iQHAWE Magazine Puts Behind-the-Scenes Creatives First

When Renaè Mangena couldn't figure out how to break into the creative industry as a university student, she decided to create her own door by starting a magazine that interviews the people already inside.

Since 2019, she and co-owner Anastatia Nkhuna have been documenting Johannesburg's creative scene through iQHAWE, which means "hero" in isiZulu and isiXhosa. The name captures their mission perfectly: treating everyday creatives as cultural heroes worth celebrating.

Most magazines put actors and celebrities on their covers. iQHAWE features the cinematographers lighting those stars, the designers styling them, and the directors framing their shots. The publication focuses on emerging creatives rather than established names, giving people their flowers before they're famous.

That approach has let Mangena and Nkhuna watch careers take off. They first featured DJ duo Nouveux of Soundset Sunday when they were spinning tracks in a Royale alley. When iQHAWE returned to their story, the pair had landed a Nike collaboration.

In 2024, the team tested their boldest move yet: transforming from a traditional magazine into an annual coffee-table book. They debuted the new format at Decorex, and it sold out. Now iQHAWE operates as a media platform, creative agency, and nonprofit organization, all focused on archiving contemporary African culture.

Getting to Issue 14 required two years of pitching for funding while working other campaigns to pay rent. Mangena and Nkhuna even launched a T-shirt fundraiser to keep the project alive. Then Création Africa, which supports emerging cultural entrepreneurs across South Africa, Lesotho, and Malawi, came through with backing and mentorship.

The validation meant as much as the money. After years of working around the clock without the safety net of a nine-to-five job, someone finally recognized what they were building.

The Ripple Effect

Issue 14 will spotlight South Africa's fashion industry, profiling artists and designers who've turned their brands into sustainable businesses. The team plans launches and pop-ups across Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban, plus a capsule clothing collaboration with one of the featured designers.

But the bigger vision extends beyond print. Mangena and Nkhuna want to develop their nonprofit into an incubator for young women entering creative fields, creating pathways for the next generation of black creatives who need someone to open that door.

Working together means Nkhuna tolerates Mangena's habit of planning next October when they should focus on next week. It also means both founders get to do exactly what they set out to do in 2019: give creatives an entry point and make sure somebody remembers their story.