Sisters
*an extract from Lebo Mashile's poem
I see the wisdom of
eternities
In ample thighs
Belying their presence as
adornments
To the temples of my
sisters
Old souls breathe
In the comfort of
chocolate thickness
That suffocates Africa's
angels
Who dance to the
rhythm
Of the universe's womb
Though they cannot feel
Its origins in their
veins .
Lebo Mashile is one of the strongest voices on the South African poetry scene and she cannot be ignored. Her work speaks for itself.
She has just won the Noma Award (Africa's most prestigious literary honour) for Publishing in Africa for her poetry anthology, In a Ribbon of Rhythm. This is the second time a book of poetry has won (the first was in 1993 with Mongane Wally Serote's Third World Express).
Mashile also presents L'Atittude on Tuesdays at 7pm on SABC1. This wordsmith took some time out to chat to us.
What does winning the Noma award mean to you?
My book was published two years ago. I'm 27 now and that makes me the youngest Noma winner, and that is a precedent that's quite daunting for me. It's like, how do I better this? But it is a huge affirmation for me.
Having grown up in America and coming back home, some might say I'm not completely African. This award affirms that I'm an African voice, that my voice has a purpose.
What are you up to now?
I'm busy shooting the third series of L'Atittude. This year we were given 39 episodes from the initial 13 we started with two years ago. I'm also working on my second manuscript.
Right now as we speak, I'm in Cape Town. The University of Cape Town is building a new residence for women and they have invited all kinds of artists from all over SA to do art installations on it. So I will be creating a poem which will be translated into visual art, it's so interesting.
I do private performances now and then. My last public performance was at the Poetry Africa festival.
How does L'Atittude feed into the poet inside you?
With L'Atittude I get to travel to places of different races and cultures.
My poetry is born out of contradictions and it is these contradictions that form part of the essence of South Africa.
It is inspiring for me as a poet to experience how South Africans are making it despite these contradictions. And this moment of transition in our country is very important.
History books will be written on how we made sense of our present South Africa.
What are your impressions of the local poetry scene?
The poetry scene is still finding itself, but it has taken a huge leap from when I started. Our poets now have access to mainstream media. If poetry is going to make a huge impact globally, that impact is going to start in South Africa because that's where the possibility exists.
What is the best thing about being Lebo Mashile?
When people see me they expect to hear something honest, provocative and insightful. It makes me feel good to know I have built up a reputation of me that's credible.