RITA CHIHAWA'S SWEET TROLLEY OF POETRY

By Dineo Mokgosi

(Above) Poet "Jah Rose" in full flow!

“A platform for poets to share their literary art with the rest of the public” This is how Rita Chihawa described the “Sound of poetry”, an event that took place on Thursday, December 15 at the Rose Hall in the Bram Fisher Building in Bloemfontein city.

Seasoned poets who performed at the event included Phillipa Yaa De Villiers, performer, teacher and writer for stage and television; who was supported by Free State greats such as Jah Rose, Hector Kunene and Dr Cool. Other aspiring poets who performed were Azanian Kid and Alme Swarts. There was also an open mike session where poets from the floor shared their poetry with the audience.

The event was the brainchild of Soweto-born poet, Rita Chihawa, 24, through a company called Arts Amuse founded in 2009 together with Khonzeka Tyindyi.
“This was the first time we would be hosting the ‘Sound of poetry’, and we are planning to make it an annual event that will be taken to major cities across the Free State” said Rita Chihawa, poet and organiser.

Chihawa is a rather seasoned poet herself despite her young age. She has been doing poetry since the age of 13. She has performed at the Grahamstown Arts Festival. “It has been a long and fulfilling journey in the arts industry,” she said.

Chihawa’s favourite poem is “They went home” by veteran author and poet, Maya Angelou; and another favourite written by her is a new poem called “Mother and sister”

“I look up to a lot of poets, depending on a variety of aspects such as writing and performing. On writing I like Ntate Don Mattera and Ntate Vonani Bila. On the performance side I look up to people like Masoja Msiza, Napo Masheane, Lebo Mashile and Mphutlane wa Bofelo,” said Chihawa.

Her love of poetry was stoked by reading other people’s material. “I love reading. I read a lot of poems by writers like Mattera, Professor Kgositsile, Jessica Mbangeni and Chris Mann,” she explained.

Chihawa said that the poetry industry in other parts of the country is well developed in comparison to the Free State, “as more needs to be done to promote literary arts to the public,”

“We need to educate our people about this type of events so that they can try them out and also create more platforms for poets and storytellers to showcase their crafts to the public,” Rita Chihawa vouchsafed.

'SOUND OF POETRY' reverberates in Bloem!

Excitement is mounting in Mangaung as the countdown to the "Sound of Poetry" festival orchestrated by Arts Amuse begins. Literary pundits have also been praising Mme Rita Chihawa the brain behind the great festival. Meanwhile the billed poets are ready to strut their stuff...


Poets' Profiles

1. Alme Swart: Has been involved in several productions that toured to Grahamstown National Arts Festival in 2009 and 2010. "I was involved with MedFM radio station in 2009 where I wrote ghost stories for their midnight show and also did a little bit of presenting. I have published in two different poetry books called 'Masks' and 'Boksemdais'"

2. Azanian Kid - Morena Berries, a well known young actor and bard epitomises the quintessence of an artist - he has also published his lyrical compositions in local papers. An international newspaper once referred to him as a "maverick"!

3. Seiso Mpete

4. Hector Kunene: Has a book called Through the Tunnel which became a success, the book received good reviews. Later in 2010 he published his second book, a literary study of Chief Bolaji. He is an award winner; the Free State writer of the year 2010 which opened doors and received great publicity. He has performed at Vuka Festival and Macufe respectively 2010 and 2011. He also features in Free State News as a columnist and has worked at Motheo FM as a motivational speaker

5. Jah Rose: "JahRose” Jafta, a revered poetess known for her poetry anthology called, Rooted from the heart and she is one of the Facilitators and Founders of the FREE STATE TLOUHADI ART PROJECT that has been touring around the Free State.

6. Phillippa Yaa De Villers: Phillippa Yaa de Villiers-Venter is an award-winning South African writer, performer, and poet living in Johannesburg. She studied journalism in South Africa and theater in Paris and then returned to academia in the late 1990s, consolidating her passions for writing and performance with a degree in dramatic arts. She writes for a television series in South Africa and has performed in numerous festivals around the world.