Getting in touch with TO Molefe
- Gabi Bellairs-Lombard
- Apr 8, 2016
- 3 min read
I got my first impressions of this honourable young man when sent a link to his Twitter profile for interest's sake before he paid us a visit at the Rhodes Journalism School. I thought he was going to spend at least some time advertising himself and his numerous published works, such as his column "Black Anger and White Obliviousness" in the Daily Maverick, but instead this nervous-sounding, rather measly man discussed his many endeavours both in New York and in South Africa and, most importantly, his habit of quitting.
He sounded nervous and slightly daunted by the young and diverse faces in front of him, so I decided to ask him a question that had more to do with his personal experience as a writer rather than about the politics surrounding us all. I wanted to know how he dealt with being disappointed and having your confidence shot down when a piece you are proud of is dismissed by someone more important, because this is something relevant to me and something I could maybe overcome through the advice of the more experienced. However, I was largely unmoved by his answer when he said that "When things go wrong, I simply quit and start something else." I felt this was not the kind of inspiration I was hoping for, because I genuinely wanted to learn from someone who is still young but has had a good taste of what it is like to be a writer in the real world. However, this might be because I am not a quitter.
Ironically, though, me not being a quitter resonated with his experience of "demanding his worth" to editors of the various industries he has worked for. Perhaps he is less of a quitter than he thinks he is if he was successful in challenging higher editorial powers about the value of his published voice. This, however, is less important in the journey and evolution of a writer - how can you give up on yourself and your work because things aren't going your way?
He clearly has a lot to offer, and admits this, since he contributed to the New York Times as well as The Daily Maverick - both huge companies with brilliant reputations. I was really fascinated to hear about the editorial process that takes place at The New York Times, and how thorough it is, and reminded me of my days at The Oppidan Press. However tedious it may be, the words that reached the public were checked and perfected through and through - something no longer adopted by popular news agencies in South Africa because no one has the time or money. It was reassuring to know that Oppi Press was not so old-school after all.
As insightful as Molefe was in his talk with us, I am afraid to say that I left the room largely dissatisfied. It made me sad that he was so comfortable with his habit of quitting things, but then again there is no stencil of what a good writer should be. He is well-accomplished and en route to doing even greater things with the process of establishing an online journal called "The Crux", which will hopefully deconstruct what is considered mainstream in this country as well as discuss key issues through a youthful lens. I look forward to seeing more of him and his work, but I am afraid I will not be adopting his tactics when it comes to my growth as a writer.
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