Andrew-John Hlamulo-HOSANA , affectionately known as “ AJ yoRafiki ” is a writer , poet and performer . “ I found my ability to write when I was doing my matric . I did not start of writing poetry , it was just recreational writing . From my fumbles and stumbles a friend of mine advised me to try poetry . There was not much exposure in my school to what poetry can do , and all we ever really knew about it was that people with bold voices and commanding presences could take part . Regardless of the missing link between passion and action I tried to write and fell in love with it , but I was still shy to display it .
In 2010 I enrolled with the University of Limpopo , this is where my craft was furnished and moulded by the performing arts centre and the fellowship of poets in the University . I stopped performing the following year 2011 ( for reflection purposes ); though I was not performing I never stopped writing . This time was very rewarding for me artistically , because I was introduced to an array of performers , writers , poets and a variety of performers other than the Mzwakhe Mbuli complex which had plagued the poetry scene in my locality .
A majority of my performances were held under the auspices of the University of Limpopo because I am still a student there and they have provided a great platform for my personal growth . In 2014 I was published in the second offering of via Grape vine , an anthology curated by Brigitte Poirson from the Free-state . Poetry for me is an expression of something borrowed that needs to be share with the rest of the human race . We do it not for recognition but for supplication , I believe that artistic skill has nothing to do with it but rather the performer or poet is a medium used to communicate the remembrance which was disposed of by a memory forgotten and a chance not taken . It is for this reason that I personally write and continue to write and shall continue to write until God above calls me to the ropes to rest my bones .”
www . megaartists . co . za Mar-Apr 2016 Page 5