Johannesburg, 25 October 2023:  Inkunzi Emnyama Ibuyile – Castle Milk Stout is thrilled to reveal the return of their iconic symbol, the black bull, on its primary and secondary packaging. Similarly, to the brand, the Inkunzi Emnyama icon represents strength, power, and boldness. As part of the celebrations of the Black Bull’s return, Castle Milk Stout gathered African thought-leaders, media guests as well as the cast of Black Conversations to enjoy a bold taste while in conversation with African culture curators. 

Seasoned radio broadcaster Thabo “Tbose” Mokwela hosted the event at the modern eatery, Artistry Restaurant in Sandton, Johannesburg. Our panel consisted of Mzilikazi Wa Afrika, an investigative journalist and advocate for a brand-led African renaissance; Thebe Ikalafeng, 100 Most Influential Africans; Mbuso Khoza, a Legendary musician and Buhlebendalo Mda, a heritage enthusiast and healer. They unpacked the challenges of authentic storytelling in Africa before viewing an episode on Black Story Telling from season three of Castle Milk Stout Black Conversations. 

Speaking on the topic of Black storytelling and preserving history, Buhlendalo stresses the challenge of battling with the unknown. “We are trying. We live in a world where we are influenced by so many things and cultures and as South Africans, we try to never lose our culture, and we need to give ourselves credit for it instead of constantly criticising and blaming each other for losing ourselves,” Mda says.

Mbuso Khoza emphasized the questioning of every single tradition, ritual, and cultural practice. “When one does not question, one seizes to learn and understand,” Khoza said. “When something is a secret, it does not mean it is sacred.”

Investigative journalist Mzilikazi Wa Afrika says, “Africans have lost touch with what is truly African. Our African clothes are shunned. We need to continue to share our African stories to preserve who we are.”

While Thebe Ikalafeng says with every travel, he feels connected to his roots.

The event culminated with a viewing Black Storytelling, a topic covered in one of the episodes of season 3 of Castle Milk Stout Black Conversations. The episode features renowned actor Warren Masemola; co-founder of Yizo Yizo, Zone 14 and Shaka Ilembe Desire Markgraaff; actor, director and playwright Sello Maake ka Ncube and author of Hlomu The Wife Dudu Busani-Dube. The legendary panel provided context as to why black stories are not represented accurately and are not told by actual Africans who hold the truth of the experiences faced by African people. They dissected Black Storytelling by probing whether there has been progress or regress in African storytelling, stereotyping, and typecasting of black storytelling. They debated to what extent writers and creatives were perpetuating the stereotype that African stories should fit a certain narrative, which is often violent. 

Castle Milk Stout Marketing Manager, Khwezi Vika says Castle Milk Stout decided to launch Black Conversations in 2022 as a platform to encourage black South Africans to openly discuss topics that are generally held in hushed tones behind closed doors. “The brand exists to inspire Africans to rediscover their African Traditions and values in the modern world. Our consumers call Castle Milk Stout Inkunzi Emnyama because of their affection for the brand and because our liquid is black in colour and bold in taste. This, we wanted to portray by giving African voices a chance to be strong and bold in their opinions through Castle Milk Stout Black Conversations,” Vika says. “What we do as a brand is preserve culture. The brand is a protagonist for Africans to preserve and be proud of their culture and tradition. This is one of the reasons we have brought back the bull symbol to our packaging. It is a symbol of strength and power.”

The much-anticipated Season 3 of Castle Milk Stout Black Conversations will comprise six episodes in which each topic will be discussed and aired over two episodes. 

Follow Castle Milk Stout on twitter @CastleMilkStout, Facebook @CastleMilkStout and Instagram castlemilkstout_sa castlemilkstout_sa for more information.

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Distributed on behalf of Castle Milk Stout by M-Sports Marketing Communications: (011) 781-9724 / 082 865 1768. For interview opportunities please contact Abulele Ndamase  on: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.