Blog
Africa Day | In praise of what sustains us
Mon, 26 May 2025
On 25 May, people across the world celebrated Africa Day and reflected on the rich cultural diversity of the continent we call home.
With this in mind, the AVBOB Poetry Project is celebrating the work of Moses Shimo Seletisha, an award-winning Sepedi performance poet, translator, biographer, editor, and language activist. In 2017, he was the first author not writing in Afrikaans or English to win the prestigious Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award, and this is only one of his many accomplishments. It has been said that he is single-handedly spearheading the revival of Sepedi literature in South Africa, though he himself is full of praise for his literary forebears and contemporaries.
The opening lines from his poem ‘Ke Nako’, which won second place in the Sepedi category of the AVBOB Poetry Competition in 2017 and was translated into English as ‘It’s Time’ by Goodenough Mashego, illustrate his ample poetic gifts.
This is clearly a poem that looks back in mourning for a beloved elder, possibly a grandmother. But by stressing how the beloved matriarch used to nourish her children, it also reminds us to look to the future and to preserve the resources that will sustain us. As we read the poem, we glimpse an entire way of life as well as the language and culture that nourished and sustained it.
Asked whether his accolades have changed his focus or his attitude towards his work, Seletisha says:
“If anything, they have intensified my belief that writing should serve communities and challenge systems that marginalise certain voices. My commitment to writing in my mother tongue, and using literature as a form of activism, has always been central to my work. The recognition has validated this approach and highlighted the importance of linguistic and cultural representation in South African literature.”
While Seletisha is also a translator between Sepedi and English, he is convinced that much gets lost in the process. Of his prize-winning poem ‘Mahlalerwa’, he says, “That poem got lost in the mist of translation. I have tried to translate it, but I have failed.”
While the challenge of adequate translation might prevent his work from being as well-known across South Africa as it deserves, he has no doubt that such difficulties are essential steps on the road to inclusivity.
“No matter how much the context of my work changes, my intention is always to contribute to the body of literature that affirms and evolves our identity, to stand in dialogue with the great Sepedi authors who shaped me, and to create something future generations can reach for in their own tongue.”
Seletisha has two daughters of his own, and his vision for Africa Day looks to the future.
“I would like Africa Day to be more than a symbolic gesture. I would like it to be celebrated in schools, in community halls, in workplaces, and at public events. If artists can gather at national arts festivals, the same care should be taken to celebrate indigenous languages. School learners should be allowed to showcase their artistic talents.”
In the next few days, write a poem in praise of something or someone precious to you, the presence of which is underappreciated in the world. It could be a living or dead person, a beleaguered institution, or a neglected daily activity.
The annual AVBOB Poetry Competition opens for submissions on 1 August 2025. Visit www.avbobpoetry.co.za today and familiarise yourself with the competition rules.
With this in mind, the AVBOB Poetry Project is celebrating the work of Moses Shimo Seletisha, an award-winning Sepedi performance poet, translator, biographer, editor, and language activist. In 2017, he was the first author not writing in Afrikaans or English to win the prestigious Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award, and this is only one of his many accomplishments. It has been said that he is single-handedly spearheading the revival of Sepedi literature in South Africa, though he himself is full of praise for his literary forebears and contemporaries.
The opening lines from his poem ‘Ke Nako’, which won second place in the Sepedi category of the AVBOB Poetry Competition in 2017 and was translated into English as ‘It’s Time’ by Goodenough Mashego, illustrate his ample poetic gifts.
A human library has departed!
An antidote to life’s daily complications has left
We were still enjoying being nourished by her metaphorical breast
Now she is gone
Known for colourful head scarves and body wraps
Her wrinkles were testament to a road well-travelled…
We were still enjoying being nourished by her metaphorical breast
Now she is gone
Known for colourful head scarves and body wraps
Her wrinkles were testament to a road well-travelled…
This is clearly a poem that looks back in mourning for a beloved elder, possibly a grandmother. But by stressing how the beloved matriarch used to nourish her children, it also reminds us to look to the future and to preserve the resources that will sustain us. As we read the poem, we glimpse an entire way of life as well as the language and culture that nourished and sustained it.
Asked whether his accolades have changed his focus or his attitude towards his work, Seletisha says:
“If anything, they have intensified my belief that writing should serve communities and challenge systems that marginalise certain voices. My commitment to writing in my mother tongue, and using literature as a form of activism, has always been central to my work. The recognition has validated this approach and highlighted the importance of linguistic and cultural representation in South African literature.”
While Seletisha is also a translator between Sepedi and English, he is convinced that much gets lost in the process. Of his prize-winning poem ‘Mahlalerwa’, he says, “That poem got lost in the mist of translation. I have tried to translate it, but I have failed.”
While the challenge of adequate translation might prevent his work from being as well-known across South Africa as it deserves, he has no doubt that such difficulties are essential steps on the road to inclusivity.
“No matter how much the context of my work changes, my intention is always to contribute to the body of literature that affirms and evolves our identity, to stand in dialogue with the great Sepedi authors who shaped me, and to create something future generations can reach for in their own tongue.”
Seletisha has two daughters of his own, and his vision for Africa Day looks to the future.
“I would like Africa Day to be more than a symbolic gesture. I would like it to be celebrated in schools, in community halls, in workplaces, and at public events. If artists can gather at national arts festivals, the same care should be taken to celebrate indigenous languages. School learners should be allowed to showcase their artistic talents.”
In the next few days, write a poem in praise of something or someone precious to you, the presence of which is underappreciated in the world. It could be a living or dead person, a beleaguered institution, or a neglected daily activity.
The annual AVBOB Poetry Competition opens for submissions on 1 August 2025. Visit www.avbobpoetry.co.za today and familiarise yourself with the competition rules.
