Witty memoir by one of SA’s unique creatives

Twitter bio. TO QUOTE MYSELF: A MEMOIR, by Khaya Dlanga. Published by MacMillan. Reviewed by Khanyisa Melwa. DLANGA is a man of many titles. Author of

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is a witty and beautifully woven memoir of Dlanga’s life.

Growing up in the village of Dutyini in Transkei, he and his family lived a modest life.

He speaks fondly of how he was raised by his grandparents in the village, while his mother worked in Mdantsane, a township in East London, to support him and his siblings.

The brains behind some of the funniest and most effective TV commercials South Africa has ever seen, it comes as no surprise this creative deviates slightly from the traditional modus operandi of penning a memoir.

Methinks this was done deliberately, as it now offers a fresh and funny story.

I was enamoured by his writing style and richness of imagery he used to tell his story.

He takes you on a journey that sees him herding his grandfather’s cows in the village, to attending Hudson Park High, to being homeless in Cape Town.

“In this remarkable yet ruthless place, it is very easy to vanish . . . getting up again is a long, steep climb. That is what I realised when I became homeless” he recalls of that time.

Now the senior communications manager for Content Excellence at Coca-Cola, with a plethora of advertising awards behind his name and a social media presence that brought him celebrity status – Dlanga maintains his humility.

This inspirational, funny and authentic (much like Dlanga) memoir is highly recommended.