The following is an interview between Writer / Researcher, Terry-Jo Thorne (TJ) and the founder of MUD, Alex Gwaze (AG).

TJ: What does MUD mean?

AG: “Well a lot of people think its an acronym for something. I guess they can’t believe I’m talking about actual ‘mud’. Our ancestors built homes, cultures, and empires using mud and I think it’s a good reflection of what Africa is. It’s not a mud hut, it’s a home, a shelter, and our culture. So it’s a good place to startup”.

TJ: How did MUD & Company start?

AG: “It started as just something to pass the time while I studied; a Twitter account. But I wasn’t really interested in who was trending or what was happening to the poor starving African. Reports did not help me in my situation, neither did the new dance or single. My goal was to find meaningful folk and #PushAfrican Arts in a way that articulated the gravity of the accomplishment. But not for others. Nor in a build a wall kind of way, but to connect with each other – a bridge, meaning #AfricansTalk2Africa”.

TJ: What do you do at MUD & Co?

AG: “Well, we do a lot of things. Firstly, our mission is to educate and empower our audience by documenting useful ideas and sharing sustainable solutions. We do this through confidential creative consultancy, production, skill-sharing, research and our journal. Our team provides confidential assistance to content creators to help them complete their creative projects. Part of our job involves working alongside our clients throughout the entire production process. This hands-on or hand-in-glove approach obviously gives us access to some interesting African creatives and sustainable initiatives. So, through the journal we publish our own curated content focused on interviews, skill-sharing, collaboration, and dialogue. We are not topical or trendy, we are thinking beyond tomorrow, so we find African people, places, and things prime for conversation and we document the experience”.

TJ: So what is MUD Journal?

AG: “MUD really is a ‘journal’ – in a written record of experiences sort of way. Some people think we are a magazine or an academic journal. What we are is a periodical publication in which African Arts and Culture are discussed. Typically these discussions are in the form of articles, videos, and interviews with media personalities, artists, researchers, upstarts, and creative thinkers. We have a strong reputation for publishing high quality useful content. We do this by collaborating with our contributors, whose opinions and thoughts we greatly appreciate. Each publication captures this social or dialogic experience. Furthermore, our peer review process ensures the quality and validity of the research. Our aim is to document innovative subjects and foster original research that is dialogic and thought provoking. I believe we are the most creative African Arts and Culture Journal in Zim”.

TJ: Do you cover topics outside Zimbabwe?

AG:”Yes, MUD started more as a Twitter thing because I felt like there are Africans outside mainstream media and blogs that were falling to the wayside. People, places and things #OffTheTree, the acacia tree treatment that is – that are not documented well. So we want to celebrate and represent Africans to other Africans. But focusing on Zim was actually a bit of a departure from our usual content but it’s still Zimbos talking to Africa through conversation and references about some aspects of the shared continental experience. But we will be adding more African content as we go along”.

TJ: How do you pick and choose who ends up in MUD?

AG: “Umm. It’s curated so it’s personal. MUD has always been personal. So it’s built on things that mean a lot to ‘we’. Art, information, dialogue, home, and Africa – #Hunhu. The 1st ebook focused on contemporary Zimbabwe and it’s paradoxical state. On the cover, I’m in a suit and bowtie holding a green jerry can like a briefcase. The image speaks for itself. Sorry I went off topic a bit. Apologies. So, how do we pick? Well, in this age of fake news, the goal of MUD to record real information can share it on social platforms. Time is a luxury in the digital age so we want to see how ‘African time’ affects certain issues too. This i how we decide who and what to talk to about. It’s really about what we want to spenx our time on. Save our power for real stories. The #SavePower theme of our inaugural issue speaks to all aspects of being African – resources, saving – like how you save something that matters or is pricey, and saving yourself, saving time”.

TJ: Tell me about your aesthetic, the look and feel of MUD ?

AG: “Most people say it’s arty, beautiful, and ‘sagey’ – the choice of contributors and the presentation of the information etc etc. That is true to a degree. Yes it is pretty, well researched and has references but it’s not news reportage, ‘objective’, informational, academic, theoretical or a magazine. We put unlikely objects together, mixing research, Art, food and social documentation in that ‘what is this?’ kind of way. We use the most appropriate people to discuss a prevalent issue that warrants further exploration, but you are not meant to understand it all. You should at least be moved to talk more about it or adopt a change of attitude inspired by some of the artistry and philosophy in MUD. In the end it’s just about making all these big topics and ideas accessible and turning them into a tool”.

TJ: What are your publications biggest obstacles so far?

AG: “Data and short attention spans, resources, time, money — you name it, the usual suspects. We don’t cover topical or trending stories often, so we are more of a slow burning log. We are more reflexive about an issue – big or small. Sometimes its about the stories behind the story. Documenting the most useful attitudes and people that can #PushAfrican issues forward yesterday, today and tomorrow. We talk about matters beyond a sound byte or a set number of characters. People nowadays believe anything longer than a paragraph is a chain letter or propaganda or too heavy and will wipe out their data. We are not targeting them. MUD isn’t for you if you are about that life and want to absorb your food for thought —- small —- with pictures —- and hashtags —- only, now. We are about knowledge as power, ideas as forever – sustainable. Plus, Africans on the cover, especially in Africa”.

TJ: Are you not concerned you are limiting your publication’s reach?

AG: “Africa is hungry. Zimbabwe is even more hungry, and the world is thirsty to find out more about the motherland. Restaurant food or fast food is for those that can afford it and eat with their eyes. But we are not feeding hungry or thirsty folk. We are talking about how to fish, hunt and prepare your own meals. To speak plainly, MUD is social but we are not ‘noise makers’, we are social documentarians. We share ‘the know how’ about our socio-economic experiences to start the conversation on how we can fix things; fix our own issues, ourselves. All voices need to be heard not just the one standing at the podium or the one with the most followers, if we want sustainable solutions”.

TJ: Finally, if you had more funding where would you take MUD in the next five years or so?

AG: “To the moon and beyond or Disneyland. No seriously, if you are asking if I have a vision and a direction for all this mud – yes. We want to publish in print, make more conceptual content, and have contributions from the diaspora. We need to produce more audio / visual content and collaborate with more Africans, businesses, have events, travel, document, and assist those who want to tell meaningful stories – there is a lot of work to do in the Creative Arts industry in Africa. Ummm … An app will also be good to deal with data issues but a physical free copy once a year is paramount because Africa is data hungry”.