Samanthole Arts Foundation

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