Pippa Little was born and raised in Tanzania. She is Scots but has lived mainly in England. A teacher, editor, higher education lecturer and literacy tutor, she has now begun writing full-time. Married with three sons, two in England and one in Mexico, and a labrador dog, she has a poetry collection titled Overwintering.
Philippa Namutebi Kabali-Kagwa is a Ugandan South African poet, storyteller, coach and facilitator. She is the youngest daughter of Ugandan poet and civil servant, the late Henry Barlow. Both her parents loved literature – her father the writer, her mother the teacher, researcher and narrator. While she most commonly called Philippa, she always signs Namutebi at the end of her poems. “Namutebi is the creative side of me. She is the one who writes.”
She sees her poems more as stories – portraits of moments in her life. Her poems draw images of growing up in Uganda in the 60s and 70s and in the later years as an immigrant in various parts of Africa – touching on both the personal and political as it impacted her. Having lived in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, Namibia and South Africa, she often wrestles with the question of identity and belonging. She also explores her triumphs and struggles as a woman.
Namutebi also has a passion for folktales and myths – the wisdom of centuries, the tried and tested imagery, the archetypal characters that give new perspective to the perennial questions that we struggle with. She says, “When a story gets my heart beating faster, or an image in a story stirs something inside me, I know that that story has come to teach me at this moment in my life! I believe this is true for everyone.”
Namutebi lives in Cape Town with her husband, Victor, and 3 children – Faye, Senteza and Chris.
Prof. Ahmed Sheikh Mohamed Nabhany, was born 27 November 1927 in Mombasa Kenya. He is affectionately known as the father of Swahili poetry.
A list of researchers Nabhany has assisted:
1. John W.T. Allen 1965 who was collecting Swahili manuscript, poetry, songs, and lullabies.
2. Prof. Ann Beirsteke 1983 who was researching Mwana Kupona and learning Swahili poetry.
3. Prof. Henebush 1989 who was learning Swahili poetry composed by Nabhany.
4. Prof.Ibrahim Noor Shariff 1984.
5. Prof. Chach n Chacha 1984 who was researching Swahili Poetry.
6. Dr. Marjorie Ann Franken 1986 who was researching, Ngoma, Swahili Poetry.
7. Prof. Rocha Chimera 1984 – Istilani.
8. Prof. Deborah P. Amory 1985 – Kanga In Swahili Society.
9. Prof. Kingei – On Swahili Twarab 1989.
Nabhany’s Contribution on Islamic Swahili Arab Scripts:
1967 – Helped in the collection and recording of Swahili and Arabic Manuscripts by J.W.T. Allen for University of Dar-Es-Salaam.
1984-1987 Worked with Prof. Dammann in Hamburg University, Germany in translating Swahili Arabic manuscripts to Roman scripts.
1993 – Worked on Islamic manuscripts with Dr.David Sperling Lamu, Pate, Siyu in Kenya in the same year travelled to Comores Island. Project sponsored by Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation through our director in London, Dr. Shariff.
2004 – A team of Oman Television led by Mr.Mohamed Bin Ali Marjiby interviewed him on the history of the first Omani who came to Pate in Lamu Kenya, Suleiman bin Suleiman bin Mudhafar Nabhany in the 12th Century and from Oman Jabal-Ahdhar at Al-Makheri.
Pitika Ntuli is an internationally renowned poet, fine artist and academic. He is widely sought-after as a public speaker and commentator on arts and culture, indigenous knowledge systems and African scholarship. As an acclaimed poet, his poetry has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies.
Ntuli holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Pratt Institute in New York, USA. He spent his exile years in the U.K. where he helped establish one of Europe’s leading poetry circuits, Apples & Snakes in London. While in London, Ntuli also lectured in Fine Art and English Literature and he worked closely with Amnesty International and Index-on-Censorship.
Ntuli returned to South Africa at the end of 1994 and lectured at the former University of the Witwatersrand before joining the staff of the former University of Durban-Westville in 1995 as Head of the Fine Art Department.
Pitika Ntuli has held several portfolios on boards including the BAT Centre Trust, Universal Creative Arts and Artists for Human Rights. Ntuli was also co-director of the Awesome Africa Music Festival. He is currently Chair of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
Pitika Ntuli has performed his poetry with leading musicians like the late Dudu Pukwana, Mervin Africa, Julian Bahula, Lucky Ranku and Eugene Skeef and has toured Europe several times with his poetry. His poetry has received critical acclaim around the world. In 2004, Ntuli performed at the inauguration of former South African President Thabo Mbeki.
Also a sculptor, Ntuli recently held a solo exhibition Scent of Invisible Footprints in Moments of Complexity at Museum Africa in Johannesburg. His book Scent of Invisible Footprints: The Sculpture of Pitika Ntuli is also an exploration of his art form.
Multi-award winning poet, playwright and performance artist, Phillippa Yaa de Villiers is a graduate of the Lecoq International School of Theatre in Paris. Her poetry ranges from the private to the political, exploring matters serious, satirical and sensual. She has a prolific portfolio of national and international stage and television productions. Taller than Buildings is first collection of poetry.
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Pearl Sanelisiwe Ndlovu sought solace in words and poetry at the age of 15 when her beloved grandmother passed away.
Commonly known as Le Soulful Poet Gatsheni, Pearl is a young poet from Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. Her work delves into varied topics but she mainly uses her words as way to make sense of life’s challenges. She improves her writing and reciting skills by performing as much as she can in her hometown.
Pearl has an insatiable passion for art, she believes poetry is her calling and not a mere hobby. “We are the prophets of the past, present and future” she says.
Raya Wambui started writing poetry consistently thirteen years ago. She began performing in July 2011 competing in the Carnivore Star Search of that year. She began her blog in March 2012, where she has been sharing her poetry and some other writing since then (rayawambui.wordpress.com). Her poetry tends to fall under revolutionary poetry, but is not exclusively in that genre.
Since she began performing, she has performed at the following events:
* Carnivore Star Search of 2011- Auditions, Semi Finals and Finals
* Wamathai Spoken Word- Severally since 2011
* Slam Africa- Performed severally, competed five times: I am the 39th Slam Queen
* Kwani Open Mic- performed three times, was the April 2013 featured poet
* Word Up Live- Severally
* Panari Ice Skating Festival
* Chords For Cords
* Streams, Where Haven Art
* Creatives Garage Portfolio Review
* POWO
* Teto Tetuma and the Purple Warriors Band, Live at Kitengela
* Global Voices Summit 2012
* The BOGOF
* Sitawa Ignited
* GBC show: JCs love letter
* Sentimental Spot (Arts Talk Show)
* Nairobi University Chiromo Campus Cultural Day
* Nairobi University Main Campus, Class presentation
Babalwa RedSeed Ngcivana was born a muted soul, unable to express feeling, so she screams through scripted thoughts. She hails from Eastern Cape, South Africa.
She is a creative soul who believes that we are all sent with a message to deliver on this earth, everyone we meet has something to transfer unto us whether it’s good or bad. At the end it is all about how we react to the message that will determine if we rise.
Mozambican writer and essayist Raul Alves da Silva Calane was born in the city of Maputo on 20th October 1945. He grew up and studied in the city. Very early in his life he began and was involved with journalism and literature. He led the Gazeta Artes e Letras da revista Tempo (Gazette of Arts and Letters of the Time Magazine) in 1985, and was appointed in 1987, head of the editorial board of the national television, then called “Televisao Experiemental de Mocambique” (Experimental Television of Mozambique). He also became a founding member and board member of the Association of Mozambican Writers.
He earned a master’s degree in Portuguese Linguistics from the University of Porto, with a dissertation on “Pedagogia do léxico : as escolhas lexicais bantus, os neologismos luso-rongas e a sua função estilística e estético-nacionalista nas obras Xigubo e Karingana wa Karingana de José Craveirinha” (The Pedagogy of the lexicon: the Bantu lexical choices, the neologisms Luso-Ronga and its stylistic and aesthetic function in the works and Xigubo Karingana wa Karingana of Jose Craveirinha).
Calane da Silva is currently a lecturer at the Language Centre of Universidade Pedagogica (Pedagogical University) and the Director of the Centro Cultural Brasil-Moçambique (Cultural Centre Brasil-Mozambique), both in Maputo. He is also the author, editor of several essays, novels and anthologies, which include: Dos meninos da Malanga. Maputo, Cadernos Tempo, 1982 (Poetry); Xicandarinha na lenha do mundo. Maputo, Associação dos Escritores Moçambicanos, 1988. Colecção Karingana (Short Stories). Gotas de Sol. Maputo, Associação dos Escritores Moçambicanos, 2006 (novel); A Pedagogia do Léxico. O Estiloso Craveirinha. As escolhas leixicais bantus, os neologismos luso-rongas e a sua função estilística e estético-nacionalista nas obras Xigubo e Karingana wa Karingama. Maputo, Imprensa Universitária, 2002 (Thesis Publication); Nyembêtu ou as Cores da Lágrima. Lisboa. Texto Editores. 2008 (Novel).
Shabbir Banoobhai’s poetry is spiritual, political and personal with the three themes interwoven, the personal poems often having a political dimension and the political, a spiritual. A child of parents who came to South Africa from India, he was born in Durban in 1949, where he lived for most of his life until he moved to Cape Town in 1995. He Of necessity he shared the fate of the larger black community of South Africans, his poetry reflecting that struggle. He qualified as a teacher in 1970, as a Chartered Accountant in 1978, and as a Chartered Management Accountant in 1983. Lectured at the University of Durban-Westville from mid 1977 to the end of 1982; ran a management consultancy practice in Durban from 1983 to 1995; and joined Old Mutual in Cape Town in January 1996.
Retired in November 2005; and is now a full-time writer. Some of his works, in full, include: echoes of my other self; shadows of a sun-darkened land; inward moon outward sun; if i could write: Ramadan letters that can be read at Christmas or on any other day; and lyrics in paradise. He is the recipient of the Thomas Pringle Award for Poetry. What is particularly striking about his poetry is its complete sincerity, described as, “a luminous work of the heart containing profound reflections on the nature of the Divine, Prophetic and human consciousness, love, justice, peace and war. A genuine and original Sufi primer for the 21st-century seeker, reflecting an important development in contemporary ‘South African spiritual thought'”.
Sandile Dikeni was born in Victoria West in 1966. He studied at the University of the Western Cape where he served on the SRC. He began writing seriously while in detention in 1986, and was a popular performer at political rallies and community cultural events. Since the coming of democracy, he has worked as a journalist and political commentator. In addition to Planting Water, he has published two previous collections of poetry, Guava Juice (1992) and Telegraph to the Sky (2002), as well as a collection of his articles featured in the Cape Times, titled Soul Fire: Writing the Transition (2002).
Sabrina Moella is a writer, a poet and a filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada. Born in France from Congolese parents, she started writing as soon as she was old enough to hold a pen. She now lives in Canada and writes both in English and in French.
Sabrina’s poetry is based on reflective thoughts about her own life. Her films focus on studying and narrating the everyday life, traditions, and culture of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora.
She is a member of ‘I Get Out’, a collective of black female storytellers from Toronto. She is also a yoga practitioner who strongly believes in healing through the arts.
Sabrina is currently writing a collection of short stories entitled Mayi.
Synik is a hiphop and spoken word artist from the vibrant streets of Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare. The lyrically dexterous MC is one of the most exciting young artists in Zimbabwe right now. Thriving on versatility, Synik switches easily from cleverly crafted soulful hiphop joints to hardhitting lyrical raps and spoken word pieces. A gifted rhyme – storyteller Synik is known for weaving words to create visual poetic pieces. The ever growing artist recently picked up guitar playing and has incorporated acoustic guitar to his performances. He prefers to use his close relationship with words to influence positive change and inspire people, seeking to ‘write songs to right wrongs’. Affiliated with Zimbabwe’s cultural activist movement, Synik understands that art should be used to address society’s ills and he aims to do more than merely entertain with his work. Influenced a lot by conscious hiphop and neosoul music, the artists lyrics are mainly an expression of what the he encounters in life.
“The soul of Harare’s conscious Hip Hop is in the safe hands of a small group of rappers. Among them is Synik who brings some positive and thoughtful messages at a time when just about every cheap African rapper is claiming a million haters and self-stamping themselves as “King of Swag”. (the peoples hub).While in high school a young Synik started putting his thoughts into raps in his school note books having been a fan of hiphop since he got introduced to the culture in his childhood. His high school had a large community of people who were also drawn to hiphop as an art-form. He was briefly part of Bulawayo based underground outfit, Encrypted Minds in 2001. The moniker is a remnant of this phase in his growth when he was influenced by hardcore underground hiphop. He started recording late 2003 in Harare, a period where he worked with the Phranchyze members Phlow and BC. His first release was an EP (The Beta Version 2008) which highlighted Synik’s storytelling skills and lyrical prowess. The EP has been labelled a street classic by some and it earned Synik respect in Zimbabwe’s hiphop community. He also released a single (God within/Find a way 2010) which revealed a more soulful Synik. He has featured on numerous projects including the African hip-hop mixtape 2, as well as collaborations with numerous Zimbabwean and African acts (Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya).
His performing career developed when he got into Harare’s lively spoken word/hiphop scene. He would soon become one of the most regular hiphop and spoken word performers at events such as Mashoko, The Circle, Chimoto Poetry Slams (Alliance Francaise), and the Acoustic Nights (Zimbabwe German Society). In 2010 as part of Poeticause he was involved in the Theatrical/ Poetry production ’Prisms’ with fellow poets Blackpearl, Nebila, Flowchild and Aerosol. Some of his notable performances were at The 2010 Bulawayo edition of the Zimbabwe Social Forum, The One Day Hiphop Festival (Alliance Francaise), 2011 Independence Day Concert (with the hiphop band, the Monkeynuts), The Republic of Pungwe Launch and The Shoko International Hip Hop festival. If he is not on stage Synik can be easily spotted throwing rhymes in a cipher on Harare’s streets.With a number of projects scheduled to come in the near future Synik is set to continue making waves in Zimbabwean hiphop and beyond.
Zimbabwean poet SoProfound started performing poetry in 2009 but became active in the poetry circles in 2010. He has shared his work at events such as the House of Hunger Poetry Slam Zimbabwe, Mashoko! (The spoken word and hip-hop event hosted by Magamba), House of Hunger Poetry Slam South Africa, The Experience (nu-verb), Poetry and Music (part of the poetry and… series).
Skietreker ( Reitumetse Richard Segopolo Seape) is a poet, author and performer from Thabanchu in the Free State. He writes his metaphors and similes in English, Setswana, Sesotho and Afrikaans, penning about subjects relating to racism, discrimination, abuse, poverty, Aids, spirituality, love and social ills affecting the youth.
He has performed on stages like Macufe annual festival (2005). In 2007 his poem titled Spiritual Struggle was published in an anthology called A Prayer Away in Durban. He is also a former member of the poetry group Infinite Motions (2008). He has appeared on Frenzy (ETV), Street Journal (SABC 1) and Lentswe poetry project (SABC 2). He was also the founder of Boston Poetry Movement (2008) and the brains behind the initiative of Velocity open mic sessions at iBurst in Durban.
In 2009 he was awarded a certificate of appreciation by the Bloemfontein public library in recognition of valuable contribution to literature in the Free Sate. He published his first collection of poems titled Apartheid Ek Gaan Jou Boks in 2007 and in 2012 he received assistance from the department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation to republish his power packed Apartheid Ek Gaan Jou Boks vol 2. He was also a volunteer for the SA Literary Awards 2012, and he also performed & rendered a creative writing, poetry workshop for Legae Primary School at Africa Century International African Writers Conference and shared a stage with Tinah Mnumzana, Lesego Motsepe, Hector Kunene and Charmaine Mrwebi.
Sello Daniel Maputle is a poet based in Thaba Nchu in the Free State. He started writing poetry in 2003 when he joined a writing group called Untitled Poets in his hometown. The highlight of his career is when he performed at the Macufe Wordfest.
Scott Woods has published work in a variety of publications, and has been featured multiple times in national press, including multiple appearances on National Public Radio.
He was the President of Poetry Slam Inc. and MCs the Writers’ Block Poetry Night, an open mic series in Columbus, Ohio. In April of 2006 he became the first poet to ever complete a 24-hour solo poetry reading, a feat he has bested every year since by performing without repeating a single poem. His first full-length collection of work is We Over here Now.
Sanele Sithole is a passionate poet from Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), South Africa. Although he’s been writing since the age of 15 his very first performance was in 2011 in Pietermarizburg in KZN. Since then he has performed on many stages across his province. He looks forward to sharing his work with international audiences outside of his province.
Sandile Washington Mhlontlo is a published Xhosa poet who was born in Mbinzana, Lady Frere. In 1971 he qualified as a Primary Teacher at Lovedale College. He started teaching in Mbinzana Higher Primary in 1972. In 1976 he was promoted to Headmaster at St. Peters-on-Indwe.
He was ordained Roman Catholic Church Minister in 2001.
Sage is Nigeria’s premier spoken word poet. He has featured in over 400 events, both small and big, across the country. He has done about a 100 brand poems written specifically for certain organisations and products including MTN, Coca Cola, Harp, Satzenbrau, Gulder, and Unilever. He has performed at different shows including Hip Hop World Awards in 2006 and 2010, Big Brother Nigeria, Arts Alive in South Africa. He has recorded and released two spoken word poetry albums. He is also a regular guest on regular TV and radio.
Before his performance career, Sage was a star reporter with Ovation magazine. He has acted on a stage play, and now he is angling to write his first made movie and is currently establishing himself as a life coach with a newly written inspirational fable that has been snagged by a publisher.
Saaleha Idrees Bamjee is an editorial consultant and photographer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She is learning how to read and write through Rhodes University’s MA Creative Writing programme.
Quentin “Vercetty” Lindsay is an artist who cares for and knows no boundaries when it comes to his artistic expression. His work includes painting, illustrations, mural works, photography, graphic design and spoken word poetry.
Thus far Quentin has had the opportunity to have his work viewed by well-known and respectable people, including international recording artist K’naan, Melanie Fiona, Kardinal Offishall, The Honorable Jean Augustine and Her Excellency the Right and Honorable Michaëlle Jean.
Believing that art can cause and influence social change Quentin’s artwork and poetry is mainly about uplifting and empowerment through progress and constructive change. Some of Quentin Vercetty’s aspirations are to travel and share his work with different cultures globally, which is how he believes the most artistic growth happens.
Tswarelo Mothobe h.t.b.k.a (Happy To Be Known As) A Scribe Called Tswa is a Bulawayo born and based writer, dramatist and poet.
He has graced the Mlom’Wakho Poetry Slam Stage, The House of Hunger Poetry slam, major local festivals like HIFA, Intwasa, Shoko & Ibumba Arts Festivals and has performed at SANAA in South Africa.
He has also facilitated various writing and performance workshops with school children over the years resulting in new generations of poets being born in Bulawayo. Currently hosting Mlom’Wakho Poetry Slam every month, he is working on his 1st poetry and music project with the working title, Remember and has written and is directing a series of plays.
Tshegofatso Sebitloane better known as “Maikutlo” is a singer, writer and poet from the capital city of the North West in Mafikeng. Poetry and word expression has been and is still a large part of her life. Maikutlo started exploring her passion for poetry and word expression six years ago through the talent development and nurturing programme called Expressions under Lyv Promotions created by Tolamoetlile Kgobokoe aimed at nurturing up and coming artists from all art disciplines. This platform launched her artistic career.
WORKS TO DATE
* In 2007 she worked on Nite of Words – Blood Love which was a Poetry Showcase which went to Grahamstown Arts Festival and later showcased in Mmabana theatre in Mafikeng. The production directed by Modise Ngwato had fresh dose of poetry, comprising of music and writing skills.
* 2008- North west finalist in the Lentswe Poetry Competition
* 2009- featured in Molemi’s Motzamai- Rebel without a pause album under lyv Records track 10 titled Maikutlo A re www.lyv.co.za
* 2010- Performed at the 30th celebration of the North West University Gala dinner with special guests like the Rector Professor Dan Kgwadi and the Alumni of the University from previous years.
* 2011-Took part in the Africa Celebration on the Mmabana Park hosted by the Rastafarian Movement in Mafikeng
* Part of a stage theatre play held in the North West University directed by Kgafela oa Magogodi
* 30 October 2011- Featured in show by Botswana Folklore Artist- Ntirelang Berman hosted at the Mmabana theatre
* 2011- Performed at the Cheese and Wine event hosted by the North West FM radio station
* 4 December 2011- took part as one of the performers in the Art resolve weekend sharing the stage with live performances by Molemi, Quincy K, Kgafela oa Magogodi and Marabele, Mpho ya Badimo former radio presenter of the reggae Show- Moribo wa Raggae.
* 2011- Seta year Closing Gala dinner booked by The Department of Sports Arts and Culture in Mooifoniten
* 13 February 2011- performed at Public Internet Access and Visual impaired library launch- dsac in- Mmabana Taung grounds
* Currently holds the position of vice chairperson of a poetry Group based in the North West University Campus by the name of 5th Groove.
Toni Stuart is a poetry writer, performer and developer. Her poetry has been published in numerous anthologies including The Ground’s Ear (Quickfox Publishing, 2011) and Agenda Journal on Teenage Fertility and Desire (Unisa Press and Routledge, 2011).
As a performer she was part of And the Word Was Woman Ensemble, from 2004 – 2007, with Malika Ndlovu and the 2010 Ingrid Jonker Prize winner Tania van Schalkwyk among others. She has performed locally and internationally, at numerous events including Urban Voices International Poetry Festival in 2010, Bridgewater International Poetry Festival in 2013, and alongside UK poet Lemn Sissay in 2012. Her work uses poetry to interrogate a range of social issues such as the stories of place and displacement (The Calllings Performance as part of GIPCA’ Exuberance Project, Emancipation Day Commemoration at Reminiscence Theatre Festival), HIV/Aids (commission of Breath and Blood for University of Cape Town) and gender-based violence (Woman.Object.Corpse exhibition for Centre for African Studies, UCT).
She is the curator of Poetica, at Open Book Festival 2013 and runs The Silence That Words Come From – writing workshops that enable people to explore their own voice.
In 2013, she was named in the Mail and Guardian’s list of 200 Inspiring Young South Africans for her work in co-founding I Am Somebody! – an NGO that uses storytelling and youth development to build integrated communities.
Tina Mucavele is a young Mozambican woman, social activist, writer and a mother of one son. She lives in Maputo, Mozambique, after living in Johannesburg for most of her adolescence and early adulthood.
Her day job is with rural civil society movements, in an attempt to raise consciousness and provide skills for political participation, monitoring of state budgets and quality of social services. In the city, she works with poets and musicians, and is part of the SEM CRITICA MOVEMENT, a performance space created for free artistic expression.
Tina’s poems and short stories are in the editing process, and she hopes to publish a collection of short stories by the end of 2011. Her travels around the African continent, Europe and South America have turned her into a strong Pan-African Citizen, and she loves and advocates for an eclectic African Identity. Tina began seriously writing her poetry in English, given the strong influence of English speaking authors such as Ama Ata Aidoo, Ben Okri, Alice Walker, Ngugi Wa Thiongo amongst other African writers.
However, coming back to Mozambique forced her to learn the Portuguese language as a tool to tell the stories that follow her around like friendly ghosts!
Thobekile Mbanda is a young gifted woman from Inchanga Kwa Zulu Natal now residing in Cape Town. She is a spoken word artist and community activist. Her work portrays her deep rooted passion for the well being of her people, promoting self-love, self-respect, identity and self-sustainment.
Her guitar inspires her lyrics and flow and is her companion. She holds high respect for poetry for she sees it as a catalyst of reaching the consciousness of the people who dare listen and considers herself as the voice of the beginning Thobekile wase Embo. She sees her work as a sacrifice of love for peace, unity, honesty and freedom for all.
Born and bred in Nigeria, Bethel .C. Simeon, a singer, a songwriter, and a preacher, describes himself as “an amalgamation of divers treasures that will retain the stamp of immortality until the call of purpose has been fully answered”.
He earnestly strives to pull down the heinous walls of unacceptable manifestations while entrenching the pillars that aid the actualization of destiny.
B.C. Simeon, a trained journalist and a law student at the University of South Africa, presently resides in Cape Town. He has performed on the church platform to an audience peopled mainly by the youth. He is compiling his first anthology.
He is a performing poet, actor, writer, based in Harare, Zimbabwe. His poems appear in the following anthologies, Jakwara reNhetembo (2008), State of the Nation: Contemporary Zimbabwean Poetry (2009), War Against War (2010), Visions of Motherland (2010), Daybreak (2010), Defiled Sacredness (2010), Mudengu Munei (2010) and several international journals and magazine.
He also contributes to Writers International Network Zimbabwe blogspot under the column, ‘The Regular Writer’, Wealth of Ideas and Izimbabwe. He featured in the following films: Tanyaradzwa, I want A Wedding Dress, NyamiNyami and the evil eggs, Playing Warriors, The Husband, and it the following Television dramas: Suburb D, New Dawn, and Tiriparwendo. He performed poetry at platforms such as NGO events, Harare International Festival of the Arts, Intwasa Arts Festival koBulawayo, Dzimbahwe Arts Festival, Chimanimani Arts Festival, Arts Alive International Johannesburg, SADC Poetry Festival in Botswana among others.
New York spoken word artist and performance poet, Tantra-Zawadi’s rousing poetry has established her as a force in the genre. Her work has been extensively published and televised and her numerous stage performances include the iconic Nuyorican Poets’. For Tantra-Zawadi poetry is “breathing, walking, doing, loving and awakening – limitless in its ability to reach across genres and varying walks of life”.
Unathi Slasha under the nom de plume ‘Dark-blood the bard’ is a spoken word artist, performer, literature enthusiast, poet, short story writer born in 1989, emerging from a small township named Dispatch in the Nelson Mandela Bay, infamous of its extremely high rate of illiteracy and dearth of artistic activism. A glimmer of hope carried out by this well-read young man determined to be a positive model and a trendsetter among his peers and set a perfect example for the up-and-coming young people in his community through performance art, with an undisputed aptitude.
His love for performance poetry commenced when he got introduced to poetry sessions by a friend who was a poet. From there, he got influenced and imbued with passion to start writing. He consistently contains an influential and enticing manipulation of words, with a flawless poetry and a unique phraseology and diction. On stage he is known for his spirited and energetic delivery and controversial style that comes out as a blend of street style yet literary poetry that involves socio political issues and historic events that tend to take any audience aback.His love for African literature is evidenced by the allusions and complex metaphors and intertextuality prevalent in most of his poetry – spoken word.
He aims at using his writings as an apparatus to inform and to instigate social reforms: to individuals who wish to be products of change in the society at large: he creates a personal pressure that frog-march them to do research about their identities and roots. Since he commenced his journey of performances and circulation around the different parts of the Eastern Cape, KZN and in the Western Cape, he has been receiving respect and love from each and every single person that has witnessed his pure talent and energy on stage.
One of his short stories and a few of his analytical poems have been published in an annual literary Journal called Ntinga, and as well as in the publication called Expressions within both of these publications were/are initiatives of arts and culture and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s department of language and literature. During the operation of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, when some of the matches where held in PE, he was one of the performers that kept the crowd intrigued with his revolutionary and unconventional poetry at the PE Opera House theatre.
He has performed in East London at one of the most prominent platforms known as the Soul Clap Sessions organized and hosted by Ipoetry KaNkqo. The Bard was one of the indelible artists that had an outstanding theatrical performance at the annual Grassroots Arts Festival held in Motherwell. He was one of the four first PE artists to make an appearance in the yearly Hip-hop event – The Final Touchdown in Alice. The bard has performed as a guest poet at the Love Life Music is Life mini Festival that was held In Uitenhage at Willow Dam in 2013. In 2012 he was one of the poets that were chosen to facilitate and demonstrate spoken word to high school pupils during the poetry workshops that were held in September during the National Book week at the Red Location Museum in New Brighton. The Bard has performed at the 2013 Nelson Mandela Bay Book fair that had the likes of Ntsiki Mazwai, Don Mattera, Lesego Rampolokeng, Niq Mhlongo, Motsoko Pheko, Ayanda Billie and other remarkable renowned authors and poets.
He has also co-founded NMMU’s foremost spoken word and poetry society called the Resonance Poetry Movement, along with Sisonke Papu and Azola Dayile – which they have successfully managed to launch.
He has also worked with the NMMU International Office and the Centre for the Advancement of non-Racialism and Democracy (CANRAD) in the NMMU Africa Week in a public lecture delivered by Prof. James Ogude (University of Pretoria) in remembrance of the late Chinua Achebe and his impact on the African literature landscape. He has been featured as a one of the performers at the first ever two days poetry festival in the Nelson Mandela Bay: Praat Poetry Festival, which hosted Lebo Mashile and Lesego Rampolokeng as guest poets.
He is a regular performance poet at the Elements of Hip-hop sessions that are monthly held in Motherwell and at the Culture Consciousness weekly sessions. He was once headlined at the PE Opera House YiYo (An Opera house initiative that focuses on solo artists granting them a platform for discussion, performance and constructive criticism on their respective art forms.)
Every single person who claims to love poetry and is an art enthusiast is obliged to show respect to the craft of this young wordsmith as he continues to make major moves. He believes to be the embodiment and the rhetorical speaker for the neglected poor through his spoken word that he enthusiastically utters.