Pills, prayer, perseverance – the mainstay of Muya Koloko’s PhD

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and Muya Koloko agrees. But, in many ways, for this PhD graduate-in-waiting, it takes a village to complete a doctorate too. And he is living proof of it.

It’s been an arduous 14 years – selecting a research topic, conducting the research, writing his dissertation, rewriting it, editing and re-editing it, and finally submitting the document. But the email announcing his pass towards the end of 2024 made it all worth it. It’s been a winding road, with many ups and downs – one of the hardest was losing his mother in 2021. But for Muya “stubbornness and sheer will win the day”.

On 1 April 2025, he will slip on his red robe, place his doctoral tam firmly on his head, and wait patiently as the dean of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Humanities, Professor Shose Kessi, calls his name to confer his doctorate degree in media studies – marking a milestone in his life and career.

“My parents said I could be anything. So, I wanted everything. Guided by that thought, I pushed to make good on my commitment to go all the way. I told myself countless times that I’d have a PhD, and I was right. Yes, challenges were always going to be part of the process. However, your resolve to keep going is what counts,” Muya said.

History with UCT

Muya, who was born and raised in Zambia, completed his high school education at St Stithians Boys College in Johannesburg. He arrived at UCT in 2003 as a young 17-year-old boy determined to complete his Bachelor of Social Science, majoring in psychology and law. At the time, his intention was to conclude his undergraduate degree, move on to a postgraduate programme in LLB and eventually qualify as a lawyer. But fate had other plans. Once he graduated, he chose to pursue both his honours and master’s in psychology instead, and with the latter, he received a distinction for his dissertation.

The academic bug bit hard, and in 2010 he decided to apply for his PhD. Muya said his research topic, titled: “This will never happen in real life: Cape Town tweens’ responses to represented violence in digital games”, led to a department switch from his academic home, the Department of Psychology, to the Centre for Film and Media Studies (CFMS), while he was co-supervised by Professor Catherine Ward and Associate Professor Marion Walton in psychology and CFMS respectively.

“It’s hard to focus on writing when you aren’t sure if you’ll be able to register because there’s a backlog in visas being issued.”

But life as an international student was anything but seamless. Over the years he was forced to pedal hard through a list of challenges, which included the ongoing uncertainty over visa renewals and losing both his parents.

“It’s hard to focus on writing when you aren’t sure if you’ll be able to register because there’s a backlog in visas being issued. The Rhodes Must Fall protest years followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown meant that the balance between doing what I was paying to do and doing what I was paid to do wasn’t as stable as I would’ve wanted. Everything was an emergency. There were people relying on me [and] it’s a lot easier to let myself down than to let others down,” Muya said.

“But my parents instilled a determination and positive stubbornness in me. And I kept going, even after losing both of them – my father before I could complete my undergrad and my mother before I could complete my PhD. It was dramatically difficult. But pills, prayer and perseverance got me through.”

Research 101

And Muya’s PhD research topic is a compelling one. Simply put, he explored how children – between the ages of 10 and 12 from Rondebosch, Khayelitsha and Grassy Park – viewed and responded to violence often portrayed in video games. Interestingly, he said, participants were able to draw clear distinctions between how violence is represented in games and the violence they may encounter in their respective community environments.

According to participants, violence in video games was considered a positive aspect of the game, due to its association with progress to another level. On the other hand, he said, children understood and feared violence in their communities and could easily identify the difference. As an avid gamer, Muya said it was important for him to pursue this topic because the levels of violence in games and how it affects children psychologically and emotionally often raises its head as a concern among parents and caregivers. However, he added, children are seldom asked how they perceive video game violence and what it means to them.

“There was a child who drew three scenes from their game. Essentially, they equated killing characters in two of the games to scoring goals in a football match. It was fascinating to see violence being acknowledged as merely a mechanic for success in a game, rather than what the characters were doing to each other, which was physically hurting each other,” he said.

“I’ve found my calling and that’s making sure that disability is always part of the conversation and trying to ensure that the only reason a person is not involved in sport is because they choose not to be.”

With this work, Muya said, his goal is to get adults to listen to children who enjoy gaming a bit more and encouraged open conversations to understand what they are playing, why they enjoy it, and what they pick up from the different stories portrayed in video games.

An advocate for para sports

It goes without saying that every PhD candidate needs a good coping mechanism. Thankfully, through the stresses of one of the most important academic programmes of his life, Muya found a few. One of them was becoming “founding titan” of UCT’s ParaSports Club in 2020. The sporting club is dedicated to providing equal opportunities for students with disabilities, and his work with club participants, which includes both students and staff, has been “rewarding on multiple levels”.

He believes that everyone should be involved in sport if they choose to. Yet, most discussions about transformation in sport centre around race and gender. They fail to mention disability. He’s 100% committed to changing that. 

“I’ve found my calling and that’s making sure that disability is always part of the conversation and trying to ensure that the only reason a person is not involved in sport is because they choose not to be,” he said.

“There’s still a long way to go. But it’s been fulfilling being in the company of superstars who have all been part of the club in some shape or form over the years. If you asked me in 2003 if I’d ever meet sport recordholders, national teams, best players in the country, and celebrated classifiers and administrators, I would’ve called you a liar. The ParaSports Club opened these doors for me.”

It takes a village

As the dust settles and Muya reflects on the past couple of years as both an undergraduate and postgraduate student, he maintains that he’d not make it to the finish line without his village: the love and support of his wife, Roxanne; his family and friends (both on and off campus); as well as the encouragement and constant motivation of his supervisors.

He’s also reminded of his father’s words “work hard and you’ll be happy”. And while it’s not always an easy one to live by, what he meant, Muya said, is that with effort comes reward, which leads to happiness. So, he advised the current crop of students to give it their all and to allow their work to speak for itself.

After all, nothing matches the feeling of knowing you put everything into something significant, he said.

“Whether the rewards are immediate or delayed, you are here to do important things. Let nothing stand in your way.”

“So, tap into your stubbornness. You’ve not been brought this far for nothing good to come from your efforts. Whether the rewards are immediate or delayed, you are here to do important things. Let nothing stand in your way,” he said.

Of course, the “where to from here” question cropped up at the end of the interview and Muya spoke of his plans with surety. He is currently employed as an assistant lecturer in the CFMS, a role he will occupy for the first semester. And he’s also starting a postdoctoral research fellowship in UCT’s Division of Disability Studies soon.

Any guesses on the topic of his research study? Muya said he plans to explore how participating in sport and physical activity facilitates inclusion and well-being in university residences and campus life, with a special focus on students with disabilities. A new challenge is on the horizon with endless possibilities in his grasp. And he’s ready to jump in.

Here’s to you, Dr Koloko!