POETRY is an eclectic art. It isa form of expression that is a po-tent mixture of the political andthe personal.

In recent memory South Afri-ca has experienced a resurgentpoetic landscape,witha flurryofnewandirreverentvoicesclaim-ing their space within the localarts scene. With her Xhosa-stylepainted face and restrainedsmile, Mbali Vilakazi is perhapsone of the most sincere writersin this new wave.

Known for works like Is therea Xhosa word for climatechange?, her poetry is a genre-bending blend of emotions. Attimes crossing between spokenword and one-woman theatre,she is clearly a chanteuse in fullpossession of her creative pow-ers.

“I commit myself to explora-tion and growth, and for me thatmeans perhaps at times therewill be no consistency. My proc-ess is in constant flux to me,” shesays. “Much of my process re-quires the removal of clutter,noise and external stimuli. Ihave learnt that research is justas importantasinspiration. I liketo read up on what I am thinkingabout and to see where my per-sonal feelings and opinions canbe informed and enhanced byother perspectives.”

Born in Umtata in the EasternCape and having lived andworked much of her life in CapeTown, Vilakazi performs regu-larly at public events, festivalsand shows and has, over theyears, created a body of workthat has earned her increasingattention both at home andabroad. Earlier this year shewon the “gold medal” in the Po-etryGamesorganisedbyNation-al Public Radio in the U.S. along-side the Olympics.

Her words are the by-productof listening, seeing and experi-encingherenvironment andthishas resulted in Vilakazi cultivat-ing a very personal voice as a po-et and public intellectual.

Speaking about what initiallyinspired the wordsmith in her,Vilakazi notes that it was andstill is a voracious need to ex-press. “I have encountered ex-periences I never thought Iwould. Those have left an indeli-ble mark on me and on how Iview, and approach, my posi-

tioning in society,” Vilakazi says.“I write for me, firstly. I write tomake sense of the things thatperplex, sadden and infuriate

me. Poetry gives me the space toprocess and to respond.”

Despite working in a mediumthat is fuelled by collaboration

and co-existence with her peers,Vilakazi understands the impor-tance of having her own identityas a writer and as a woman.

She says it is important todraw from one’s influences andto pass that knowledge on butnever allow it to overshadowyour own identity. This is an ide-ology she brings to every poemand every page of her writing.

“I value collaboration. This ishow I am learning. Collabora-tion provides for the exchange ofideas and skills. Each personbrings something, and in mostcases it can be precisely the skillyou don’t have,” she says.“There is no rush to produce onmy own as yet, and what I knowabout our particular industry isthat, more often than not, the in-formation and the skills arehoused in people. Allow yourselfto be mentored, and from thereturn around and make it a pointto pass it on.”

Even though she has touredand performed on stages as farafield as South Korea, Vilakaziis an artist who is very loyal toher locality and she remains anactivist at heart.

What makes her unique is herpractical approach to creativity.She believes art must move be-yond the philosophical and bepart of tangible solutions.

Asaresult shehasbeenhighlyactive inthemediasectorengag-ing with people from around thecontinent in a bid to find solu-tions to problems of education,povertyandthe like.And it is thisdesire for social justice that hasseen her lend her voice to wom-en’s rights and education, andshe was the poet laureate for theCOP17 environment conferencein Durban last year.

“I don’t know if it is a choiceor if it is simply a case of it beingthe truth of my existence. In myunderstanding, ‘socially con-scious’ points to an activeawareness of people and sys-tems. Idon’tviewitassomethingseparate or special. Somethingyou have to work particularlyhard at or something that marksyou as somewhat different,” shesays. “It is a part of the whole.What happens out there has animpact on my life, and in thesame vein what happens in herecan impact out there. That iswhat is going on.”

Mbali Vilakazi will be taking part in Poetry Africa at the

University of KwaZulu­Natal’s Howard College campus.

THE popularity of the spoken word is evi-dent in the powerful performance arc thatthreads through the 16th edition of PoetryAfrica, which runs from October 15 to 19in Durban.

Music also has a prominent presence inthis year’s festival, which is organised bythe Centre for Creative Arts at the Universi-ty of KwaZulu-Natal, and takes place at theElizabeth Sneddon Theatre and the BATCentre in the small craft harbour, off Victo-ria Embankment.

Among those taking part is Saul Wil-liams, whose innovative work as an actor,poet and musician continues to break newground on arts stages around the world.Well-known for his breakout role in Slam,Williams has appeared in over 10 moviesand starred in the Senegalese-shot filmTey, which was screened at the Durban In-ternational Film Festival.

Local audiences will also be introducedto the avant garde approach of dynamic Ja-maican dub poet, prolific playwright, mono-dramatist and educator, D’bi Young; andthe star of the South African hip-hop scene,Tumi, will showcase his distinctive individu-ality, this time without the Volume.

Also headed to Durban are Cameroon-born Werewere Liking, a legendary poet,musician, painter and cultural activist whoestablished the Ki-Yi artist village in theIvory Coast, and top Swedish hip-hop artistHenry Bowers who is recognised as one ofEurope’s leading slam-poets. Bowers is partof a contingent of performance poets com-ing from the Ordsprak Festival in Uppsala,Sweden that includes Oskar Hanska, SamKessel, Solja Krapu and Laura Wihlbörg.

Other participants include:• Durban slam poet Ian ‘Ewok’ Robinson,who is active as an MC, playwright, actor,teacher, organiser with the LifeCheck move-ment, and part of hip-hop outfit Illuminat-ing Shadows;• Poppy Seed, a singer and spoken wordartist from the United Kingdom;• Mbali Vilakazi, who won a gold medal atthe recent Poetry Olympics (see profile);• Gouslaye, a colourful performance poetfrom Reunion Island;• Croc e Moses, who combines a guitar andvoice approach to his poetry;• Talented Durban poet Tumelo Khoza,who is the organiser of the Cup O’ Thoughtpoetry sessions;• Niels Hav from Denmark, whose percep-tive poetry is lined with delicious irony;• Tolu Ogunlesi, whose poetry offers abroad personal reflection on life in contem-porary Nigeria and beyond;• Nii Ayikwei Parkes of Ghana, a sought-af-ter socio-cultural commentator whose poet-ry embraces themes of power, cultural con-flicts, love, and the friction between capital-ism and humanism;• Poet and novelist Philo Ikonya, who waspresident of the Kenyan chapter of PENwhen she suffered brutal arrest for speak-ing out against corruption and the clamp-downs on freedom of expression in Kenya;• Jessica Mbangeni, a former member ofthe Soweto Gospel Choir, who has contrib-uted to raising public interest in imbongipraise poetry; and• Cape Town’s Rustum Kozain, whose fine-ly-crafted poetry has earned him the IngridJonker Poetry Prize and the Olive SchreinerAward.

Musicians making an appearance at thefestival include Madosini, the foremost ex-ponent of the various bow instruments thatform part of Xhosa culture, and legendaryZimbabwean Oliver Mtukudzi.

The festival finale will feature the mes-meric groove of Vavangèr(s), a musicproject led by Sergio Grondin with MayaPounia and Alex Soress, honouring the leg-endary Reunion Island musician Alain Pe-ters.

There are also special cameo perform-ances by Madala Kunene with Zos Kunene,Guy Buttery and Nibs van der Spuy, andZimbabwean mbira duo Isaac Machafa andPraise Zinhuku.

And don’t miss the South Africa versusSweden SlamJam at the BAT Centre on Oc-tober 20.

For more information visitwww.cca.ukzn.ac.za or phone the Centrefor Creative Arts at 031 260 2506/1816.

— Arts Editor.• arts@witness.co.za

Poetrywith a purpose

Mbali Vilakazi believes that the role of a poet isn’t just to express ideas,it is to help bring them to fruition. She spoke to SIHLE MTHEMBU.

Feel the powerof spoken word