Be Inspired!

Yamkela Nqweniso was born in the mother city Cape Town. She is a poet, actress and a presenter. She is currently studying teaching at Mowbray campus CPUT. She started writing poetry when she was doing Grade 7, and read them to her peers at school. She started performing, attending art events and poetry sessions when she was doing Grade 9. When she was doing Grade 10 Yamkela was chosen to be a Master of Ceremony at Parow High School for Heritage festival. On 2015 and 2016 she was nominated as the best MC, from then she started getting bookings for social gatherings and events as the MC of those functions. She has worked with a number of people in the art industry including Anele Gwente who is known as Lyrix, 7 stars, score and Redbull events etc. On 2018 Yamkela Nqweniso became a radio presenter for Radio Khaltsha and she is still the presenter of Radio Kulture. Yamkela Nqweniso who is well known as Bubbles on stage, is a confident, beautiful, inspirational woman who is always vibrant and bubbly on and off stage. Her poems are motivational and therapeutic, her poems speak to the silenced voices of women who are being undermined and shamed for their full figures. She is firmly rooted to her traditions and her faith to God, Yamkela has her future all planned out, the future is not yet ready for what Yamkela Nqweniso is bringing to it. Her personality on its own is inspirational.

Art Lecturer

Dr Sandy was born in Zimbabwe, but she grew up in the Eastern Cape South Africa. She came to Cape Town to study and never left. She always wanted to be a teacher from a very young age, and she believes that young people are the future. She has a great belief in the young people that she works with. Amongst the things Dr Sandy shared with the “Back 2 School”youth, she mentioned how she had found love, and thought she will forever spend her life with the man that she was with but because we don’t choose our destinies her life partner became her devotion of teaching. Dr Sandy never wanted to have kids of her own, but she had the privilege of raising her sister’s daughter as her own. Dr Sandy emphasized that how she grew up poor, not having a lot. But she was willing to study and change her situation, which meant to me that your background does not define you. It is up to you to change your current situation and better your future. This marvelous Teacher went as far as sharing her personal encounters with the students she teaches; the one valid point that she mentioned, is how the past has wounded the present. No matter how she tries to reach out on a genuine and loving way towards her students, the fact that she is white will forever be problematic. The privileges of being white has constantly hindered others from acquiring a better living. When I first approached her with the “Back 2 School” program, and asked her to be the “Back 2 School” guest speaker, she refused. She said “Aphiwe its not easy as a white person to encourage young people, because of the privileges apartheid has given white people. Will the young people believe an old white woman?”
It’s only logical to think that way, because being told that its easier to fight than letting go by a person who you think do not share the same battles as you, that might come across as offensive or abstract from the reality you are living. Nonetheless it can be said that we as humans can learn a lot from each other, all we have to do is listen to gain a better understanding of how we should go about in life. Its people like Dr Sandy that we must look up to, when we feel like giving up, or when we think we cannot do this or that in order to succeed in life. Dr Sandy reminded us that we are the future of our country, and encouraged us to make it a good future. Remember nothing is new under the sun, the things that you are currently experiencing someone else older than you has been through that, that is why it is important for “Back 2 School” to invite such influential people to come and motivate us youth.“Back 2 School” does not offer solutions or success recipes, all we do we hold your hand and assist where we can, in order for you to come up with your own recipe of success.

Sikhokhele Dumzela is The future Teacher

Sikhokhele Dumzela who is well known by the name of #K2 goes by the clan names of; Zikhali, Jojo, Tiyeka, Butsolo bentonga. Was born eNqeleni in the Eastern Cape, in a village called Mandileni. Sikhokhele has been pro-active since primary school, he was involved in school choir and athletics in primary school. When he was doing grade 10, his life took an interesting turn. He had to travel from home to school 75km every day, and that caused exhaustion. He had no choice but to move into a friend’s house that is located near his high school, were he discovered that his clothes were being stolen. Sikhokhole had to go back home, when this started to happen constantly. Rains and hush winds accompanied him to school, and he had no choice but to endure the weathers and keep on moving. There were times whereby heavy rains prevented him from going to school, because the rivers were full, and he could not cross them. Sikhokhele’s mother had to arrange a car that will help him get to school. Sikhokhele involved himself with a Hip Hop group called T.W.S (Together We Succeed.) but this Hip Hop group was struggling to get funds or gigs, eventually they managed to release an album called “ISIKOLO” which means “School”. Later that year Sikhokhele discovered that he has so much love towards Geography as a subject, and he decided when he is done with high school, he will go ahead and pursue his dream of being a Geologist. On 2014 Sikhokhele Matriculated with a symbol (D) which stands for Diploma, he then decided to do Mechanical Engineer instead of Geo-Science at KSD College (King Sabata Dalindyebo Collge) in Libode Eastern Cape, Sikhokhele did not finish the course because he was struggling financially; he had no money to pay for his residential accommodation or money to buy food. On his return from KSD college Sikhokhele took a decision to go back to school and upgrade his matric results. 2016 Sikhokhele decide to go and pursue his dream of being a Geologist at Nelson Mandela Metro University in Port Elizabeth, were he did not finish his course even there because of financial problems, he had no choice but to drop the course and apply for another one. On the same year Sikhokhele applied for B.com in Accounting at Fort Hare University in Grahamstown where he experienced the same financial problem, Sikhokhele had to ask for a place to sleep to strangers who were passing by the road. He decided to drop this course too and moved back home, he did not just sit and do nothing even when he was at home. He helped High School kids with their Maths studies, he tutored for them for free and got involved with a drama group called “Siseko Youth Development”. When 2016 approached the end, Sikhokhele relocated to Cape Town at Paarl in the township of Mbekweni site C. were he was staying with his aunt and his aunt’s husband, Sikhokhele applied for a Teaching course and Nature conservation at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. He got accepted for teaching course at CPUT Mowbray campus, as IsiXhosa and Maths student teacher. Sikhokhele is currently staying at the St Peters student residents, and is a Buya Mbo Art Society member. Through Buya Mbo Sikhokhele got the chance to perform at Barkly Davis Hall, Main Building Hall, Foyer and Club House residence. For me the moral of this story, is no matter how many times you fall, never get tired of standing up and carrying on with your journey to success. Sikhokhele has performed at American Corner during Back 2 School workshops as a Buya Mbo Art Society group member.

Back 2 School Youth

A young Bothasig man has started a workshop teaching others how to follow their dreams in the art industry.

Born in the Port Elizabeth township of Zwide, Aphiwe Magida, 22, grew up with his grandmother who died when he was 7.

With his mother not in the picture and his father living in Cape Town, he lived with his aunt after that.

In Grade 7, Aphiwe fell in love with poetry, and after meeting poet Mzi Mahola – who was running workshops at Zwide library – he knew that was what he wanted to do with his life.

“Mr Mahola realised my talent but noticed that all my material was in English. He then taught me to write in my mother tongue, isiXhosa, and since then I’ve been able to write and perform my poetry in both languages.”

Aphiwe learned how to write short stories, and in 2013, he had two short stories published in the Intinga Journal at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

The young poet then moved to Cape Town in 2014 where he carried on with poetry at Sinethemba Senior Secondary in Phillippi.

At the time, Aphiwe lived with his long lost father in Crossroads near Nyanga.

Aphiwe says he has a passion for poetry, script-writing, short stories, novels and essays.

“I’ve done many competitions over the past couple of years. In 2017, under the mentorship of the Cape Youth Poetry Hub for Expression and Rhythm (CYPHER), I had a chance to perform for the Naked Word Festival.

“In 2018, I got second position at the Kraaifontein Art Competition, but won first position at the Naked Word Festival Poetry Slam in June.”

At the moment, Aphiwe lives with another aunt of his in Bothasig and is doing his second year in teaching at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

A few months ago, he founded Back 2 School, a workshop that educates young artists

“We teach them about the industry of art, the importance of having qualifications as an artist, building your brand, and getting paid for your art. During the workshops, we have performance art and also motivational speaking. This is my way of giving back and helping other youngsters with what I have learned.”

The free Back 2 School workshops are held every first Saturday of the month at the Cape Town Central Library.

The first one was held in February.

The next will be on Saturday April 6, from 1pm to 3.30pm.

“The first two workshops have been quite successful, and we have had a number of interested speakers and performers. We only hope to grow the workshops so they can reach other places within the city.”

Aphiwe says one day he wishes he can build libraries in the townships with books of African stories written by African writers.


https://www.tabletalk.co.za/news/young-poet-shares-his-knowledge-20545040