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Teen winners find their voice, share their passion, and invest in education!
Wed, 28 April 2021
Two Mpumalanga teens are creating a unique identity for themselves as poets in their communities. Both were 16 years old when they made history as the youngest ever winners of their respective language categories in the third AVBOB Poetry Competition last year.
For ordinary folk, this accolade and the R10 000 prize money is beyond imaginable for many. When this exceptional news arrived, Pristine Siyabonga Mtsweni’s father thought they were being pranked.
As a Grade 10 learner at Mabusabesala Secondary, Mtsweni won the isiNdebele prize and Sibahle Thwala, now a 5th Form (Grade 11 equivalent) scholarship student at Waterford Kamhlaba in Swaziland, won the Siswati category.
We followed their progress a year later, eager to hear how their poetry is progressing. Both are writing about the society they live in, taking time out from busy soccer schedules to reflect on their world.
Sibahle Thwala is the fifth of six children born to his single mother, Thembayena Sibonisiwe. He took great pride in helping to pay for his siblings’ college fees, groceries for the family, and buying his very own cell phone with his winnings. This ambitious youth has his sights set on studying science in the United States of America one day. He is currently pursuing an International Baccalaureate but still finds time to write poetry regularly.
“I started writing poetry before entering my teens and poetry is very helpful. I needed a way to express my emotions and ideas safely,” said Sibahle, who encourages other teens to practise the skills that will give themselves a voice. “Even today, I was working very hard in class, so I took a break to write a couple of poems. I’ve met a lot of other poets, which helped me form relationships, to express myself, and to accept myself as I am.”
Pristine’s father, July Innocent Mtsweni, says his son is doing well since winning the competition and still writes with vigour. “When he told me he was entering the competition with a poem about his late mother, I said ‘Good luck. Maybe one day you’ll become an author?’ Then came the announcement and I thought a joker was calling. Soon I saw it was something very big!” said Mtsweni Snr.
Like his fellow teen poet, Pristine invested his winnings in education. “I bought study guides in isiNdebele and dictionaries and stationery with my publication fees. Nine of my poems were published in the AVBOB Poetry library, each one earning R300. Now I have invested my prize, saving for my tertiary education,” he said.
The boys read a lot of books. Both encourage other youth to try poetry. Pristine said, “I wanted to help other people to overcome their grief when I wrote about losing my mother. Poetry helps you to express emotions. You can reach out to somebody and help them through the same situation you’ve gone through.” Enjoy this stanza in translation from his poem to honour his mother’s memory. It reads like a prayer:
Thank you, Lord
Pristine Siyabonga Mtsweni
We thank you, O Lord, for lending us this flower,
We thank you for the time we shared.
She was a blessing to us all,
We were blessed by her arrival on earth.
Sibahle also wrote about his mother, who inspires him daily with her endeavours: “She is always hoping that tomorrow will be better than yesterday. Even if she doesn’t have a plan in mind, she keeps doing all she can for us. My poem is about how the sun brings hope when it rises, and people get out of bed, work hard, and they get another chance to improve.”
Sibahle’s attitude, like his poem, is itself a ray of sunshine:
The sun is a new hope
Sibahle Thwala
It appears just like that,
The sun is a new hope,
When we have lost our energy
And think that nothing will be pleasing,
It surfaces and shows us the way,
Wakes us up and out of our beds.
See the full poems in the original languages with translation as an appendix below.
For more inspiring poems that offer comfort during times of loss in all 11 official languages, please visit the AVBOB Poetry website: www.avbobpoetry.co.za
For ordinary folk, this accolade and the R10 000 prize money is beyond imaginable for many. When this exceptional news arrived, Pristine Siyabonga Mtsweni’s father thought they were being pranked.
As a Grade 10 learner at Mabusabesala Secondary, Mtsweni won the isiNdebele prize and Sibahle Thwala, now a 5th Form (Grade 11 equivalent) scholarship student at Waterford Kamhlaba in Swaziland, won the Siswati category.
We followed their progress a year later, eager to hear how their poetry is progressing. Both are writing about the society they live in, taking time out from busy soccer schedules to reflect on their world.
Sibahle Thwala is the fifth of six children born to his single mother, Thembayena Sibonisiwe. He took great pride in helping to pay for his siblings’ college fees, groceries for the family, and buying his very own cell phone with his winnings. This ambitious youth has his sights set on studying science in the United States of America one day. He is currently pursuing an International Baccalaureate but still finds time to write poetry regularly.
“I started writing poetry before entering my teens and poetry is very helpful. I needed a way to express my emotions and ideas safely,” said Sibahle, who encourages other teens to practise the skills that will give themselves a voice. “Even today, I was working very hard in class, so I took a break to write a couple of poems. I’ve met a lot of other poets, which helped me form relationships, to express myself, and to accept myself as I am.”
Pristine’s father, July Innocent Mtsweni, says his son is doing well since winning the competition and still writes with vigour. “When he told me he was entering the competition with a poem about his late mother, I said ‘Good luck. Maybe one day you’ll become an author?’ Then came the announcement and I thought a joker was calling. Soon I saw it was something very big!” said Mtsweni Snr.
Like his fellow teen poet, Pristine invested his winnings in education. “I bought study guides in isiNdebele and dictionaries and stationery with my publication fees. Nine of my poems were published in the AVBOB Poetry library, each one earning R300. Now I have invested my prize, saving for my tertiary education,” he said.
The boys read a lot of books. Both encourage other youth to try poetry. Pristine said, “I wanted to help other people to overcome their grief when I wrote about losing my mother. Poetry helps you to express emotions. You can reach out to somebody and help them through the same situation you’ve gone through.” Enjoy this stanza in translation from his poem to honour his mother’s memory. It reads like a prayer:
Thank you, Lord
Pristine Siyabonga Mtsweni
We thank you, O Lord, for lending us this flower,
We thank you for the time we shared.
She was a blessing to us all,
We were blessed by her arrival on earth.
Sibahle also wrote about his mother, who inspires him daily with her endeavours: “She is always hoping that tomorrow will be better than yesterday. Even if she doesn’t have a plan in mind, she keeps doing all she can for us. My poem is about how the sun brings hope when it rises, and people get out of bed, work hard, and they get another chance to improve.”
Sibahle’s attitude, like his poem, is itself a ray of sunshine:
The sun is a new hope
Sibahle Thwala
It appears just like that,
The sun is a new hope,
When we have lost our energy
And think that nothing will be pleasing,
It surfaces and shows us the way,
Wakes us up and out of our beds.
See the full poems in the original languages with translation as an appendix below.
For more inspiring poems that offer comfort during times of loss in all 11 official languages, please visit the AVBOB Poetry website: www.avbobpoetry.co.za
| Siswati award-winning poem | English translation |
Lilanga lisitsembiso lesisha Sibahle Thwala Lilanga lisitsembiso lesisha Livela selivelile, Lilanga lisitsembiso lesisha, Lapho sesiphelewe ngemandla, Sititjela kutsi akukho lokungalunga, Lona liyativeta, lisikhombise indlela, Lisivuse emibhedzeni, sivuke siyewuphila timphilo teftu. Kutsi lapho sesilahle lithawula, Sesisebumnyameni singaboni kukhanya, Sibatse siyazama, sibatse siyaphenya, Kute lesingaphephela khona, Lilanga lona liyavela, njengemnakekeli weftu, Litekusicinisa, lisiphe emandla, Nanome ebusuku sibhekana nebumatima, Bugebengu, nekwesaba, Siyati kutsi litawuvela lona lilanga, Livele selitewu cinisa emadvola eftu, Wona lasaphelelwe ngemandla, Wona lakhansela etintsabeni, lapho lilanga litiphosa khona kunina. Siyabonga langa, Sibonga nebatali bakho labakutala, Kube awukho ngabe kudzala sesashabalala, Safa kuhle kwenhlati nayiphelelwe ngemanti, Siyabonga, babe langa, Wena ulitsemba leftu, Labadzala batsi tandla tiyagezena, Kepha nanome tsine singakugezi, wena usigeza njalo, Siyabonga! |
The sun is a new hope Sibahle Thwala It appears just like that, The sun is a new hope, When we have lost our energy And think that nothing will be pleasing, It surfaces and shows us the way, Wakes us up and out of our beds. When we have lost hope, When there is darkness, Trying and searching, With no place to hide, The sun rises as our protector, Giving us strength and power. Regardless of the difficulties we face at night, Crime and fear, We know that the sun will rise And strengthen our knees, Which have become weak, Crawling to the hills where the sun sets. Thank you, Sun, We thank your parents, who gave birth to you, If you were not here, we would have perished, Died like fish out of water, So thank you, Father Sun, You are our hope; Elders say, hands wash each other, Even though we can’t wash you, you always wash us, Thank you! ~ translated by Stanley Madonsela |
| isiNdebele award-winning poem | English translation |
| Siyathokoza, Somnini Pristine Siyabonga Mtsweni Siyathokoza Somnini ngethuthumbo osiboleke lona, Sithokoza isikhathi ebesihlezi naye. Bekasibusiso kithi uNokuthula, Kwathi nakufika yena kwafika ukuthula. Kwathi nakufika yena sathola ukuthula, Ukuthula ebesele sikufanisa ngendlela. Kwathoma ukufanelwa emzinami, Ngathola isizathu sokuphila ephasini. Ngithe ngisathabile kwesikhatjhana kwatjhabalala! Kwatjhabalala njengombethe nawubaleka ilanga, Ngithe nangivula amehlo wena besele ungasekho. Ukusithela kwakho kungibuyisele emva, Ngiyazi bona ongaphezulu uzozisula iinyembezi zami. Ngitjho ikosi yabafelokazi, Ngiyazi bona sizokubonana godu kelizako! |
Thank you, Lord Pristine Siyabonga Mtsweni We thank you, O Lord, for lending us this flower, We thank you for the time we shared. She was a blessing to us all, We were blessed by her arrival on earth. The blessings were far-reaching, We found peace when she was born, My house regained its dignity. I found a reason to go on living, Then, in the blink of an eye, my happiness was gone! It vanished like the morning dew, When I opened my eyes you had departed. Losing you opened up an emptiness in my heart, But I know the Lord will wipe away my tears. I am referring to the Almighty Lord, And, sadly, I know one day we’ll meet again! ~ translated by Sponono Mahlangu |
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