compiled and edited by Mthobisi Mqadi.
The Creative INK Anthology (Izimbongi Zesimanje) book is another living tale among the townships of Inanda, Ntuzuma and Kwa-Mashu. Compiled by the well known Durban based poet and activist, Mthobisi Mqadi, the book consists of short stories, essays, poems and motivational words written in IsiZulu and English. All the writing in book Creative INK Anthology is written by the youth of INK Area. The Creative INK Writers are following in the footsteps of many respected writers who were born in the area, like Mandla Langa (The Lost Colours of the Chameleon), Dr JL Dube (Ujeqe, the body servant of King Shaka) Sita Gandhi (Memoirs of Sita Gandhi) and many other writers who have lived in the INK Area. All the members of the Creative INK Writers were born in the area and who else better to tell their stories? In the book, the Creative INK Writers go the extra mile writing about their day-to-day living conditions through empowering, compassionate social stories that the wider community does not know about.
The Creative INK Writers group also forms part of the INK Writers Trail developed by KZN Literary Tourism. Having been honoured by KZN Literary Tourism to be featured on the INK trails is truly a milestone for the young writers of the INK Area.
In the book the reader can expect poems by Siyabonga Skhakhane from Ntuzuma a young man very popular among the Durban Community for his well known poem “Ekhoneni”, also featured in the book. “Ekhoneni”, written in tsostitaal language very popular in townships, is a well focused poem which tells a story of a young boy trying to propose to a girl using the tsotsitaal language: for example, "Sesiside i'skhathi ngithi ngifuna ukuringa nawe/ ivaar ukuthi bengisha" (“It has been a while since I have been trying to speak to you/ the truth is that I have been scared”) pg 133. This writer has used a fusion of two languages – IsiZulu and Afrikaans – to write a classic love poem to illustrate the popular way, used by a lot of townships boys to propose to a girl. Creative INK Anthology (Izimbongi Zesimanje) is a dynamic book which illustrates life in the very rich historical area of Inanda, Ntuzuma and Kwa-Mashu.
The book crosses borders in the sense that all the stories and poems tell of the day to day lives of the youth involved in making the anthology. Without any shadow of a doubt, the book clearly indicates that there are a lot of talented writers in townships such as the INK area which includes many neglected spots which are affected by high levels of crime and violence. As a resident of INK, I hope this book might change the way people think about where we live. It's a good read!
