Sisterhood/Dancing With Angels

Sisterhood

by

Gabisile Nkosi

Compiled by Njabulo Ngobese

The spirit of womanhood continues its reign as we embrace the women who have dedicated their arts and crafts to the fight for children's rights.

Durban based artist Gabisile Nkosi, has been a participant in community educational projects and is interested in the therapeutic effects of art making. She has contributed to Art for Humanity's Break the Silence HIV/AIDS Billboard and Portfolio Project. Her work has been seen in several group and solo exhibitions in South Africa and abroad. Gabisile is also part of the permanent collection of the Durban Art Gallery. She's currently at the Caversham Press in KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.

Poem:

Dancing with Angels

Mavis Smallberg

she is singing new lullabies, jumping in new dreams

dancing with angels so her child becomes whole

under her feet is the debris of pain

beauty defaced, dead trampled dreams

all anchor her spirit

deprive her of hope

there’s a rustling of angel wings swift in the air

up to her knees are memories of sorrow

ribbons and bones tattered and broken

her relics of tears

his violations of trust

there’s a landing of angel feet soft in the air

she is dive-bombed by devils

they poison her head

ride on her back

shake up her heart

there’s a sounding of spirit war stirring the air

then she hears angelsong inside her heart

she starts learning the lesson, opens her eyes

unchains her feet

unties her soul

there’s a whispering of angel voices always in air

and she is singing new lullabies, jumping in new dreams

dancing with angels so her child becomes whole

Dans met Engele

Afrikaans translation of poem extract: Marí Peté

verstrengel in herinnering van smart,

beendere gebreek en klere geskeur,

haar oorblyfsels van liefde

sy skending van vertroue

maar engelvoete land sag in die lug

en in haar hart hoor sy hul sing -

sy begin te leer, haar oë gaan oop,

ontketen haar voete

bevry haar siel

A Brief Biography of Mavis Smallberg

Mavis Smallberg has been writing and performing poetry since the early 1980s and currently works at the Robben Island Museum. Mavis has been involved in various cultural collectives such as a COSAW, Vakalisa, Red Rituals and WEAVE. She has taken part in many group and individual poetry performances and readings. Her work has been published in several national and international anthologies.

The most recent ones are Women on War: An international Anthology of Writing from Antiquity to the Present (Ed. Daniela Gioseffi), Feminist Press (City University of New York, New York 2003), Women Writing Africa (Wits University Press, Johannesburg 2003).