'Travel has been my classroom'

Poetry thrives on travel, collaboration and exchanges across borders

- Rolland Simpi-Motaung

Over and above audience development, market access and book sales for published poets, event organiser at Hear My Voice Ishmael Sibiya says travelling opens the door to cultural diplomacy.

“Travelling creates space for collaboration, exchange and co-creation. Poets who travel abroad, for instance, become ambassadors of South African art.”

Travelling locally, Sibiya adds, allows poets to reach new audiences and connect with different creative communities across provinces.

He shared these views during our interview after a panel discussion at a poetry event hosted by the Word N Sound Live Literature Company.

Taking place at the Goethe-Institut in Johannesburg last month, the panel, which included Sibiya, reflected on the role of travelling and collaborations for poets.

A recent initiative that promoted partnerships and travelling of poets was the Poetry & Acoustics Showcase at this year’s MTN Bushfire Festival in eSwatini. As a partnership between Hear My Voice and eSwatini-based Umsamo we Culture, Sibiya says, “The goal is to deepen artistic and cultural exchange between eSwatini and South Africa and to support the development of spoken-word poetry in both countries.”

Co-director and poet at Umsamo we Culture, Siyabonga Dlamini, shares Sibiya’s enthusiasm about this new partnership. The initiative, he adds, is rooted in the desire to expose poets to new markets while facilitating meaningful knowledge-sharing across borders.

As a poet and an organiser, Dlamini affirms such travelling experiences and exchanges have allowed him to understand the nuances of different audiences, sharpen his adaptability and gain a deeper appreciation for how context shapes art.

“These experiences have not only added layers to my writing but also broadened my perspective on how poetry can function as both mirror and bridge.