Koleka Putuma
Tue Jan 7, 20:00 - Tue Jan 7, 21:30
The Commons
ABOUT
"As the first recipient of Standard Bank’s Young Artist award for Poetry, she has collected and now carries another responsibility: That of representing the poetry tradition in South Africa to a broader audience. It’s a responsibility she guards with a sense of selflessness that belies the comparatively few years she has been a professional practitioner of the craft. She is also a playwright, theatre director, and activist. Her debut collection of poetry, Collective Amnesia (2017), is an honest portrait of an artist finding their feet in the world. It remains in high demand to this day, testament that collections become archives which reward an intentional collector repeatedly.
We are honored and privileged to have Koleka Putuma come hold space and open this yes Commons Fest. The evening will be a listening session, discuss and Q&A on the poetic album CAN I GET A WITNESS? this is Putuma’s debut album which was released on 27 April 2024. The album finds her seeking another outlet for her gifts. She has brought along with her a carefully-curated set of musicians helmed by the ever-hip Clem Carr to shape her vision. The multi-instrumentalist swings the guiding hand of musical director with care, and shapes a soundscape that floats somewhere between the Hip Hop of Putuma’s childhood, the storied tradition that is South African jazz and the legendary venues that have held space for its adherents — Tagore’s, The Mahogany Room, The Orbit, Afrikan Freedom Station, and then some.
Here, she attempts to find meaning amidst the chaos of the minutiae, amidst the fragmented, trivial, tiring pursuit of recognition and fulfilment. She is also fighting: Against erasure, against selective memory. The collaborative spirit of this sonic outing is but an instance of her quest. CAN I GET A WITNESS? is as loud as it is quiet; as rebellious as it is obedient. It’s a timepiece, a mantle, a recording of a moment within moments, a state of being that seeks no translation, a life that desires to just be".
This event is free, however we will encourage you all to please RSVP
Please don't come alone, let's all come together and celebrate our own.