Nine years later, Manthe Ribane has done more than dance. The performer, musician, and creative director has moved crowds at Afropunk, took charge of the glossy pages of House & Leisure, brought together artists against the backdrop of Nirox Sculpture Park and so much more. Yet, as she speaks today there’s still that wide-eyed charm, joie de vivre, and unyielding sense of belief. Though not visually the prismatic cartoon character from a decade ago – Manthe’s look now consists of billowing white dresses and earthy tailoring – she’s proof that growing up doesn’t mean growing old.

“I’m still hungry for new ideas, new information,” she says now. “Just keeping an open ear and an open heart.” That candour started at home for Manthe. She fondly recalls how her late parents instilled in her the significance of care, understanding, and enterprise. She formed Dear Ribane, the conceptual creative collective, with her younger siblings, Tebogo and Kay Kay, who she cites as her source of strength. Her grandmother had a great hand in shaping the woman she is today as someone who curated her life according to her imagination: “My grandmother was such a lady. I think in her mind, she curated her life. Her dream was to be the queen and she created the queen spirit in herself.” Showing her how dress and self-expression could become armour, “It was a way to escape whatever we were going through at home, whatever challenges you were facing. Once you dress up, it changes the whole day. You set the tone of the day and that was the spirit I’ve carried with me.”