Xhosa poems steal the show

Despite only formally tackling the art of poetry in their third year, the works of a group of Nelson Mandela University isiXhosa students left such an impression on those who had a peek at their poetry prowess that they have been published as an anthology.

Umphanda Wolwazi, which means “barrel of knowledge , contains 82 poems, covering” diverse topics including Covid-19, gender-based violence, motherhood and womanhood.

Associate professor in the language and literature department’s isiXhosa section, Dr Linda Kwatsha, said the journey started about two years ago after the 2020 cohort of students handed in their prescribed third-year coursework that included four poems, two of which had to be recorded into the spoken word.

“The maturity and creativity of the 2020 cohort’s poems could not simply end up as material in their portfolios,” she said.
“And 34 students put up their hands when asked if they would be interested in writing for publication.”

Kwatsha began looking for a publisher, because she was overjoyed by her students’ skill.

“At Nelson Mandela University, students only start studying poetry at third-year level, and for them to have produced such quality work showed that they were able to grasp whatever I taught them.”

Limpopo-based Seulaula Publishers came on board.

The students chose the title and cover of the book, which was edited by Kwatsha and Zandile Kondowe and published in April last year.

“Several students wrote poems about the coronavirus, and yet the voices are different. They approach the same thing but in a different way,” Kwatsha said.

“And then the choice of words, the choice of figurative speech to show some elements about Covid-19 — you find that they show the same thing but using different symbols. It makes for such a beautiful read.”

Kwatsha said she was using the book in her honours class, where students were analysing the poems.

The book sells for R220. To buy a copy, contact Ncedo Nikelo, one of the authors, at s2200099015@mandela.ac.za

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Poet tackles poverty through poetry

The creative sector is moving with the times as evidenced by quality videos being produced by most local artistes. The same applies to poets who have shifted from just penning poems on paper to accompanying them with visuals.

Local poet and author Lennox Makurumidze said his latest poem, Chingwa seeks to unravel the complex issues in society.

Buoyed by the success of his book titled Budding kit and building blocks (2019), the 24-year-old artist went on to release a poem, Chingwa accompanied by visuals aimed at exposing poverty and inequality.

“I lived in the ghetto and what I encountered there pushed me to come up with this poem.

“Life has inspired me to speak on different things that I see and have experienced. Chingwa, which is in Shona and English, speaks about the everyday life of a human in Zimbabwe, what they do and the misfortunes they encounter due to our economy. It exposes that there is no longer a difference between the educated and uneducated,” he said.

He added that there is so much inequality, poverty and strife and the pain can sometimes be unbearable.

Makurumidze, whose poems mainly speak about Christianity, society and love, said his works seek to tell people’s hidden stories.

He is also the founder of Spoken Word Society (2018) at Prince Edward High School. Poetry has been his solace in times of trouble.

“Poetry has become my home and my motive is to better the world by opening the eyes of people to different aspects of life.

“My book, Budding kit and building blocks creatively uses words to encourage the youths to use authentic voices to fight for themselves.”

The young and enthusiastic youth took second place in the inaugural Zimbabwe online poetry dubbed Slam-ZW (2020) and has participated at the Shoko Festival in the battle for Cities Poetry Slam (2019). He is a member of Page Poetry Alive.

Afro Poetry Times 

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