WORDS / KB KILOBYTE
For those who will be meeting you for the first time, who are you and where are you from?
My name is Noel Kabelo Ringane and I was born and raised in Pretoria. Brought up in a Christian family.
How long have you been active in the local spoken word scene for?
10years, the writing process started in 2003 and I started taking the craft seriously in 2005 when I got a good reaction for performing one of my all-time favourite poem "The Ancient ones" .
Can you tell us more about “The Ancient Ones”?
The Poem the "The Ancient Ones" is basically about the evolution of art in all forms in the times we live in, more especially in relation to the poetry. When I wrote it in 2003, a question came to mind if the poets and artists that came before us ever foresaw us reaching such levels and breaking such boundaries in what we do. At the time Shakespeare and the likes of his Sonnet 116 "Let me not to the marriage of true minds" was the type of poetry we were reading at school and I suppose I've always thought that there has to be more to this, as artist and as a people, we can reach greater heights.
Here are some of the lines/stanzas I have in the poem:
"The Ancient ones never saw us coming,
Cocooned in their layers of time with changing faces,
Moulded by time's intention to turn a generation of poets into a revolution,
We are the stones that sharpen blunt ears for metaphoric pieces in our recitation............"
"Every sentence is convicted and sentenced to the archives of legacy,
That every man may conceive our presence with every vein of time,
Our words are scrutinised, to form the unseen forces of poetry in everymind"
"This is an Evolution,
Underline this line for the next bloodline is in line to inject shine along your spine,
Hence through us poets, you will shine"
What inspires your work as a spoken word artist?
Mostly the artists I hang and perform with, vessels of free knowledge. Because my poems are based on simple dialect, I try to interact with a person everywhere, that’s where the inspiration comes from.
What ideas do you explore through your work?
Every poem I write is with the intent that someone gets inspired, challenged, bothered. My poems also reflect the beauty of life, women, God, the craft poetry and appreciating play of words and the power thereof.
You recently travelled to Madagascar to perform. Do you have plans to travel further with you work.
Absolutely, God-Willing, 2014 will be performing in Germany, but in my bucket list I would love to perform in the UK and America.
Outside of being a spoken word artist what other projects are you involved in?
Well I am currently completing my civil engineering degree, that's the main priority at the moment, I would love to go back into singing opera and reincarnating a family business.
Connect ZA looks at connecting creative professionals and audiences in South Africa and the UK. Are you familiar with the spoken word scene in the UK? If so what are your thoughts?
Well thus far I've had the pleasure of meeting and performing in the same event with Yrsa Daley-Ward and I've seen a couple of YouTube clips of the other artists, and if they are anything to go by, I'd say the UK artists are thoroughly talented.
Kabelo's festival appearances -
6th September: Speak The Mind (Arts Alive), Bassline _ Johannesburg, 19:00 - 23:00
7th September: Poetica, Fugard Annexe 2 _ Cape Town, 14:00 - 15:00
7th September: Open Book Poetry Slam, Fugard Annexe 2 _ Cape Town, 20:00 - 21:00
The Open Book Festival will be taking place between the 7-11 September. For more information visit openbookfestival.co.za