Tumelo Khoza is a Spoken Word artist. She is
based in Durban, South Africa … but not for long.
On June 17, she spreads her wings and moves
to the USA. Her style fits in the Performance Poetry category as she has a
rather surprising, not-quite-what-you-expect sense of delivery when reciting.
She is not afraid of speaking the truth where politics are concerned, being
very vocal about how the people find themselves tricked and victimized by the
system, if ever, and how, at times, they are helped by the system and
acknowledging how far society has come with regards to mending what was once a
difficult era. She also writes about matters of the heart, society, gender
differences and equality, exploring the different shades and colours of the
language by means of figures of speech and imagery.
She has been featured at a number of
festivals, mainly Poetry Africa in Durban, the Ordsprak Festival in Sweden, the
Melville Poetry Festival in Johannesburg, the Grahamstown National Arts
Festival, the Franco-fete (run annually by Alliance Francaise de Durban), just
to name a few.
The
Roots of an Apple Tree is Khoza’s first anthology.
It consists of three chapters: Self,
Split and Seek, with five poems
in each chapter. Each chapter explores the theme of its title. The anthology
was inspired by not only the women in her life (her mother, grandmothers and
sisters) who have moulded the individual she has become, but also by her
experiences, her environment and the society she lives in. Her mentor, Malika
Ndlovu, assisted her in getting the anthology together and ensuring that much
writing and rewriting was made in the process.
The anthology is accompanied by an audio CD
which consists of five tracks, some with music, others acappella. The tracks were
recorded at 101 Studios in Durban, with the assistance of poet and songbird,
Poppy Seed, and Paul Hussey of Jambila Music who produced and mastered them.
Before she leaves for the USA, Khoza will present
her last show in Durban at St Clements, 191 Musgrave Road, Durban on June 2 at
14h30. Entry fee R40. More information from Marlyn Knol on 079 707 7773 or email
: marlyn@isupportdoyou.com
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