AUTHOR who is also a poet of Zulu poetry, Luyanda Mlotshwa, popularly known as Luyanda EM in art, has promised to heal souls and soften people’s hearts in his first art event.
This event, which he calls Imiyezane Poetry Experience, will be held at The Stable Theatre, Durban, on Saturday March 7 from 12 noon to 5 pm.
Luyanda from Mvoti, but who is based in Durban, said that he has been keen to do this event for a long time but it did not happen because it was not yet the right and good time for him to challenge himself with his art.
“That’s why when I realized that I was completely ready to have them, I also made sure that I started by getting help to support him in the right way, and to make it not difficult for him to be what I want,” he said.
Continuing, he said that this is the event where he will be releasing some of the poems he is known for in the role, most of which are on his 2023 EP titled Willowswhich is also where he won Best Poet at the SATMA Awards in 2024.
“The main purpose is to present my artwork as it is from my old poems to the new ones to show how much I have grown through my art and heal the souls of those who will be attending the event,” he said.
He said that in all this he will not be traveling alone as poets Thendayo Mzila and Seluna Imbongi Yabantu will perform at his event; then there are singers Banele MaZulu and Mandisa Cebekhulu – making it more fun than expected.
“I will be joining these artists separately in the theater as part of them have work that I have already done with them, and they are the ones that I thought would be easy to work with because they fit in well with the way I intend to do this event as it will be a mix of theater, music and poetry,” said Luyanda EM.
This event is sponsored by the Municipality of Thekwini, the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture and the government body that supports the arts, the National Arts Council – and it is expected that 200 people will gather. Tickets are available at Webtickets for R150 and R200.