Turning pain into punchlines: how poetry became a path to healing

Tsenulo Moyo
A 27-year-old poet from Plumtree, Kwanele Khumalo also known as Mntungwa kaMbulazi started poetry writing as a therapy after losing his grandfather who was his guardian and mentor.
Khumalo started writing poetry in 2016 and has penned three books, Who Killed Grandfather, Vendor logs and Lachin. Based in Bulawayo, Khumalo is a poet, writer and journalist by profession.
“Being a poet to me is something that comes within and it’s a God-given talent so I cannot say there is a time where I sat down and said to myself now I am starting to be a poet,” said Khumalo.
Khumalo said there was a lot that inspired his writings which include the death of his grandfather, and socio and cultural issues in his rural area in Plumtree.
“I write about societal issues as I reflect on what is happening in the society be it social, economic, cultural or any related issues. There is a lot that I have experienced in my life that shaped what I write, however, I do not want people to understand my poems as personal confessions of my life as what I write does not only happen to me but to a lot of people.
“Poetry like any form of art provokes thinking to those who take it beyond just mere entertainment as it can teach those who want knowledge and entertain those who want to be entertained as it all depends on how you want to perceive poetry. For me, poetry is a voice for the voiceless people, especially the young and those living in rural areas as it again helps in keeping our past failures and glories,” he said.
Khumalo said he is working on another project with other Zimbabwean poetry writers, and he once led another titled Chronicles from Africa with various poetry writers from Africa.
“The only advice that I can give to the young writers is to keep grinding and working to fulfil their passion. If something is in you, you always find a way of doing it and making something out of it,” he said.