Koleka Putuma

Koleka Putuma (born 1993) is a South African poet and writer known for writing about controversial themes such as homophobia, race, dynamics of relationships and religion. Quotes I found myself negotiating with what it meant to be Black and queer and South African, and viewing my body in those kinds of spaces I feel as a Black queer woman in South Africa, I’m confronted with a lot of those issues that are rooted in capitalism and whiteness and patriarchy on a daily basis We are more than these bodies that live in patriarchal societies that have been affected by our histories in our past. It’s important to have a dialogue about the things that are plaguing us, or disturbing our peace and our freedom I’d like to believe that no matter what period I was born into, my writing or poetry would still have been my chosen way of contributing to liberation and contributing to conversations I think that at the heart of activism is dialogue I think that that’s the beauty and power of poetry – it cuts through the bullsh*t – it gets people to talk instantly about what it is that the poem’s trying to say, what it’s saying to them One of the conundrums I was fiddling with was that my body and who I am is not a neutral space he experience of being Black, queer and erased, from the archive, from politics, isn’t a singular story. It is not just my story, it is the story of multiple women. I live in a country where the arts are extremely underfunded Q&A: Koleka Putuma – Revolutionising the archive and (backspace) dancing… ‘Hullo, Bu-Bye, Koko, Come in’ 8 May, 2024 The narrative is that there is a head of the house, and there is a lot of silencing that comes with that Being a writer/poet the work requires of you to defy and unlearn the thing that has taught you silence and the unspoken contract that the neighbors and extended family cannot know and get involved with traumas that are happening in your house and in your life, and that you are supposed to deal with it quietly and soldier on because you are a “strong black woman.” I find living in a world where we don’t show our true selves, and where we don’t ever say we are hurting, quite suffocating In my work I create a space, where as a black woman, I can name my traumas/hurts, and name the people who have inflicted those traumas in an unapologetic way When violence is inflicted on a black body, the world doesn’t flinch because it has been so normalized I am not okay with how religion has screwed over black people I value being in a healthy space, I value being well, and I really value joy, and it wasn’t always like that I think it’s in our nature to be naked as people. The Art of Unlearning: A Dialogue With Koleka Putuma 17 January, 2017 Poetry for me is a tool for connection, and I appreciate the ways it has connected me to people and opened me up to mechanisms of observing and being with the world In this climate where censorship is gaining traction and being weaponised to discourage dissent, speech, or the act of speaking, and insisting on holding each other through dialogue and communication is both a protest and a promise to never be silent/silenced. In the realm of imagination, there are no restrictions, requirements, or guidelines that need to be followed The stories initiate conversations about queerness in a homophobic society, Blackness in a racist society, womanhood in a misogynistic and violent society, and freedom of speech in an increasingly repressive society There is this unspoken pressure that has seeped into our society to want to curate vulnerability or only show parts of it that are palatable in some ways We are in a time where intentional listening and attention span is being eroded by our devices and the demands of the world that are constantly vying for our attention Contemplation means to be with the temple, or to dwell within the sacred space of attention. Contemplation is much deeper than thinking. It implies a religious observation. It implies intention, slowness, interiority, reverence Culture enables us to see each other - through our stories, shared across borders and cultures Koleka Putuma on poetry as a tool for connection 10 October, 2025 External Links Koleka Putuma Koleka Putuma is the groundbreaking new voice of South African poetry Portrait of the poet as a young genius: Bongani Madondo reviews Koleka Putuma’s Collective Amnesia