Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa (July 21, 1921 - March 25, 2020) stands as one of South Africa's most remarkable cultural figures—a traditional healer (sangoma), author, artist, and cultural historian whose work spans the tumultuous transition from apartheid South Africa to the democratic era. Though often controversial and sometimes misunderstood, Mutwa's contributions to preserving indigenous African knowledge systems, stor…
“Don't get angry over shadows. Let the pains of the past go by, because if you do, your soul becomes corrupted, your soul becomes warped.”
Neighbourhood:
Folk & Ballad Poets, Mystical & Spiritual Poets, Nature Poets, Social Justice Poets
Emotional landscape: Anger, Despair, Sorrow
On May 30, 1903, a child was born who would become one of the most celebrated voices of the Harlem Renaissance, yet whose origins remain shrouded in the kind of mystery that seems almost poetic in retrospect. Countee Cullen's exact birthplace has been disputed—some records suggest New York City, others Louisville, Kentucky, and still others Baltimore, Maryland. This uncertainty about his origins would prove oddly fit…
“I was reared in the conservative atmosphere of a Methodist parsonage.”
Neighbourhood:
African American Poets, American Poets, Harlem Renaissance, Political Poets, Social Justice Poets
Emotional landscape: Wonder, Spirituality, Tenderness
