Creageivity 22 - with Author and Activist Monica Clarke

Our guest for Creageivity 22 is MONICA CLARKE – also known as Ouma Monica, meaning Grandmother – who was born and raised in South Africa during the brutal and repressive Apartheid regime which separated people according to their skin colour. By the 1980s Monica was an activist for the African National Congress, smuggling revolutionary literature and funds into the country – which led to her life being threatened, and escape to Britain, where she was given political asylum. Monica has worked as a nurse, midwife and lawyer, based in London. She is also an accomplished writer and storyteller and is particularly keen to recount stories of oppression, both in the past, and currently. Her book The Hottentot Venus tells the truly shocking story of Saartjie Baartman (a Khoi Khoi ancestor of Monica’s) who in the 1800s was trafficked from her home in South Africa, to be displayed like a zoo animal in London and Paris, where she died in tragic circumstances. Another of Monica’s books, Apartheid & Me is written specifically to educate and enlighten younger readers about the horrors of racial inequality in South Africa. To Have not, to Hold is also set in Apartheid South Africa, and charts the struggles of a young woman within a violent marriage. In our podcast, Monica talks about her own background in a country riven along racial lines, as well as another theme, based on her experience of the love and hope of caring for a partner with aphasia. Even in the midst of extreme difficulties, Less Words, More Respect shows that ‘there is a future worth living for’.Ouma Monica’s experience and creative output spans difficult times and subjects, but she tells her stories with a lightness and humanity that is heartwarming. Tune in to Creageivity 22 for some marvellous storytelling and a big warm smile!Monica’s website: https://www.monicaclarke.website/homeAustin Macauley Publishers: https://www.austinmacauley.com/author/monica-clarkeMonica on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/monicaclarkewriterstoryteller/?originalSubdomain=ukMusic: Unlock Me by Prazkhanal, with thanks If you feel you're too old to be creative, or too creative to be old, then Creageivity is the podcast for you!