Amanda Thobeka Linda is a young aspiring writer, poet, filmmaker and entertainer. A selection of her poetry will be published on www.womeninc.co.za over the next while; as an introduction, this week we are publishing some of Thobeka's thoughts on poetry and reading.

There are a whole lot of things that inspire me; I want to do a lot of things in this lifetime that I have been given. I want to inspire those around me in every possible way. One of the ways I would like to do this is through my writing. I want to tell people about things but I want to use the method of writing, thus encouraging reading, a habit that I have fallen in love with in a short space of time. There is knowledge that one cannot acquire from anywhere else but through reading, and then there is knowledge that you can gain through conversation and other forms of interactions with your surroundings and different people

I love people and what they have to offer. I love learning from people and that inspires my writing. My first love is poetry. I stumbled on poetry by chance really - I had never thought that I could write ‘poetry’. I was going through a mini identity crisis as all young people go through, and I had a lot of rage within me. I decided to use those feelings to write poetry and out of nowhere I had one of my first poems called Hush Little Baby, a combination of the lullaby accompanied by my own thoughts regarding women and child abuse. From then on I started to write more and more poetry. I am hoping to compile an anthology of all my poetry and let the nation learn from me for a change.

I have a heart for young people because in them lies the gold and platinum of the nation. If they are cultivated in the right way, these people can do dynamic things not only for themselves, but also for their families and communities.

One priceless skill that I feel is needed in our community, and more importantly the black community, is the skill and desire to read. It has been said that if you want to hide the greatest knowledge from black people, put it in a book because they do not read. I am happy though to know that slowly but surely more and more black folk are getting into the habit of reading. This way if more young people start reading, especially at primary level, by the time they reach Matric they will have a skill that has been perfected. This way it will become even easier for them to perform at tertiary level, especially since one has to read one’s way to completing a degree. Reading enhances many aspects of a person: you can improve your speech, you stretch your knowledge of different subjects, and the way you engage with texts is improved.

There are a whole lot of good things that reading does for a person, so if I can get more young black kids out there to read, I will be the happiest person I know; I will know that someone out there is gaining a life skill that nobody can take away from them.

Labour
Pregnant with words that refuse to be pushed into life,
The thought of conceiving a new idea
That will be groomed and nurtured into growth.
But I sit here in labour counting the contractions
One, two, three, minutes apart
My head dilated ready to produce
Yet nothing wants to comes out
I push for a new idea to see the light of day
I push to give birth to a new thought
I cry and scream determined to just take it out of me
For a long time this new creation has been in me,
Now it must spring forward and be part of the living.
I have been blessed with a gift
At the first contact with the cold air
She cries and shows life.
She has been formed in me and I have carried it with me
It is time for her to take her place amongst the other offsprings.


About the author: Amanda was raised in Durban and holds a BA majoring in Film, Media & English Literature attained from the University of Cape Town. She is a vibrant young lady, and some have described her as an extrovert of note. Inspired by her surroundings and experiences she manages to put her thoughts creatively on paper. Currently she is compiling an anthology of all her creative pieces whilst simultaneously working on her first novel.

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Comments (2)

• |2010-09-14 15:53:48 TheGav  - Well done
  Well done Amanda (can't believe I just called you that, sounds so wrong). Anyway, here's to y/our success
  Reply

• |2010-09-14 16:57:53 ntombizodwa Linda  - Labour
  Congratulation to the Young Inspiring Poet. It gives hope for brighter future of the Nation to witness such a talent coupled with love, concern and passion for young people. To inspire them and transfer such life skills as "Acquired knowledge" through reading. I can surely see Life Long Learning (LLL) becoming a reality and not one of the shelved information.
  Reply

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