Welcome Note
This is my journal for Marantu. I will keep it open the whole day and try and capture behind the torch. It will be as honest as my ego can get out of the way.
As I embark on the journey of building Marantu, I am reminded daily of how much we create in the dark, armed only with the light of our abilities, resources, and imagination. For me, it’s a deeply personal process – one shaped by stories, visions, and memories, both real and imagined. This newsletter, Behind the Torch, is my attempt to shine a light on that process while inviting you to help illuminate the path ahead. Together, we will meet the man behind the torch.
Behind the Torch
Marantu – In Front and Behind the Torch
I have always had a problem with reality. When I was a kid, I used to see things that were only real to me. Calling them hallucinations errs towards other people’s conceptions of them. They were real. Real, measured by our senses. One of the visions I had was an inverted man with a blow torch who directed its full blast on my Khakhayi (fontanelle). When I was a little older, I stopped running away from him and told myself this was not real and yet I was burning. That’s what my sense of pain told me. I grabbed a bible and put it between me and the torch and the flame couldn’t blast through. Before you run to, “praise the Lord,” you must know that I was cured by an Inyanga (diviner) for R150 (that my family couldn’t afford and never finished paying).
Anyway, I am telling you all of that to say that I am not always sure that my memories are real events or imagined. I also used to tell myself a lot of stories before I went to bed, to survive my reality.
That said, I was driving to Swaziland. At night. Night was the best time to drive and drink. There were no police stops then. You just had to make sure you made the border before it closed. I saw a man driving a bakkie (pickup truck), with no lights save the torch he held in his right hand outside his window to see the road. I have told myself so many stories about where he was going. In the stories I have told myself over and over, he is not driving at night to only escape being stopped by the absent police but responding to an emergency. Depending on the night I am having, sometimes the emergency casts him as a concerned father, a jealous lover, a bereaved son, a romantic man with homegrown fruits and vegetables on the passenger seat. Flowers never feature in any of my stories but chocolate, now that is an exception in any reality-drenched romance.
Anyway, this is not the time to get lost in this story again and lose… who knows what. I am writing this to say, I will shine a light on my process like the man on my way to Swaziland and in the process shine a light behind the torch. Maybe you and I both can meet the man behind it.
AI&I: Creativity Meets Technology
This week, I used AI tools to test some visual ideas for Marantu. It was like holding a second torch – one that lit paths I hadn’t considered before. AI helped me imagine what Marantu’s City of the Sun and Moon might look like, inspiring new textures and possibilities.
But more than just a tool, AI is becoming a collaborator in this process, helping me push the boundaries of what’s possible. What do you think AI’s role should be in shaping our future? I would love to hear your thoughts.
What’s Next
I hope to share Marantu‘s brand Identity next week. But before we do, I invite you to reflect on your own journey: What stories are waiting behind your torch?
If you’d like to share your thoughts or have questions about Marantu, reply to this or tag me on social media with #BehindTheTorch. I’d love to hear from you.
Thank you for stepping into the light with me, one story at a time.
Wishing you joy and continued success,
Uzanenkosi **Torchbearer, Marantu