Wole Adedoyin interviews Gugulethu Matshazi Dube: I Prefer Performing Poetry Over Just Writing It

WA:  WHEN DID YOU FIRST START WRITING POEMS?
MAZWELI: I started writing poems when I was 13. It was my first year in high school and I had started working with an organization called 'Justice For Children's Trust'. My work with the organization was based on advocacy for children's rights and my part was to write poems for awareness campaigns. I remember when I wrote the first poem and I wasn't even sure if I had structured it properly. With my pen dancing with doubt on a blank paper, my journey in poetry began.

WA:  WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BE A POET?
MAZWELI: The first thing that drew me into poetry and turned me into a poet was my love for the stage. There is an adrenaline I discovered when I perform, when I am standing on a platform with a crowd watching my art and I have always chased that adrenaline. Later in my journey as a poet I found purpose in advocating for human rights and climate action and these two issues have inspired me to better my craft and become a more influential poet with purpose.

WA:  HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN A POEM HAS REACHED ITS ENDING AND IS GOOD ENOUGH?
MAZWELI: No poem will ever be good enough; I guess being a perfectionist at times becomes less of a blessing. Though when I feel that I have delivered the message I intended to convey in my poem, it would have reached it's ending. I always try to not make my poems unnecessarily long. In every poem of mine there will be a message I am trying to relay to my audience, and once I feel like I have done justice to the message my poem is then complete. I am a poem who works with storytelling and therefore my poetry is influenced by the stories within me that need to be told.

WA: WHAT MAKES YOU WANT TO PERFORM YOUR POETRY?
MAZWELI: I have always preferred being a poet who performs more than writing. I believe almost every poet is a good writer, but to me writing isn't challenging enough. Performing pushes me to also think of my audience when I write, it makes me ask myself if my targeted audience will relate or not and that makes me write relevant poems rather than poems that will only sound good to me. I also feel more connected to my audience when I perform for them rather than when they only read my art. My artwork isn't only crafted to sit idle in pages but it is meant to be displayed on stages.

WA: DO YOUR POEMS JUST FORM IN YOUR HEAD OR DO YOU WORK ON THEM OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME?
MAZWELI: My poems first form in my head before I write the words down on any surface. I am triggered by what I see and hear in my surrounding environment and once I see or hear something worth making a story about, a poem starts to write itself down in my mental notebook. Like I do with everything else, after I write down my poems I perfect them over time. As a performing poet it's always crucial for me to work on my poems and make sure they are as good as they can be. Some poems take more time to perfect than others, depending on the sensitivity of the issues within them.

WA: ON THE POEM SUBMITTED FOR THE AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SPOKEN WORDS COMPETITION, TELL US ABOUT THE IDEA BEHIND THE POEM?
MAZWELI: The poem I submitted for the African Human Rights Spoken Words Competition is titled ' We want to be children! not brides '  The idea behind this poem was to raise awareness on child marriages in Africa. We have been advocating to completely eradicate child marriages in our continent, as activists, organizations and artists. It scares me that till this day and age we still have young girls from as little as the age of fifteen popping up in newspapers with headlines that read "teenage bride" . These child marriages also contribute to teenage pregnancies and in the past year my country saw a rise in young underage girls dying due to childbirth. At the time I entered the African Human Rights Spoken Words Competition there was no issue more burning and urgent than child marriages.

WA:   HOW MUCH TIME DID IT TAKE IN THE PROCESS OF THE POEM?
MAZWELI: The complete process of writing the poem, perfecting it and planning its performance took me an estimate of three weeks to finalize. It took more time than most of my other written poems because on this one I really wanted to paint a clear picture to my audience. It was an opportunity to reach a bigger audience and I could not risk my message being misinterpreted so a lot of work and time really went into the creation of the poem.

WA: WHAT DID THE PROCESS OF WRITING THIS POEM TEACH YOU?
MAZWELI: The process of writing this poem taught me the concept of repetition and revision. To see the flaws and spaces of improvement in my poem I had to repeat it over and over again, as well as revise it as many times as I could. Seeing the final product proves that all the time I spent on the poem was not wasted but it was time invested and necessary in order for me to tell the story the way it was supposed to be told.

WA: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS?
MAZWELI: The inspiration behind me writing this poem was the need for me to tell the story about the young girls in Africa whose childhood is being snatched away from them and they are given the burden of marriage in return. As I mentioned earlier, my poetry revolves around storytelling. Every poem is a story and in this poem I had to tell the story of that little girl who was made a wife at the age of fourteen, yet no one thinks she's worth mentioning.

WA: WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE LINE FROM THE POEM?
MAZWELI: "I am as good as an unpurchased product on a shelf” this is my favorite line from the poem. It is a portrait of how girls and women are still treated in some cultures. Despite the change in times, mentalities seem to be stubborn towards evolving and women are still viewed as products, they are commodities up for purchase.

WA: ANY POEM THAT HAD AN IMPACT ON YOU, WHICH HELPED YOU IN WRITING THIS ONE?
MAZWELI: No poem served as inspiration or reference when I wrote ' We want to be children! not brides ' . Everything in this poem was original and the stories around me of child brides were the only inspiration and help.

WA: TELL US ABOUT YOUR PLANS? PLANNING A NEW POEM OR COLLECTION OF POEMS?
MAZWELI: I am planning on a new collection of poems inspired by the current wars in Africa. The collection will also focus on refugees that are in Africa and African immigrants that had to flee to places of safety outside the continent. This collection will aim to raise awareness on the need to advocate against these wars and raise awareness on the help that refugees are in need of, especially the young children who've become pawns in wars they don't understand. I have a particular attachment to the Sudanese civil war and my collection will be dominated by stories from and about Sudan, particularly the children. In the long run I plan to start an official project that will have different artists being advocates against the wars and genocides in Africa, raising awareness through dance, poetry, music and plays. I believe art is the next big tool for advocacy, speeches are now long overdue and as Africa, we are yet to realise that fact.

WA: ANY POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT AFTER THE POEM WAS PUBLISHED FOR THE AFRICAN HUMAN RIGHTS SPOKEN WORDS COMPETITION?
MAZWELI: After ' We want to be children! not brides' was published for the African Human Rights Spoken Words Competition, I received more recognition as a rising poet and human rights activist. I believe such milestones are what bring us all as budding poets steps closer to becoming bigger artists with more influence and value.

WA:  WHAT IS A LITERARY SUCCESS FOR YOU?
MAZWELI: Getting recognition for my art, and my craft being viewed as worthy to watch and read. As well as being able to create change in my society through my literary work.

WA: A MESSAGE FOR ALL THE READERS.
MAZWELI: My message for the readers would be that they support local talent in their communities. Lack of support is what makes most talented young Africans feel demotivated to continue with their craft. Therefore it is important for us to support each other in every good deed, including art and advocacy.

WA: WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE BIGGEST THREAT TO FREE EXPRESSION TODAY? HAVE THERE BEEN TIMES WHEN YOUR RIGHT TO FREE EXPRESSION HAS BEEN CHALLENGED?
MAZWELI: The biggest threat to free expression is internet censorship. The internet being censored or completely shut down poses a big threat to freedom of expression especially here in Africa. It is another issue that needs advocates and artists to stand up against.

WA: HOW DOES YOUR IDENTITY SHAPE YOUR WRITING? IS THERE SUCH A THING AS “THE WRITER’S IDENTITY”?
MAZWELI: My poetry will always reflect who I am. I am a storyteller, and that will always show in poems. My identity is crucial whenever I write or perform in order for me to avoid sounding like another poet. When I started my journey in poetry I promised myself to always be different and stay true to my identity. Every writer has a different identity and style and their work will always reflect that.

WA: HOW ARE WRITERS USING THEIR CRAFTS TO ADVANCE THE COURSE OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN YOUR COUNTRY?
MAZWELI: Writers in my country are using their craft to advance the course of human rights by taking part in projects that are human rights advocacy based. In these projects they learn from each other and educate as well. They contribute through suggestions and sharing written work to advocate for human rights.

WA: HOW WILL YOU RATE THE PERFORMANCE OF IHRAM OVER THE YEARS?
MAZWELI: Seeing the number of different countries IHRAM has been able to reach over the years, their work is evidently impressive. Though I believe more can be done such as having more artists taking part in their competitions, so far not many artists take part due to them not knowing about the competitions, so on the IHRAM part, better advertising and inclusivity is something to be looked at.

WA: WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE FOR BUDDING POETS?
MAZWELI: Be different, you were not called to be a poet so you could be a replica. Stay true to your identity and brand. In your writing always have a purpose to entertain and educate more than your inner voices, keep your targeted audience in mind.

Gugulethu Matshazi Dube also known as MaZweli is a spoken word artist currently based in Zimbabwe.Her poetry, infused with theater and storytelling is themed on human rights and climate action.A multi-talented young artist who is also theater performer, public speaker, event host, writer, slam poet and former Bulawayo Junior Councilor. She has received an honorable mention for her poetry, from the International Human Rights Movement. Co-author of the short anthology 'Echoes From The Sanctuary'. Content creator and volunteer at Amplifying Girls Voices Through Digital Arts and an assistant administrator for Center For Talent Development. In this interview with Wole Adedoyin, she talks about her works.