Good poetry can stir deep emotions, generate epiphanies, and create a sense of warmth between readers and artists. If you grew up feeling that poetry was boring or inaccessible, it’s worth giving this creative form of expression a second look.
While there have undoubtedly been many notable poets in the past, modern poets continue to grace us with their artful expression. Below are some of South Africa’s incredible young poets that you have to check out.
Botlhale Boikanyo
Award-winning poet, actress, and presenter Botlhale Boikanyo, came into the limelight at the age of 11, when she became the first poet and youngest winner of SA’s Got Talent in 2012.
Through her inspirational passion and determination, Boikanyo composes and performs electrifying poems that motivate and touch the souls of her audiences. It is this influential power that gives way to her notable titles.
She began reading and writing poetry at the age of six and would go perform poetry at schools, churches, and other events. At the age of 13, she performed her poems at the Legacy of Hope Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital campaign inauguration in New York and her request and performance were linked with International Mandela Day.
Hailing from Mahikeng, North West, Boikanyo was not merely a representative for her country at this historic event, but also officially joined a collection of honorary committee members; Dr Maya Angelou, Whoopi Goldberg, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and Charlize Theron, among several others. In 2014, the young talent released an original poetry album Spoken Word & Music.
In a recent interview with IOL, she said: “When I got that big break, I was hungry enough for it, and had to make everything else work. I missed school for days, but I made sure that all my assignments were done,” she said.
Besides performing a tribute to Madiba, her achievements also include being awarded the SATMA Best Praise Singer Award.
Ekta Somera
Based in South Coast, KwaZulu-Natal, Ekta Somera studied criminology because she was fascinated with psychology and her need to help others. Then she discovered a passion for poetry and a knack for writing and realised that she needed to change her career choice.
As a poet, Somera’s work will certainly make you swoon. It is no secret that it is difficult for poets to make a mark in the market, but she has achieved this with grace, with not one, but two poetic offerings titled Made in Poetry and Twenty-Two.
Somera is also the founder of Paper Trail Literary Journal, a platform that showcases emerging young talent. When she was at school, she felt that there weren’t that many opportunities for her to express herself freely, so she set her sights on creating a space for others to do so, while engaging with and raising awareness about important social issues.
Somera’s insightful opinion pieces on social issues and youth concerns have been widely published, and she has been featured as a panelist on prominent media platforms. In 2022, Somera was named among the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans, and her work continues to have a lasting impact on literature and social activism.
Xabiso Vili
Xabiso Vili is the 2021 World Poetry Slam Champion, also Mail & Guardian's top 200 Young South African for 2022, and a Future Africa grant recipient. Vili is an internationally acclaimed poet having performed all over South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique as well as in Scotland, the UK, and the US.
In a conversation with IOL Entertainment on his win as the first World Poetry Slam Champion, he said he manifested this moment a long time ago when he wrote it on his vision board. Vili said that this is a lifelong dream come true is an understatement as is always happy to represent SA and the amazing poetry community we have in the country.
Besides being a multi-award-winning performer, writer, new media artist, producer, digital strategist, and social activist, he is also the founder and executive creative director of Siziintsomi Creations, a company that focuses on the intersection of storytelling, and media.
Khwezi Heike Becker
Born in Johannesburg to an artistic South African-German couple, Khwezi Heike Becker has had quite a colourful and multicultural upbringing. Fluent in English, German, and Zulu, her ability to use language has been nurtured from an early age, and having taken her first steps on stage it was almost inevitable that some years later she would be drawn into the arts. Becker began her career as a television presenter at the age of eleven in a children’s show called Creature Club and continued as an actress in several theatre productions.
She has performed her poetry and written pieces for production such as Kristi-Leigh Gresse’s ‘Sullied’ which won the Gold Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival in 2018.
Becker has also acted as a lead in Emzansi in Orania, which earned her a nomination for the Best Newcomer Actress Award at the Simon Mabhunu Sabela Awards in 2020.
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