Express Media

Thabani Tshuma is well-known for his captivating, rhythmic and theatrical storytelling practice, giving audiences offerings of poems that feel like magic. What is it about Thabani’s stage presence that feels enchanting? How does Thabani evoke these emotional depths and complex narratives? In Thabani Tshuma’s poem Dear Addiction, he describes the act of “tapping into the alchemy of rewriting my own fable”. In this session, we look at the alchemy of poetry and performance, the transformative aspect of storytelling as a tool for healing, altering reality and future-making. Thabani also plays with the idea of the audience as the medium, the audience as an equal creator in the magic of performance. We also discuss at the archival function of performance. Thabani has a background in journalism, which allows us to compare the poet to the media, an embodied documentarian of the emotional history of our times. There will be a Q&A with Thabani at the end of the discussion, you are encouraged to bring questions and share your thoughts.