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South African writer Lidudumalingani Mqombothi’s short story won the 2016 Caine Prize for African Writing. He speaks to Charl Blignaut.
Congratulations on your short story winning the 2016 Caine Prize for African Writing this week, Lidudumalingani. I smiled and smiled when I heard the news. How did you feel?
When it was announced, I remained in my seat for a few seconds and heard the applause from a distance.
It was Margaret Busby, who was sitting next to me, and James Curry on the other side of the table who told me that people were waiting.
I always feel, to hell with the politics, just give artists the money already.
But has there been politics around the Caine Prize not connecting to Africans living in Africa?
All I want is time. Give me the time and leave me to my art.
There is always going to be politics and this, I would argue, is necessary for the Caine Prize to think about so that it continues to solidify its position or reimagine itself.
And the money, it’s nearly R200 000, what will you do with that?
Buy time.
Are you excited about the travel attached to the prize – what is travel to you?
I hate travelling, at least the process of it – the bags, the airports, the long hours. I find it tiring.
I suppose most of us do. I prefer the walking in a new city, the conversations and the unfamiliarity of a new place.
What I am most excited about is the people, readers and artists I am going to meet.
You’re a film maker, artist, writer, photographer. Is this the new norm, holistic young creatives working across genres, or am I just being an editor looking for a new thing?
Yep, editor looking for a new thing. I do not think the combination is that new. Ousmane Sembène and Djibril Diop Mambéty were film makers who also wrote. Perhaps there has been an invigoration, but this is hardly new.
Your winning short story Memories We Lost really touched me. Mental health is really part of the national cultural zeitgeist right now. A message I hear a lot is that we have so much damage and not enough self-care.
Generally, people avoid talking about the difficult things and sometimes there are no words for it.
What upsets me, however, is that we seem not to want to unlearn our old ideas about the issues we want to forget, and I think that mental illness is one of them.
Where did the story come from, what moved you to write it?
The story came from conversations with a friend who is a poet. And then over two years, reading and remembering stories I have heard.
What’s next from your pen?
Draft eight of a film script my producer has been waiting for for weeks now. I’m also at work on something longer.
