#kabeloringane

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

How long have you been involved in the spoken word scene?

It’s been seven years now. I was living in Durban when I was first introduced to spoken word and I was immediately drawn to it. I later moved back to Joburg and this fuelled my love for the art form

What inspires your work as a poet?

The township I'm from, my experiences and sometimes other people's stories. I often say that I feel bad for taking all of the credit for my work because there are times when I have no idea what inspired a poem or a particular line, so I also believe that God plays a role in my work coming together.

Besides being poet what else do you do? 

I write, I'm working towards publishing my own novel someday. I also work with Word n Sound, so organising poetry events and facilitating workshops.

Which artists are you looking forward to seeing at the Speak the Mind Sessions this Friday and why?

Natalie from Floetry, she's one of the artists that really inspired me when I started writing, Nova, Rennie, KB, Makhafula, I'm really excited to see these fellow poets on stage

What do you think about the Connect ZA initiative that aims to bring young creative professionals and creative audiences within the UK and SA?

I think it’s amazing idea. I think it’s important for creatives from different backgrounds, countries and cultures to come together and share ideas.  I think the initiative is very necessary, it’s good to know that there are artists in different parts of the world who either have the same struggles or who have reached what I might be aiming for. 

The 8th Speak the Mind Spoken Word Sessions will be taking place on the 6th and 7th of September at the Baseline in Newtown and forms part of the Johannesburg Arts Alive International Festival. This year the show will be hosting performing artists from Zimbabwe, Canada, South Africa, Swaziland, Jamaica and the UK.

Connect ZA  is excited to be supporting spoken word artists: Cornelius Jones (SA), Nova (SA), Kabelo” KB” Ringane (SA) and Jacob Sam La Rose (UK) as part at this years Speak the Mind Spoken Word Sessions. 

Look out for their personal documentation of their experiences at the festival which we will be sharing with you soon on the Connect ZA platform.

Read more about KB Kilobyte here 

Read more about Jacob Sam-La Rose here

Read more about Mustashrik Mahbub here

Read more about Sunjeev Sahota here