When N'wa Jika the Poet recites her authentic poems, she captivates her audience completely, and these poems remain with her listeners long afterwards. So rare is her gift that many compare her stance with that of a lioness roaring from the majestic mountains.
The 31-year-old poet, born Hlayisani Loneah Shiburi, is a resident of Madobi village. "I started writing poetry last year in April," she said. "It took me almost a month to write one poem, but I knew I would never give up; I am a determined woman. Now I have over 150 poems in Xitsonga and 20 in English. I am running my own race."
Her poetry appeared in the poetry anthology Poetic Minds Combined, which was published by AVAS Publishers in Polokwane in September last year. "This is the first publication with my name on it," she beamed.
However, this lady is not just a poet but also a qualified electrician by trade. "I trained at Scaw Metals for a full four years."
The poems contained in Poetic Minds Combined were carefully polished in conjunction with Charles Hoby to ensure that the relevant poetic elements were fully injected into them. "The writing process was not a great challenge for me," she said. "The flow was easy because most of the poems came naturally. Putting the words together was sometimes difficult, but I honestly enjoyed writing each poem."
Poetic Minds Combined centres on gender-based violence and aims to heal the youth of South Africa. It offers all featured poets the opportunity to have a say on different issues concerning gender-based violence.
"The book is filled with emotions," Hlayisani said. "It contains poetry in several South African languages and the poems are easy to understand, comforting, encouraging and motivating at the same time."
Hlayisani is putting the final touches on her debut poetry collection, which is due in May, and she can be followed on Facebook. To purchase Poetic Minds Combined, which sells at R200, readers are welcome to contact AVAS Publishers on Tel 079 629 9733 or order via email from charleshoby@gmail.com.