tell stories to wake up stories in other people. External links Category: living people