Claim OwnershipThe Cheeky Natives
Subscribed: 108Played: 1,596
Subscribe
© 2025 The Cheeky Natives
Description
The Cheeky Natives is a literary podcast primarily focused on the review, curatorship and archiving of Black literature.
The show is hosted by the cheeky duo, Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele and Advocate Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane.
The show is hosted by the cheeky duo, Dr Alma-Nalisha Cele and Advocate Letlhogonolo Mokgoroane.
100 Episodes
Reverse
Send us a text In the captivating 100th episode, we engaged in a profound conversation with Andile Cele, the author of the compelling debut novel Braids and Migraines. This enlightening discussion delved into a rich exploration of identity, mental health, and the complexity of human relationships. Braids and Migraines chronicles the journey of a young girl navigating life in a post-apartheid township while battling personal and societal challenges. Despite the promise of a post-racial Sout...
Send us a text “Part theory, part manifesto, part history” – this book sparked a black feminist movement in Brazil. Patricia Hill Collins writes: “Where We Stand boldly claims a space for Black feminism in Brazil. This long-awaited translation offers new audiences a rare opportunity to encounter the rich ideas of an emerging generation of Black women academics and activists who are fearless in pushing for social change.” Djamila Ribeiro is an activist, writer and coordinator of the Plural Fe...
Send us a text In a world where the lines between privacy and exposure blur increasingly, Onyi Nwabineli's latest novel, "Allow Me to Introduce Myself," offers a profound exploration of identity, familial bonds, and the often untidy experiences of coming of age. The novel centers around the complex world of Anuri, a child raised in the public eye as the offspring of a popular mommy blogger. It is with this backdrop that discussions about identity, the cost of lost privacy, and the purs...
Send us a text We sat down for a candid and vulnerable discussion on rebellion, compliance and the intricacies of language and place with Mubanga Kalimamukwento, author of the prize winning Obligations to the Wounded. The collection transcends physical spaces and time with Mubanga navigating the interplay of memory and geographical place. Her stories, woven in rich narratives, explore the landscapes and lives of Zambian women. In an ode to a rich oratory history we explored literary dev...
Send us a text In ‘The Girl With The Louding Voice’, the book ends with Adunni winning the scholarship and her dream of school seems close to fruition. In this triumphant book that breaks the curse of the sophomore novel, Adunni and Ms Tia are back. This story unfolds over the course of 24 hours, with Adunni being forced to return to her home village just hours before the new school year commences. As Adunni returns to Ikati, she meets other young women and girls who are similar...
Send us a text In Zukiswa Wanner’s latest novel, we are confronted with couples battling secrets, betrayals and endings. This book is a meditation on the weight of betrayal, difficult choices and navigating moral quandaries. The characters are flawed, making bad choices and yet still remain relatable. This page turner deftly manages to deal with a wealth of topics including gendered social behaviour, infidelity and difficult choices. We meet Akani and Owami, who are battling interpersonal a...
Send us a text Set in Zambia, this novel introduces us to a young lawyer, named Grace and her client Wilbess (Bessy). After a string of unfortunate events, Bessy has been arrested for having sex with another man. A crime according to Zambian laws which prohibit same sex relations. Following Grace’s initial visit, Bessy disappears from custody without a trace. Thus begins Grace’s fight for justice and reform of a system which subjects the most vulnerable individuals to systemic viol...
Send us a text We Were Girls Once is the sequel to Tomorrow I Become a Woman, honing in on the lives of Ego, Zina, and Eriife, the daughters of Uju, Chinelo, and Adaugo from the first book. It explores their journey of they transition from being girls to women. Ego, who moves to the United Kingdom to further her studies but despite experiencing relative success while working in a firm, she is constantly haunted by past: familial and institutional violence and its ripple effects. Ego is a wom...
Send us a text The Comrade’s Wife follows a turbulent marriage between a rising politician and an academic, told through her life and lens. The novel features a whirlwind romance between a charming rapscallion and a maiden fair who has been wronged in her past. With deliciously crafted sentences, Boswell's prose is thought-provoking and emotionally impactful. Anita is not only a victim of workplace injustice and discrimination due to race and gender, but has her own unfortunate...
Send us a text In this collection of interconnected stories, we are introduced to four women: Solape, Remi, Nonso and Aisha whose lives trajectories are bound by friendship, loss and the business of life. Spanning diverse geographical locations and time period, this collection traverses the past and looks to the future. In an ode to globalisation and the rapidly shrinking nature of the world, the story begins in Nigeria and ends in the United States. Interestingly, each story explores a...
Send us a text I Do… Don’t I? is the eagerly awaited sequel to the The Thing with Zola. In it there is a continuation of the love story between Zola and Mbali, traversing the unique location of Kigali and Johannesburg while navigating the complications of a long-distance relationship and the underlying question of commitment. Will they say I do? Zola's teenage sister adds to the drama as we encounter her in the midst of a cannon life event. Okuhle is not exempt from...
Send us a text In Only Big Bum Bum Matters Tomorrow, Damilare Kuku introduces a protagonist, Témì with big plans for a drastic change to her appearance in the form of a BBL. In her debut novel, Damilare examines familial relationships, beauty standards and the quest for desirability in modern day Nigeria. Témì is a young university student, grappling with her body image all while navigating loss and complex family dynamics including her older sister’s sudden disappearance prior....
Send us a text In a collection of 12 short stories, Damilare Kuku demonstrates the almost Sisyphean task that is navigating love, relationships and life in Lagos. Damilare deftly uses humour and wit to explore the difficult themes of love, loss, friendship and romance, often catching the reader unaware. As a testament to the universality of these stories, as reader you or someone you know may have encountered one of the mad men Damilare has written about. Of course the wo...
Send us a text Coloured as an ethnicity and racial demographic is intertwined with the creation of today’s South Africa. Yet often coloured communities are disdained as people with no clear heritage or culture – as not "black enough" or "white enough". Coloured by Tessa Dooms and Lynsey Ebony Chutel, challenges this notion and presents a different angle to that narrative. It delves into the history of coloured people as descendants of indigenous Africans and a people whose identity was...
Send us a text In a once majestic but now decaying mansion, itself a potent metaphor for the current state of Durban where it’s set, we meet the characters of Shubnum Khan’s latest novel. Originally developed as an ode to beauty, culture and heritage by its owner Akbar Ali Khan, who came to make his fortune in South Africa. In its current incarnation, the mansion has been converted to weary looking apartments with an assortment of residents each haunted by their own tragedies an...
Send us a text In this novel, Busisekile asks what it means to be a young woman asked to make difficult decisions in impossible situations. Centred around Vimbai, a young Zimbabwean woman navigating young adulthood amid an economic crisis. She faces significant childhood trauma and we see its subsequent manifestation in her overachievement, detachment and other relational issues. These issues are compounded by the complexity of dating and navigating those additional layers. Both of her love ...
Send us a text Honey& Spice is a sweet, evocative and humorous coming of age debut novel from Bolu Babalola. We first encountered Bolu in the short story collection “Love in Colour.” In her debut novel set in a PWI in the UK, we are introduced to a cast of characters so relatable that you will find yourself or your friends in at least one of these individuals. The protagonist, Kiki is a seemingly self-controlled and focused young woman who is adept at playing the romance long gam...
Send us a text In this immaculate study of father-son relationships and the black masculinity, Okechukwu introduces to two Black, gay British-Nigerian men. Achike and Ekene find themselves wading through the existential phenomena of being alive, Black and gay while navigating life, ambitions and family. The story begins with these two but then traces back to the fathers of these men, and their forefathers, in doing so examines a lineage of brokenness, unavailability and abuse. Who is man a...
Send us a text In this enthralling debut collection of short stories by Arinze Ifeakandu God’s Children Are Little Broken Things is a collection of 9 short stories set in Nigeria that examine queer identity, relationships, family and societal isolation. Arinze writes stories with characters whose lives are layered, complicated by youth, love and grief. He asks of them and by extension, the reader; difficult questions around the relationship between truth and honesty, disappointment and resil...
Send us a text In this intriguing debut by Chịkọdịlị Emelụmadụ, we are introduced to two young girls Ozoemena and Treasure, whose coming of age takes place in a boarding school in Nigeria. Their meeting is set against the backdrop of familial loss and tragedy. We watch them try to navigate the realities of coming of age and into themselves in a society that doesn’t always give them space to do that. Treasure has experienced the violence of patriarchy and the institutions which...
Comments
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States