happy new year!
wishing you peace
&
prosperity….
04 Sunday Jan 2015
Posted african author, african writer, book review, indie author, leadership
in11 Tuesday Nov 2014
Posted africa, african, african author, african in america, african poetry, african writer, articles, blogger, cultural, ethnic identity, historical figure, history, identity, indepedent author, indie author, leadership, national identity, opinion piece, pan african, poetry, self publishing, social commentary, tradition, tribal identity, writing
inTags
africa, ancestors, apartheid, Back from the Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit, biko, clan names, frank talk, freedom, funerals, geography, heritage, history, isindebele, isixhosa, isizulu, lineage, mandela, martin luther king jr, mlk, nat turner, nelson mandela, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, poetry, praise poems, praise poetry, rainbow nation, richard sherman, robert sobukwe, sesotho, setswana, siswati, southern africa, struggle, thomas sankara, tributes, weddings
Izibongo is an Nguni term literally meaning ‘clan names’. In SeSotho it is referred to as Dithoko, in SeTswana as Diboko and in SePedi as Diretho.
African oral poetry, the izibongo, are ancient praise poems which are a popular indigenous oral tradition in Southern Africa. Traditionally, it is used to praise kings, queens and all royalty; praise poetry is an essential part of our essence as African people.
It is the vessel of our history, our cultural heritage and our reference point on how to express ourselves.
Africans in general rely on praise poetry to identify themselves because many Africans have clan names which form the basis of our identity. These clan names are bound together in sequence or hierarchy relative to geography, history, lineage and major historical events.
Praise poetry is used to compile and narrate the history, heritage and lineage of a people, family, a nation, etc.
During the struggle against Apartheid in South Africa this ancient tradition was revived and widely used for protest poetry at large public gatherings.
This ancient tradition is also used to praise and celebrate the legacy of individuals of note and record events of great importance – battles, wars, famine, floods, marriage, births, deaths, arrivals of foreigners, freedom, etc.
Excerpt from a translation of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela praises:
It’s a dream of the dead
It’s a dream that people thought would never come true
People have cried till they gave up
How many souls are under the ground?
How many corpses because of Mandela
Mandela Mandela
Mandela Mandela…
In my recently published book, Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit, I have included three praise poems dedicated to Nelson Mandela (Caught Forever), Martin Luther King Jr (Schooling Us) and Steve Biko (Urban Legend).
I have also written tribute pieces to celebrate the legacies of Thomas Sankara and Robert Sobukwe, and I am currently researching Nat Turner with the intention of writing a tribute piece based on his contribution to the struggle for freedom for all.
Praise poetry is often used to invoke the presence of the ancestors in healing ceremonies, funerals and weddings.
06 Thursday Nov 2014
Tags
1976 soweto riots, africa, amazon, apartheid, associated press, atlanta, back from the dead Rising from the ashes, biko, black panthers, books, civil rights, congress, democrats, dona richards, ebola, ebooks, historically black colleges, i have a dream, johannesburg, khafre, kilimanjaro, kunta kente, library of congress, malcolm x, marimba ani, martin luther king jr, mbeki, mid term elections, middle passage, nelson mandela, obama, poetry, racism, reading, republicans, segregation, slavery, stevie wonder, stokely carmichael, tommie smith, trafford publishing, washington dc, washington march, west africa
Coming back from the dead
Rising from the ashes
The earth rumbling from within
From within the hearts of a few good men
Sons of mummies
Soldiers of reason…..
An excerpt from “Coming back from the dead” – complete poem can be found in the anthology of poetry – Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit
Copyright © knox mahlaba 2014
Author – Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit
03 Monday Nov 2014
Tags
1976 soweto riots, adrina smith, africa, african union, afro, amazon, atlanta, books, civil rights, dona richards, ebola, ebooks, egypt, england, historically black colleges, india, johannesburg, john f kennedy, khafre, kilimanjaro, kindle, kunta kente, london, malcolm little, malcolm x, marimba ani, martin luther king jr, nelson mandela, new dehli, nook, racism, reading, reviews, segregation, slavery, stevie wonder, stokely carmichael, tommie smith, washington dc, washington march, west africa
By Adrina Smith on November 1, 2014
The hardship detailed from Knox Mahlaba, who has loved, lost, rebuilt and matured through obstacles.
Favorite quotes:
“Freedom a costly preoccupation, using the past to shepherd the future.”
“Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument”
02 Sunday Nov 2014
Posted africa, african, african author, african in america, african poetry, african writer, articles, black, black poetry, blogger, book review, erotic poetry, ethnic identity, freestyle poetry, history, identity, indepedent author, indie author, khafre, leadership, national identity, opinion piece, pan african, poetry, revolutionary poetry, self publishing, sensual poetry, social commentary, urban poetry, writing
inTags
1976 soweto riots, africa, afro, amazon, Amazon author, anthology, apartheid, Back from the Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit, biko, black panthers, book reviews, burkina faso, chris brown, dona richards, ebola, freedom of speech, hector peterson, historically black colleges, i have a dream, john f kennedy, khafre, knox mahlaba, kunta kente, love, malcolm x, martin luther king jr, middle passage, muhammad ali, nelson mandela, obama, poetry, racism, reading, sankara, segregation, south africa, soweto, spoken word, tommie smith, trials and tribulations, washington dc
visit my Amazon author page
and learn more about the author of
Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit
26 Sunday Oct 2014
Posted africa, african, african author, african in america, african writer, black, blogger, citizenship, cultural, ethnic identity, identity, indepedent author, indie author, khafre, leadership, national identity, pan african, poetry, self publishing, social commentary, tradition, tribal identity, writing
inTags
abet, abuja, amsterdam, atlanta, beijing, books, cairo, delai lama, dublin, ebola, ebooks, johannesburg, khafre, literacy, london, mumbai, nairobi, new dehli, new york, obama, poetry, reading, shanghai, sydney, tokyo, washington dc
“All I hope to accomplish
is to challenge you to use your talents
for the betterment of mankind!”
………knox mahlaba
19 Sunday Oct 2014
Tags
distance, footsteps, gait, hips, mystery, oceans, piano, poise, puddles, rhythm, seas, skin, stevie wonder, woman
Enthralled by her footsteps
Captivated by her words
Words spoken in honesty
Depicted by her poise
Her voice a mystery
Wanting to read her
Like Stevie Wonder would….
Excerpt from Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit
Copyright © knox mahlaba 2014
Author – Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit
16 Thursday Oct 2014
Tags
africa, african union, anc, apartheid, chris brown, ebola, nelson mandela, robben island, west africa
Tribute to Nelson Mandela
Escaping tradition
Running away from responsibility
Only to be caught
By a greater responsibility
Chiseled by a quarry
Bathed in salty water
Seasoned by kelp banished to an island
Never forgetting
No man is an island
Even royalty
Heeding a calling
Caught forever
The trap Sisulu’s making
Tightened by Tambo
The nation falling onto the safety net
Thank you Madiba….
Excerpt from Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit
Copyright © knox mahlaba 2014
Author – Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit
15 Wednesday Oct 2014
Tags
1960s, alabama, amazon, Amazon author, black panthers, chris brown, civil rights, ebola, historically black colleges, i have a dream, john f kennedy, kkk, lyndon b johnson, malcolm little, malcolm x, martin luther king jr, medgar evers, mlk, public speaking, rosa parks, ruby bridges, segregation, selma, southern leadership conference, stokely carmichael, washington dc, washington march, west africa
Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Decrying inequality
Preferring a peaceful path
Walking to Selma
Marching to D.C.
Writing a letter for the struggle for freedom
Standing your ground
Standing tall
Remaining upright
Taking the high ground
Placing your family at a peril….
Excerpt from Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit
Copyright © knox mahlaba 2014
Author – Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit
12 Sunday Oct 2014
Posted african poetry, african poetry, african writer, indie author, poetry, self publishing
inTags
adventure, africa, african union, alps, amazon, andes, angola, berlin conference, burundi, cameroon, caprivi strip, colonialism, colorado, commonwealth, congo, drankensberg mountains, earthquakes, ebola, egypt, equator, ethiopia, everest, grand canyon, kaunda, kilimanjaro, kinshasa, lake victoria, libya, malawi, morocco, mountain climbing, nelson mandela, niagra falls, nigeria, nile river, oau, rhine river, Rift Valley, rockies, rwanda, sifiso vilane, snow, snow-capped mountain, sudwala caves, tanzania, thames, victoria falls, volcani eruption, west africa, zambezi river, zambia
A snow-capped mountain on the Equator
Standing apart, standing alone
Africa’s greatest mountain
Created by quiet rumblings from beneath
The Rift Valley scarring the surface
Shaping the landscape
The fractures below invisible
The divisions above clear
A people divided
Apportioned by foreign forces
The people apportioning blame…
an excerpt from Kilimanjaro,
a poem in Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit
Copyright © knox mahlaba 2014
Author of Back From The Dead: The Rising of an African Spirit