Miyela: literary and photographic journal

Miyela the journal was born when our editor Hlawulani Mkhabela was fired from the university newspaper four year ago.  Hlawu wanted to transform the African section of the news paper beyond general reporting of African current affairs.  Hlawu and her team brought a different view to looking at African politics and broke stories in the university that exposed racism and discrimination at the university.  Newspaper readership went up and students were responding, with passion or anger and total agreement to reporting that spoke to them and their realities.  As soon as the students took note of African politics and university politics as a reflection of greater social relations the team was replaced with a lifestyle section and fired.

Our generation is largely known for being an SMS generation caught up in and paralysed in our own heads.  We pose no threat to any order, there will be no revolution coming out of this generation.  We are proud couch potatoes who will not be moved.

The small team of students who got together to form Miyela the journal challenged the notion that ours is a docile generation that will have no revolution threatened the university.  The re-imagined African section of the paper is now a literary and photographic journal that invites writers, photographers, designers, intellectuals, illustrators and anyone who can lend a hand.  What is now created is a space for experimentation, practice and to enter into a dialogue with other young people about their work and politics.  This creative space is revolutionary and opens up the possibility that my generation may in fact be greater than the hours we spent in front of televisions.

Miyela takes people out of their isolated worlds and creates space for young people to do.  It is not an intimidating space one that is created by the collective each time we begin the work on a new journal.  Miyela posts a theme or question and invites writers, photographers and other artists to contribute their work and time to the given project.  We are over whelmed by the responses of people who thought you had to be a professional with work experience before you could practice your craft and show to the public.  We encourage people to play, practice and not be shy to get out there.

Miyela the journal allows young people to air their view of the world and it is a true indication that the crowed of people seeking alternatives is growing in size and militancy.  This is a way to connect individuals and ideas.

Miyela has evolved from a student product to an annual Journal presenting the year that was.  we have created this space to offer young Africans the space to reflect, comment, and mark their place in the year that was.  This is our way of reigniting the culture of young Africans writing about themselves, about their experiences, feelings, thoughts and politics to the world.  we are representing ourselves and not allowing other to write about us and who they claim we are.