iNgudukazi is a multi-award winning women’s magazine that is based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The magazine writes about struggles and promotes and empowers young Zimbabwean women. Writers from the magazine aim to speak out and educate people on political and social justice matters in a way that sparks conversation. iNgudukazi writers enjoy sharing their knowledge and creating a space where people can learn and create an open dialogue with each other, as well as with the magazine. The feminist magazine caters to audiences of many different interests, ranging from social justice to beauty hacks, culture, and even love and relationships.
The origins of this magazine date back to the beginning of the 2020 lockdown, which inspired Nobuhle Zulu to start the magazine after thinking about it for two years. She now has a dedicated team of writers who each has a special twist that they bring to the magazine. Two of their writers are law students at the University of Pretoria. Zoleka Zinhle Mazibuko and Rorisang Moyo are both 3rd year law students who are using their voices to spread and educate on information on intersectional feminism.
Mazibuko, who writes stories that challenge dominant narratives and structures, is aiming to challenge the norms in Zimbabwe. Her aim is to help change people’s minds and call out problematic behaviour that affects people today. She wants to give a voice to marginalised groups of people and help them feel heard while also challenging people with facts, analyses and “sass”. She takes pride in her ethnicity and gender and expresses that she is tired to listening to the opinions of bigots and people who do not understand her struggles. Her writing, at times, has to take a backseat to her studies, but she tries to write at least one article a month, one of them being her article on Zimbabwean Lives Matter which was written during lockdown in response to the human rights violations happening in Zimbabwe. Her voice comes from her anger towards the constant abuse that not only members of her family suffered, but also other marginalised people experienced on a daily basis. She wants to fight injustice and does so through her writing.
The magazine also aims to work with other organisations to effect change, such as the Caterpillar Cocoon Trust, a mental health initiative that seeks to empower young women to cope and manage their inner lives. The magazine collaborated with Caterpillar Cocoon Trust on a writing competition called “Dear Diary”, in which participants in Zimbabwe submitted a “Dear Diary” entry about an awkward or emotional experience, and how they overcame it. The purpose of the competition was to bring awareness to and promote healthy coping mechanisms during Mental Health Awareness Month.
The magazine is rich with voices from different walks of life, ages, genders, and experiences. They have created a safe space to learn and start a dialogue about issues that are being faced today. They also allow outside writers to submit their stories via WhatsApp to be shared on their website.
My name is Katherine Weber and I am currently a 2nd year BA student majoring in English and History. I enjoy writing short stories and drawing. I want to work in publishing one day because I love reading all types of books.