In December 2018, FunDza ran writing workshops with two groups of aspiring young writers, most of whom had not written poetry or stories before. The youth were connected with Zoe-Life in Westville, KwaZulu-Natal. The project, called Me With You – sharing our stories, was sponsored by the UNHCR. The workshops were about writing for expression and creating a window into each other’s worlds through words in poetry, personal narratives and storytelling. The workshops sparked creativity and a love for writing and for the writers, this is just the beginning….
For your enjoyment, here is the writing that came out of the Me With You – sharing our stories project:
‘I remember…’ poems:
I remember wearing shoe polish, Simangele Sithole
I remember being locked up, Vusani Khumalo
I remember my mother waiting, Fezeka Mthikitiki
I remember when I had it all, Siphamandla Vezi
I remember the sun-baked stoep, Athiwe Mthethwa
I remember Sundays, Phumelele Buthelezi
I remember the photo, Nolwandle Makhathini
I remember how difficult it was, Lindani Talent Gumede
I remember makarena, Nothando Biyela
I remember waking up early, Siphesihle Mlungwana
I remember talking, Nosipho Nxumalo
I remember when I was at school, Zulu Ntokozo
I remember the smell of perfume, Ngcobo Sphindile
I remember the Doo-bee Doo-bee song, Zakhele Mkhize
I remember singing, Nethezekani N Khumalo
I remember the first day, Thubelihle Khanyile
I remember being married to Chris Brown, Andile Nkosi-Dlamini
I remember meeting myself, Simphiwe Mauze
I remember my grandfather, Samuel Ndayisaba
I remember my first perfomance, Chedrr Mauze
I remember coming to South Africa, Lionel Shumba
I remember the despair, Pat Idufashe
I remember my first day of school, Syabonga Lerara
I remember everything!, Patient B Kaniki
I remember when life was better, Wendy Ndulini
I remember the scar, Innocent Byiringiro
I remember Tertiary, Slangazelo Ndlovu
I remember the smiles, Nomcebo Mnguni
I remember being late, Denise Mbonigaba
I remember learning a new language, Issa Djuma
I remember being carefree, Sandrine Umuhoza
I remember your cold words, Lungani Biyela
I remember Amakipkip, Moleboheng Moeti
I remember summer days, Rebecca Musovi
I remember fleeing my country, Sumbiri Djuma
‘This is where I’m from’ poems:
Passion does not pay the bills, Siphesihle Mlungwana
A place where the strongest and bravest survive, Ngcobo Sphindile
Mtuzuma Ward 38: No nothing! Fokol!, Zakhele Mkhize
We want change, Thubelihle Khanyile
Church Emlazi, Nethezekani N Khumalo
Newlands West, Nolwandle Makhathini
Dusty streets and stale dreams, Nothando Biyela
21st Century, Phumelele Buthelezi
Hero to Zero, Fezeka Mthikitiki
Ekasi Wami, Zulu Ntokozo
A place called home, Lindani Talent Gumede
Quarry Heights, Siphamandla Vezi
Richard’s Bay, Nosipho Nxumalo
Rising with the setting sun, Simangele Sithole
Umlazi, Vusani Khumalo
Origins, Singathiwe Athiwe Mthethwa
Ndabuko, Singathiwe Athiwe Mthethwa
Lapho Ngiqhamuka Khona, Simangele Sithole
Newlands East, Nolwandle Makhathini
The Suburbs, Anele Chonco
A place that knows me not, Sandrine Umuhoza
The Great Land of Zimbabwe, Lionel Shumba
Another man’s slice, Innocent Byiringiro
Hell No!, Patient B Kaniki
I wish I could call it home, Slangazelo Ndlovu
Chasing Paper, Nomcebo Dlamini
A place of Faith, Sphindile Chomo
My true home, Nomcebo Mnguni
Durban! Yo!, Pat Idufashe
What kind of a place, Wendy Ndulini
Undefined, Andile Nkosi-Dlamini
21st Century, Rebecca Musovi
Manor Gardens, Denise Mbonigaba
Africa, Syabonga Lerara
A place that chose my skin, Simphiwe Mauze
These thoughts I live in, Chedrr Mauze
My own place, Samuel Ndayisaba
Land of My Ancestors, Sumbiri Djuma
In need of healing, Adryan Ogle
Rainbow Nation, Lungani Biyela
To fully love yourself, Moleboheng Moeti
Burundi, Issa Djuma
Narrative essays:
If I could talk to the walls, Patient B Kaniki
The Last Time, Nosipho Nxumalo
My grandmother, Slangazelo Ndlovu
Doo-be-doo, Zakhele Mkhize
Burden of a Strange Feeling, Lindani Talent Gumede
The Devil Beneath the Heavenly Sky, Adryan Ogle
I remember that amazing day!, Nolwandle Makhathini
I remember my first heartbreak, Ngcobo Sphindile
Disruption, Sandrine Umuhoza
The day I was robbed, Thubelihle Khanyile
Lupus, Nethezekani N Khumalo
Is freedom really free?, Nothando Biyela
Engagement Weekend, Simangele Sithole
My Grandma Thandi, My Home, Singathiwe Athiwe Mthethwa
She said ‘I do’ – She made my day!, Vusani Khumalo
A day I remember: when someone took my brother’s life, Zulu Ntokozo
The day he left, Siphamandla Vezi
The exposure to a different world, Fezeka Mthikitiki
Uyongivivinya ngiphume ngiyigolide, Phumelele Buthelezi
A nation that interprets violence as ‘correction’, Siphesihle Mlungwana
Learning to Drive, Anele Chonco
Umhlonyane, Andile Nkosi-Dlamini
The truth in my father’s lies, Samuel Ndayisaba
Success it isn’t too far-fetched after all, Nomcebo Dlamini
I remember the first day I met him, Wendy Ndulini
The mystery of Mhondoro, Lionel Shumba
A new paradise, Rebecca Musovi
Caught out, Lungani Biyela
Visiting the caves, Nomcebo Mnguni
Curry for supper, Moleboheng Moeti
The day I missed my final exam, Denise Mbonigaba
Purple delight?, Simphiwe Mauze
Never Stop Believing, Innocent Byiringiro
Crocodile outing, Syabonga Lerara
The Night I’ll Never Forget, Pat Idufashe
Best/Worst Decision of my life, Nduduzo Hlongwane
Night Visit, Sphindile Chonco
A rich man and his driver, Sumbiri Djuma
When I think of home, Issa Djuma
Thank you to the UNHCR for funding the Me With You project and to Zoe-Life for its organisational support.