I walked into the fullest crowd awaiting to enjoy a bit poetry in the city, at the Market Theatre Lab, in the middle of the art capital of the of Joburg, Newtown.
As the crowd settled and a mother sat down next to me,with her somewhat 7 year old daughter. Her daughter’s reaction to some poems was so beautiful. I liked that she had an opinion, an imagination and an objective at that tender age.
Family was the very inspiration for the show. Afrukan dedicated the show to his beautiful wife Qhakaza and their daughter, who has grown up so much since the days of the Live Literature Market. She was genuinely attending poetry shows in diapers.
The audience was so loving, a true community of poets. I felt so privileged to be basking in warmth of the community WordnSound has built over the years. Grateful for their generosity in extending that to us. In qualifying those parts of us, formalising the craft and really solidifying the future of Africas poetry.
I sat on the side, and took in textured poetry from men, it was vulnerable, current, cultured, mannered, naughty and all round interesting.
Firstly everyone was there !
Xabiso Vili
As the opening act, I realized Xabiso is an amazing writer. I have a copy of his book but seeing his face as he recited his work with all that flare and fire was being transported into this complex array of emotions layers down delicately for my consumption.
Vus’umusi Phakathi
Announced as a new book store owner of Khalahari books. His performance was dedicated to the masterful work taught by Afurakan. Vusi gave us 3 pieces of cinematic perfection. He is a true performer, he captured the entire room with his voice, ability to use the entire stage and engaging poetry. You just have to see it in these summary snippets here !
KB Kilobyte
This was very interesting writing for me, laced with Avatar references whilst tackling contextual challenges of our nation & a black man’s position within the struggle for collective wellness but also personal wellness.
We also had the only lady on stage join in for song & her sweet voice carried softness into the poetry in a very intimate way. She sang brown skin/ yellow skin leading to a very deep poem about the poets preference for ebony brown skinned women .. You just have to hear it, here below.
They ended their skit with a joint poem. I’ve actually never seen that before. Their voices were complementing each other on their bid, to define a real man. It was interesting that men felt like they needed to mirror what men ought to be, define that for themselves. That’s pretty cool .
These are the gents behind www.punsandthings.co.za
Athol Williams
After the brief break we watched a video by the exiled Activist Athol Williams. He was a key informer during the state capture investigations and it’s since led to his life being in danger, and he is currently living in exile.
Masai Sepuru
Masai wore this jacket and took over the stage to debunk Black Boy Magic, a concept I have never thought about. He unpacked the different stereotypes and assumptions made about the black boys, their role in society and how they are not necessarily empowered with emotional intelligence. It was so powerful, yet funny and engaging.
Mutle Mothima
Fresh out of initiation school, Mutles poetry was very sensual and spiritual and I say that because he used metaphors, astrology, elements of the earth and more to describe complex emotions stirred up by this relationship we were given access too for a few minutes. He is so tender in how he presents his work, very gentle and calm, a true soft touch.
Solly Rambula
Oh I enjoyed Sollys performance, he unpacked the shallow waters of “Hoe is life” . I enjoyed the candid honesty of his poems. There’s an honest vulnerability to his work that I found particularly unique.
Modise Sekgotla
Modise was the perfect ending to a meal of performances. His performance was a prayer, a fusion of music, poetry and calming melodies, just soothing to the ear.
What an excellent party, I’m so glad I went. Its as if the Joburg knew I was leaving the city and this was a perfect send off.
I am so grateful for the work Qhakaza and Afrukan have done in building the space for us.
