Khaya Dlanga scored a campaign, then worked on another with his friend, Trevor Noah

Khaya Dlanga unpacks storytelling, authenticity and the secret to real friendship in a candid conversation. It has been a big few months for Khaya Dlanga. The author and cultural commentator recently helped unveil a new campaign positioning South Africa as a global tourism destination for the Tourism Business Council of South Africa. Days prior, he was also the guest of honour at an intimate Rosebank dinner celebrating African storytellers, hosted by Glenmorangie and MC’d by his close friend Anele Mgudlwa. “Once in a while you do work for your country. Sometimes, you get to do it twice,” Dlanga wrote on LinkedIn, crediting the tourism campaign to a team that included Karabo Songo, Molebogeng Mosime (Mogotsi), creatives Mojakisane Lehoko and Camilo Sals, and the production team at Seriti Films, led by Thabang Moleya and Leanne Kumalo. At the Rosebank dinner, Dlanga spoke to The Citizen in a wide-ranging conversation on the craft that has defined his career – and on what makes people, and friendships, real. Why stories connect us Asked about the golden thread running through years of storytelling, Dlanga simply said: “Stories are what make us human.” “Ultimately human beings are emotional beings. We buy into emotion more than we buy into logic. We will tell ourselves that we’re buying a logical story… and then we will work out the logic, even though what we really bought was a story.” The craft isn’t about invention for the marketing executive. He prioritises authenticity instead, pointing back to 2011, when he began posting about visiting the Eastern Cape and writing about his grandfather’s history there. He tells The Citizen he was startled by how many people responded that they’d been “too embarrassed” to share where they came from. “I almost feel like our stories give us permission to be ourselves,” he reflected. On friendship, hosting and the “trend” of house parties The conversation turned personal when we asked him about the secret to building lasting connections. He is known to count some heavy hitters as close friends, including Xolisa Dyeshana, Trevor Noah, Sizwe Dhlomo, and Mgudlwa. “I always find that the worst people for me are those who come to me under the guise of forming a friendship, but I can sense that there’s something they want,” he said, adding that those connections “fizzle because they’re not genuine.” Asked what people can expect from a night at his home when it’s his turn to host, he said: “Laughter, stupidity, profound questions, profound stupid responses, and unguardedness.” Games nights are non-negotiable, he added, built on “a feeling of safety” where nothing said is taken out of context. On the renewed interest in home entertaining among young people, Dlanga pushed back on the idea that it’s a passing trend. “I don’t think it’s a trend. I think it’s what’s always happened before clubs… that’s how you get to know each other,” he said, before going on to make a case for group settings as the ideal date because he believes they reveal true character in a way one-on-one dates never can. “I have to be polished. Everything is calculated,” he said of dating. “But if you are in a group of friends with people, your true character shows.” A busy week for a working storyteller The Rosebank dinner itself marked the local leg of a wider campaign from Highland whisky brand Glenmorangie, which brought together Dlanga, Kenyan actress Kate Kamau, and Nigerian artist and creative executive Darey Art Alade to reflect on storytelling and craft after visits to the brand’s Scottish distillery. For Dlanga, though, the throughline of the week was the reminder that authentic storytelling, whether about a whisky, a place, or a friendship, can’t be rushed.