Kwanele Nyembe
Kwanele Nyembe is a Durban-based poet, writer and performing artist. He holds a BA in drama and performance arts and media and cultural studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is the co-founder of Sink or Swim Podcast, a platform that serves as a media outlet for Durban-based performing artists to talk about their work and introduce to the world the person behind it. As a performer he curated a virtual series that incorporated creatives from different art sectors, including fashion, literature, music, spoken word, media, government and academia. He is the 2022 Poetry Africa Slam champion and will be representing South Africa in the World Individual Poetry Competition in Brazil (2023).
LitNet | STAND theatre review workshop: Kwanele Nyembe's review of Around the fire (final version)
2024-02-08"Written as a series of monologues, the play includes elements of poetry, dance and song. These are not added as mere theatrical devices, but employed instrumentally as functioning agents for the story." | This review is Kwanele Nyembe’s final, reworked version after receiving mentor feedback as part of the LitNet | STAND theatre review workshop.
LitNet | STAND: Theatre review of Around the fire (version 2)
2023-11-21"The production does not only contribute to case studies in the development of the choreopoem as a dramatic style of African storytelling for post-apartheid South Africa, but also serves as a social agent that holds a mirror to society, challenging the audience to question their role in the marginalisation of women." | This review was revised and updated by the participant. This is the second version of this review, which forms part of the LitNet | STAND theatre review workshop.
LitNet | STAND: Theatre review of Around the fire (version 1)
2023-10-25"The church scene in Around the fire takes the issue of femicide and displays comically to the audience how South Africans have become desensitised to femicide." | This review is part of the LitNet | STAND theatre review workshop.