Giving a voice to the voiceless
“I write about the government of South Africa, our heritage and the problems the youth face."
Masande Madikane (18) is a grade 12 pupil at Denver Secondary School and was among the group of pupils who participated in the Heritage Month event at the school on September 23.
His talent and passion were evident from a young age. He was able to recite poems from a grade three.
He perfomed “Khanizithande” (love yourselves).
“There is always something horrible in the news and it is usually more than one event. Cultural differences are my inspirations for my poetry.
“It can be easy to write about a personal issue, but it isn’t as easy to think about or discuss how the same issue isn’t just affecting one person but more than one,” said Masande.
“I write about the government of South Africa, our heritage and the problems the youth face. I used Heritage Month to convey a message about people not respecting their traditions,” said Masande.
“I also hope that my poetry will inspire the upcoming children not to just look up to me as a poet but to take this chance and use poetry as a way of getting out of the streets,” said Masande.
“We must not be embarrassed to speak our languages. We must never forget where we come from,” he said
