Samanthole Arts Foundation

Defined as, a form of poetry that tells a story, often using the voices of both a narrator and characters, narrative poetry is exactly what Infants of Dust by young poet, actor and playwright Sello Chokoe achieved in his latest anthology. Chokoe's storytelling prowess betoken a strength of true originality in aesthetics of lived experiences. Paging through this short collection, one is brimful of gratitude that Infants of Dust doesn't only make a fascinating read but also has a more personalized nature of poetic utterance, a display of considerably greater stylistic versatility than fiction which is often constricted by the demands of social realism. Infants of Dust book by Sello Chokoe. Pic: Khehla Chepape Makgato Chokoe journey us into his multifaceted worlds with myriad of declarations to the writer: 'Think of the truth as you ink', to the speaker: 'Redeem yourself from fear', to the listener: 'Bear your eardrums in the air' and finally to

Everyone who is passionate about Africa has a wish for the continent to be restored to its ancient glory and be portrayed in a positive light it so deserves. The argument that Africa had no  history because its history began with writing and thus with the arrival of the Europeans in our shores  is malicious. A book cover. Pic from Zakes Mda's Facebook page Furthermore, in the late 1800s,  European colonizers propagated the notion of Africa as a 'black continent' and colonialism was celebrated as a civilizing mission carried out by the European missionaries, traders and administrators - all these are but false notions that need to be corrected. What made matters worse for African civilization by Africans was the Berlin Conference convened by first the Berlin chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1884-85 where Africa was effectively formalised into scrambled pieces. Remembering this conference, Patrick Gathara, award-winning political cartoonist based in Nairobi observe

It is not everyday that jazz and poetry inter-mingle in the open and show-off their poetic jazzy affair at a book launch. Covid19 has impacted the livelihood of so many people including the live performances which most creatives depend on for survival. The night of the 19th November 2021 afforded me the opportunity to attend an Evening of Poetry and Jazz featuring Natalia Molebatsi with Makhosazana Xaba and Friends at Book Circle Capital, 27 Boxes in Melville Johannesburg. The night comprised of musical rendering by The Lex Futshane Trio band including Lex Futshane (bassist), Siphiwe Shiburi (drums), Yonela Mnana (keys) and Themba Mokoena (guitar).    Makhosazana Xaba, Natalia Molebatsi and Sewela Langeni. Pic by Khehla Chepape Makgato "In the history of our BCC it is the first time we have a book launch with live jazz performance," remarked Sewela Langeni the founder and director of Book Circle Capital in her introduction of the evening's gathering. It is int

Good evening everyone! It is a great honour to welcome you all to the launch of a retrospective exhibition of a South African multi-talented cultural worker today at the Polokwane Art Museum presence of such an incredible audience. I particularly like to welcome the family of Avashoni Mainganye, fellow workers in the cultural sector, consumers of our work and the curator of the museum Mr Mokgabudi Amos Letsoalo and his team. I'd like to further extent my heartfelt gratitude to Mr Malose Lekganyane and his team at Polokwane Literary Fair for inclusion of the exhibition item on their 9th Annual festival. I am most grateful that you all made it to this auspicious occasion as we celebrate and honour one of our humble elders in the visual arts landscape from the province. Avashoni Mainganye busy with his sculpture at Polokwane Art Museum in November 2021. Pic: Khehla Chepape Makgato We are here tonight to honour Avhashoni Ntsengeni Mainganye whose clan name is Mundalamo;

One-hander plays are often intimate, forthright and engaging. Great task of cast members efforts is usually concentrated on other performers with a focus directly towards the audience. They present an enormous challenge for the performer, who is tasked with carrying the whole show on his or her back using a mixture of skills such as narration, physical expression, character work, dialogue and even stand-up comedy. It’s acting without a safety net: there are no exits, no fellow actors to rely on, and often little in the way of set or props. Just you, the audience, and pages of text filed in your memory with which to weave some magic. Nine Lives at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg which officially opened last night of 17th Of November is a script of this kind. It is a stagepiece written by Zodwa Nyoni, directed by Diamond Mokoape and starred by Warren Masemola. Warren Masemola, actor. Pic supplied The play tackles issues around immigration and search for belonging. The stor

Started as Nozincwadi Literacy Campaign by Dr Gcina Mhlophe in 2001 touring rural areas in South Africa promoting the importance of reading and the dawn of another literacy development initiative called school library boxes. In 2008 Nozincwadi became a fully fledged small literary festival that has been conducted annually around the country. The name of the festival is in honour of her great  grandmother "...who could not read or write but collected anything with words on it," remarked Dr. Gcina Mhlophe. It has been for me a great honor and privilege to have attended for the second time their 13th annual installment which spun four days in different locations. It is important to note here that Dr Mhlophe had been involved in the art of telling our stories the world over spanning four decades.  Day One of this year's installment was History-Telling at Luthuli Museum in Groutville Durban with Dr Elinor Sisulu as the key speaker. Day Two was Virtual Seminar on

I have always heard and read - at glimpse - about the name Mazisi Kunene in few publications and most recently from the editorial statement of African Poetry Edition  Vol.1 | Issue 3  of Imbiza - Journal For African Writing by Dr Siphiwo Mahala. It is a common knowledge that Professor Mazisi Kunene was the inaugural National Poet Laureate of the South African Republic post-apartheid. Born in Durban on May 12, 1930, at McCord's Hospital. His mother Eva Kunene (nee Ngcobo) was a teacher and his father, Mdabuli Albert Kunene, a labourer.He grew up at Amahlongwa on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast and attended primary school there and later Kwa-hluzingcondo High School.    Khehla Chepape Makgato, Mathabo Kunene, Futhi Mbongwe, Lamakhosi Kunene and Hector Kunene 📸 by Bongani Gidide This blog post is to simply highlight my experience and journey to Mazisi Kunene Museum. My visit to this incredible museum, incredible in a sense that I felt more at home than any other museum I vi

Tshikhuthula’s depiction of rural landscapes and the public space in which it is received are not simply zones of entertainment but are active productions of knowledge in rural day to day moods along with the temporal occasion to display, discuss, and debate what it means to be raised in remote areas. His charcoal drawings, wood and linocuts are lyrical, spiritual and poetic. ‘In this body of work I used various objects to depict my grandfather’s presence. For instance, the water pipe is a common feature as my grandfather used to work for a company that repaired water pump pipes. These pumps in urban standard are outdated but back home they are still in use and relied on by surrounding communities. Every time I come across an old pump, I remember my grandfather’ says Tshikhuthula.  Tshikhuthula’s prints display an ever conscious awareness of his formative surroundings in Limpopo, subtly and almost subconsciously alluding to ethnic design and symbolism. His w

On Tuesday I had another sit down session, with Mme Helen Mmakgabo Mmapula Mmankgato Sebidi, which you'd be forgiven to term it 'Afternoon Tea with Mme Mpule'. I learn so much from these kind of sessions. The focus today is not on Mamogolo Helen but on one of her teachers and mentors John Koenakeefe Mohl. Mohl was born in 1903 in Zeerust in the North Western province of South Africa and died in 1985 in Soweto.  John Koenakeefe Mohl, pic from internet.  John Koenakeefe 'Mohl' Monnyane (little one) and later  written Mohlangkana (Young man) , popularly known as Mohl was born in 1903 in Zeerust in the North Western province of South Africa. His last name was changed to the palatability of the European tongues as they always claim that African names are difficult to pronounce. John Koenakeefe Mohl was a Pioneering spirit in making a mark for the black modern visual art in South Africa and his name and contributions are often omitted, erased and deliberately