Mantate Queeneth Mlotshwa

St Cross Tembisa Hope Scholarship

Joining us from: Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

MSc African Studies 2023

I am a published co-author of Turquoise Dreams, an anthology of short stories about Zimbabwean women. I am a story-teller, with a passion for fashion expression, poetry and travel vlogging as tools for sharing culture, experiences and aspirations. I have had the opportunity to visit 4 continents, and through these, got to appreciate the diversity of the world I exist in. I have seen the good in different countries that leaves me wanting the same for my country. I have also seen the pain and crisis that fuels me to advocate for better governance, human rights protection, and investment in sustainable development. 

I was humbled to receive the St Cross Tembisa Hope Scholarship, and the privilege of interacting with the visionaries behind the scholarship, and seeing them cheer me through my time at Oxford has been a great source of motivation. I have learnt in my short time at St Cross that the scholarship plants me, but I carry the responsibility to bloom. I have seen myself thrive in a college and unviersity that I believe is designed for people like me. Who carry a commitment to bettering themselves so they can serve humanity better. I feel that I belong, and all of that comes from the fact that through the scholarships (I am also a recipient of the Mastercard Foundation AfOx  Schoalrship) I have, I do not have to stress about my finances while here. I simply have to show up everyday and do my best. At the height of my love for St Cross is the sense of belonging, and the assurance of support I receive on a daily. It feels like home away from home. 

I hold a BSc in Psychology from the University of Zimbabwe and have worked in the democracy, rights and governance sector before joining Oxford. In my work, In my worked, I managed a program that centred on building the capacity of up and coming creatives (musicians, film makers, comedians) to use their art to spotlight issues of accountability, as well as engage policy makers and communities. I have worked on programs that focus on elections, constitutional literacy, social accountability, women and girls leadership, both in my country as well as through various roles in continental and global initiates. My overall commitment is to meaningful citizen participation. The African Studies program is a challenge I gave myself to situate myself within existing research and debates on Africa, and to grow my understanding and capacity to research on the continent. While the program is intense, it also comes with a sense of fulfilment. It’s a lot of learning and unlearning, and doing it in a vibrant community of scholars and seasoned academics from different parts of the world.