EXPERIENCED in art and cultural expert, Professor Velaphi “VVO” Mkhize, has revealed that it has always hurt him to see the name of the pioneers of art disappear, who participated in this country during apartheid.
Mkhize said this while talking toOf this country with a book that is a collection of Zulu poems that he has edited entitled LOCATION: Waterfall Secret: In the tank – Yesterday – Even todaya compilation of 28 poems by former arts activist and poet Bethuel Blose Ndelu, known as Nonkamfela – who has passed away.
“It is important that those of us who are still alive should take the trouble to discover the old works of art of our artists who are no longer on earth, until they died without seeing the sun – and then compile and recreate it so that it becomes a source of knowledge that will always be there and be useful for the next generation,” he said.
Continuing, he said that he had long wanted to combine Nonkamfela’s artistic works, but it did not happen soon because there were too many things that were busy with him, including the works on the Ukhozi FM radio station and related to him.
“I even started working on this project because Nonkamfela came to me in a dream, reminding me to do this project – as it turned out to be something we talked about, we agreed that I would finish it for him if he died before it was finished. Many of his works of art were done during apartheid.
“It took me almost three years to collect almost all the information I would need to compile the book as it is about to be published as it is now. We needed to dig through a pile of volumes of information containing his works,” said Mkhize.
He said that he compiled this book with the help of scholars Professor Gugu Mazibuko from the University of Johannesburg, Ms. Fortunate Ngconco from the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture in KwaZulu-Natal and Mr. Senzo Mkhize – who helped him discover other poems.
“This work combines poems that reveal on the page the hardships a black person has gone through while the repressive government is still in power, and then there are those that highlight the beauty of nature and its power to correct certain situations in the country,” he said.
The book will cost R250 each, and will be available at the launch event to be held at UKZN at Howard College, Durban, on Wednesday from 3pm to 7pm.