Johannesburg - Thullo Mgcina, a 24-year-old poet from Polokong, Sebokeng, is the number one South African global trend poet and is best known for performing poetry at funerals, aiming to give healing to mourners who can’t express their emotions.
The poet said he uses poetry to help mourners’ grief because poetry is a healing figure, and without healing we are dying.
“The poems that I recite set you free, and the uniqueness of my poems stands on the rawness of the message. I recite more on social issues, the life that we live, and the pain within it.
“It is never easy to stand in front of the coffin, but before performing, I meditate and pray in order to connect with my ancestors and God to actually help me get into the shoes of the mourners. My spirit gets deep and my words get deeper after meditation and prayer, and I manage to cough up healing words for the broken families.”
His talent turned into business, and people started to book him provincially to perform at funerals and social gatherings.
He added that through poetry, he was able to provide for his family and that it has greatly aided him in pushing harder and smarter.
“I come from a very poor background, but I did not let my situation define me. I try by all means to excel at what I do in order to become a world-renowned poet and reciter in the next few years.”
Mgcina is also an actor; he played the main character in a local film titled “Idlozi Lami” that had over 110 000 views on YouTube and was recently nominated in a top-six film category on Creative Industry Marketing Stokvel.
He is also a choreographer and a director on a gargantuan dance show that examines the true pain within women who can’t bear their own children. Mgcina is also working on a poetry project entitled “Hadi Wele Fatshe”, aiming to feature the upcoming poets and poetesses in order to give them a platform to recite poetry on a higher level.
He has been nominated for the second round of the Ishashalazi Motjeko Poetry and Theatre Festival and took number one at the Tebello Sehojane Poetry Competition last year.
“Through my hard work and dedication, I believe that more people will recognise my talent and unlock my destiny.
“My style of poetry will take me internationally one day. The reason I will never give up on my talent is that I want my mom out of the poverty we live in,” said Mgcina.
The Star