Nkomazi’s Siswati poet represents Mpumalanga at festival in Free State
Yolanda 'Poetess Landa' Shabangu was proud to perform some of her poems at the Azania Cultural and Heritage Parise Poetry Festival recently.
A Siswati poet, Yolanda Shabangu (21), also known as Poetess Landa, recently travelled to the Free State to represent Mpumalanga at the Azania Cultural and Heritage Praise Poetry Festival on July 29.
She said she was chosen to perform at this festival through referrals, which she believes was a great opportunity granted by God.
“Having to represent my Swati culture through poetry was an amazing opportunity. This only means that my creativity, passion and talent are recognised at a higher level than I thought, and that I am exceptionally great.”
Shabangu said she enjoyed every moment being outside Mpumalanga and meeting other creatives who are as passionate.
“The reception was amazing, and people loved my deep voice, which is my greatest uniqueness as a female poet. I got to socialise with poets from other tribes, from which I learnt quite a lot.”
Shabangu said she performed three poems wearing her Swati attire. These include an introductory praise poem, which she came in with her popular poem about herself, called “Ngiyintfombi lendze lenelibala lelimnyama” (‘I am a tall and black-skinned woman’).
ALSO READ: Mrs Mpumalanga Charity Lowveld aims to give back
She continued with a praise poem dedicated to the province. “It was only relevant I gave praise to my home and showcase the wonderful place Mpumalanga is.”
She ended off with a poem about gender-based violence (GBV). She said she wanted to create awareness against GBV and to pay tribute to survivors and those who passed on.
“I believe I did well in delivering these poems, because of how the audience responded to my performances.”
Shabangu hopes to get more opportunities that will allow her to travel around the province and even outside, such as to eSwatini and Mozambique.
At the moment, she is taking over Nkomazi, performing at weddings, special events and parties. She also works closely with various schools to help learners with their poetry.
“Some schools in Nkomazi ask me to train learners and to boost their confidence in public speaking and poetry. Some teachers have asked me to write poems for their poetry learners instead of reciting old poems.”
ALSO READ: Masoyi pastors take worship and praise to the streets
She said this is her way of giving back to her community, which keeps showing their support of her career.
“I love working with the learners, because it helps me grow as poet and help to reveal their true talents,” Shabangu said.
