POET and voice of the voiceless people, Sisanda Kubeka, will be celebrated and acknowledged by the AVBOB Poetry Project on Freedom Day, 27 April.
Although there will be no ceremony, the day has been dedicated to celebrating and acknowledging her amazing work as a poet.
She won the AVBOB Contrast National Poetry Competition in 2021 with her poems that explore the discomfort, fears and hopes of everyday South African life in her entry called Suitcases.
Sisanda, who has an honours degree in writing and performance from Wits University, believes that poetry can help question why certain stories are heard and circulated instead of others.
“I don’t believe that anyone is ever truly voiceless. But when you have to shout from the margins towards a centre that pretends not to see you, how far can your voice really travel?
“You have to resist the responsibility to save the entire world with every poem you write. There is so much pressure on young writers to be the next voice of their generation; to find golden words and get it the first time” Sisanda said.
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She said the most mundane and seemingly unimportant happenings become monumental when we simply focus on telling our own truths.
Sisanda said that she is grateful for the recognition they received for their prize-winning poem in the AVBOB Poetry Project.
“Of course, there is a level of validation that comes with that kind of recognition, especially for someone like me who is at the beginning of my career.
“The validation really came from knowing that the ideas I sent out into the world somehow managed to land in someone’s heart and leave a lasting impact, which is the point of storytelling, at least for me” she said.
AVBOB Poetry Public Relation manager, Johan Myburg, said as they are preparing to celebrate Freedom Day on 27 April, they naturally think of the many sacrifices that made the dream of democracy a reality for all South Africans.
“In Suitcases, their winning poem from two years ago, shows just how such voices can be heard.
“There is no ceremony planned but we have dedicated Freedom Day to celebrate Sisanda’s amazing work,” he said.
