A POET FOR OUR TIMES

Abueng Junior

Young contemporary poet Abueng Junior aka Abueng Ntsimane born out of South Africa’s North West province has a passion to provide fellow South Africans with an insight into a man’s heart through his compilation of modern-day love poems and lyrical CD titled in the scheme of things.

“It chronicles the thoughts and emotions I felt cascading out of me at a time in my life when I was experiencing love and heartbreak, and is my way of explaining these moments and feelings,” remarks Abueng. “Usually, commentary on the subject of love with regards to the emotions, pain and suffering is claimed by women, thus giving light to phrases like, ‘men have no feelings’ or my favourite ‘men don’t feel pain’. Finally, here is love and heartbreak experienced from a man’s point of view!”

As typical poets go, Abueng (31) discovered his love for writing only after he had tried his hand at a number of other trades while in search of his true life calling. He studied tourism, fashion design and video editing before he “met and fell in love with writing”.

Abueng has not looked back since. In 2005, his poem titled who am I became the theme poem at the International AIDS Conference in Durban. Then, in the same year he formed the Ukhukhanya Arts Project, an NGO with Prof. Clive Gray and Kingdom Mufhando, a concept that raises AIDS awareness through the arts in order to raise funds for AIDS orphanages and AIDS trials and vaccines.

In 2006, Abueng toured the USA with his collections of poetry and stage performances. Upon his return, he tapped into his past to study and work as a video editor for two years at Soho Editors, which culminated in his own production company Absenz ‘o Cula Designs (pronounced Absence of Color), which he started in 2009, and boasts impressive clients the likes of Transnet and Nike, to name a few.

Nothing holds this energetic, creative man back and in 2010 he donned his stage-manager hat while collaborating with Easi Human Capital at the Fifa Congress, Fifa World Cup Fan Fest in Bloemfontein.

Later the same year he adapted his poem, ‘in the scheme of things’, which his debut book is named after, into a screenplay. He has since produced it and filmed it using Johannesburg as his backdrop. The film is currently in post-production and is due for release on South African big screens in 2013. He continues to work as a creative director for his company and when he’s not putting his creative energies into his work he spends his time raising his son as a single dad and can also be seen practicing his other love, photography.

His commitment to the South African art scene knows no bounds but it’s his poetry that takes pride of place. His newly launched book and CD is self-funded – an incredible feat for any artist trying to make a living on South Africa’s challenging landscape.

in the scheme of things offers a compilation of glorious love lyrics peppered with his life experiences, which include a sweet, heart-warming dedication to his son and a dramatic tribute to Africa. Everyone from the modern woman … and man, to poets, poetry-lovers and all romantics in between will be inspired by his book and CD. “I hope, through my words, you will learn some of my life lessons about love, pain, acceptance, hope and letting go. I hope that these poems will renew the faith of those that had given up on love,” he says.

The publication is impressively packaged with a beautiful book cover and includes a CD packaging.