42: The Art of Language

The Academic Citizen

Dr Hleze Kunje wrote his four-year-long PhD thesis in isiXhosa, about Xhosa people who settled in Mbembesi, an area outside of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He graduated with his PhD in April 2017 and is a lecturer at Sol Plaatjie University. Hailing from rural Mqanduli in the Eastern Cape, Dr Kunju says his love affair with the language began at a young age. An artist and intellectual Dr Hleze merges his love for language with multi-lingual pedagogy, academic rigour, and curiosity to present an expansive picture of the importance of African languages. In this episode, Dr Nosipho Mngomezulu talks to Dr Hleze about his journey, ethnographic practice, pan-Africanism and the importance of community. Produced, Edited, Scheduled and Researched by: Simbarashe Honde