Young Soweto social entrepreneur spreads her wings with intimate conversations
Young Soweto social entrepreneur spreads her wings with intimate conversations
Soweto-born social entrepreneur, Lihle Malinga, who is the founder of Black Women Dialogues, a safe space for women to share their experiences and insights, is excited about her second instalment of the dialogue in August.
The 29-year-old has revealed that having hosted her previous instalment last year, she cannot wait for her to help young and older women share some of their intimate experiences, including successes and challenges they face on a daily basis.
Her second instalment is earmarked for August 10, just a day after Women’s Day and features panellists among them, Mpho Tshabalala (Mandoza’s wife), ‘Morning Live’ presenter Thapelo Mawela and other young women.
The second instalment returns to familiar territory dialogue at Montecasino’s Col’Cacchio, where Malinga expects panellists and guests to open up to one another on important matters. These include but are not limited to issues of fertility, beauty, body image, finances and spirituality, among other issues.
She told The Star that starting the dialogues was motivated by all her work experiences and wants women who went through the same experience to know that they are not alone. She wanted to build a platform where young women can come together to tell their stories and comfort each other so they know that whatever situations they may be facing at work and life in general, that it is not a unique problem and that a lot of women go through similar and learn to navigate around the problems they may face whatever they may be.
“People can look forward to a lot of tears, laughter and healing. It’s a safe space for women to come with their scars and speak freely! There will be no judgment. A lot of interaction is expected as guests will also have the floor to ask for advice and give advice.
“What inspired me is that I have faced a lot of limitations and tribulations as a young black women in this country. I am turning 30 this year and with 30 years of democracy I feel failed by the system.I want other young black women who face discrimination due to being black, young or just a woman to know that they not alone,” she said.
However, in spite of some of the most uncomfortable dialogues the event seeks to cover, Malinga is quick to say: “It is a safe environment for us young black women to be ourselves and also older women are invited to give us advice on what they went through and how they managed to live through it. The first dialogues happened in 2022 at Montecasino’s Col’cacchio where a group of about 50 people came together to talk about different issues.
“This is the environment for normal women with normal issues where women come together as a black community to support each other and also a great opportunity to network and do business with each other. This platform will also make accessible important information and opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds.”
The Star