“The majority of South Africans are multilingual, and multilingualism is a hallmark of being African,” Tyrone Pretorius.

Many students at the University of the Western Cape, especially at first year, come from a multilingual environment. Many are not English first language speakers, comming from a diverse linguistic landscape, especially those who come from rural areas. On arrival at university many students from diverse backgrounds are exposed to a multicultural environment which some may find challenging. Students are encouraged to share their stories, experiences and creative work in their own language.

This project was initited by the UWC Library in collaboration with the Writing Center. The project encourages students to submit they're creative writing wok in their first (or preferred) language. The value (and succeses) of mother tongue expression is well documented and has been proved to contribute greatly to academic performance and growth. The purpose of this journal is to provide students, especially undergraduate students with a platform to express themselves and tell their own stories. The participating authors, with the support from the Library and Writing Center, also perform the roles of editors, peer-reviewers, journal managers and publishers. The journal content largely consists of contributions submitted for performance at the Writing Center's Open Mic events at the UWC library. The Open Mic Journal is best described as "a work in progress".