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Powerful presence: Fatoumata Diawara performing at the CTIJF 2026. Photo: Armand Hough
ACTIVISM

Fatoumata Diawara channels ancestry and activism in Cape Town

Blending Malian heritage with high-energy pop, Fatoumata Diawara used the CTIJF stage to honour her roots and confront FGM, proving that heritage and modern activism are…

  • Busi Lethole
8 min read
In transition: Manyaku Mashilo’s Here I Saw My Ancestors First. Photos: Lea Crafford
AFRICAN DIASPORA

Where ancestors walk

Manyaku Mashilo transforms memory and ancestry into expansive, layered canvases where spiritual landscapes, historical archives and women’s journeys converge

  • Kibo Ngowi
7 min read
Discovery: One of the writer’s ancestors died in an Anglo-Boer War concentration camp. Photo: Getty Images
ANCESTRY

Getting to the roots of family

In Heritage Month, we show you how to research your ancestry in South Africa — it’s not always an easy task

  • Jo Buitendach
9 min read
Investigating ancestry: Tshegofatso Senne awaits her DNA test results
ANCESTORS

Ancestry: The ultimate selfie

A quick DNA test at the Origins Centre in Jo’burg can show you just how insignificant you are

  • Tshegofatso Senne
5 min read