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In South Africa, praise poets are cultural icons who use the art form to entertain and conserve social consciousness. West African troubadour-historians, whose significant societal roles include preserving genealogies and historical narratives, use praise songs in their repertoire. In a literary sense, rhythmic poetic devices capture intuitive nuances that ordinary language can constrain. And it is perhaps through combining those tools with cultural references that make works by contemporary African poets so powerful.
The intimacy of experiencing poetry is partly what makes great poets unforgettable. In the way writing the words is a cathartic release for them, audiences get drawn in by their ability to articulate a range of emotions with clarity. Storytelling that accounts for emotion, with the same intensity that it does detail, creates a boundless human connection that has a resonance not hinged on familiarity. That is how poetry can remind us that our human experiences are connected even when our narratives differ.
In conversation with Maverick Life, poet Johann de Lange, editor-in-chief of the AVBOB Poetry Project, noted that history alone does not tell the full human story.
“The arts form the other half, and language is the most human thing we have. It is so completely tied up with who we are and where we are. And that makes poetry a very powerful medium of expression.”
That is the thinking that brought about AVBOB’s Poetry Project, an annual competition that invites entries in the 11 official South African languages. In 2017, the project was launched to address the muteness many feel in the face of loss, and with the issues South Africans have faced as a collective. For them, it is important to create a platform that becomes a place for ordinary South Africans to speak their truth.
“A poem is a way one can look through the eyes of another person and be affected. Poems that make me aware of the poet’s love and respect for language stand out for me. Language is not just this transparent medium you use to say things; it is the brush, the paint and the canvas. It creates reality,” said de Lange, adding that this is a particularly exciting time when publications and institutions are broadening their scope by supporting more writers who also use indigenous languages.
Speaking to some of the prize winners from previous years, it’s clear that poetry reinforces a strong sense of identity and allows them to process feelings that they then explore through different themes.
“Expressing my art in Tshivenda feels like safeguarding the language of my forebears. I articulate myself more freely,” said Ngwedzeni Tshovhota, whose poem U bebwa ha lutshetshe won in the Tshivenḓa category in 2017. Tshovhota started writing in high school to get a better grasp of the readings they were prescribed. He has since had work published in poetry collections.
Dire discovered his aptitude for poetry in primary school. “In Grade 6, my teacher asked me to do a performance for the class. I recited my traditional clan poem and fell in love with poetry from that day. It also helps me express my feelings and emotions.” His poem Ke a Dira won in the 2019 Setswana category of the AVBOB Poetry Competition.
Navigating emotions can be mysterious and lonely for even the most sensitive among us. Soil science graduate from Stellenbosch University,