Keorapetse Kgositsile’s poetry mixes the language of anger and love, juxtaposing images of war with symbols of passion. It’s the legacy of growing up in South Africa, simultaneously influenced by the desire to overthrow a repressive government and the steadfast love of his grandmother and mother. A former deputy secretary of culture for the African National Congress, Kgositsile rejects poetry that sounds like “a carbon copy of English literature.” His work is filled with the music, turmoil, and contradictions of South Africa.
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The 56-year-old Kgositsile says he wasn’t aware of the apartheid system until he was almost a teenager. His mother worked in a white suburb, and he played with the neighborhood boys, not realizing that there was any difference between their lives and his. Then all his friends went to register for a local boys boxing club. The club accepted his friends but denied Kgositsile entry. “Like a fool, I argued. I was easily the best boxer in the group,” he says. “They must have realized that I was ignorant of South African laws because they didn’t say why. All of my friends except one, Mario, refused to register if they wouldn’t let me in.” The boys went home and sparred in Mario’s backyard. Kgositsile deliberately punched Mario in the face until his jaw was bleeding. Mario’s enraged father told Kgositsile’s mother to whip him, but she refused. Instead, she took Kgositsile aside and told him there would be no more playing with white boys.
By the time he got out of high school, the young rabble-rouser was looking for a more effective method of fighting South Africa’s racism. Encouraged by a former high school teacher, Kgositsile took a reporter’s job at a weekly newspaper run by the Communist Party. He wrote stories about politics, culture, and sports. All of his editors were involved in the resistance movement and stood trial for high treason in the late 1950s. When Kgositsile was 23 years old, the ANC decided it was best for him to leave South Africa. “I was a bit political,” he says.
Kgositsile will team up with musician Douglas Ewart for his portion of the program. Other performers include writers Sterling Plump, Michael Warr, Rohan B Preston, Tyehimba Jess, and Daniel Wideman, as well as saxophonist Mwata Bowden and WBEZ’s Karl Wright. It takes place this Saturday from 5:30 to 7:30 at the gallery Black Art Group International, 1259 S. Wabash. Tickets cost $10, $18 per couple. Call 427-7600 for more.
