Lament for Kofifi Macu, Angifi Dladla’s second book of poems in English, was published in 2017, sixteen years after his first collection. The book shows Dladla making use of a wide range of forms, from lyrical to closely observed portraits, from elegiac to satirical, as well as poems inhabiting the African spirit realm. His poetic voice, always clear and memorable, varies from poem to poem: at times public or bardic in tone, at times intimate and tender, at other times bitter with accusation.
Angifi Dladla (1950-2020) was a poet and playwright, as well as the author of eight plays, a collection of poems in isiZulu titled Uhambo, and two collections in English: The girl who then feared to sleep, and Lament for Kofifi Macu. His poetry has been published extensively in South Africa and internationally. He had a broad vision of poetry and a deep belief in its worth. His work ranges widely in style and form from densely imagistic poems to lyrical poems on love and nature, observations of supernatural beings, striking political satire and choral-traditional invocations.
Dladla worked as a schoolteacher and for many years was a community teacher of creative writing. He founded a number of community organisations in the East Rand, including Bachaki Theatre, the Community Life Network and the Femba Writing Project. He also published school and prison newspapers, and two anthologies that he compiled of prisoners’ writing: Wa lala, Wa sala and Reaching Out: Voices from Groenpunt Maximum-Security Prison.
