Charl Blignaut, Writing The Culture We Live
For more than three decades, Charl Blignaut has chronicled South Africa’s cultural heartbeat. As a journalist, editor, and critic, he has written the stories that have defined how we see ourselves, from underground movements to mainstream revolutions, from the birth of kwaito to the rise of amapiano, from the rise of representation to the reckoning of responsibility.In this deeply reflective conversation with Kojo Baffoe, Charl explores how identity, queerness, and conscience have shaped his craft and his sense of duty as a storyteller. He speaks candidly about growing up in a conservative farming community, finding refuge in writing, and becoming a voice for culture that refuses to be simplified.Listeners will hear Charl unpack:Why he believes journalism is an act of service, not performance.The relationship between technology, storytelling, and truth in a fast-changing world.How South African pop culture continues to emerge from the underground and challenge power.The tension between long-form storytelling and the short-form algorithm, and why both matter.His reflections on queerness as lens, ethics as compass, and complexity as resistance.What he’s learned about courage, craft, and care after years of covering art, politics, and power.Charl’s conversation is a masterclass in cultural consciousness; part history, part reflection, and part blueprint for anyone who still believes words can change the world.Whether you know him as the City Press arts editor, the journalist who championed South African film and visual art, or the critic who insists that culture is our real economy, this is a rare portrait of a man who has lived his truth through language.Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Afripods, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.You can find the latest from Wandile on the following platforms: LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook, or catch up on his writings at muckrack.com/charl-blignautSubscribe to: WATCH | LISTENZebra Culture NewsletterRecorded at Vodcast TVShow Music by Kweku 'Taygo' BaffoeProduced by Ayob Vania
South Africa