A poet with a unique voice

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A young woman with an amazing gift for words, Princess Lutendo, continues to enlighten hundreds of poetry lovers and those who happen to listen to her reciting her poems.

She believes that poetry is a multi-faceted art form that serves a wide range of purposes in society. “It’s an art of expression, an art of addressing deep-rooted issues that many people go through daily,” she said. “Poetry can serve as therapy and counselling at the same time. Poetry serves both the performer and the audience, bringing relaxation, enjoyment, excitement, peace and joy. My poetry can be educational as well.”

She adds that poetry can inspire, encourage and restore hope to the hopeless. “It can make that person who is always down feel alive again,” she says. “I wouldn’t limit poetry and say there is anything it can’t achieve. Poetry can empower, unite and challenge one to look at things differently.”

She has written some poems and even released a single album of poetry, A woman. She believes poetry can be merged and combined with music to produce a very melodious and harmonious product, called poetic music. “For me, combining music and poetry brings a stronger and richer message, and it makes it possible to reach out to a wider audience,” she says.

She is an employee at one of the major mines in the country, working in the geology section. “I studied geology at the University of Venda, and obtained a BA honours degree in geology,” she says.

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.