Abdul Milazi
Abdul Milazi (1966 – ) is a celebrated poet, author and highly accomplished journalist and was born in Umzimkhulwane village in Port Shepstone. His parents are Moosa Mohammed Milazi, an immigrant from Malawi who came to South Africa to work in the mines, and Nomusa Dlamini, a Zulu woman whom, after marriage and converting to Islam religion, became Fatima Milazi.
Growing up as a black boy with a name and surname which were not indigenous to South Africa was a burden he carried from childhood to his adult life. His family could not live in black townships as they were classified as ‘Other Asians’ by the Apartheid administration system. They lived in Chatsworth, an Indian suburb southwest of Durban, where they lived as shadows on the margins of the community. Despite his difficult childhood, Milazi was ambitious and took to heart his mother’s wishes for him to pursue a formal education. Milazi completed his matric qualification at Sister Joan’s High School in 1986. Thereafter, he studied journalism at Intec College and at The Argus School of Journalism.
Milazi’s first job was as a journalist at the South Coast Herald. He became editor of the publication’s Black edition, Ogwini, three years later. His contribution to the media industry has since extended to publications such as GQ magazine as Deputy Editor, Senior Editor at Financial Mail, Trade and Industry editor at Business Day, Editor-in-Chief of Tribute magazine, Editor of Business Times Money, and Associate Editor at the Sunday Times, among others.
Milazi’s poems have been received to critical acclaim nationally, as well as abroad. His creative work has been published in several local and international anthologies. His poems have featured on the local pages of anthologies, including Words Gone Two Soon, Green Dragon and Timbila. Internationally, they can be found on The International Who’s Who in Poetry, Best Poems, Poets 2004 and Endless Mysteries.
Milazi’s strong standing as a creative writer has made him the recipient of numerous honours: the Merit Award for Poetry, the Silver Bowl Award, the Crystal Award, and twice awarded the Editor’s choice Award from the International Liberty of Poetry in Washington, D.C. Milazi currently resides in Johannesburg where he has established a company called Mo Faya Poetry and Music Productions. Currently, Milazi works as a self-employed artist and lives with his wife, Theona Madiba, and their four children.
An extract of the poem ‘The Naked Truth’
We stand naked before the truth
yet we are blind to the naked truth
it seems we are all at sea
as it reveals naked parts we don’t want to see
We struggle to swim against the currents of our acquired ignorance
while leaders swagger clothed in brand new designer arrogance
Our police break bread with criminals
while ministers feed on our taxes like vultures it’s a feeding frenzy
and everybody has gone crazy
where are the voices of reason
to expose this treason?
Bibliography
2006. My Dad: By South African Sons (co-authored). Johannesburg: Random House Stuik.
2013. A Shrine of Dreams. Johannesburg: Geko Publishing
Poems
City of God
Eclipse the Soul
Expressions
Footprints of Sorrow
Hail Mary
Johannesburg
Jozi My Girl
Life of a Gun
Lost in Love
Man on the Moon
Midnight Dreaming
Miracle of Silence
Naked
Pause
Still Born the Day the Future Dies
The Dream (Days of Dreaming)
The Flame
The Love Game
The Naked Truth
The Poet
To a Glass of Whiskey
To Kiss a Dream
Woman (Celebrate Her)
Word Sex
Milazi’s first job was as a journalist at the South Coast Herald. He became editor of the publication’s Black edition, Ogwini, three years later. His contribution to the media industry has since extended to publications such as GQ magazine as Deputy Editor, Senior Editor at Financial Mail, Trade and Industry editor at Business Day, Editor-in-Chief of Tribute magazine, Editor of Business Times Money, and Associate Editor at the Sunday Times, among others.
Milazi’s poems have been received to critical acclaim nationally, as well as abroad. His creative work has been published in several local and international anthologies. His poems have featured on the local pages of anthologies, including Words Gone Two Soon, Green Dragon and Timbila. Internationally, they can be found on The International Who’s Who in Poetry, Best Poems, Poets 2004 and Endless Mysteries.
Milazi’s strong standing as a creative writer has made him the recipient of numerous honours: the Merit Award for Poetry, the Silver Bowl Award, the Crystal Award, and twice awarded the Editor’s choice Award from the International Liberty of Poetry in Washington, D.C. Milazi currently resides in Johannesburg where he has established a company called Mo Faya Poetry and Music Productions. Currently, Milazi works as a self-employed artist and lives with his wife, Theona Madiba, and their four children.
An extract of the poem ‘The Naked Truth’
We stand naked before the truth
yet we are blind to the naked truth
it seems we are all at sea
as it reveals naked parts we don’t want to see
We struggle to swim against the currents of our acquired ignorance
while leaders swagger clothed in brand new designer arrogance
Our police break bread with criminals
while ministers feed on our taxes like vultures it’s a feeding frenzy
and everybody has gone crazy
where are the voices of reason
to expose this treason?
Bibliography
2006. My Dad: By South African Sons (co-authored). Johannesburg: Random House Stuik.
2013. A Shrine of Dreams. Johannesburg: Geko Publishing
Poems
City of God
Eclipse the Soul
Expressions
Footprints of Sorrow
Hail Mary
Johannesburg
Jozi My Girl
Life of a Gun
Lost in Love
Man on the Moon
Midnight Dreaming
Miracle of Silence
Naked
Pause
Still Born the Day the Future Dies
The Dream (Days of Dreaming)
The Flame
The Love Game
The Naked Truth
The Poet
To a Glass of Whiskey
To Kiss a Dream
Woman (Celebrate Her)
Word Sex