In celebration of Freedom Day, we shared a collaborative Poetry Minute by Koleka Putuma, Clem Carr and Thabang Lehobye.

Here, the text meets music and visual art to hold both memory and contemporary experiences which are etched deeply in many a South African’s narrative. There are nostalgic echoes of absence, waiting and loss; with a subtle thread celebrating the power of women who stand through it all.

The descriptions and thoughts of the collaborators candidly capture their intent and the impulses driving their choices and expression.

‘The poem is an ode to women who know too intimately the ritual of waiting, of raising children in the absence of fathers, women who will men into existence from all the places they go missing. We live in a country where television shows that specialise in looking for men / fathers who do not want to be found are not only produced, but popular. ’ - Koleka Putuma.

‘Having been raised by a single mother, I was truly moved by Koleka's striking poem. Words have the power to paint a complete picture. Mine was to give a sense of time passing by as she stood still, waiting. One of the most difficult things to do is to be still. She becomes a statue, a monument of strength and patience’ - Thabang Lehobye.

‘Creating the music for this poem took me back to my first year in music college, I was struggling with identity and father issues and I wrote a small theme that has stuck in my heart ever since. When I read Koleka's poem it took me straight back. I expanded the harmony and adapted it for the video. The chords are in the tradition of South African vocal gospel and jazz and express a feeling I associate with African fatherhood’ - Clem Carr.

‘Koleka’s poem has such weight and texture … The collaborating artists contribute the same depth and richness in their creative expressions’ - With Love The Agency.

THE LAND OF MILK & HONEY
Koleka Putuma | Text
Thabang Lehobye | Artist and Animator
Clem Carr | Musical Director
With Love The Agency | Creative Producer

A Poetry Minute is curated by Bongile Gorata Lecoge-Zulu