Episode 13 – Zandile Mqwathi: Rethinking Activism Through Rest, Theatre and Love

What if changing the world doesn't always mean fighting harder, shouting louder or working longer? In the first of our special Rethinking Activism in Africa conversations, activist and author Mark Heywood talks to Zandile Mqwathi about a radically different approach to social change. Drawing on her own journey from a young mother diagnosed with HIV to an activist and drama therapist, Zandile challenges the idea that commitment must come at the cost of exhaustion. She explores how rest can be an act of resistance, how theatre and storytelling can help us imagine a different future, and why kindness, joy and love belong at the heart of activism. It's a warm, thought-provoking conversation that asks us to reconsider not only what we're fighting for, but how we go about it.