Mashudu's poetry embodies her culture

In the olden days, poets were considered highly talented individuals and were respected greatly within their societies for this rare gift of being able to write and recite poetry.   

Poetry is a form of art that is not to be taken lightly and one young lady, who goes by the name of Mashudu Ravele (19), understands that better than most. Her poetry seems to carry the nobility of her royal surname – Ravele – and embodies the culture in which she was born and raised.  

She has just published her first collection of poems, titled Tshisima Tsha Dora, and is very excited to share her work with other poetry lovers. “The title suggests that my poems come from a spring where people can come to quench their thirst. It contains 60 poems, all about different things, and touches on life in general. Tshisima Tsha Dora definitely has a touch of healing to it.”

A second-year journalism student at Rosebank College, Mashudu is a praise poet and her poetry stems from the norms and traditions of her Tshivenda culture. “Writing is my calling, though I often practise it as a hobby too. When I’m not reading or studying, I find myself writing,” she said.

She developed a love of reading and writing poetry when she was still a fourth-grader at Tshilambuvhe Primary School at Ha-Masakona Village. “My teachers loved my essays and always sent them to the local education circuit,” she said. “Growing up, I read Tshililo Tsha Mme, a book of poetry written by Muluga Muelelwa. “That book inspired me so much that I started writing my own poems.”

She said she had never thought that she would manage to have her own book published so soon in her life. “I’m becoming more fulfilled as an author,” she said. “I never thought I would make it this far. My biggest dream is to see my book being read in schools and owning my own publishing company.”

Mashudu said that Tshisima Tsha Dora was only the beginning of many more good things to come. The book is available directly from the author at R180. She can be reached on Tel 072 382 8470, or [email protected]. She is also available on Facebook (Ravele Cuduki). 

Entertainment - Date: 01 August 2021

Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

Email: [email protected]