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Interview
with Natasha Msonza, social activist and writer
Thandi
Mpofu, Kubatana.net
October 15, 2010
View audio file details
 What
was the last thing you thought about before going to sleep last
night?
I hardly dream,
that-s the honest truth. I don-t even remember if I
dreamt last night. I was actually stressing at about 10pm thinking
about this proposal that I have to finish so I wasn-t very
happy when I went to sleep. My biggest dream at the moment is to
own my own property, as in a home. I-m renting a flat in Strathaven
and water comes into it from the flat upstairs. It-s been
a nightmare, a daylight nightmare, now that we-re talking
about dreams. Getting property in Zimbabwe right now is a pipedream
for many.
Listen
What's
the last thing you'd do if the world were ending?
I would phone
my dad and tell him, that despite everything, I do love him. And
believe it or not, I-ve never been to Victoria Falls. So in
terms of adventure I-d want to go there and bungee-jump. I-d
love to do something that daring before I go.
Listen
Name
4 people you'd invite to a dinner party . . . expand . . .
Obama - you
know he-s this larger than life character that everybody just
looks up to in awe. The other person unfortunately is dead, but
I-d have loved to have Mother Theresa for all her amazing
work. The third person is Martha
Tholanah. You know she walks around with a t-shirt on inscribed
'I-m HIV positive-. She-s a strong, powerful
woman. The fourth person, obviously, is my husband. He-s really
been there for me and I-d have him at my dinner party any
day.
Listen
Sometimes
you have to fail to succeed. What do you think?
I do think to
a certain extent it is true. That-s how you grow; at least
I-m talking from a personal perspective. For instance when
I lost my job . . . I didn-t fail, they just had to let me
go but I thought maybe I didn-t do the best I could. But what
I have achieved after leaving that place is phenomenal. The other
example I can give is a failed relationship. I had a boyfriend who
made somebody pregnant when we were dating and I thought maybe this
is a reflection on me. But you know, I met a better person, a marvellous
guy after that.
Listen
Superhero
or diplomat?
Well I-m
a provider . . . you know with African families you really have
to take care of your own folks and I try make heaven happen for
them. It-s not such a simple thing anymore in Zimbabwe to
provide for family; keeping body and soul together is not something
you take for granted. So I could be perceived as a superhero, but
in my own opinion I do think I-m quite modest. Maybe I might
not be perceived as such but I try to be.
Listen
What
are you excited about at the moment?
I-m excited
about finishing my novel although I don-t think it will happen
any time this year. But I-m still excited about it because
I-m at an advanced stage and to me when I read some of the
chapters I-ve written, I think "Oh man, I-m such
a good writer." That-s what I-m excited about
more than anything because I enjoy writing. It-s the one thing
that I can do which no one can take away from me.
Listen
Do real
men wear their heart on their sleeves?
I think men
remain complex creatures no matter how or where they wear their
hearts. It would actually make them, maybe softer, but not necessarily
more vulnerable. They wouldn-t be men anymore. No I don-t
think that that-s very admirable.
Listen
You,
Lady Gaga, a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates, what would
you talk about?
Isn-t
she the one who wore a meat-dress? I think I-d finish one
hour just looking at her trying to figure if she-s normal.
I-d ask her . . . no I don-t know what I-d ask
her. I wouldn-t ask her anything actually. I-d just
enjoy a drink and chocolate with her. I wouldn-t mind talking
to Alicia Keys. I love her music; it-s so inspirational. I-d
ask her what the secret to her success has been. I-m not inclined
to music but I would like that kind of success in my life. I think
being star struck actually does happen. I was in South Africa when
the Brazil team arrived. Gosh, I couldn-t even take out my
camera. So I guess even if I wanted to see Alicia Keys here and
now, I-d be star struck.
Listen
The
future is unwritten. What are you hoping for and working towards?
I have these
dreams and hopes that things will change in our country. That-s
not very personal but at a very big level I really wish things would
change. So my future hope is that some day Zimbabwe can be counted
among the democracies of the world. I don-t think it-s
impossible.
Listen
What
are you up to for the rest of the day?
I-m just
going to have to carry on with my work. You-ve provided some
comic and other forms of relief but now I-m going to carry
on with that fundraising proposal!
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Audio File
- Dreams
Summary:
Language: English
Duration: 1min 05sec
Date: October 15, 2010
File Type: MP3
Size: 1.01MB
- End
of the world
Summary:
Language: English
Duration: 56sec
Date: October 15, 2010
File Type: MP3
Size: 879KB
- Dinner
party
Summary:
Language: English
Duration: 1min 14sec
Date: October 15, 2010
File Type: MP3
Size: 1.13MB
- Failure
Summary:
Language: English
Duration: 1min 30sec
Date: October 15, 2010
File Type: MP3
Size: 1.38MB
- Superhero
Summary:
Language: English
Duration: 35sec
Date: October 15, 2010
File Type: MP3
Size: 558KB
- What
excited about
Summary:
Language: English
Duration: 39sec
Date: October 15, 2010
File Type: MP3
Size: 620KB
- Real
men
Summary:
Language: English
Duration: 40sec
Date: October 15, 2010
File Type: MP3
Size: 627KB
- Lady
Gaga, Alicia Keys and celebreties
Summary:
Language: English
Duration: 1min 28sec
Date: October 15, 2010
File Type: MP3
Size: 1.34MB
- Hopes
for the future
Summary:
Language: English
Duration: 1min 36sec
Date: October 15, 2010
File Type: MP3
Size: 1.46MB
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