Wamuwi Mbao is an essayist and cultural critic. He teaches at Stellenbosch University. He writes on literature, pop culture, and politics and is lead literary reviewer for the Johannesburg Review of Books. His short story ‘The Bath‘ was named as one of the 20 best short stories written during the two decades of South Africa’s democracy.

He is co-convenor of the FicSci writing project with Professor Mehita Iqani, and co-editor of the FicSci anthologies Flow (2023), and Night Sky (2024).