A poet who bares himself

MODISE SEKGOTHE: 'TO SHOW WE ARE ALL FLAWED'

- Citizen reporter

Writing for artistic purposes where one reflects on the self demands profound soul-searching and openness. "I understand why I do it and it's been at the core of my work for the past 10 years.

"I'm equipped to really dig deep and bare myself in naked and necessary ways," poet Modise Sekgothe said.

Sekgothe's vulnerability Sekgothe debuted his latest work, Gabo Legwala, at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda, formerly known as Grahamstown. The work assesses the rites of passage in the life of a young South African man growing up without a father figure.

"Gabo Legwala" means the coward's home.

In full the title Gabo legwala a golliwe means the coward spares his loved ones from tragedy or mourning because of his aversion to combat.

"By staying out of trouble and walking away from conflict, he avoids harm, thus sparing his loved ones the pain of loss," Sekgothe said.

Throughout what he describes as a memoir disguised as a poem and masquerading as a play, Sekgothe goes on a journey of carving out manhood as a fatherless boy in Soweto.

In one scene, audiences grimace when Sekgothe details the horror of a circumcision gone wrong, after deciding together with a friend, who also doesn't have a father, that they would get circumcised.

This is not uncommon for Sekgothe's work, yet he said it never ceases to be challenging to be as open as he is.