In a quiet moment on an otherwise ordinary afternoon, Modise Sekgothe found out he had been selected as only the second poet to win the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Poetry in its 40-year history. “I was in the house writing,” he tells me when we speak at an event introducing this year’s winners […]
Your essential dose of art and culture
Series explores masculinity and healing through raw, powerful performances
Your essential dose of art and culture
Louise Westerhout speaks about her challenging art and — the art of dying without fear
American play Dreamscape finds parallels in South Africa
South Africa’s largest funeral company, Avbob’s eighth poetry competition is being adjudicated by a panel of esteemed literary experts, with 11 winners in each of the country’s languages being announced at a gala dinner in September
If we read closely, spoken word still holds the realities of the past even though it is written in the present
The South African author Fiona Snyckers muses about what makes writers and poets tick
The latest design desires that are eye-catching and full of stylish surprises
She may have left South Africa more than 20 years ago, but this jazz singer is still firmly rooted in her heritage
DBN Gogo, Blxckie and ByLwansta are headliners at the return of this iconic event
Nomzi Kumalo is brutally honest. Her melancholic but beautiful songs speak the truth and are often inspired by her poetry
Slam poet Lazarusman’s vocals feature on and inspired the title of Booka Shade album Dear Future Self.
Dimakatso Sedite’s poems emerge from the shattered futures of South Africa’s townships
Research is revealing that poetry may be just what leaders need to navigate today’s troubled waters
Whether they are written on a page or spoken on a stage, poems echo the cadences of our hearts
A poet raised in transit, Makhafula Vilakazi speaks from the margins, even as he has almost escaped them
These extracts from poet Mangaliso Buzani’s book of poetry, ‘a naked bone’, traverse the boundaries between life and death
Stephen Gray made an immense, long contribution to the South African literary landscape across many genres, but it was poetry that he described as ‘the main activity of my life’
From the virtual Fak’ugesi African Digital Innovation Festival to live theatre back on stage at the Baxter in Cape Town, we’ve got you covered
Celebrated author and political activist Achmat Dangor died on Sunday
at the age of 71. Here, in a 1990 interview published in Staffrider, he speaks to Andries Walter
Oliphant about his work and aspects of South African literature and culture
Poet and activist Myesha Jenkins (1948-2020) took her craft, including her teaching, extremely seriously
Biodun Olumuyiwa has been writing since the late 1980s, but has only recently published his debut poetry collection
The 2020 winner of the PEN Pinter Prize, LKJ’s poetry puts the ignominy and hardship of the black experience in Britain front and centre in words that echo across the decades
Pleiades: Isilimela, the latest poetry collection by Vusi Mchunu — who writes under his clan name, Macingwane — is a deeply personal meditation
Today’s battle is for economic and social freedom, in particular women’s freedom from violence
For good vibes and an arts fix, don’t miss the events ranging from gallery exhibitions to music concerts on our weekend gig guide
"At the heart of my work is what I choose to leave out. This is physically illustrated in framing a photograph."
Sandile Dikeni was a writer who continuously confronted what it means to be South African
"Writing poetry requires you to reach a level of clarity and enjoyment of your voice."
Maneo Mohale speaks about the silence around queer sexual abuse and how she creates beauty