Tawona Sithole

Through the power of oral tradition, my grandparents left me a priceless heritage of life lessons through proverbs, anecdotes, storytelling and song. The elements of this experience (entertainment; thought-provocation; soulful enchantment; love and respect for nature; and exploration of human morality) remain with me today. Oral tradition intimately engages both speaker and listener and this taught me that artistic expression should involve everyone. Using the influences of ancient oral tradition, I have developed a contemporary style of expression, reciting all my poetry from memory. I see creativity as a means of sharing, and building positive self-esteem. In my poetry I often use meditation and humour to challenge stereotypes and misinformation. I draw on my experiences and challenges (such as racism) faced with living in a different culture from my own, trying to link cultures together. I play mbira, a traditional Zimbabwean music instrument. Mbira is a key part of my performances and workshops, both as a separate art and sometimes combined with poetry. I am the director of Seeds of Thought, and my work largely involves the challenge of making poetry and spoken word entertaining to those who wouldn’t normally take interest. Our free performance events are aimed at making poetry and spoken word accessible to the wider community. Last year I was commissioned by Glasgow Museums to write a poem in response to the ‘Glassford Family Portrait Exhibition’ at The People’s Palace, marking the 200th anniversary of abolition of the British slave trade. ‘Voices From Africa’ exhibitions (St Mungo Museum 2007-2008) featured displays and installations of my poetry, music and storytelling, in artistic interpretation of Zimbabwean artefacts held in museum stores.