MOXIE Chats to … Tshego
“Tshegofatso Senne is a feminist baby witch, writer, consultant and hobby collector. She’s an aspiring cat mom, spending her time doing her masters and thinking about sex.” This is the first description I read about my friend Tshego when I Google her, isn’t it epic!
I first met MOXIE editor Tshegofatso Senne back in 2005, when we were both fresh-faced teens ready to tackle the next four years of high school with a smile on our faces. To my bitter disappointed, Tshego does not remember the first time we met – but she does remember how much we bonded over how shit we both were at maths and laughing at the ridiculous amounts of white people in our class.
“I asked Tshego to be the editor of MOXIE because she is everything I want the newsletter to embody. Her drive, talent, wit and fab hair leave me in awe. I visited her at her flat to bug her with some nonsensical questions so you can all get to know her.
“Michel’le Donnelly: Why is MOXIE necessary?
Tshego Senne: Okay, so there’s this Tony Morrison quote that goes: ‘If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.’ So I’ve always been that person. If there’s something I want to see, something I want to attend, something I want to read about or want spoken about then let’s just do it and when you approached me I was like this is amazing, and I always get approached to do really great things. Like Frank (a podcast you should all check out), that wasn’t my idea but it was great. I hang out with dope people who have really great ideas and then they involve me. But yeah, I think it’s great to talk about what black people are doing and something I think that’s also not just like “ahh black women and black girls are magic” and as much as I get that black girls are magic I want to know practical things. I want to know exactly how people became these black girls that are magical. Like, I want to know about things that are happening that I’d want to attend – even though I am an introvert, I can just attend like in my mind and not actually show up. But jah, I just thought it’d be like a really fun thing to do as well. I don’t like doing things that don’t get me excited.
MD: I love that you just do stuff.
TS: Yeah, I just do shit.
MD: I love that you do shit. I just think of shit and then never do it.
TS: You should just tell me and then we’ll do it. I’m surrounded by people who have incredible ideas and I like to think of myself as a self-starter, if I want something to happen, I put in the work to make it happen.
MD: Now, if you had to describe yourself in 3 words …
TS: Oh Jesus, I hate these questions because I have the most limited vocab. I could think of one word that would like … it’s a really lazy answer but people would think it’s deep.
MD: Just 3 words
TS: Oh my God, okay. Sarcastic, hmmm kind, I think I’m kind.
MD: You are kind. I’ve never seen you not be kind.
TS: Thank you! I think, for people who encounter my sarcasm, most of the times are like “what the fuck” or maybe they don’t get that I’m being sarcastic and they think I’m being kind but really I’m actually just being a dick.
MD: But then they deserve it because they’re ridiculous.
TS: Exactly [LAUGHS] and then the third word, which is the deep word; ineffable, which is indescribable. Yaas bitch.
MD: I mean, like, that is perfect. We should use that. Is ineffably a word?
TS: I don’t know if it’s a word, do you want me to Google it? I Google everything.
MD: Google is the best thing. What would’ve happened without Google?
TS: We’d probably still be using like Britannica Encyclopaedias and I love those things. I had a set of them. They were maroon.
“Maybe they don’t get that I’m being sarcastic and they think I’m being kind but really I’m actually just being a dick.”
MD: Haha, if you had to choose your favourite year over your 25 years, what would it be?
TS: Last year. It’s always going to be the most recent year because it’s the one I remember the most.
MD: You liked 2016? You are one of ten people who liked 2016.
TS: Jah, I like what happened in my personal life, not in the world. I feel like a lot of people are under the mass-thought that 2016 was a shit year because of what happened globally, but personally may not always be the case. I did some exciting things last year. Like, I quit my job, I became a freelancer, I wrote a lot more, and I got paid to write. That is the most exciting thing because I was just blogging for fun, and then people were like “Yo, you should get paid for this” and I was like “Yes, give me the money”. So jah, I think last year was probably the best. Kind of, I guess. I don’t have a good memory so. If you were to ask me about 2014, I don’t know what the fuck happened in 2014.
MD: Who even knows what happened in 2014? Haha, you say you don’t read much but I definitely feel like you read more than me. How many books would you say you read in a month?
TS: I read a ton of stuff online, like articles and essays but I don’t read books that often anymore, which is really sad.
MD: Okay, this is a really tough question. Rihanna or Beyoncé.
TS: Beyoncé!
MD: Oh, okay. Some people I ask are always like “ah I can’t choose”.
TS: Music wise, I’d pick Beyoncé, but fun wise and dress wise, Rihanna.
MD: I would still say Beyoncé.
TS: No, Beyoncé can’t dress herself. She has no sense of style. Rihanna can just wear anything.
MD: That Needed Me music video is just so …
TS: She’s so great. She’s like the hoe I want to be. #HoeGoals.
MD: Tryna think of my hoe goals, I’d have to say Mariah Carey.
Please Note: Tshego and I then descended into serious conversation about Mariah Carey’s 8-part reality show on E! Entertainment and how she broke off her engagement to be with her hot dancer, Tenaka. Eventually we got back to the interview.
MD: So, Tequila or Vodka
TS: Neither! I would pick Gin.
MD: But like, tequiilaaaa?
TS: No, I hate tequila, it tastes like petrol. Tequila is disgusting!
MD: I’m going to teach you a game; it’s called Tequila-Mockingbird and it’s amazing.
TS: No, I am not playing that game. I’d play it with Gin, but I no longer drink.
MD: Fine haha – we’ve finally come to the end of my awful questions. What do you hope people will get out of MOXIE?
TS: I hope people will get a sense of “oh, this is the sort of stuff I want to find on the internet. This is the place I can go to when I’m looking for cool things I’m interested in”. And I hope it will make more woman of colour want to write and like share their writing because I know, my friends have told me for years “dude, your writing is pretty decent” and I was like what the fuck, no I just write for fun. I just hope it will make more woman want to share their writing and get paid for their writing and getacknowledgmentt for their writing and write things that are interesting to them and not just like, safety videos for mining. (Laughs) We need more writers.
This interview has been condensed and edited.
Michel’le loves Beyoncé and will defend her to the death; she is still upset that Tshego doesn’t remember the first time they met.
