BY TENDAI SAUTA POLAND-BASED Zimbabwean poet and chief executive of Ubuntu Afro-Publishers, Methulisi “KingKG/KhuluGatsheni” Ndlovu says he felt honoured to be selected to represent the nation at the European Union-organised youth forum held in Estonia recently.
Being the only African who attended the event, Ndlovu was rated among the best after reciting a poem titled Ubuntu The Raw Truth Unraveled off his third anthology of the same title.
“I was happy to be the only African to represent my country and the host nation, Poland, under the EU’s Erasmus Youth Programme that featured 20 countries,” he told NewsDay Life & Style.
Born in rural Plumtree, KingKG/KhuluGatsheni said he decided to use pen and paper to confront problems he faced growing up.
“The book Ubuntu The Raw Truth Unravelled is a 51-page long poem. This is my third book published by African Sketches Publishers in 2019 and it reflects on my humble upbringing,” he said.
“The poem is a daring piece of art that keeps haunting many dark forces. The first of its kind and longest epic poem in the history of local publications.”
The uniqueness of the poem has not gone unnoticed as it has earned KingKG/KhuluGatsheni an honorary literary award courtesy of the Global African Authors. It has also been cited as the longest poetic assertion of ubuntu in the history of southern African publishing records.
“The poem unravels important issues that are usually left unsaid by many. It touches on leadership, religion, education and spirituality,” he said.
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KingKG/KhuluGatsheni added: “I write about hardcore issues, especially the socio-political and economic that are considered sacred. I believe in speaking truth to power.”
“The emancipation of humankind is a divine cause which we ought to embrace. I, therefore, find it spiritually uplifting and fulfilling to touch lives using pen and paper.”
KingKG/KhuluGatsheni encouraged aspiring writers to apply their capabilities to the arts.
“Aspiring authors or poets must tell their stories the way they feel they should be told; they should forget rules and unchain their creative madness.”
He also co-authored a Zimbabwe Schools Examination Council Ordinary Level isiNdebele set book titled Izinkondlo ezinhlobonhlobo in Zimbabwe.
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