power – wangũi

where are those songs?

‘Where are those songs’ is a poem by Micere Githae Mugo (1972) that I like and find inspirational especially in light of a quest for memory and recovery of once remembered things. It starts off a bit despondent, the narrator is seeking songs and memories only to find them…

on resilience

In another reflection piece from Cape Town, I wrote about resilience in cities- the inspiration was a day when electricity was out in Langa, a black township where we lived for a few weeks. But now that load shedding– scheduled periods when electricity is out in different parts of…

writing, identities, agency

“No need to heed your voice when I can talk about you better than you can speak about yourself. No need to hear your voice. […] Re-writing you I rewrite myself anew. I am still author, authority. I am still coloniser, the speaking subject, and you are now the…

a meeting

Drinks in hand, Director with lives in his as well. Gestor, hopes and dreams in his- And they fly everywhere- An effort at transferring these intangible tangibilities Into our hands, into the director’s. Young man, bright looking- So much responsibility. Eco-hotel. Tourists. Sips. Stories. Of a land that rejected…

what do you do?

What do you do, When you don’t know what to do? Do you write? Do you speak? Do you shout? Do you run? – where to; and will they follow you? What do you do when you get so angry, that you don’t know whether to sit or stand,…