| Description Summary | Zimbabwe born developer of website AfriKa On My Sleeve, Makanaka Tuwe talks about her family’s immigration, the impact of life as immigrants, her experience of racism in school in New Zealand and the impact the book Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe had on her.
The effect of the book initiated her passion for all things African, her awareness of the trauma of the refugee experience and spurred her community work. She explains the origin of Miss Africa Auckland, her study of African culture, the development of her New Zealand African fashion show, her decision to study for her Masters Degree, her passion for community development and her spiritual evolution.
Maka describes working on her Both Worlds TV documentary episode Drums and Dialogue, details working on her I Am photography exhibition. Her immediate and future aspirations will consist of participatory research into how NZ African youth express their identity, finishing her Masters Degree and locating funding for extending this research into her PHD project and beyond.
She expresses the change in her attitude to being African and how she actively deals with racism, describes the influence of Maori friends and colleagues on her life, their shared understanding of suffering and cultural similarities and preferences. She describes and interprets the multiple aspects and meanings of her tattoo, which includes a Maori design. |
