Introducing . . . . a scribe called Tswa

With 41,071 hits and counting on his page on the Poetry Bulawayo site, little wonder then, that he is beginning to feel like a prophet who is not without much honour except in his own home land. His writings are included in a thesis by Isabel Schroer called Lyrical Rebellion! A Thesis on Spoken Word  at the University Of Humbolt, Berlin , Germany.
He has shared the stage with the likes of legendary ex- mafia boss turned poet Don Matterra of South Africa, Albert Nyathi, Mandisa Mabutoe of Botswana and Nat Marshal to mention a few. He has performed  at HIFA, Shoko Arts Festival, House of Hunger at the Alliance Francaise in Johannesburg and. This is apart from him being the conceptualiser of Poetic Brush at HIFA (May 2012) and literary arts/poetry consultant for Intwasa Arts Festival ko Bulawayo from 2006-2010. How come you did not know him? Well, because the spotlight rarely falls upon poets and spoken word purveyors the likes of Tswa. But writer, emcee, poet and facilitator Mothobe is simply one of Zimbabwe’s most gifted artists who deserve a much bigger platform alongside generational  counterparts such as Mgcini Moyo (editor of Poetry Bulawayo), Owen Maseko (visual artist) and Sithandazile Dube (Stha) whose works capture the  zeitgeist of this cultural epoch – artists whose articulation is avant-garde and are dexterous in most of the languages of the society they operate in. In Tswa’s case he speaks his native Sotho, Ndebele, Shona and English. Here is an excerpt from his acclaimed                   poem :
A hopeless romantic
Prostitute
Biting her bottom lip in response to that need to get paid
An old soul in a new reality
Drops of rain in the lifeless limbo of the concrete jungle
A free man that just won’t leave the toiling at the plantation
Hating his each sweat on his brow
Hating even more, the urge to wipe it off
                                   
Q: What is the importance of poetry to you Tswa?
Tswa: To me, poetry is a collection of feeling and thoughts, and because everyone has feelings and thoughts, I believe every one is a poet in their own right. They only need to realise this and find their means of expression. The importance of this is, it is a means of self healing, self cultivation, self growth before it is given to the next person to consume.
Q: Let’s talk about your beginnings and your outlook on the arts
Tswa: I was always writing since primary school. Yet to take up art as a vocation happened around 2005/2006 when I first founded Initiative Arts. This was a collective of artists with the philosophy that for our lives to take off, we need to initiate it ourselves and not look to anyone to do it for us. Hence Initiative Arts. From this philosophy was born a lot of productions and platforms for other artists as well outside of this circle. Successful Poetry platforms like Mlom’Wakho Poetry Slam/Sessions, Poetic Brush, Open mics like ‘The Lounge’ and theatre programs like ‘The Green Room.
Q: Tell us whether you are getting paid through your work? 
Tswa: This is a whole other dimension locally. Specifically in Bulawayo. Ihave never been paid for a performance in Bulawayo. I do not know if that will happen anytime soon. Although poetry pays in other places. I have performed on platforms in Johannesburg & Harare as well. Being paid as an artist is not a taboo in these places or many others. Probably because the arts are more of an industry and corporates realise the use and value of art when it comes to their products.
Q: What can be done to improve the plight of artists commercially?
Tswa: I am not sure. I mean, so much needs to be corrected about us as a people and many instruments put into place and many paths followed the right way before we can begin to speak about what can be done to improve this or that.
Q: How has new media impacted your work and effectiveness as an artist?
Tswa: Through new media I have been able to reach a lot of people who have interest in the type of work I do. I have been able to be a part of relevant networks and have a community of people who follow what I do and want to support maybe because they value my creativity and the amount of work I put into what it is I do.