LOCKDOWN: 21 POEMS WRITTEN UNDER QUARANTINE

Enock Shishenge is a school teacher at Eqinisweni Secondary School, Ivory Park. He wrote 21 poems during the first 21 day National Lockdown. The poems have been compiled in a book that is published by Ndzhaka Publishers.

Shishenge is a language activist born in Jimmy Jones village in Limpopo. He has honours in African Languages from UNISA. He has been published in several poetry anthologies, newspapers, magazines and journals such as Sunday World, City Press, Sowetan, Daily Sun and Numsa News. He was awarded the following: Gauteng Brand Ambassador Award, The Star in Education Award, SOMAFCO Trust’s Essay Writing Award and Gauteng’s National Teachings Award (twice). He was the Best Cultural Teacher in the year 2018 for Johannesburg East District and the Best Xitsonga Teacher in the same year.

He has worked as a columnist at Loocha Youth Magazine, an indigenous language activist at Wena Institute, language practitioner at Saide and Molteno. Sishenge has performed his poems at global poetry landscape at different venues such as SADTU Mass Meetings and Conferences, SABC TV, Munghana Lonene FM and Pen Y Dre (Wales in UK) amongst others.

He currently serves as the Deputy Secretary of Ivory Park South African Democratic Teacher’s Union (SADTU) Branch. Shishenge describes himself as ‘an activist and revolutionary watchdog existing in the depths of his consciousness”.

The poems make you laugh, smile, envy, cry and appreciate the moment we live in. The book is available for R75 with free delivery around KAE (Kaalfontein, Allandale, Ebony Park) and Ivory Park. Contact 083 338 8275 and enockds@gmail.com. On Facebook click https://www.facebook.com/enock.shishenge
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