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In a Ribbon of Rhythm
Every generation produces its own share of heroes (and sheroes to quote Maya Angelou), who at times unknowingly elevate us; inspire us; provoke us; challenge us; sensitise as well as influence us.
Every generation also showers us with witnesses to the adage 'people's person - motho oa batho ka batho - who rise to the occasion by transcending space time; by transcending gender and race; equally by transcending status and place.
Lebo Mashile is one of these people, and these are her words.
The ancient ones plait their stories into futures for their children
The ancient ones they use their hands to heal the backs of broken men
And I hold a pen for every ancient
Who dared not hold a fist
Against the tyranny
That sucked the life and hope out of their breasts
- An extract from ‘Ancient Hands’
Every generation also showers us with witnesses to the adage 'people's person - motho oa batho ka batho - who rise to the occasion by transcending space time; by transcending gender and race; equally by transcending status and place.
Lebo Mashile is one of these people, and these are her words.
The ancient ones plait their stories into futures for their children
The ancient ones they use their hands to heal the backs of broken men
And I hold a pen for every ancient
Who dared not hold a fist
Against the tyranny
That sucked the life and hope out of their breasts
- An extract from ‘Ancient Hands’
- GenresPoetry
64 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2005
7 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
About the author
Lebogang Mashile
4 books19 followersThe poet, performer, actress, presenter and producer Lebogang Mashile, the daughter of exiled South Africans, was born in the U.S. in 1979.
At the age of sixteen years she and her parents returned to their home country. It was while she was studying law and international relations at Wits University in Johannesburg that the desire to work as an artist took hold of her.
In her work as a life skills facilitator for adolescents – focusing on topics like gender issues, teamwork and sexuality – poetry has been her preferred medium.
Mashile regards its expressive power as the most effective tool to bring about those changes in mental attitude that are needed in the aftermath of the socio-political changes in post-apartheid South Africa. "The enemy isn’t really clear in the way it was before. It’s an incredibly sensitive, complicated struggle with many dimensions, but the site for that struggle is inside. ... The language of poetry comes from a place where that transformation has to begin, that sort of intuitive, creative, spiritual searching place that will be the fuel for any kind of transformation process.”
Mashile began to achieve recognition as one of South Africa's most popular young artists in 2002 when she performed her hip-hop inspired poetry at the Urban Voices Spoken Word and Music Festival to a large audience.
In 2003 she co-founded the “Feel a Sistah!” Spoken Word Collective alongside Myesha Jenkins, Ntsiki Mazwai and Mapo Masheane, which rapidly gained wide-spread popularity. Just one year later Mashile made her acting début in the Oscar nominated film "Hotel Rwanda".
Moreover, she was the presenter and producer of the television programme "L'Atitude", a concept that she co-executive produced with Curious Pictures. Throughout its seventy-eight episodes she introduced the viewers to the personal stories of different people and their relationships with their immediate surroundings. These insights were gained from her travels through South Africa. The series reached an audience of over two million viewers.
Her lyrical and gutsy poems in the collection "A Ribbon of Rhythm" (2005) also speak about life in the new South Africa. Issues such as the diversity and unity of the "Rainbow Nation", the status of women, violence and the fragility of individuals are all treated with a sense of urgency, humour and at times with melancholy and a certain rawness. Mashile’s self-produced album "Lebo Mashile Live!" combines her performance poetry with hip-hop, house and R&B.
In June of 2008, Mashile published her second anthology entitled “Flying Above the Sky”. This collection marks the poet’s first foray into self-publishing, a decision she undertook in order to own the copyright to her own work. Her latest collection contains a far more mature and personal voice and deals with Mashile’s signature themes of gender, identity, spirituality, love and socio-political conditions in South Africa.
Mashile can currently be seen on South African television screens as the presenter of ‘Drawing the Line’, a game show dealing with moral issues.
She returned to the theatre at this year’s Standard Bank National Arts Festival in the stage adaptation of K. Sello Duiker’s ‘The Quiet Violence of Dreams’. She plays Mmabatho, the only female character in a story that dissects contemporary South African masculinity. Mashile is currently working on a cross-media and cross-generational collaboration with renowned choreographer Sylvia Glasser entitled ‘Threads’. This piece fuses poetry, music and dance and has been created in celebration of Moving Into Dance Mophatong’s 30th anniversary. Moving Into Dance Mophatong was the first multiracial dance contemporary dance company in South Africa.
One can also find Mashile’s thoughts in her monthly column, “In Her Shoes”, which she writes for True Love magazine.
Lebo Mashile, who has featured on numerous covers of South African entertai
At the age of sixteen years she and her parents returned to their home country. It was while she was studying law and international relations at Wits University in Johannesburg that the desire to work as an artist took hold of her.
In her work as a life skills facilitator for adolescents – focusing on topics like gender issues, teamwork and sexuality – poetry has been her preferred medium.
Mashile regards its expressive power as the most effective tool to bring about those changes in mental attitude that are needed in the aftermath of the socio-political changes in post-apartheid South Africa. "The enemy isn’t really clear in the way it was before. It’s an incredibly sensitive, complicated struggle with many dimensions, but the site for that struggle is inside. ... The language of poetry comes from a place where that transformation has to begin, that sort of intuitive, creative, spiritual searching place that will be the fuel for any kind of transformation process.”
Mashile began to achieve recognition as one of South Africa's most popular young artists in 2002 when she performed her hip-hop inspired poetry at the Urban Voices Spoken Word and Music Festival to a large audience.
In 2003 she co-founded the “Feel a Sistah!” Spoken Word Collective alongside Myesha Jenkins, Ntsiki Mazwai and Mapo Masheane, which rapidly gained wide-spread popularity. Just one year later Mashile made her acting début in the Oscar nominated film "Hotel Rwanda".
Moreover, she was the presenter and producer of the television programme "L'Atitude", a concept that she co-executive produced with Curious Pictures. Throughout its seventy-eight episodes she introduced the viewers to the personal stories of different people and their relationships with their immediate surroundings. These insights were gained from her travels through South Africa. The series reached an audience of over two million viewers.
Her lyrical and gutsy poems in the collection "A Ribbon of Rhythm" (2005) also speak about life in the new South Africa. Issues such as the diversity and unity of the "Rainbow Nation", the status of women, violence and the fragility of individuals are all treated with a sense of urgency, humour and at times with melancholy and a certain rawness. Mashile’s self-produced album "Lebo Mashile Live!" combines her performance poetry with hip-hop, house and R&B.
In June of 2008, Mashile published her second anthology entitled “Flying Above the Sky”. This collection marks the poet’s first foray into self-publishing, a decision she undertook in order to own the copyright to her own work. Her latest collection contains a far more mature and personal voice and deals with Mashile’s signature themes of gender, identity, spirituality, love and socio-political conditions in South Africa.
Mashile can currently be seen on South African television screens as the presenter of ‘Drawing the Line’, a game show dealing with moral issues.
She returned to the theatre at this year’s Standard Bank National Arts Festival in the stage adaptation of K. Sello Duiker’s ‘The Quiet Violence of Dreams’. She plays Mmabatho, the only female character in a story that dissects contemporary South African masculinity. Mashile is currently working on a cross-media and cross-generational collaboration with renowned choreographer Sylvia Glasser entitled ‘Threads’. This piece fuses poetry, music and dance and has been created in celebration of Moving Into Dance Mophatong’s 30th anniversary. Moving Into Dance Mophatong was the first multiracial dance contemporary dance company in South Africa.
One can also find Mashile’s thoughts in her monthly column, “In Her Shoes”, which she writes for True Love magazine.
Lebo Mashile, who has featured on numerous covers of South African entertai
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 2, 2014
A great collection of poems by one of South Africa's most celebrated and loved poets Lebo Mashile.
"I smoked a spliff with Jesus Christ last night
Then leaned over and stuck my eyes inside his soul
The father let me take a journey through his pain
And beside the tears of Judas, I saw my own
(Extract from "I smoked a spliff")
A good book to own
"I smoked a spliff with Jesus Christ last night
Then leaned over and stuck my eyes inside his soul
The father let me take a journey through his pain
And beside the tears of Judas, I saw my own
(Extract from "I smoked a spliff")
A good book to own
August 15, 2023
“When I sing
It’s for the love of a life I can’t touch without fingers of regret
I sing
For what I can’t remember but my body won’t let me forget
I sing for the embers of legacy
I sing because I have nothing left”
It’s for the love of a life I can’t touch without fingers of regret
I sing
For what I can’t remember but my body won’t let me forget
I sing for the embers of legacy
I sing because I have nothing left”
October 31, 2013
Her poetry is alive, jumps off the page even when describing the simplest of things. One of my favorite quotes is 'when the clouds clear we shall know the colour of the sky' by Keorapetse Kgositsile. Lebo quotes her in her poem, 'Wild Women Warriors'. I wasn't too comfort with the poem 'I smoked a spliff' where she has a conversation with Jesus while they share a joint. Didn't sit well with me but I definitely respect this powerful poetess.
Read
March 15, 2025umamLebogang has found all the words i wish i said— manages to completely write each sentence as if i was in between the pages. i’m so grateful that my mom kept this book in her drawer and i did the due diligence of stealing it (ofc).
this book is a serum for hope, love, safety and freedom. all the things i want to emulate in my work for those that resemble me and the people in this special book.
this book is a serum for hope, love, safety and freedom. all the things i want to emulate in my work for those that resemble me and the people in this special book.
February 5, 2008
there is such
Read
July 27, 2011Really makes you want to hear her out loud! Vibrant and compelling.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews