Thabelang Makhooa

Thabelang is a shy motivated and inspired person who likes spending time with people especially those in the arts field.

Thabelang started writing poetry early 2006 after he was inspired by a friend who was already a poet and from that time he felt he can have his share of this beautiful art form.

Q: What motivates to remain in this art form, what keeps you going as a poet?
A: Basically going through other poets’ material inspires me a great deal, both local and international poets. Music also contributes in inspiring me, to a certain extend it gives me the very same inspiration brought by reading other poets’ poems.

Q: Who are your local top three poets and your favorite international poets?
A: Locally it has to be Tuks, Lyrical Bacteria and Mpheng. My favorite international poets are Saul Williams, Ntsiki Mazwai and Napo Masheane.

Q: From when you started writing until present do you think poetry as an art form has grown?
A: It has massively grown and the interesting part is that there is now a greater awareness of poetry in the country and most importantly the people are showing wonderful response.

Q: Where has Thabelang performed his poetry if at all he has had any performances?
A: Well I have not really done many performances I have managed to perform at the annual academic English fairs and have been a guest poet at the poetry corner on Miss P ‘s show at the Ultimate fm.

Q: Have you attempted to collaborate with any local poets thus far and who are those?
A: No I have not done any collaboration to this present time but I am planning to do that with Mpheng and T’sepang commonly known as T.

Q: Why do you plan to collaborate with the two poets you have just mentioned?
A: Well I have come to realize that my style of writing and theirs are very similar hence I can relate and work with them more easily.

Q: How do you plan to fuel your growth as a poet?
A: I plan to read more of poetry anthologies and notes available and read novels and any intelligent writings because I believe such have the capability to put one into a useful conversation with his mind, perception and analysis therefore inspire more.

Q: Where do you see Thabelang in about three year to come?
A: Wow! Interesting question. I plan to have done more performances and secured a good name for myself in performance poetry.

Q: Any projects you have been feature on thus far?
A: Yes I have contributed to the Poets Paradise Male Poets Project hosted by WEEKLY MAIL newspaper. The theme was male poets against gender based violence.

Q: Your last words to your fellow poets?
A: To my fellow male poets especially those who are still reluctant to come out I would simply like to encourage them to come forth and defeat their negativities and low self esteems. To the poets in general I would like to quote them a very good quote by an anonymous writer which says “our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure, we ask ourselves; who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous and talented but who am I not to be”

[Adapted from Poetry Farm’s Poets Blog in the WEEKLY MAIL NEWSPAPER, vol. 2 issue 32]