There is no stopping Cape Town’s literati. Despite the bounty of recent literary events, the Dancing in Other Words festival held at Spier, and the Franschhoek Literary Festival, the crowds arrived on Monday night, undeterred by minor matters like the practicalities of sending a RSVP!
Oswald Mtshali, who recently launched a beautiful reissue of his classic Sounds of a Cowhide Drum with the poems now translated in Zulu, was joined by veteran Afrikaans poet, Antjie Krog. Her most recent publication is Skinned, which represents new works translated into English, as well as those spanning her publishing career.
At least an hour before the event took place, people started arriving to claim a seat. Book Lounge spokeswoman, Verushka Louw, welcomed the duo on behalf of Mervyn Sloman, who was attending the Étonnants Voyageurs festival in Saint-Malo, along with a contingency of South African writers. He sent a message in his inimical style which was read aloud, to great enjoyment from the audience.
“Growing up in a typically sheltered white middle class South African suburb in the ’70s and ’80s, reading two books in my teens woke me to the reality of our country. Eskia Mphahlele’s Down Second Avenue was one and Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali’s amazing collection of poetry, Sounds of a Cowhide Drum, was the other. Reading Mtshali’s poetry as a 15 year old completely altered my ‘understanding’ of my country and consequently of myself, and for that I owe him a huge debt of gratitude.
“It is so wonderful that such an important collection is back in print after so many years of being unavailable and for that, a serious vote of thanks must go to Jacana,” said Sloman. His message concluded with the assertion that he was “thoroughly pissed off” to be missing the two South Africans for whom he had the utmost respect but was confident that all in attendance would have “an experience to remember.”
Louw’s own message followed. She said there was very little room for individual thought in the small towns where she grew up. “It might even be considered dangerous, or that is how my teachers explained it. With that perfect vision called hindsight, I realise that my teenage self was always searching for someone or something to say it is okay to have thoughts that cross boundaries.”
She said, “I devoured books like Marie Biscuits, until I discovered Antjie Krog. Then I stopped and learned to savour words. You wrote about things that I have thought, in ways that I have imagined. You became my philosophy lesson, my geography map, my crying nights. The thing with poetry is that it is a bit like walking in the veld. There is always a chance to discover treasure, a small encounter that could lead to life-changing events. For not being able to not write these things down, Antjie, I thank you.”
Mtshali started the event by reading a selection of his poems in English and then in Zulu. He is a masterful performer evoking the atmosphere of each poem with perfectly poised expression and deliberately paced intent. Introducing each work by setting it in context with a brief explanation, he then launched into his majestic oration. After an enthusiastic reception, he handed the microphone to Krog. Her performance, differently theatrical but equally powerful, held the audience rapt by the direct force of her word.
eBook: Sounds of a Cowhide Drum/ Imisindo Yesigubhu Sesikhumba Senkomo by Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali
eBook type: ePub
EAN: 9781431404438 Download this eBook at LittleWhiteBakkie.com
eBook: Sounds of a Cowhide Drum/ Imisindo Yesigubhu Sesikhumba Senkomo by Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali
eBook type: PDF
EAN: 9781431404421 Download this eBook at LittleWhiteBakkie.com
’n Bloemlesing waarvan die keuse gegrond is op die afsonderlike gedigte is nogal seldsaam, hoe teenstrydig dit ook kan klink.
Per slot van sake is so ’n boek nie in die eerste plek ’n verteenwoordiging deur verse van iets anders nie. In Afrikaans het ons naas hierdie bundeling van “gewildste” gedigte op die vers af bv. Fanie Olivier se versameling Die mooiste Afrikaanse liefdesgedigte (toevallig ook ’n Human en Rousseau-publikasie).
McGregor will be abuzz from 21 to 23 June with poetry readings, discussions, excursions, film screenings, art exhibitions and music as this Western Cape town’s Poetry Festival is celebrated.
Antjie Krog se gewildste gedigte is ook nou in Engels in die bundel Skinned te lees. Die bundel is net betyds vir die Dansende Digtersfees en die Franschhoekse Letterkundefees uitgegee. Versindaba het ’n gedig daaruit, “Ma will be late”, met lesers gedeel.
En vandag verras ek jou (hopelik) met die fantastiese nuus dat Antjie Krog se nuwe versameling met die Engelse vertalings van haar gedigte pas afgelewer is … Net mooi betyds vir die Dansende Digtersfees waarby sy volgende week saam met ander Afrikaanse digters soos Breyten Breytenbach, Petra Müller en Marlene van Niekerk betrokke is.
Die internasionale Dansende Digtersfees het verlede naweek by die Spier-wynlandgoed buite Stellenbosch plaasgevind. Dié fees, met Breyten Breytenbach as kurator, het ten doel gehad om 11 internasionale digters saam te roep tot gesprekke oor die digkuns.
Bibi Slippers skryf in Beeld van haar ervaring by die fees. Sy berig dat Breytenbach in sy kuratorswoord gesê het dat die fees ’n “dans” is omdat “die beswerende beweging van poësie vooropgestel word, omdat om te dig ’n dans met die onnoembare is”. Daar was ook ’n troep professionele dansers by die fees te sien om dié tema verder te dra.
Die eerste internasionale Dansende Digtersfees is die afgelope naweek op die Spier-wynlandgoed buite Stellenbosch aangebied.
“Dis ’n dans,” het Breyten Breytenbach in sy kuratorswoord gesê, “omdat die beswerende beweging van poësie vooropgestel word, omdat om te dig ’n dans met die onnoembare is.”
Die teenwoordigheid van ’n troep professionele dansers, die dans van duisende wit vlaggies in die wind en die jolige gedans waarmee die fees afgesluit is, het egter die “dans” ook op ’n letterlike vlak die kern van die fees gemaak.
Gerdus Senekal en Chrizane van Zyl het namens LitNet dié fees bygewoon. Volgens hul verslag het die feesnaweek bestaan uit verskeie begeleide gesprekke “onder andere oor die vertaling van poësie en die rol ‒ of selfs verpligting ‒ van poësie om eties en betrokke te wees.” In ’n tweede verslag deur die tweetal skryf hulle meer oor die gesprek rakende etiek in poësie.
Verlede naweek is die eerste (maar hopelik nie die laaste nie) Dansende Digtersfees by die Spier-landgoed te Stellenbosch gehou. Hierdie poësiesaamtrek is deur Breyten Breytenbach gereël, met ‘n tiental erkende plaaslike en internasionale digters wat die karavaan volgemaak het.
Die naweek se kunsviering het bestaan uit verskeie gesprekke, onder andere oor die vertaling van poësie en die rol ‒ of selfs verpligting ‒ van poësie om eties en betrokke te wees, asook voorlesings deur die indrukwekkende versameling woordwerkers.
Human & Rousseau en Graffiti Boeke Lynnwood Bridge bied ‘n Woord en Wingerd-geleentheid met Melanie Grobler aan. 
Download this eBook at LittleWhiteBakkie.com
Download this eBook at LittleWhiteBakkie.com
Uitspraak: wortel
Apr
