Maria McCloy Honored in Johannesburg

Friends and colleagues in Johannesburg, South Africa, gathered at the Joburg Theatre to remember Maria McCloy. The memorial traced a path through the city she loved, with attendees following a procession of distinctive style—sculptural jewelry, leather jackets, and her iconic Mother & Child T-shirts. Niren Tolsi described the difficulty of speaking about McCloy in the past tense, recalling their shared experience as Black journalism students at Rhodes University and her early advocacy against violence towards women.

Tolsi and others emphasized McCloy’s ability to connect people across disciplines and social classes, particularly during Johannesburg’s cultural boom in the late 1990s. Milisuthando Bongela remembered McCloy creating opportunities for her when she first arrived in the city, while Dzino, co-founder of Black Rage Productions, highlighted McCloy's role in shaping South African media by focusing on Black urban culture.

Though celebrated for her aesthetic sensibility, speakers stressed McCloy’s dedication to fostering genuine connection and her resistance to fully digitizing her business in favor of personal interactions. The memorial concluded with a performance by Thandiswa Mazwai, acknowledging McCloy’s impact on the city and those who knew her.