Snaps For..? Hazel Tobo | Letter To Azania #8
- Busa Nhlapo
- Aug 24, 2015
- 3 min read
Azania,
When your children learned to hate one another,
Did it not send tears to your eyes?
When they wore hatred towards their siblings; Did it not tear your heart apart?
When your soil wore your children’s blood, Did it not shake your spirit?
Was the segregation not enough to bring you crumbling down and losing it?
Running to break down borders and take back your families?
Did it not hurt when your children were dressed in sick names?
When they were called ugly things When they were called Makwerekwere; Batswa ntle; Batswabotso; Makirikamba? When they were referred to as foreigners’ by their own long lost brothers,
Did it not shatter your soul?
When your sky witnessed more flames consume your sons;
When the ground carried four of your children in cold blood baths, Lifeless;
Did it not send lightening striking in your womb?
Were you never shaken by the hundreds of lost feet looting at your son’s doorstep?
When they dragged him out into the path of your vision for slaughtering?
What about when they stole from him?
Were you not scared when murdering another sibling was still a mere thought in your poor sons mind?
When other siblings planned the execution of your children’s cold killings;
Did you not hear their confused voices conspiring?
Did you not try and stop them?
Did you not try to send acidic raindrops to their yards on the morning they went into rage?
Could you not have embraced them before they washed their hands in your children’s blood?
When a heavy rock landed on a young boy’s fragile skin;
Cutting into his flesh and bone;
Did you not feel your heart ache?
When blood came oozing out, Were you not scared on his behalf?
Could you not have come down and held him?
When your sons were killing their own siblings out of miseducation,
Did it not hurt to see what adoption by borders had done to your children?
When they turned blind towards their facial similarities,
When their hair textures spoke the same language of curls;
Afro fresh black and perfect...
My name is Hazel Tobo, also known as Fasaha Mshairi. I was born in Tembisa and grew up in Polokwane. I am a writer since 2004 and I have since grown into the arts of poetry and photography. I am a self published poet of the book; Broken Azania. I am also an infant photographer, seeking to grow more in the arts.
I have been published in Poetry Potion’s Poetry Is Not A Luxury and New Generation print editions as well as Shindig Awe Print publication , audio and video compilation and last but not least The UJ Afro Alphabets Poetry Collection for 2015.
I am a lover of life, art and travelling.
"Where we come from is a basis of who we are today and so poetry and photography are reflections of our backgrounds, our todays and life experiences. Without words constructed to rebuild the stories that live within us as individuals, photos speak in volumes. I write to keep sane, to express my views and share my thoughts but most importantly I write out of love for poetry and to heal. Photography is a language of its own and allows all eyes an understanding of their own and that’s why I love it."
PLATFORMS
SPOKEN WORD
Has performed at various shows across the country some of which are:
Lover+Another Poetry Slam 2014
The Windybrow Freedom Friday Festival 2014,
Sandton Poetry sessions 2014,
Poetry Africa Finale 2014
Izimbongi Poetry Festival 2013 and 2014
Poetry Africa’s Slam 2013,
Polokwane’s Rhythm n Poetry’s Black history session,
Word n Sound Poetry Corner,
Poetry Potions Book reading with Joburg Arts Alive ,
Polokwane Woman's Conference 2012,
Fire on the mountain annual festival in Limpopo 2012,
Poetic Joint Polokwane 2012 & 2013,
Rhythm n Poetry Youth Day Poetry Session Polokwane 2013,
The Plat4orm Unknown Thursdays, Last Thursday of Women’s Month 2013
PHOTOGRAPHY
I have worked with :
TikTock Production on a street shoot for the play Clown For Hire written by Princess Mhlongo;
The Plat4orm in Bez Valley, Johannesburg;
Phenomenal Women Nude Photo-shoot,
Brothers in Wordplay Poetry and Hip Hop Session and many more.
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